Photorealism has long been something artists and animators have tried to achieve. However, as we near that ultimate visualisation of perfect replicas, we can feel some discomfort. Our brains have an automatic danger response when we feel something is too realistic (the Uncanny Valley effect). This lowers our trust in a particular character or visual and makes us extremely wary of things that look a bit too perfect.
Photorealism is the term for accurately conveying a convincing image to the viewer. These images are often criticised for either not being good enough or being too good. The suspension of disbelief can be broken instantly when our brains recognise something as strange or scary. However, this is no reason to slander the art form as a whole. There is indeed a place for 3D visualisations, and one of those places is real estate marketing.
In the art world, photorealism is often used to describe very detailed paintings crafted to look almost identical to the subject. These paintings can often trick the eye. Similarly, architectural visualisation has become so close to the original vision that people often don’t know the images aren’t authentic. This photorrealism provides a huge benefit to realtors, especially in 2022. During a worldwide pandemic, it isn’t easy to tour homes safely, which is why it can be so helpful to give buyers a way to view the house from the comfort of their phone of laptop.
Designers highlight certain elements of a visual when creating a space, such as dramatising light and shadow and brining colours and small details to life. We can inherently see when something looks “off” and when something looks strange but natural at the same time. On the other hand, we know it isn’t real when things are drawn with intentional abstractness. Therefore, we can process the image without becoming uncomfortable because the relationship between the image and the subject is clear. The subject is genuine, the image is not.
We have been fortunate enough to work with some of Australia’s best properrty developers to create these photorealistic renders and see the results that they bring when applied to the project marketing phase of a new development project.
