RESIDENTIALsales
A 3D floorplan of a two bedroom bungalow:
it saves a great deal of wondering about how the rooms work.
Floorplans – a new dimension Andrea Kirkby looks at the latest generation of 3D floor plans. T
rue 3D experience is Hollywood’s Holy Grail – though you’ll still need your 3D specs to see Avatar to its best advantage. But estate agents are already benefiting from 3D floor plans to give
housebuyers the best possible feel for a property before they arrange a viewing. 3D comes in various flavours. Most
common right now is the 3D static floorplan, which can be printed out as well as put on the web – it simply uses an axonometric view to give a little more feeling for how the rooms fit together. But 3D also gives access to increased interactivity, with walkthroughs and photos giving viewers a richer experience. Brian Farrell of Metropix says that
although the 3D image does give access to all these realms of interactivity, it’s the static image where the growth is right now. All areas of his business are growing fast; even static 2D has grown 214 per cent in
‘Sales of 3D floorplans have increased by 323% over the last two
years. Agents use 3D to stand out from the crowd.’ brIan farrell metropIx
24 months, while interactive plans are up 234 per cent in the same period, but 3D has increased by an astounding 323 per cent, and March this year was a record month. “What that says to me,” he explains, “is that people are using 3Ds to stand out from the crowd.” Early adopters of 2D have now seen the
majority of other agents moving into 2D floorplans. Now, they are looking for something else to differentiate themselves, and moving into 3D is an obvious step up – Brian Farrell says, “the 3D floorplan has a bit more sizzle to it.”
Steven Gravett at The Mobile Agent
reports that in their offices its more of a raging furnace than a sizzle since they launched their new sophisticated 3D floorplan service. “After a whole year of research, talking to hundreds of agents, and development, our new streamlined 3D service has received an amazing reaction from agents. Many who did one or two floorplans a month are now whizzing through dozens of 3D plans.” The Mobile Agent asked estate agents
what they liked – and didn’t like about 3D floorplans. Two major points came through; they don’t like furniture cluttering the plans, it just makes the rooms look small and they wanted the floorplans instantly, not overnight. “We decided on a one-size-fits-all design
where all rooms are white and all floors are either carpet or wood flooring (the agent can choose). This means that the plans are crisp and clear, they show the details clearly on screen and they print well.”
PROPERTYdrum JUNE 2011 39
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