Service

Property Marketing CGI

Property marketing CGI is architectural rendering prepared to communicate an unbuilt property's spaces, finishes and setting to prospective buyers or tenants.

Villa living room with an exposed timber ceiling, neutral sofa and open doors towards palms and the sea

Project guidance

What does property marketing CGI communicate?

Property marketing CGI communicates the proposed property offer before photography of the completed development exists. Exterior scenes establish the setting and arrival; interiors show layout, finishes and furnishing; amenity views explain shared facilities. The campaign set should represent one coordinated design rather than separate scenes with inconsistent specifications.

The marketing brief identifies the intended buyers or tenants and the channels carrying the imagery. A website, brochure, portal listing and hoarding require different crops and levels of detail. Agree the design information and presentation furnishings before approval so the scene does not imply an unconfirmed specification.

Project guidance

How is an off-plan image set kept consistent?

Consistency begins with a common materials schedule, landscape reference and approved model. Keep façade finishes, interior packages and shared amenities aligned across the campaign. Record which elements are fixed, optional or indicative. This record gives the sales team a clear basis for explaining the imagery.

Design changes require a review of every affected output, including earlier crops and brochure versions. The final imagery is not a guarantee of sale, rental performance or construction completion. Its role is to communicate the supplied proposal clearly. Written usage terms, asset licences and approval records establish how the campaign material is published and maintained.

Project guidance

What information belongs in the rendering brief?

A rendering brief records the purpose, audience, approved design information and required deliverables. Start with the decision that the images need to support: review a material palette, explain a proposal to a planning team or present a property to prospective occupiers. These purposes lead to different viewpoints and different standards of evidence. Record the project address, building use, design stage, required view count and delivery dates. Identify the person who approves the work and consolidate feedback through that person.

Supply the latest plans, elevations and sections together with the revision register. A coordinated 3D model reduces interpretation, but it still requires a check against the drawings. Include a materials schedule, landscape information and references for finishes. Mark unresolved elements rather than allowing assumptions to enter the final image. Separate existing features, proposed works and future phases. For refurbishment projects, photographs of retained fabric explain conditions that drawings alone do not describe.

Project guidance

How are modelling and site context checked?

Model checking compares the working scene with the issued design information. Review building height, roof profile, openings, floor levels and the relationship between the proposal and the surrounding ground. Architectural rendering presents a design; it does not resolve conflicting drawings or certify the construction information. Keep a list of assumptions for review, particularly where the model and drawings show different revisions. An early geometry check prevents later work on materials and planting from concealing an unresolved design issue.

Site context explains how the building sits among neighbouring structures, vegetation, streets and topography. The amount of context follows the viewpoint and purpose rather than a fixed modelling radius. A close interior view needs little external geometry; a long landscape view needs the surrounding landform and visible buildings. Label temporary features and future development separately. Planning evidence and promotional imagery have different presentation needs, so the context standard belongs in the brief before rendering begins.

Project guidance

What does a first-draft review assess?

A first-draft review assesses geometry, composition and visibility before detailed finishing. The review establishes whether the chosen camera explains the intended subject without hiding important relationships. Check that principal elevations, room proportions, access routes and relevant neighbouring features read clearly. A neutral material or clay review keeps attention on structure and viewpoint. Approving the composition at this stage reduces the risk of rebuilding a finished scene after the camera changes.

Feedback works best as one marked-up document with numbered comments. Identify the image, location of the change, intended result and source of the correction. Distinguish a modelling correction from a new design instruction. Use the same drawing revision for every reviewer. A material approval is separate from geometry approval: both need explicit sign-off. Record accepted assumptions so later rounds do not reopen decisions unintentionally. The written quotation defines the number of review rounds and the treatment of additional changes.

Project guidance

How are materials and lighting specified?

Material specification translates approved finishes into the rendering scene. Product references, sample photographs and manufacturer information establish colour, texture, reflectivity and scale. A surface that looks correct in a close crop still needs to read correctly across the complete image. Check joints, edges and transitions between materials as well as the dominant finish. Furniture, fittings and planting also need a consistent design reference when they form part of the proposal.

Lighting establishes the relationship between daylight, artificial light and the visible architecture. The chosen conditions influence how materials and spaces read. Marketing imagery uses a coordinated atmosphere across a set; technical assessments follow the agreed presentation methodology. An attractive image is not evidence of quantified daylight, sunlight or energy performance. Those claims require a separate technical assessment. Keep the lighting choice explicit so the viewer understands whether the scene illustrates a design or presents assessment evidence.

Project guidance

Which delivery details need agreement?

Delivery specifications establish image dimensions, aspect ratios, file formats and intended uses. Website images, printed brochures, exhibition boards and large-format hoardings have different requirements. Agree the largest intended print size early, because enlarging a finished low-resolution image does not recover missing detail. Keep a high-resolution master and create optimised web versions from it. Confirm whether the commission includes individual images, a coordinated campaign set or moving and interactive outputs.

Usage rights, source-model ownership and third-party asset licences belong in the written agreement. A rendered image is not automatically a licence to redistribute the working scene or every asset within it. Confirm the permitted channels and any restrictions on re-use. Keep filenames and image descriptions consistent with the project and viewpoint. For publication, record which drawings and materials the final output represents, particularly when imagery continues to circulate after the architectural design changes.

Project guidance

What determines price and programme?

Price and programme depend on model readiness, scene complexity, output count and review scope. New geometry requires more preparation than a coordinated model with agreed materials. Surrounding context, bespoke furniture, vegetation, survey photography and additional camera positions add separate work. A still-image package and an animation package have different production demands. Compare quotations against the same deliverable list rather than comparing a single headline price.

The programme includes information checks, modelling, camera approval, material development, rendering and final corrections. Late drawing changes affect the approved geometry and every image derived from it. Identify the design freeze and reserve time for the client review. A submission deadline is not the same as a first-draft date. The displayed example prices are planning illustrations, not confirmed studio rates; a project-specific written quotation establishes the actual cost, VAT treatment, revision allowance and delivery commitments.

01Methodology

How does the property marketing cgi process work?

The process establishes the brief, checks the model, approves the viewpoint and materials, and delivers the agreed output.

  1. Step 01

    Brief & Drawings

  2. Step 02

    Model & Site Context

  3. Step 03

    Clay Render Review

  4. Step 04

    Materials & Lighting

  5. Step 05

    Final Delivery

02Inputs

What does the studio need from you?

Drawings in Revit, SketchUp, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, IFC or PDF; a materials schedule; site location; agreed viewpoints and your submission deadline.

05Cost

How much does property marketing cgi cost?

A written quotation establishes the actual price, scope and revision terms. Existing example figures are illustrative and are not confirmed studio rates.

Architectural visualisation pricing →

06FAQ

Property Marketing CGI FAQs

What distinguishes marketing CGI from planning imagery?

Marketing CGI communicates the property offer and lifestyle setting. Planning imagery explains a proposal's design and context for assessment; verified evidence adds a documented accuracy methodology.

Guides

Which guides support this commission?

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