Behind the project · Jeff Liu

Tech stack & workflow.

The tools and seven-step process behind the Pasadena reconstruction, from source references to the finished walkthrough.

01ReferencePhotos + floor plan

02ReconstructSpatial model

03RefineLight + materials

04ExperienceContinuous film

The stack used

Each tool had a specific role, from shaping the scene to sharing the finished experience.

Model & render

Blender

Geometry, materials, lighting, door animation, and the camera path.

Cycles stills · EEVEE film

AI-assisted production

ChatGPT & Codex

Blender scripting, iterative corrections, and web implementation under my direction.

Human direction · AI execution

Connect & share

Cloudflare

Custom-domain DNS connecting the public address to the published site.

realestate.trendingsociety.com

HTML, CSS & JavaScript

Tabs, comparison views, and video chapters.

ChatGPT Sites

Publication and hosting for the case study.

Start with the references.

Gather a floor plan and overlapping photos of each room, doorway, and fixed fixture. Label measured dimensions, estimates, and unknowns before building.

Recreate the workflow

Seven stages. A clear output and a review checkpoint at every step. Expand a stage for the details.

Organize the references

Organized reference set

Tool: Reference photos + floor plan
Output: Organized reference set

Action Label photos by room and viewpoint. Map visible doors and windows onto the floor plan. Keep an uncertainty list for details the photos do not establish.

Checkeach room and connection has a reference or an explicit assumption.

Floor plan used to establish room relationships — Reference / Floor plan

Build the spatial model

Editable house model

Tool: Blender · AI-assisted scripting
Output: Editable house model

Action In Blender, establish the floor, walls, openings, ceiling heights, and major fixtures before detailed furnishings. Use the plan for room relationships and photos for visible features.

Checkinspect an overhead view and eye-level views for disconnected openings or inconsistent room assignments.

Overhead view of the reconstructed house model — Reconstruction / Spatial model

Set a visual benchmark

A visual benchmark

Tool: Blender · Cycles
Output: A visual benchmark

Action Choose one room and lock a camera position. Refine daylight, material scale, surface texture, and furniture detail. Render the same view before and after.

Checkcompare proportions and finishes with the source photograph, not just whether the result looks attractive.

Refined living room with daylight and detailed furnishings — Visual benchmark / Living room

Review the whole house

Reference-checked geometry

Tool: Reference photos + Blender
Output: Reference-checked geometry

Action Extend the visual treatment, then inspect each room against its references. Check doors, fixtures, windows, and circulation.

Checkresolve visible mismatches before rendering a long film; preserve uncertainty where evidence is missing.

Corrected entry geometry checked against the original references — Reference review / Corrected entry

Design the visitor journey

An animated visitor route

Tool: Blender · camera and door animation
Output: An animated visitor route

Action Start outside, approach the entrance, animate the door, and move through connected spaces at eye level. In Blender, place the door’s origin at its hinge and keyframe its opening to match the camera’s arrival.

Checkpreview at low resolution and review pacing, turns, and clearance through each opening.

Exterior approach at the beginning of the walkthrough — Visitor journey / Arrival

Render and review the film

The reviewed film

Tool: Blender · EEVEE
Output: The reviewed film

Action Render a short test first, then the full camera sequence. Review the exported video for clipping, sudden motion, inconsistent lighting, and distracting intersections.

Checkinspect the final export itself, not only the Blender viewport. This project’s final film is approximately 38 seconds in Full HD.

Rendered kitchen on the interior walkthrough route — Film review / Interior route

Present the decisions and result

A public case study

Tool: HTML, CSS & JavaScript · ChatGPT Sites
Output: A public case study

Action Publish the reference set, matching before-and-after views, and final film. Make your role and the use of AI explicit. Add chapter controls, then test them on the production domain and on a narrow screen.

Checkvisitors can understand your contribution and reach the result without reading the full tutorial.

Finished exterior render presented in the case study — Outcome / Architectural visualization

Scope & limitations

This guide explains the process and review criteria. The Blender scene, scripts, and full reference archive are not included.

The reconstruction uses photographs and an approximate listing floor plan. Unseen details and some dimensions remain interpretations. The living-room study uses Cycles; the film uses EEVEE, so lighting and reflections differ.

The published film is a 3D render. Generative-video experiments were separate.

Watch the walkthrough Back to case study