What Is a Virtual Tour? Types, Costs and How They Are Made

A virtual tour is a way to walk through a space on a screen: a sequence of connected 360-degree views, or a real-time 3D scene, that lets you look around and move from point to point as if you were standing there. The space can be real and photographed, real and laser-scanned, or not built yet and rendered in CGI, and that one distinction (captured versus constructed) decides everything about how a tour is made, what it costs and what it can show.

What is a virtual tour, exactly?

Technically, most virtual tours are a set of panoramic images stitched into spheres and linked by hotspots: you stand inside a photograph, turn in any direction, and click through to the next position. Better tours add a floor plan, information points, embedded media and branding. The experience runs in an ordinary browser on a phone or laptop; no app, no headset, though a VR mode is often available for showrooms and events.

What makes it a tour rather than a gallery is agency. A slideshow shows you what the photographer chose; a tour lets you choose, which is why it holds attention longer and answers the spatial questions (how big, how connected, what is around the corner) that flat images cannot.

The three kinds of virtual tour, and which you need

Photographic 360 tours capture an existing space with a panoramic camera. Fast and affordable, they are the standard for estate agency listings and venues that already look their best.

Scan-based tours (Matterport is the household name) walk a depth-sensing camera through a real space and build a measurable 3D model as well as the visuals. The right tool for documenting and marketing finished interiors; our CGI versus Matterport guide covers the trade-offs.

CGI virtual tours are constructed, not captured: the space is built in 3D from drawings and rendered photoreal, which means the place being toured does not need to exist. This is the off-plan and pre-construction tool, and it is the kind we build: when a developer needs buyers walking an apartment that is currently a foundation, there is no camera-based alternative.

The choice is made by one question: does the space exist, looking the way you want to show it? If yes, photograph or scan it. If no, build it in CGI.

How is a virtual tour made?

A photographic tour is a day of capture and a few days of stitching and assembly. A scan tour is similar with different hardware. A CGI tour is a production: the space is modelled from CAD drawings in 3ds Max, dressed and lit, rendered as panoramic views from agreed camera positions, then assembled into the same click-through experience, with hotspots, floor plans and branding. A typical CGI tour of a single unit takes two to four weeks; large multi-space tours scale with area. Density matters more than people expect: enough camera positions that the visitor lands somewhere natural every few steps, which is why our tours run from a few dozen positions for a suite to over a hundred for a large building.

What does a virtual tour cost?

Photographic tours are the cheapest, often a few hundred pounds for a home. Scan tours price by area and sit in the same territory for typical spaces. CGI tours cost more because the space is built from scratch: ours start at 1,500 pounds for the first 5,000 square feet and add 1,000 pounds per further 5,000, with an estimate within 24 hours of seeing plans; the full breakdown is in our virtual tour cost guide. The same 3D model also produces stills and a walkthrough film, which is the economical way to brief a whole campaign.

Do virtual tours actually work?

Where the buyer's question is spatial, yes. Listings with tours hold attention longer and pre-qualify viewers: whoever spends ten minutes walking a space and still wants it is a serious lead, which matters most where physical viewings are impossible (off-plan, international buyers) or expensive (busy occupied offices). Where the product is not spatial, a tour is decoration; if a floor plan and five photos already answer every question, spend the budget elsewhere. We say the same to clients even when it costs us the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a virtual tour and a video walkthrough?

Control. A video plays the same path for everyone; a tour lets each visitor choose where to look and go. A video carries pacing and story better; a tour answers individual questions better. Off-plan campaigns often use both from the same 3D model.

Do you need a VR headset for a virtual tour?

No. Tours run in a normal browser on any device; a headset adds presence for sales suites and events but is never required.

Can you make a virtual tour of a building that does not exist?

Yes, that is exactly what a CGI virtual tour is: the space is built from architectural drawings and rendered photoreal, so buyers can walk it before construction starts. It is the standard tool for off-plan sales; the service is on our 360 virtual tours page.

How long does a virtual tour take to make?

Photographic: about a week including capture. CGI: two to four weeks for a typical unit, scaling with size, because the space is modelled and rendered from scratch.