The way architects work is changing. Blueprints and floor plans may be on the way to the recycle bin, at least for consumer buyers. Pencils, paper, or PDFs of architectural plans have evolved towards 3D renderings and, now, Virtual Reality (VR) films as selling tools. As technology reduces cost and improves quality, the latter (3D/VR) may become embedded into architects design process and even replace floor plans altogether.

Planning and shaping your design is no longer a flat two-dimensional space, now it’s interactive and filled with layers of choices. While looking at the piece of architecture through VR goggles, you can see within seconds how the lighting inside your creation may look on a sunny day, cloudy day, sunset, or night time. While in some ways it adds to the complexity of the initial scope, VR also makes the process more detailed, easier to adjust, and fulfilling. It provides a more complete, immersive, and understanding experience for a consumer buyer. The technology continues to evolve. This video shows an example of these features in action.

What's really interesting is that architects are likely to become VR experts sooner than most, and maybe even at such a level of understanding that architects could become early masters of VR filmmaking. That's because they have a business model that currently supports using it as a tool to sell product already. An interesting side business for these VR architect filmmakers could be to take on the role of virtual set designers. As content-focused VR filmmakers are looking for amazing spaces to set their stories, they could rent or license out an architect's already-designed VR space to use in their VR films - almost like renting a house for a movie shoot. The architectural profession will be interesting to watch over the next decade or so as VR filmmaking matures.