Nowadays, in addition to asking architectural visualization studios for 3D rendering services, there is another way for house owners to get their home, room and interior design transformed. In recent years, many interior design apps have emerged to help non-professionals to release the creativity of house design. With an assortment of room item options in various apps, you are free to create your own space, decorate your own house, and experiment with different styles. Moreover, a 3D interior walkthrough is also available for reference. Here are 12 recommended free interior design programs for you, most of which are applicable for both mobile and PC.
Homestyler works as an easy and time-saving online interior design tool for both professionals and amateurs, ranking first on our recommended list. You can use it to plan space, arrange furniture and add decorations. You will find whatever you want in this best home design program. After drawing the floor plan in 2D, you will enjoy high-quality 3D renderings, even with complex building structures. It boasts a large variety of room items available, from door and window styles to decorative potted plants. There are different styles and parameters of all elements. You can integrate them, compare and replace them with each other until you get satisfying results. Thanks to the above advantages, it doesn’t matter if you have no experience before. Also, it’s easy for you to share your work among different terminals. It only has the disadvantage of low working speed and strict requirements for computer hardware.
Room Planner is a free home design app for IKEA. This room designer functions 2D/3D floor plans, designed PDF-report, and many other handy tools, featuring convenience and a friendly interface. It enables you to explore ready designs, find ideas, create floor plans, change materials, furnish the interior and customize design. Using a 3D display, you are free to review and modify your design, such as changing the wall color. When you finally finish your work, you can get a shopping list from the IKEA catalog. That is indeed a boon for IKEA fans. You can also pay for a subscription to discover more features if you like.
Planner 5D is an advanced and easy-to-use 2D/3D house design tool. It’s convenient for amateurs and beginners to design a house with customizable control buttons as well as full screen and compact modes. You can easily capture professional 3D house designs and edit them without any 3D-modeling skills. It also allows you to freely modify detailed items and all parameters to perfect your designs. Moreover, you can take and view vivid snapshots added with lighting, shadows, and rich colors. However, the utility does not support Microsoft Windows XP. By the way, if you would like advanced features, please register and subscribe to the full version of Planner 5D Interior Design.
HomeByMe is a free interior design app suitable for professionals and beginners. Browsing stunning images in the community make it possible for you to find inspiration and start your own project. You are able to create your design of the whole apartment rather than only one room. Some ready-made templates are also available. After finishing your floor plan in 2D, you can shift the model to 3D to furnish your house. It allows you to express your decoration style by using a catalog of thousands of products from famous brands, such as Wayfair, Crate&Barrel, and RH. And then there will be a shopping list for you. Nevertheless, users need to pay for its lots of features and may mind the difficulty in navigating.
Housecraft is a free room design app whose focus is on furniture. You can freely arrange the room configurations with a large catalog of furniture. It also enables you to adjust the measurements of the furniture. If you are not satisfied with any object, resize it until it fits! Besides, you can admire objects from any angle and even in any light. However, although it has good support and constant update, it seems a pity that there is still no way to design a photo background and save it. Also, it would be better if the lack of privacy and the limited selection of goods were addressed.
Amikasa can be a good choice for you if you plan to redecorate your room using purchasable items rather than stock images. It lets you build, restyle, and redecorate your rooms using furniture, flooring and wall colors from real brands. You can choose your room shape, set exact dimensions and place objects to your liking. 3D visualization achieves to admire the overall effect of your design. However, the cons are limited tools, the impossibility of hand-designing models and a rather complicated interface.
Houzz is another free house planner for professionals. If you’re looking for inspiration for home interiors, Houzz can give a helping hand. It offers a large number of high-definition images of interior design for reference, such as a kitchen, living room, courtyard, bedroom and more, to inspire you to find your favorite lifestyle. In addition, you can also filter by styles, equipment, colors and so on, making it easier to find the style you like. It’s convenient for you to purchase chosen items because of links to selling websites.
Home Design 3D is a good choice for home design because it’s available for everyone and for free. It boasts an intuitive interface, simple control, a wide selection of furniture and elements with editability. The app for house interior design has to be mentioned that you can even change different lighting methods to see how your room looks like in daylight and at night. It’s quite thoughtful to offer this function. By the way, you can attain full functionality in the paid version of the program if you prefer.
