Monkton Dean Properties first reached out through The CGI Guys, one of our sister companies. They’d taken on a commercial building in Middlewich that had once been home to a large discount store. After the store closed, the place had been standing empty for quite a while, and they wanted to put the building back to use rather than leave it sitting idle.
The plan was to divide the building into four smaller units. The idea was simple: give local businesses a chance to take on a space that wasn’t too big or too costly, but still offered a proper commercial setup.
To help them show how the building could be split, we created a CGI visual that set out the new layout in a way potential tenants could understand straight away. It gave the project some shape and helped move the conversation on from basic floor plans.
The CGI images worked well on their own, but the client wanted something that looked more connected to the real world. They needed to show the building in its actual surroundings so people could picture where it sat, what the area looked like and how the redevelopment would fit into the wider site.
That meant bringing drones into the mix. They asked us at Portal Drones to capture a set of aerial images so the CGI could be blended with real footage. The goal was to end up with a visual that looked like the finished units were already there, sitting in their proper place.
We carried out a short flight around the site, taking care to match the angles and height needed for the combined shot. After comparing the drone images with the CGI, we lined everything up so the final visual felt natural rather than stitched together. Once finished, it looked convincing enough that you could almost forget the work hadn’t happened yet.
Monkton Dean put the images to use straight away. They went into a small printed brochure, onto estate agent listings, and one was used on a large roadside sign facing the car park. It didn’t take long before people started noticing the redevelopment, and interest from local businesses began to pick up.
Using both CGI and drone photography gave the client a way to show the project properly. Instead of relying on drawings or written descriptions, they had an image that showed the idea in context, exactly where it would sit and how it could look once finished.
That combination of real footage and planned design helped shift the building from an empty, unused space to something people could see potential in — and it played a part in attracting the tenants the redevelopment was aimed at.
Simply fill in our enquiry form or call us on 01829 707 861 to get started and we'll be happy to discuss your requirements.
