From what I’ve seen of Vray, its animations and renderings live in the uncanny valley – almost real but not really. UE4 is a game changer because there is something about it when done right that fools the eye. The Maardigital living room is virtually flawless in terms of natural light and material rendition; that is what makes it seem real. The drapery and fire are give-aways but other than that, it’s pretty much photo realism. For whatever reason the best UE4 animations come from Europe, as if they’ve had a five year start.
As for Koola, someone said he creates “environments.” Isn’t that what architecture is about? His short animations are EXTREMELY architectural.
As an architect, I can’t even bring myself to look at the UE4 walk thrus. They are almost comical in their video game feel – not how architects generally want to represent moving through space.