Roomstyler 3D Home Planner is accessible to everyone to design a dream home online for free. It allows you to choose a room layout and drag furniture as well as any other decoration items into your room. Moreover, the objects are from real brands so you can buy them online. After finishing your design, you can check the overall effect from 3D interior walkthrough.
Roomle is an online room design app oriented to the needs of beginners and amateurs instead of professionals. It’s from €150 per month but with a free trial. You can enter any drawing or plan to start your project. It’s easy to add and edit furniture and any other appliances when decorating your house. It has the advantage that it displays measurements of walls and furniture when parameters are entered. Also, you are able to enjoy 3D visualization although the quality is not as good as others in this list.
#11. Floor Plan Creator
Price: Free
OS: Android, macOS, Windows
Floor Plan Creator is another free interior design app. It allows you to create multiple floors in 2D, add furniture and edit decoration in 3D. Enabling cloud sync can automatically back up and share plans between devices and users, which achieves multiple people working on the same project. The drawings can be exported to several formats like PDF, despite no way to choose a location to save the files.
There is no charge if you use MagicPlan to design no more than two houses. Like any other App, you can create a floor plan in 2D mode and decorate it in 3D. In addition, the App also has a very useful function. That is to help you estimate the materials and costs since there is a customized price list for reference.
Other Frequent Asked Questions
Is there any apps that I can visualize the room?
Most of the home interior planners allow you to select the ceilings, floors, walls, and furniture settings such as colors, materials, and finishes. But if you’re looking for one of the best free visualizing apps probably you should try Roomle or Roomstyler 3D Home Planner.
Can I buy the furniture in the interior design programs?
Not always. Most of the home designer applications are used for designing and demonstrating only. However, Amikasa is the right choice if you want to purchase the furniture inside. This free interior design app uses real furniture that you can buy online rather than stock images.
Can I just take a picture of my room and decorate it?
Homestyler is your answer. This free best home design app allows you to visualize and decorate your space with simple drag-and-drop function.
Conclusion
Each of these apps has its strengths and weaknesses, but in general, they’re all worth a try. If you would like to create a dream house at your fingertips, the apps listed above are for you to choose from. Just click and enjoy your design tour!
We’ve shared the story behind luxury mega-mansion in Beverly Hills. And we don’t want to leave behind the beautiful houses and villas in other cities in the United States. Today, our studio would like to share some architectural design works of one of our precious clients, Chris.
Chris is one of our long-term partners in the U.S.. They are a luxury, high-end design firm specializing in custom residential, boutique commercial and estate & land planning. We’ve worked together to create 3D exterior renderings for various private villas across the U.S.. Their design combines modern and traditional American style as well as natural elements, with their iconic elegance.
One of the things we really want to address when working with Chris is that part of their projects started with a sketch. Our 3D artists built the 3D model from a 2D sketch and the projects began. They are so talented that we always marvel at their ideas and visions which we believe will change the experience of traditional residential living.
Okay, let’s start the journey from some of their best private house designs.
This mega mansion is no doubt a gorgeous house to stay. All walls are smooth white stucco, with traditional and beautiful brown roof tiles. Nestled in deep wood, our visuals of this private villa aim to have a lasting impact on the viewers through photorealistic materials and inspirational environment.
The 3D exterior rendering process started with a Revit model. After importing the model to 3ds Max rendering software, our 3D artists applied the materials and textures. This is a crucial part because a realistic render starts from its materials. As an architectural visualization studio founded in 2006, we strive to create renders and architecture animations that communicate the design concepts, function, and beauty of the structures.
This luxury private house features white painted wood siding on its sides and asphalt shingles on the roofs. Smartly using bricks on the bottom side of the walls, the house is equipped with dark bronze windows and stained timbers as braces. With an exquisite garden in front of it, our visualization works demonstrate a contemporary residence which interacts with a traditional architectural context.
The architect came up with two different exterior plans. One is white horizontal sidings with darker roof. The other plan features darker vertical sidings with lighter roof, and slope roofs and shed roofs are added at the same time. 3D architectural rendering is the perfect tool dealing with this situation. It saves both time and money presenting different plans, delivering your vision to your audience.
