Should People Be Included in a 3D Walkthrough?

3Dwalkthroughs.com would like to pose a question to our clients:
Does adding people to a 3D Walkthrough improve the experience or serve as a distraction?

We have recently come across some new market research which states that adding people to a 3D Walkthrough might not always be a good thing. The findings of the research states that in some cases adding people can serve as a distraction and actually take away from the experience.

Without being privy to all of the details and criteria surrounding the test, I am skeptical about these findings. We have seen plenty of examples of 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings where people dramatically improved the experience as well as plenty of examples where they have not.

Some of the ways to ensure that the 3D Walkthrough experience is improved by adding people are:
1) Making sure the demographic of the people is consistent with the targeted audience
2) Don't add too many people that make a property look congested
3) Make sure the speed of peoples movement is consistent with the speed of the overall camera pan
4) Do not have use still images of people when the rest of the environment is moving

The biggest deciding factor whether or not people should be added to a 3D Walkthrough is the overall goals of the presentation. If the goal is to market to a specific demographic or demonstrate energy or excitement within a common area, then adding people is probably a good idea. If the goal is to show tranquility and a peaceful lifestyle, then pehaps people should be kept out of the presentation.