3D house drawing: 6 criteria for choosing professional architecture software
Professional architecture software is essential for 3D house drawing: the most experienced sales teams know that image is everything when it comes to increasing the sales potential of design projects during client appointments.
Free software for interior planning and for drawing plans do not offer the same quality of finish: even a large project such as a luxury villa may be the victim of an unfortunate perspective or disappointing design and will not end in an agreed sale.
Choosing the best 3D house drawing software is, therefore, one of the principal concerns in architecture. In this article, appvizer summarizes the main criteria for optimal use of this software during meetings with clients:
6 essential criteria for home design 3D
Individual home builders should look for 3D architecture programs that will facilitate their work and their creativity. Take a look at the following essential features:
Criterion #1: promote the construction offer
Creating a 3D plan allows future buyers of individual homes to decide on their property investment.
Thanks to the 3D perspective and axonometric views, it is not only easier to understand house plans and how the spaces may be arranged, but clients may also ask for personalized adjustments in accordance with their preferences.
The purpose of a good 3D planning software is to enable clients to visualize their house, valorizing the layout and design.
An added advantage is the realistic, life-like images, which reassure the client of their choice and bring them closer to signing the final sale agreement.
Criterion #2: Demonstrate that it is fast and easy to use
The majority of architecture software - such as Revit, or AutoCAD- linked to the construction and building trade require specialized technical knowledge, learned step-by-step, and finally used by the consulting engineers.
On the contrary, certain software programs -like Cedreo- allow sales representatives to create the 3D plan drawings themselves to design your ideal future home: the software is specially designed to be easily mastered and simple to use… and because it is online it may be used anywhere, in the office or on-site, with an iPad.
appvizer also recommends observing the services associated with the software: the interface should be easy to use, and the best software publishers always provide tutorials for their users to access.
Criterion #3: Adapt to all of the construction projects
Demands will vary from one client to the next. And therefore it is only natural that individual home construction projects may not necessarily resemble each other.
Your software program should be capable of helping you meet every concept of 3D home:
- Bungalows (single story dwelling),
- Multi-story housing,
- Studio or apartment,
- Luxury villa offering a high-quality appearance,
- Chalet, property with wood cladding,
- Garage or covered parking,
- Double glazed windows, with circular openings, doors, French doors, security doors.
Of course, your 3D house creation software should ideally include a tool for evaluate the cost of construction without needing to resort to a calculator or rely on a quantity surveyor.
Criterion #4: Facilitate organization and collaboration
The best software program for 3D house plans saves the user time thanks to organization features and collaboration, namely:
- Centralization of information, such as projects, 3D models and their adaptations
- Collection of shared plans between the sales team and the engineers
- Drafts classified and assigned to a client folder
- A workflow that permits the validation of a project by the development office
- An archive of plans to allow precise searches or investigation
- Catalog of approved schemes by the development office for the sales representatives to exploit
- Intuitive drag-and-drop features to integrate with a planner, for example
- The most popular models as templates, either as they are, or to be customized
Criterion #5: Have functions available to draw 3D house plans
In order to promote sales, a good 3D architecture software must make it easy for the client to envisage the finished project, to view 3D drawings and to edit 2D plans showing all the technical details: dimensions of the wall and dividing wall, surfaces of living spaces, roof, etc.
Making a 3D plan should be easy, simple, and quick with a 3D planning software that should offer the following possibilities:
- Re-use existing plans
- Import a digital housing plan as part of a paperless approach
- Assist the user in the plan drawing with drawing help tools, such as magnetism for creating perfectly parallel walls
- Edit rooms using a design tool
- Customize doors and windows
- Create dropped ceilings
- Configure the dimensions of dividing walls
- Easily manage the differences in levels
- Rapidly design complex roofing
- Automatically calculate the surfaces
Worth noting: The professional architecture software Cedreo allows sales representatives to create a 3D plan, without any prior technical knowledge. With the support tools, professional quality 3D house plans can be shown to your clients in record time, without having to run them by the design office.
Criterion #6: Modeling of both interior and exterior layout
The designing of a 3D home combines the ability to produce interior and exterior planning.
When drawing a 3D house plan you should be able to customize the project as much as you want without it becoming a difficult task.
Your 3D home design software program should offer these key features to aid with the client’s design:
- Remodeling of 3D objects, where the surfaces and the colors may be customized
- A collection of objects for enhancement of each space
- Zoom feature for examining smaller details
- All the elements that make up the interior decoration of the home play a part within the project: certain accessories and layouts may also be the deciding factor of the sale agreement
With regards to the interior design you should be careful to furnish each room with elements that will add value to its function and its conviviality:
- The bedroom with bed and storage spaces, the kitchen, with floor tiles, electrical appliances, table and chairs
- Bathroom fitted with sliding or classic door, plus additional furniture and flooring
- A range of staircases if the house has several floors, with style, materials and positioning all customizable
- The sitting room, with sofa, armchairs, taking into account the positioning of the windows and light exposure
- Specific accessories if the client wants other pieces such as a cinema room or a relaxation space, or even a toy room for their children
- The possibility to turn on and turn off lights and to choose between warm and cold lighting, for perfectly lit computer-generated images.