Kennedy Residence is a typical American modern luxury house that features tile roofs and washed bricks. Our client needed one architecture rendering to showcase the front of the structure to their clients. In order to demonstrate the potential of the luxury villa, they came up with three plans for the materials and textures.
The different plans have different roofs: clay burnt orange tile roof, wood shake roof, and blue slate tile roof. There are also various plans for the wall and other designs. In fact, it is popular to have different plans in the real estate industry. Meanwhile, 3D rendering services provide high quality 3D exterior visualizations for the service with a time- and cost-saving manner.
The above three projects are a small part of our past years’ collaboration. But we believe you have a glimpse of the unique style of Chris’ residential design. Now we’d like to take you to another gallery, Chris’ sketches.
3D Architectural Visualization vs. Sketches
Chris is one of our best and nicest clients. He is a talented architect who challenges himself as an architect and designer all the time. Some of their best residential projects are born from a single hand-drawn sketch! Our team is inspired and improved by working with him and his team from 2016.
Today, we’ve collected some of the fantastic sketches where our project started with. Please enjoy the magical moment when a sketch becomes a rendering!
Our 3D artists built 3D models based on the sketches, and in our visuals, bricks and other natural materials are employed to both provide for a timeless aesthetic and a contextual architecture. It is a delightful blend of contemporary and cottage, modern convenience, and bucolic peacefulness.
We will keep collaborating with Chris and his team and delivering more high quality 3D renderings for luxury private houses in the U.S.. If you are interested in real estate rendering services, or other 3D architectural visualization services, please contact our professional project manager and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours with a perfect plan to deliver your project!
In order to collect global intelligence and advanced ideas, and provide advice for the development of Shenzhen airport economics, the International Consultation for the Development Strategy and Implementation Strategy of Shenzhen Airport Economics was launched. Registration is now open to outstanding consultation institutions and planning and design institutions all over the world.
Project Overview
Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport is located in the core area of the Golden Inner Bay in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, integrating various transportation modes such as “airport, seaport, high-speed rail, expressway, general road and subway”. With the implementation of Qianhai District Expansion Plan and the construction of a number of major transport infrastructure, such as Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway and Shenzhen International Airport-Dayawan Intercity Railway, Shenzhen Airport and its surrounding areas are facing new opportunities for development.
In the future, with the help of an all-round, multi-level and three-dimensional external communication channel of the sea, land and air railway of Shenzhen Airport, the airport construction will further coordinate with the urban development. The airport economy will be endowed with new era connotation in accelerating the construction of a “double cycle” development pattern at home and abroad, promoting the integrated development of the Great Bay Area, and become an important growth pole to strengthen the core engine function of Shenzhen.
The consultation scope of this project includes: The scope of development strategy research: The overall area is about 155.6 square kilometers, around the airport, reaching the east boundary of Hangcheng District in the east, the west coast of Shenzhen in the west, Xixiang Avenue in the south, and the estuary of Maozhou River in the north.
Development Strategy Research Area
Scope of implementation strategy study: Study and emphasize the business functions and spatial layout of the three headquarters areas, namely, the Airport East Business Headquarters, Jiuwei International Headquarters and Lixin Lake Science and Innovation Headquarters. Study the coordination strategy and spatial connection of multiple airport industrial chains such as headquarters economy, exhibition and trade, marine economy, commercial consumption, cultural tourism, comprehensive logistics, scientific innovation and intelligent manufacturing.
Implementation Method Research Area
Background
The Planning Outline of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area proposes to “build a world-class airport group, consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s position as an international aviation hub, and enhance the competitiveness of Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports as international hubs”； The 13th Party Congress of Guangdong Province proposed for the first time to build a 100km “Golden inner bay” around the Pearl River estuary. Shenzhen Airport is at the forefront of the development of “Golden Inner Bay”, and fostering airport economy will become an important support； Bao’an District and Shenzhen Airport are included in the core area of Shenzhen Metropolitan Area in the Guidelines for Coordination of Land and Space Planning of Guangdong Metropolitan Area, and airport economy will play a more important role in regional guidance and radiation； The 7th Party Congress of Bao’an District put forward the main framework of “422133” work, and accelerated the construction of world-class advanced manufacturing city, international bay area coastal city, and high-quality people’s livelihood and happiness city with the Airport East, Jiuwei and other airport economic development platforms as the main positions.
