I love interior design programs and have been using them for years. Last year I found a website that allowed me to create virtual 3D designs for clients and I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, it wasn't a great program for my computer and it took me hours to do one room because it kept causing my computer to crash. So, I found a new software program by Chief Architect which allowed me to do all of the other things I could do in the previous program plus exciting things like creating actual walk through's of the home showing the newly designed spaces.
On our website under Virtual 3D Designs is a before and 'after' of a room using the old 3D program which looked fairly realistic but which still seemed to be obviously a computer design. At least to me. I can't attach a copy of it here because in that program I could only save it as a pdf file, not a jpeg file. I hope you'll take a moment to look at it and then compare that to the designs I am attaching below.
The reason I am doing this is because a builder contacted us last week to do the virtual 3D designs for four of their condo units by this Friday and then when they saw the preliminary designs I had created then they said they didn't want them anymore. They wanted me to use the other software program because they could see a significant difference and they wanted a photo quality to the designs, as if they had really staged it with furnishings and taken a picture. They didn't want it to appear .. 'fake'. I'm sure their are programs out there that do that. Neither one of the programs I have will create that kind of 'photo' finish. My advice to them at hearing this? Stage it for real, then take a photograph.
Keeping in mind that I had already logged eight hours creating the designs from their floorplans and had finished two units. I was honest from the beginning that I had just gotten a new software program with lots of great new features. The builder wanted the designs because of the new features in this software program which allowed me to give them virtual walkthrough's on a CD and 360 degree views of the space. I couldn't have done this with the other program.
Am I billing for my time? Yes. I believe after the hours it took to complete the designs for two of their units that I should be paid for my time.
So here is one of the newly designed units:
I am in the process of updating our website now with the new completed designs so that clients will know what to expect when we talk about virtual 3D designs. What have I learned from this whole process? To send examples before I start working!
Virtual 3D designs aren't widely known - or accepted. I prefer the real thing over a computer generated image anytime but when it comes to design projects or for clients who don't want to furnish vacant homes then this at least gives people an idea of how the room could look. It's not a fill in for the real thing, but it's a good visual representation for people who need to 'see it' first. All our designs are done from floorplans with exact room sizes, measurements and room scale.
So I hope you'll offer your feedback and thoughts!
Comments(4)