6 Tools for 3D Interior Design Rendering

Have you ever conceptualized a beautiful interior design only to have a client wish they could see more before committing?

It makes sense that a client would want to see a more visualized concept. After all, they’re the ones who are going to be spending every day in your design. This is why being able to communicate your vision is so important; and, 3D interior renderings are a great way to do just that!

Vectorworks Architect inclused the following interior rendering tools you can use to better visualize your design.

• Shaded renderings
• Sketch renderings
• Photorealistic renderings
• Integrating popular rendering platforms
• Panoramas
• Cloud rendering styles

A Shaded rendering is your go-to option for your working views in 3D. This is a mode that works well for interior elevations, using color, texture, and surface hatching.

Shaded render mode helps you create higher levels of realism earlier in your design process. Take advantage of real-time processing to assess your designs more confidently on the fly and quickly determine lighting, camera, and material setup so you can create better visuals to impress your clients.

Having all of these attributes available in the Shaded rendering mode will give you a greater understanding of your 3D model while you're designing.

The right interior rendering option is all about what you’re trying to articulate to clients. If you’re wanting a 3D rendering that comes across more expressive and preliminary, try using a Sketch rendering. As the name suggests, this rendering option makes your geometry appear as though it was sketched on a piece of paper.

A sketch rendering allows for your personal touch to be seen at any stage of your design process, thanks to a variety of sketch options to match your presentation style.

Additionally, showing a client a sketch rendering also allows them to understand that you’re willing to work with them and adapt a design. No design choices come across as “set in stone” with a sketch rendering; rather, they can be seen as a design dialogue between you and the client.

The rendering capabilities of Renderworks, Vectorworks' built-in rendering features, will help your interior design concept look like a masterpiece. Renderworks can also amplify the visual effect of your design with features like lighting, reflections, volumetric effects, camera effects, and anti-aliasing.

Photorealistic rendering options are built on either the Cineware or Redshift rendering technologies by Maxon.

Redshift render styles are available to you, regardless of the type of hardware you're using. No longer limited to just a computer's GPU, Redshift simply utilizes your computer's CPU for processing requirements.

Ray tracing is one of the most useful capabilities of Renderworks styles using Cineware technology. It helps visualize the aesthetic impact of rays of sunshine coming into a space and bouncing off objects, as well as creating realistic shadows.

With Renderworks, rendering time can greatly depend on the power of your computer. It’s recommended to use Renderworks when, for example, a design is agreed upon between you and the client. Or you can render on the Vectorworks Cloud, freeing you to continue working in the file while the rendering is processing.

In addition to the 3D interior rendering tools inside of Vectorworks, there are also multiple rendering plug-ins that you can also use alongside Vectorworks Architect via a direct link.

The first of these options is Epic Games’ Twinmotion, a premier real-time rendering solution for Mac and Windows operating systems. It runs on the Unreal Engine, the same engine used for popular video games like Fortnite.

A direct link rendering option in Enscape for Mac and Windows provides you with a way t o view your projects as high-quality visualizations.

Lumion and D5 Render are additional rendering options for Windows customers. You’re able to use these rendering platforms, alongside Vectorworks, via the LiveSync connection.

Give clients a full 360-degree view of your model with panoramic images. The panorama is — essentially — six renderings in one that can then be shared, viewed, and navigated within a web platform.

You can create panoramas in the Vectorworks Cloud. Or, you can export the renderings to your local hard drive.

Click here to view a presentation with linked panoramas on the Vectorworks Cloud!

Vectorworks Cloud Services is also home to the stylized image feature that you can use. This feature allows you to take any images from a Vectorworks rendering and stylize those images based on another style. For example, you could stylize your images to look like a painting from a famous artist or a drawing style from a famous architect.

All of this takes place in the cloud so that your computer is free to continue working on your design while your renderings process in the cloud.

Communicating a design vision is just as important as creating it. With Vectorworks Architect, you have access to a full suite of 3D rendering tools that help you showcase interiors with clarity and precision. Whether you prefer shaded renderings for quick visualization, sketch renderings for a conceptual feel, or photorealistic renders for a polished presentation, Vectorworks interior rendering tools offer the flexibility to meet your project’s needs. And remember that once you find your ideal rendering settings that match your brand identity, you can save them as a "Renderworks Style" so you can apply quickly apply your prefferred style to any view from your model. Plus they can be shared accros your office using the Resource manager.

By integrating real-time and cloud rendering options, as well as direct connections to leading platforms like Twinmotion, Enscape, and Lumion, Vectorworks makes it easy to refine and share your ideas with clients and collaborators. Start exploring the power of 3D interior rendering today and bring your designs from concept to reality with confidence.