The purpose of this international consultation is to put forward a forward-looking and progressiveness development vision based on the development situation and advantages of Shenzhen airport economy in the new development pattern. Study and propose industrial development opportunities, further integrate spatial resources, and define the direction and pattern of industrial development. Sort out the implementation strategy, clarify the connection between the industrial chain and the spatial pattern, propose the industrial coordination and integration path of airport economy based on the current airport, exhibition center and other platforms, and propose the industrial list and industrial function layout with the three headquarters, providing new ideas and new methods for development decision-making.
Work Description
1. Shenzhen Airport Economic Development Strategy
Overall objective and vision
Propose unique and attractive targets positioning and image vision to fully demonstrate the resource combination advantages and regional characteristics of the airport and surrounding areas.
Industrial development and guidance
Research and judge the industrial development opportunities, answer the question of what kind of airport economy Shenzhen should build from the perspective of industrial development and guidance. Highlight the forward-looking character, and promote the “extension, supplement, and strengthening” of the airport economy industry chain and innovation chain.
Development trend and regional synergy
Study the new chance, new trend and new business form of airport economy development in domestic and abroad. Analyze the competitive advantages of Shenzhen airport economy in the airport group of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and sort out the key points of coordination with Qianhai and other major development platforms.
General layout of industry and space
Take full consideration of the relevant plans of Shenzhen, Bao’an District and Qianhai, and propose overall industrial layout, overall spatial structure and relevant suggestions.
2. Implementation strategy
Industrial chain linkage and spatial connection
Sort out the linkage strategies of airport headquarters economy, exhibition and trade, marine economy, commercial consumption, leisure culture and tourism, comprehensive logistics, scientific innovation and intelligent manufacturing and other industries. Clarify the connection and synergy between various industrial chains and the spatial pattern of Shenzhen City and Bao’an District, and answer the question of what kind of space and projects suit the industry platforms most.
Industrial list and spatial layout of headquarters
Refine the leading industries in the three headquarters, namely Airport East, Lixin Lake and Jiuwei, and put forward suggestions on spatial layout intention, industry directory, development and operation mode, etc.
Suggestions on support system optimization
Put forward optimization suggestions for supporting systems such as comprehensive transportation, culture, tourism and leisure, and institutional mechanisms. The proposal should include but not limited to the following contents: constructive traffic integration solution； integration of cultural resources, enhancing regional influence and brand competitiveness； industrial implementation suggestions, district industry operation management suggestions.
Key points of recent implementation
Sort out the relevant strategies that can be launched in the near future, and put forward the list of key projects and implementation suggestions.
Registration Requirements
1. Interested applicants must be independent legal entities or partnerships or other organizations. Individual or teams of individuals will not be accepted.
2. There are no requirements on qualification for registration. Any domestic and foreign institutions who are familiar with China’s conditions and have practical experience in consultation of urban strategic development, industrial planning, urban planning and design are encouraged to register.
3. The team must be composed of professionals in urban development strategy, industrial development research, urban planning and design, transportation, etc.
4. Registration by a consortium comprising no more than three members is allowed, provided that the leading member and the internal division of responsibilities are specified in a legally-binding Consortium Agreement. No member of a consortium is allowed to register twice either independently or by joining another consortium.
Rules
The International Consultation is open for registration, and will include two stages: “Pre-qualification” and “Compilation & Evaluation”.
For Pre-qualification stage: The credit document, related experience (consulting and planning of strategic development of airport economic zone or aviation new town, strategic development of complex urban areas, urban industry consulting and planning, and urban planning and design of headquarters area, business area or science and innovation park over 1 square kilometer), abilities of team and concept proposal will be reviewed by the Pre-qualification Review Jury. Five shortlisted participants (unranked) will be selected for next stage.2 alternative teams will be selected and ranked as backups in case any of the 5 shortlisted participants withdraws from the subsequent Compilation & evaluation stage. For Compilation & Evaluation stage: The final submissions submitted by five shortlisted participants will be reviewed and ranked by the Evaluation Jury. There will be corresponding awards for the winning teams.
