Focusing on the art: How Metrica Visuals used Corona to capture the photographic serenity of Casa Siera

Summary:

• Metrica Visuals’ technical director, Daniel Diaz del Castillo, is an archviz artist with over 15 years of experience.
• 5Sólidos commissioned Metrica to create visuals for their residential project, Casa Siera.
• To manage a tight timeframe and unplanned drone shots, Metrica utilized a photography-first workflow that prioritized composition over technical setup.
• Using Corona for 3ds Max, Metrica Visuals produced high-fidelity animations that secured final look approval and were used in marketing materials.

Having worked as a professional architectural visualizer for 15 years, Daniel Diaz del Castillo Guerrero has seen the industry change and grow alongside him. As Daniel’s skill set expanded, he moved on from SketchUp and left behind rendering tools with complex spinners, values, and samples, finding his perfect fit using 3ds Max and Corona, a renderer he calls “a breeze to work with.”

These days, Daniel is the Technical Director at Metrica Visuals. The creative studio, which operates from South America and the Middle East, works alongside architects and designers, bringing designs to life through CGIs and films. Recently, Metica worked with Colombian architecture firm 5Sólidos to bring residential project Casa Siera to life.

Although the project came to Metrica in a strong position, with a detailed brief and client approval already secured for interior finishes and furniture, the scope remained ambitious. Needing to produce a high-quality asset that would please all stakeholders and further cement his good working relationship with 5Sólidos, the Metrica team turned to Corona to showcase Casa Siera in all its luxurious glory.

Problem: High-stakes luxury on boutique hardware

Although the design for Casa Siera was complete, Metrica’s primary challenge was how to accurately represent the project’s complex materiality. For an upscale residential project of this scale, it needed more than a simple clean render. “The project needed to feel luxurious and spacious,” Daniel explained, adding that the clients expected that any assets should exude “a sense of calm,” especially as the residence was surrounded by lush vegetation. To ensure every finish and texture shone, he needed a workflow capable of rapid iteration, allowing all stakeholders to see their vision realized in real time without the technical overhead that often comes with achieving those high-quality, realistic results.

There was also additional pressure as he had a two-month timeline, which Metrica’s technical director, Daniel Diaz del Castillo explains was squeezed again when additional drone aerial shots were added that weren’t in the original scope, pushing the plan back. As a boutique studio, Metrica Visuals doesn’t have the resources of a render farm and relies on its focused setup of six in-house computers. This means that every minute of render time was a precious resource that needed to be managed meticulously.

The real technical challenges appeared during the production of the interior animations. Daniel found that relying on a full Path Tracing (PT+PT) solution was proving to be simply too time-consuming for the studio’s hardware. So, with the deadline fast approaching, the team needed to choose: risk introducing distracting flickering in the GI, or find a smarter way to deliver stable, marketing-ready sequences that deliver the luxury and calm the client needed.

→ Read more: How The Boundary Reimagined the BBC’s Iconic Television Centre with Chaos Corona

Solution: The photographer’s digital darkroom

To overcome these hurdles, the Metrica team adopted a workflow prioritizing artistic intent over render theory. He began the process like a photographer, starting with clay renders to lock in composition and mood before ever touching a material setting. This photography-first approach meant Metrica could maintain a clear goal from the start, something he finds far more efficient than cycling through endless HDRI libraries.

A major factor in maintaining creative momentum was the “it just works” nature of the Corona toolkit. Daniel used the Intel denoiser during Interactive Rendering to get the immediate visual feedback he needed to keep his flow going. “The denoisers really changed the game,” he said, explaining that it meant the studio could focus on lighting and composition rather than technical samples. Smart features like the Corona Slicer, which eliminates the need to manually cut holes for light fixtures, and the Randomizer acted as Metrica’s unsung heroes, keeping the project organized and optimized for their six-machine setup.

To hit the two-month deadline for the animations, Daniel used a clever balance of speed and stability. By utilizing the UHD Cache for the secondary solver and leaning on the strength of the Intel denoiser, Metrica Visuals was able to produce perfectly stable, flicker-free sequences on their boutique hardware. This strategic approach ensured the final assets maintained that sought-after photographed feel, proving that with the right tools, a small team can produce world-class results on a tight schedule.

Results: Predictable quality, repeat business

The final animation for Casa Siera achieved a level of realism that left both the designers at 5Sólidos and the final client amazed with the outcome. Despite the pressure of a two-month sprint and the added complexity of drone-integrated shots, the assets kept a high-end, photographed feel that was immediately ready for market. For Metrica, the project’s success wasn’t just about visual fidelity, but about the calm, predictable workflow that Corona provided, allowing the studio to stay creative and productive even when the timeline was squeezed.

The project’s impact went far beyond a single approval. By delivering a quality result that perfectly matched the original vision, Metrica Visuals once again proved the value of their approach to architectural visualization. This reliability has further solidified a long-term partnership. The client and designer are fully engaged with the studio, with two more projects already underway.​

Ultimately, Casa Siera is a testament to Metrica’s belief that ArchViz shouldn’t be a battle against the engine. By beginning with a clear goal and using tools that prioritize the artist's intent over technical fiddling, Metrica Visuals has found a way to turn complex architectural challenges into a repeatable, successful reality.

Credits:

The Metrica Visuals Team is:

Juan Estupiñán, Founder and Creative Director

Daniel Díaz del Castillo, Technical Director

Alejandra Romero, Project Manager

José Munevar, Lead Artist

German Fuentes, 3D Artist

Architecture & Design: 5 Sólidos

Developer: Taohh Group