VERO is changing the real estate market with its immersive virtual twins
Image courtesy of VERO
Rustam Kerimov, VERO Product Director
With a dual background as an IT engineer and real estate manager in construction, Rustam Kerimov has a diverse skill set. At VERO, he fuses his experience working in over 30 countries with a passion for innovation and efficiency. Beyond his professional pursuits, Rustam is fueled by a love for heavy metal and an insatiable curiosity for history.
With a dual background as an IT engineer and real estate manager in construction, Rustam Kerimov has a diverse skill set. At VERO, he fuses his experience working in over 30 countries with a passion for innovation and efficiency. Beyond his professional pursuits, Rustam is fueled by a love for heavy metal and an insatiable curiosity for history.
The ever-improving arts and sciences of real estate technology (or proptech) continue to evolve the way real estate is developed, designed, marketed, and managed.
Where once companies relied on traditional drawings and clunky CAD renderings, today real estate visualization companies rely on the cutting-edge technology offered by Unreal Engine to create digital twins of not just spaces or buildings, but entire sections of cities.
Investing in a real-time model at the start of a project enables these firms to benefit through every stage of the project and as new requirements emerge.
VERO’s recent work on making a digital twin of Amsterdam helped showcase how one of the city’s most iconic areas could blend commercial, tech, and urban development with entertainment. They hope their work in Saudi Arabia on a visual twin will help streamline the efforts of master planners there.
Following their talk at Unreal Fest Prague, we chatted with Rustam Kerimov, Product Director at VERO, about how the company evolved into a visual, commercial, and digital accelerator for real estate development and how the company has used Unreal Engine for the past six years in its work.
Where once companies relied on traditional drawings and clunky CAD renderings, today real estate visualization companies rely on the cutting-edge technology offered by Unreal Engine to create digital twins of not just spaces or buildings, but entire sections of cities.
Investing in a real-time model at the start of a project enables these firms to benefit through every stage of the project and as new requirements emerge.
VERO’s recent work on making a digital twin of Amsterdam helped showcase how one of the city’s most iconic areas could blend commercial, tech, and urban development with entertainment. They hope their work in Saudi Arabia on a visual twin will help streamline the efforts of master planners there.
Following their talk at Unreal Fest Prague, we chatted with Rustam Kerimov, Product Director at VERO, about how the company evolved into a visual, commercial, and digital accelerator for real estate development and how the company has used Unreal Engine for the past six years in its work.
VERO was founded in 2016 and has grown and evolved quite a bit since. Can you walk us through how the company came together and what has propelled that evolution and growth?
Rustam Kerimov, Product Director at VERO:
VERO kicked off its journey back in the fall of 2016. We quickly made a name for ourselves locally and globally thanks to our work on some of the Netherlands' most prestigious projects. We've stayed ahead of the curve by embracing the latest tech trends to make the real estate process smoother than ever. This mindset has been the driving force behind our growth, and now we've got a team of over 40 members making it happen all around the world.
How has visual marketing for the real estate industry changed over the past five years?
Kerimov:
As demand for higher standards grows, there's an increasing need for quality, interactivity, and seamless integration of digital solutions throughout the user experience. At our core, we eagerly embrace this challenge, harnessing the power of AI whenever feasible to elevate user experiences and exceed expectations.
Rustam Kerimov, Product Director at VERO:
VERO kicked off its journey back in the fall of 2016. We quickly made a name for ourselves locally and globally thanks to our work on some of the Netherlands' most prestigious projects. We've stayed ahead of the curve by embracing the latest tech trends to make the real estate process smoother than ever. This mindset has been the driving force behind our growth, and now we've got a team of over 40 members making it happen all around the world.
How has visual marketing for the real estate industry changed over the past five years?
Kerimov:
As demand for higher standards grows, there's an increasing need for quality, interactivity, and seamless integration of digital solutions throughout the user experience. At our core, we eagerly embrace this challenge, harnessing the power of AI whenever feasible to elevate user experiences and exceed expectations.
How significant has Unreal Engine been to that change in real estate visual marketing?
Kerimov:
Watching our industry evolve, it's incredible to see how Unreal Engine is taking off in real estate marketing. It's like a game changer, becoming the go-to solution for everything, and it's really shaking things up with its ability to foster creativity and new ideas.
Your company has become expert in creating digital twins for real estate. How have digital twins become such an important element for everything from real estate models to platforms for geographic regions?
Kerimov:
With high expectations from developers and clients, there's a real need for projects to stand out, especially in urban areas. Adding to the challenge, we're seeing the importance of having up-to-date information right at our fingertips, helping us make smarter decisions in the ever-changing world of city planning.
Kerimov:
Watching our industry evolve, it's incredible to see how Unreal Engine is taking off in real estate marketing. It's like a game changer, becoming the go-to solution for everything, and it's really shaking things up with its ability to foster creativity and new ideas.
Your company has become expert in creating digital twins for real estate. How have digital twins become such an important element for everything from real estate models to platforms for geographic regions?
Kerimov:
With high expectations from developers and clients, there's a real need for projects to stand out, especially in urban areas. Adding to the challenge, we're seeing the importance of having up-to-date information right at our fingertips, helping us make smarter decisions in the ever-changing world of city planning.
Walk us through your work in Amsterdam and in particular, how your evolved use of digital twins played out there.
Kerimov:
At first, our focus was on creating landmark projects within Amsterdam's fast-growing commercial sector. But then, we stumbled upon the idea of creating a digital twin for the entire district. It was like a lightbulb moment, and we knew we had to bring it to life. With the help of our amazing sales team, we turned that idea into a reality. Every step of the way, we've been tweaking and fine-tuning, making sure it's user-friendly and exciting to explore.