Schedule
Stage
Time
Subject
Stage 1: Registration & Pre-qualification
Oct.31st, 2022
The official announcement is released and the registration start
Nov.10th, 2022
Deadline for Questions
Nov.11th, 2022
Q&A and Addendum Publishment （if any）
By15:00 Nov.19th, 2022
Deadline for submission of pre- qualification application
Nov.21st – 24th, 2022
Pre-qualification review and result announcement
Stage 2: Compilation & Evaluation
Nov.25th, 2022(provisional)
Workshop
Jan.11th, 2023
Deadline for final submissions
Jan.12th – 15th, 2023
Evaluation and result announcement
Notes: The above dates are Beijing Time and the host reserve the right to adjust the schedule as appropriate.
Awards
participants including the first two teams (ranked) selected by the Evaluation Jury will be awarded the following honorarium payments. First place: ￥4,000,000.00 (about US$552,300); Second place: ￥3,000,000.00 (about US$414,200); Outstanding participants (three): ￥1,200,000.00 (about US$165,700) each, hence a total of ￥3,600,000.00 (about US$497,200).Except for the above five shortlisted participants, other pre-qualification participants will not receive any compensation.
Q&A
If there are any questions about the International Consultation Documents, the participants shall submit the question documents (doc format) to the mailbox (SZAE@szrjrx.com) before the deadline for questions, and the questions not received by this email or submitted late will not be accepted. The Q&A and addendum (if any) will be sent to the participants by email.
The announcement is published on AIMIR’s website now. If you want to know more following details regarding to this competition, please feel free to contact AIMIR. What’s more, you’re more than welcome to touch base with us if you need architectural visualization.
As technology hurtles forward, CAD software made a breakthrough, unleashing mobile power at a truly steady pace. Online CAD software developed as a means of meeting the convenience of users. Providing many of the same features as traditional ones, they run in in a local browser or through a web or mobile app. Unlike previous manipulation, you can work online on any device with no downloads required. If you’re looking for one, here are the answers you want. We’ll introduce the most popular freeonline CAD software in 2023 and their capabilities. Above all, they are all FREE!
AutoCAD Web deserves ranking with the best in this list. With an AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription, you can use its web version. Additionally, you can download the mobile version on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Covering multiple platforms, it offers all the basic tools and commands for drafting and designing to serve different levels of users. In a simplified interface, you can quickly access and update DWG files anytime from anywhere. Even beginners can smoothly get the desired results. In the time of COVID-19, this free online CAD software supports cloud collaboration for remote work. It is truly a trustworthy choice for your 3D creation. Honestly, AutoCAD Web probably is the best and quickest solution for existing AutoCAD users.
TinkerCAD is a beginner-friendly web-based 3D design application. It works on the principle of dragging and dropping 3D shapes onto a working grid and then modifying them. Besides, it offers many video tutorials to help start 3D visualization. Therefore, both teachers and students prefer it to start STEM learning. This free online CAD program perhaps is the simplest online software that could fall into the catalogue of CAD software. With TinkerCAD, you can enjoy a faster and smoother 3D designing process on different systems. What you need is the fast network speed and an input device (e.g., mouse, tablet, even a laptop trackpad).
It is worth mentioning that it allows team members to work on the projects together. Not limited to creating individual designs, you can edit others’ finished models. Its compatibility also enables us to import, edit, export and print models from other programs in STL, OBJ and SVG format.
SelfCAD is another software ideal for beginners and amateurs. You can learn how to use it under step-by-step guides. Its easy manipulation of 3D rendering and modeling is based on a polygonal mesh. The easy-to-use feature makes it possible to grasp in hours. Besides, it supports operation on different web browsers and systems (even in the cloud). With a library of images and objects, you can create anything from mind to design with ease.
Additionally, this free online CAD tool features some unique functions such as mesh modeling. It gives its users a different experience on top of regular CAD capabilities. For example, it has a large list of compatible 3D printers to use when you’re a new comer to 3D modeling or printing.
Familiar to most designers, SketchUp Free also adds online services. Online version is available in any modern web browser. No strings attached. No more operating system requirements. You can edit, render, save and collaborate easily on the streamlined interface. Trimble Connect enables you to post 3D design online, which supports successful telecommuting.
