Digital real estate is a real thing in the metaverse. People are spending real money (cryptocurrency) on parcels, land, and property. Someone paid $450,000 to be Snoop Dogg’s neighbor in the metaverse.

Now is the perfect time to be involved in this new phenomenon. There is an anticipated compound annual growth rate expected between 2022 and 2028 of 31%.

Aside from buying digital land and property in the metaverse, you can also build. There is a strong need for this too. This is especially true when it comes to designing buildings in the metaverse.

You will need to acquire certain skills to do so. Read our guide below to learn what they are.

1. Virtual Reality

Learning Virtual Reality technology with Blender 3D and other similar tools is a natural bridge to building in the open metaverse. Through VR headsets, gloves, and sensors, the user is immersed in a digital world. By connecting through a computer or smartphone, the user is transported with virtual images surrounding them.

The concept of the metaverse becomes clear when you’re able to see, hear, and feel. Games like Half-Life: Alyx has led to the adoption of VR technology and the metaverse.

2. Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is where you blend the real world with digital visual elements. Things like object recognition, facial recognition, and movement tracking all play a part.

A camera and screen access are generally required to be able to display additional information to the user.

While some metaverses strictly immerse you in a different landscape, some will build on top of our world. This is where you come in. You could help construct something beautiful that is only made available via the metaverse and AR technology.

3. Distributed Computing and Storage

Building in the metaverse demands a lot of computing power and storage. The developer ought to know this area to avoid crashes and interruptions. You’ll want to know how to spread storage and computations across multiple nodes. There is some really awesome innovation happening right now in distributed storage!

4. Blockchain

Blockchain technology isn’t only for cryptocurrency. Immutability, cryptography, decentralization, user governance, and interoperability make blockchain tech a natural fit for ownership in the metaverse.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) allow for verifiable ownership and the transference of digital assets (more on this later). Avatars, objects, and skills can all be presented in the form of an NFT.

Metaverse buildings become digital real estate in this on-chain economy. Many metaverses have land for sale using NFT technology alongside their own native tokens to fuel the economy. With the blockchain, you can look up any information you’d like since it is a public ledger.

5. AI

AI, Artificial Intelligence, is another buzzword we hear a lot these days. There is no denying the speed at that AI can learn from previous interactions. This comes into play with the metaverse with things like facial recognition and data classification.

There are 2 main avenues for applying AI in the metaverse. Non-player characters (NPCs) will be needed to build out the metaverse. This only adds to the player experience.

AI also helps by creating more realistic avatars with facial expressions, clothing, etc.

6. NFTs

When designing buildings in the metaverse as well as avatars and objects, a basic understanding of NFTs is crucial. With blockchain and NFTs, interoperability is a reality. This means that anything within one metaverse can be transferred to other metaverses (servers, blockchains, etc.).

Developers should familiarize themselves with web3, smart contracts, etc. Programming languages we recommend are JavaScript, JSON, and Solidity. Also learning design tools like Blender and VOXEDIT will help with developing all the proper file formats required in the virtual world.

7. 3D

When designing buildings in the metaverse, you’ll want to create a truly immersive experience. To do so, you need technology that can scan the real world that can then be transferred to the digital realm.

With 3D technologies, designing buildings in the metaverse becomes possible. Your metaverse buildings can have a block look with VOX files or a photorealistic feel with Blender, Unreal Engine, etc. Certain 3D reconstruction sensors are already starting to allow developers to be as precise as possible. Really exciting 3D developments have been happening in 2022!

8. Internet of Things

The Internet of Things offers a unique angle into the metaverse for the developer.

Successful projects can create real-time simulations in the metaverse. Almost anything in the real world can take advantage of IoT technology. This is because these devices have a unique identifier that allows them to send and receive information automatically.

Things like speakers, thermostats, and refrigerators can all be connected via IoT.

Metaverse builders will love how IoT can collect and provide data from the physical world. For example, the metaverse builder could have different objects in the metaverse behave differently under certain weather conditions.

9. Artistic Expression

Another skill the metaverse developer will want to have is an artistic eye. When designing buildings in the metaverse, it helps to take inspiration from architecture. Take a walk around your city to see what would be possible in the metaverse.

You could take photos and bring them back to your computer later. Think about what you find beautiful and how you could add to these digital landscapes. Thousands of physical world architects are getting starting to build in the metaverse every day!

10. Patience

It’s important to have patience as we all work to build in the metaverse. Not everything will work according to plan right out of the shoot. Things will break, you’ll get frustrated, and so on.

Knowing how much time something will take beforehand will take some of the pain away. Take your time when designing buildings in the metaverse. If you mess up, you can always go back and correct it.

Designing Buildings in the Metaverse

With these high-level skills, you’ll be well on your way to designing buildings in the metaverse. You never know where these skills can take you. You could land a job or work freelancer positions for different metaverses.

If this appeals to you, do not hesitate. We encourage you to head to our freelancing platform and create a builder profile. We can’t wait to see what you start building!