Today, it stands as a digital twin of one of the city's most iconic areas, seamlessly blending commercial, technological, and urban development functionalities with elements of entertainment. It’s no longer just a model: it acts as an evolving platform that is not only easy to manage but also flexible and adaptable to various development scenarios for master planning and urban infrastructure. That's where Unreal PSG comes in—it's been a revelation for us, helping us do way more than we ever thought possible.
Our digital twin is used by a variety of different companies in the area for future decision making and development, which makes it even more valuable economically to the area.
Kerimov:
At first, our focus was on creating landmark projects within Amsterdam's fast-growing commercial sector. But then, we stumbled upon the idea of creating a digital twin for the entire district. It was like a lightbulb moment, and we knew we had to bring it to life. With the help of our amazing sales team, we turned that idea into a reality. Every step of the way, we've been tweaking and fine-tuning, making sure it's user-friendly and exciting to explore.
Today, it stands as a digital twin of one of the city's most iconic areas, seamlessly blending commercial, technological, and urban development functionalities with elements of entertainment. It’s no longer just a model: it acts as an evolving platform that is not only easy to manage but also flexible and adaptable to various development scenarios for master planning and urban infrastructure. That's where Unreal PSG comes in—it's been a revelation for us, helping us do way more than we ever thought possible.
Our digital twin is used by a variety of different companies in the area for future decision making and development, which makes it even more valuable economically to the area.
What sort of data are you bringing into the Amsterdam digital twin?
Kerimov:
This is one of the charms of the engine—that it’s open for integration and has endless possibilities for visualizing almost any kind of data. We’ve used data from open sources provided by Amsterdam. For example, we’ve displayed energy consumption types in neighborhoods of the district, with the possibility to study changes through time retrospectively.
Static data can be based on different analytical processing of a large amount of information. Dynamic data can come from completely different sources, such as IoT devices, various sensors of transportation, and energy infrastructure, etc. The question of visualization comes down to the creative approach of the team, which is always an exciting and challenging process for us.
How does VERO use Unreal Engine and why is it valuable for your team?
Kerimov: Our team is dedicated to creating products using Unreal Engine. We use it for graphics and rendering—making high-quality images and animations. We also use it to render content for the web, ensuring everything works well on all platforms.
Kerimov:
This is one of the charms of the engine—that it’s open for integration and has endless possibilities for visualizing almost any kind of data. We’ve used data from open sources provided by Amsterdam. For example, we’ve displayed energy consumption types in neighborhoods of the district, with the possibility to study changes through time retrospectively.
Static data can be based on different analytical processing of a large amount of information. Dynamic data can come from completely different sources, such as IoT devices, various sensors of transportation, and energy infrastructure, etc. The question of visualization comes down to the creative approach of the team, which is always an exciting and challenging process for us.
How does VERO use Unreal Engine and why is it valuable for your team?
Kerimov: Our team is dedicated to creating products using Unreal Engine. We use it for graphics and rendering—making high-quality images and animations. We also use it to render content for the web, ensuring everything works well on all platforms.
Which tools or features are important to your work?
Kerimov:
When we got our hands on rendering technologies like path tracing and Lumen, it felt like a game changer for us. Our whole approach and how we work shifted. And when Epic Games dropped Nanite technology and HLOD, we were deeply impressed. These advancements have completely changed what’s possible for us, opening up new possibilities.
Among Unreal Engine and the Epic Games ecosystem features, which is your favorite and why?
Kerimov:
We really value how efficient and user friendly the engine is for our team. It gives us quick visual feedback, so we can see how we're doing in no time. Plus, the animation and real-time rendering tools fit right into our workflow, making them essential parts of what we do.
Kerimov:
When we got our hands on rendering technologies like path tracing and Lumen, it felt like a game changer for us. Our whole approach and how we work shifted. And when Epic Games dropped Nanite technology and HLOD, we were deeply impressed. These advancements have completely changed what’s possible for us, opening up new possibilities.
Among Unreal Engine and the Epic Games ecosystem features, which is your favorite and why?
Kerimov:
We really value how efficient and user friendly the engine is for our team. It gives us quick visual feedback, so we can see how we're doing in no time. Plus, the animation and real-time rendering tools fit right into our workflow, making them essential parts of what we do.
Where do you see digital twins and real estate visualization heading in the future?
Kerimov:
The ways we use digital twins are growing fast. With our projects getting bigger, we've found that taking a step-by-step approach is super important. We have started work in Saudi Arabia which has really become a hotspot for big investments and groundbreaking innovation, especially in real estate. In the future, I see online platforms becoming these awesome 3D worlds, with different levels of detail and cool visuals. It's all about blending different kinds of info together to create experiences that really grab your attention and get you involved.
What does VERO hope to accomplish in the future and how will it do so?
Kerimov:
Working alongside state-of-the-art technologies, our aim is to keep making our graphics look more and more real. At the same time, we're bringing different types of data together into one platform to simulate city environments better.
Kerimov:
The ways we use digital twins are growing fast. With our projects getting bigger, we've found that taking a step-by-step approach is super important. We have started work in Saudi Arabia which has really become a hotspot for big investments and groundbreaking innovation, especially in real estate. In the future, I see online platforms becoming these awesome 3D worlds, with different levels of detail and cool visuals. It's all about blending different kinds of info together to create experiences that really grab your attention and get you involved.
What does VERO hope to accomplish in the future and how will it do so?
Kerimov:
Working alongside state-of-the-art technologies, our aim is to keep making our graphics look more and more real. At the same time, we're bringing different types of data together into one platform to simulate city environments better.
Interested in learning about Unreal Engine for Architecture?
Go beyond how a design will look. Show people how it’ll feel. With Unreal Engine, you can create immersive designs that feel stunningly real—and explore them in lifelike detail before you ever break ground.