And the intuitive tools for precise navigation and modeling make it easy for beginners to learn 3D printable modeling from scratch within hours. Using the same core technology as its desktop app, this incredible free online CAD software also has a large collection of 3D models in the 3D Warehouse or uploaded by other users. To sum up, beginners or intermediate users can use this online CAD software before exploring SketchUp Pro.
Vectary features a combined capability of standard mesh modeling, subdivision modeling, and parametric plugins. It is so powerful that you can make custom 3D experiences for exploring and personalizing with a 3D configurator. And its optimized 3D design interface helps you concentrate more on your creative process. What’s more, it speeds up communication and inspires cooperation. It provides a community platform where you can share and customize photorealistic 3D products.
Also, if you need more than that, for example, more interactive, Vectary can cover you as well. With its online AR viewer, this CAD design online free software allows you to see your design in the real world. Interesting and incredible, isn’t it?
SmartDraw is a versatile Online CAD software where you can create over 70 different diagram types from flowcharts to floor plans with thousands of templates and symbols. You will never have to start with a blank page on this app. Powerful automatic formatting ensures perfect layouts in minutes. The AutoCAD-like annotation layer makes it possible to draw and print architectural and engineering diagrams to scale. It even works with MS Office, Google apps, Jira, AWS, Teams, and more.
These features decide its growth among 3D visualization professionals whoever are working independently or working with a group. This CAD drafting software free online is more versatile than you think: architectural plans, landscape plans, floor plans, product drawings, interior space layouts, and even technical drawings are feasible using SmartDraw.
If you deal with product and detail design, this free online CAD software is your best option. This one is equipped with all the must-have capabilities of CAD program. You can use it from any device, even iOS and Android. As the only cloud-native product development platform, it includes real-time data management. What you do will be stored in the cloud immediately to avoid data loss.
Its collaborative work mode is also a highlight. Only Onshape enables real-time simultaneous collaboration – allowing all team members to work together on the same document at the same time. If you’re looking for a browser-based tool for CAD drafting and modeling that accelerate your work, this is it.
Wrap Up
Check out our picks for the best online CAD software for CAD drafting and modeling in your browser in 2023. Most of them are free or free for students.
AutoCAD Web: Best all-round free online CAD software for all users;
TinkerCAD: Best drag-and-drop free online CAD tool for beginners;
SelfCAD: Best free online CAD software for beginners and amateurs;
SketchUpFree: Best all-round free online CAD drafting and modeling software for all users;
Vectary: Best AR free online CAD drafting tool for professionals;
SmartDraw: Best free online CAD software for team players and professionals;
Onshape: Best online CAD drafting tool for product and detail designers.
A proper software is a valuable tool to address your pain points during the design process. Hopefully this blog will help you make an informed decision about choosing the best free online CAD software in 2023. Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Don’t worry, see some of our lists of 3D modeling and CAD software below:
With the increasing need for 3D visualization in architecture industry, it gets more important to choose the most suitable rendering software for your project. It may be difficult as you tend to think about a couple of factors. One of the most common questions may be “can the software help show my ideas in renderings with expected quality?” Besides, there would be another inevitable concern: “is it affordable?” To minimize the influence of price when choosing the best software, here are eight free 3D rendering software for your reference.
Thinking of the best free 3D rendering software, Blender is, without doubt, among the first ones brought to mind. Although it is free, Blender has comprehensive tools for 3D visualization from modeling, rendering to post-processing and even animation. To create perfect 3D renderings, it contains two built-in rendering engines: EEVEE and Cycles. Specifically, the GPU-accelerated engine Cycles allows users to view the rendering effect quickly and directly.
In addition, Blender supports to use various third-party renderers, such as LuxCoreRender, V-Ray, Indigo Renderer, etc. These listed renderers are also free but powerful tools. LuxRender is an open-source renderer that is recommended officially by Blender team. It can also work with SketchUp, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and other major 3D software. With a free 30-day trial, V-Ray provides support for fast rendering. It is especially suitable for 3D rendering of interior design owing to its great effects of global illumination. Indigo Renderer is also a software with varieties of lighting types for models of different spaces. Besides lighting, it contains a material editor which helps maximize photorealism with rich sorts of materials. Moreover, it can save hours for rendering projects by the preliminary setting of materials and lighting.
