The Power of CGI and Drone Video in Pre-Selling Luxury Beachfront Homes
Coastal Development Partners — a U.S.-based home builder — needed marketing visuals that would drive buyer interest and secure early commitments. So they turned to 3D visualization — and chose ArchiCGI because we could deliver everything quickly, within budget, and with up to 5 rounds of revisions included.
The result? A strong set of sales assets that helped Coastal Development Partners move fast, pitch with confidence, and convert interest into reservations.
Curious how 3D rendering like this is made — and why it works so well for home builders? Read on.
#1. Project Goals
Coastal Development Partners approached us with a clear objective: kick off pre-sales for their beachfront villa community before construction began.
To support this goal, they needed:
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a high-impact 3D animation blended with real drone footage
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short video clips for social media and presentations
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photoreal exterior and interior stills to showcase the future community in detail
#2. Project Results and Business Outcomes
This 3D flythrough animation played a key role in the early success of the project — four lots were pre-sold shortly after launch, with more sales expected soon. The video was created using real drone footage combined with CGI — a solution that’s fast, cost-effective, and highly realistic.
We’ve also included short clips tailored for social media.
And here are the final static renders of the community.
This CGI fully immerses viewers in the vision of the future community. As requested, it captures the site layout, architectural concept, and breathtaking oceanfront location — all presented in a creative and memorable way. Here is what our client wrote in our CRM system once he saw the final result:
“Thank you. You guys do exceptional work, and I appreciate your patience with the changes and revisions that we had. But the result is outstanding! Thank you for your meticulous work and attention to detail. It has been a pleasure.” — Jeffrey Wike, Assistant Managing Partner at Coastal Development Partners
The client has been actively using the CGI across multiple marketing channels, including their website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
#3. Typical Project Workflow
This project is a great example of our collaboration with home builders like Coastal Development Partners. We complete projects like this very quickly thanks to our well-established workflow. Our team dives deep into the Scope of Work, fine-tunes every detail, and brings the client’s vision to life with precise and polished results.
Discover how each stage of the process unfolded below.
#3.1 Receiving the SOW
The client provided us with the following references:
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architectural drawings
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SketchUp models of the planned buildings and site
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layout of the future community
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video and photo references of the location, including drone footage
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Google Maps location
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material references
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animation brief: 40-sec flythrough featuring numbered lots, villa placement, landscaping buildup, ocean & mountain views, and light, relaxed background music
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additional requirements: stylish people in luxury beachwear, high-end cars (e.g. Tesla), golden hour lighting (~2 hours before sunset), and a dramatic, aspirational mood.
#3.2 Checking Intermediate Results
Overall, the process closely followed our standard 3D rendering production pipeline. This approach allowed the CGI team to revisit any stage at any time, make adjustments, and keep the entire workflow efficient and easy to coordinate.
First, we presented the client with grayscale renders to approve camera angles and geometry.
#3.3 Polishing Final Results
Next came texturing, rendering, and post-production. At each stage, we carefully implemented the client’s detailed feedback to ensure the visuals met all expectations.
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We are grateful to the Coastal Development Partners team for the seamless collaboration and look forward to taking on more of their inspiring projects.
Need to grab the attention of potential real estate buyers and renters? Use our top-tier CGI services — and get results that go beyond expectations! Catherine Paul Catherine is a content writer and editor. In her articles, she explains how CGI is transforming the world of architecture and design. Outside of office, she enjoys yoga, travelling, and watching horrors.
Content Writer, Editor at ArchiCGI