In the draft phase, exterior layout, either accompanied or not by garden plans, is one of the dominating factors in the decision making.
You should, therefore, be able to lay out the exterior spaces according to the tastes of your clients with realistic graphic design:
- A pool for adding value to larger projects
- A terrace with garden furniture
- Green plants
- Landscaping: Accentuate the setting with green grass, etc.
Which architecture software to choose?
The creation of 3D plans is no longer limited to the job of a chief architect: Cedreo- the solution with which we started to mention the qualities above- is effectively a 3D architecture software for sales representatives.
Sales representatives draw the 3D plans themselves
On top of gathering all the essential qualities of a 3D home designer software, Cedreo allows the sales representatives to use the architectural program without the need for any in-depth know how.
The advisors make client relations a priority: they outline the floor plans that correspond to the client’s dream home in less than an hour and provide personal advice.
The video extract below shows just what is possible with the use of Cedreo:
Increase sales with attractive finishing touches
The use of 3D graphics and Computer Generated Images, as well as the swiftness of carrying out tasks during a meeting, reassure the client. This will encourage them to continue with the scheme and makes it 10 times more likely that they will sign the final sale contract.
3D view, teamed with the attractive visuals target the clients buying impulses and accelerate the selling process.
Examples of high-quality 3D rendering:
Download a free house plan:
Costs summary
Cedreo proposes an automatic cost assessment that saves precious time and prevents problematic calculation errors.
This feature of the professional architecture software is in effect interoperable with the cost calculation tool Softyshare: the construction project is calculated within a few minutes from the inventory recorded by Cedreo.
Supplementary persuasive features
We found some strong points within the user interface that are worth mentioning.
Firstly, the sales representatives have a catalog of usable models headed by the design team.
Cedreo also stands out for the quality of its customer service:
- A rigorous follow-up on the part of the support team for guiding the user right from their first steps
- Responsive technical and listening support team who can be reached directly by telephone, and who regularly survey their users to improve the service and provide new tutorials
- Training from a distance or on site
- An impressive number of illustrated tutorials to learn at your own pace
- Webinars for exchanges on the software and for learning more useful tips.
360° virtual tour: Realistic 3D video
Cedreo gives the option of a innovative personalized service: the editor produces a 3D video tour for total immersion in the property purchase.
Every detail is carefully perfected according to the wants and needs of the client: the visualization of a housing project via an impressive 360° virtual tour is not only a tool which boosts sales but also communication.
Every 3D video is accessible via an internet link to appear on your website when distance sharing with your client or with social media.
Benefits
Sales representatives appreciate the tool for its ease of use and its collaborative features. Cedreo allows the acceleration of sales thanks to the attractive presentation that adds value to the construction project and increases customer reactivity. It also takes the strain off the design office allowing them to be more productive.
I have been using Cedreo for 5 years now. I estimate that my turnover has risen by 32% with this software. The interior perspectives are logical and efficient and they have allowed my sales to rise by 15%. I am now the sales manager of Dordogne and I can train my colleagues to process a preliminary design in 20 minutes. It is a super tool.
Emilie E., Maisons MCA.
Comparative of visual rendering Kozikaza VS Cedreo
When they understand the selling power of a 3D modeling, many sales representatives start with the tool Kozikaza, a software program for creating free exterior and interior design software.
The majority then approach Cedreo because of the quality of the finish. Based on identical specifications, here in pictures are the finished products of each software.
3D image created with Kozikaza:
3D image created using Cedreo:
Details of the common specifications for the publication 3D home perspective:
A classic single story dwelling with a garden was created with each software program. The L shaped house combines a roof made up of two sections on the main building and a flat roof on the adjoining garage. Kozikaza does not have a rendering technology, the 3D perspective, although giving a brief overview of the project, is far from being as realistic as the perspective that Cedreo provides.
Try Kozikaza and Cedreo for free:
To see the difference for yourself, test Kozikaza and ask for a demonstration of Cedreo. Construction professionals who make the request are granted a free 3D 7 day trial of Cedreo: They value the professional and rigorous monitoring of the team during the trial period. In additional to being reachable by telephone, the Cedreo coaches regularly call the users who are testing the product to give points on using the software, to respond to their questions and guide them by shared-screen demonstrations.
Undeniably, Cedreo creates an advantage for the sales force of individual home builders: the software allows the acceleration of 3D plans, take the pressure off the design office, with a capacity to provide an attractive finish of a very high standard in record time.