Focusing mainly on modeling, SketchUp Free would be an optimal choice for both 3Dmodeling beginners and professionals. As a free version of SketchUp, it allows users to complete the basic process of modeling. Supported by its realistic textures, you can build your models with all the elements in detail covering textures, shadows and so on. In addition to SketchUp free renderer, there are also some excellent plugins that can be used in this best free rendering software, like V-Ray, Lumion LiveSync, SU Podium, etc.
As mentioned above, V-ray is an efficient real-time rendering program especially suitable for interior design. When using SketchUp, V-Ray plugin can make it smooth to create and adjust elements in layers as well as the whole layout. For landscape or exterior design, there is another excellent real-time rendering program Lumion LiveSync. Enabling its plugin, you can import your SketchUp 3D model to the Lumion environment instantly without any interruption while rendering. If you want to share your work via online channels, US Podium can be a good helper. This rendering plugin was specifically designed to be used with SketchUp. It allows users to change complex shapes during the process and adjust settings for lighting and colors after the completion of rendering. It is easy enough for professionals and amateurs to use, and more advantages are to be discovered by yourself.
As one of the newest free 3D rendering software in the market, Chaos Corona (formerly Corona Renderer) is no doubt doing a good job as a renderer. What makes it stand out is its deep integration with 3ds Max and Cinema 4D. This gives its users the full freedom to employ any 3D models without worrying compatibility with your devices.
Meanwhile, this free 3D rendering program has incredible processing speed. This is because Chaos Corona is a CPU-based engine. With a wide range of lighting effects and materials selection, it becomes one of the best rendering software for architectural visualization.
This free 3D rendering software was developed to deliver superior project renderings, VR scenes and even animation. With its management tools, Artlantis is compatible with various programs, such as ArchiCAD, SketchUpPro, Autodesk Revit Architecture, etc. Also, the elements of Artlantis Media make it more convenient to establish a simulated scene close to the realistic environment.
To work with different objects, it consists of two versions: Artlantis Render and Artlantis Studio. If you merely want to create high-quality architectural renderings, the former version can definitely satisfy you. For additional needs, you can use the latter version to complete the projects like animations, VR objects and iVisit 3D panoramas. In all, Artlantis is a perfect tool for different people including architects, interior/landscape designers, urban planners, etc.
Different from many 3D rendering software, this real-time rendering software applies WebGL technology. It is more suitable for users who expect to display their 3D works in an interactive form online. For example, 3D presentations, materials for education, portfolios for studios, etc. As far, users can use Verge 3D together with some modeling programs including Blender, Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya.
This is an open-source software particularly suitable for beginners/students. On the one hand, it provides a full list of furniture model samples for free, which is helpful to work with interior rendering. On the other hand, it is important to view the space before making decisions on any rearrangement of furniture. This best free rendering program supports to create new interiors and exteriors correspondingly in a short time. As a result, users can view and adjust promptly without spending extra time.
As a free version of Houdini FX, it offers access to all of Houdini FX’s virtual functions. By using Houdini Education, you can import any scene files and get higher-resolution renderings without a watermark. Actually, it is also a mature software supporting different processes like 3D modeling, rendering, post-composition, simulation and animation. To improve the rendering effect, this free rendering program allows to work with Mantra, Render Man and some other renderers. More specifically, this software contains rich light sources, many light shades, a large material library and a set of tools for the use of surround sound.
In this free rendering software, there are no watermarks or limitations as it should be for non-commercial use. This 3D rendering software has to be mentioned because it is Pixar’s free version. With its advantages of shading, lighting and rendering, it works with Cinema4D and Houdini. Its plugins can work with some major rendering program such as 3ds Max, Rhino, Blender, etc. Meanwhile, Render Man team developed a user community for discussion and sharing of your architectural projects.
Conclusion
Now we can easily find that there is still some free but full-fledged rendering software. If you are interested in any software above, please check our wrap-up for key information. Once finding the most suitable one, you will better enjoy the process of creating wonderful renderings for your projects. Of course, it will be of greater possibility to make your architectural designs more enchanted and unforgettable.
