Interior Design Software

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Interior design is the practice of space planning and designing interior spaces in homes and buildings. It involves creating floor plans, furniture layouts, and designing the look and feel of a space. Interior design also includes the specification of furniture, fixtures, and finishes, and coordinating their installation.

Interior Design Software Made Easy. RoomSketcher is an easy-to-use interior design software that takes the hard work out of creating floor plans and 3D images, so you can focus on designing. RoomSketcher has a simple drag and drop interface which makes drawing and furnishing a floor plan a snap. Top reasons SmartDraw is the ideal interior design software: Choose an interior design template that is most similar to your project and customize it to suit your needs. A Large Symbol Library You get thousands of ready-made visuals for furniture, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, lighting, cabinets, decorative items, landscape elements, and more! Here is the list of best free Interior Design Software for Windows.Using these free interior designing software, you can design interiors by adding partition walls, adding doors and windows, paint the walls with different colors, furniture, lighting, a number of floor and ceiling patterns, kitchenware, etc. If it has walls, it can be designed using the software. Keep in mind that this is first and foremost home and interior design software so most of the catalog items (furniture, lighting, doors, windows, etc.) are geared toward residential designs. However, you can easily design commercial office spaces, sheds, gazebos and other structures.

HomeByMe, Free online software to design and decorate your home in 3D. Create your plan in 3D and find interior design and decorating ideas to furnish your home Free and online 3D home design planner. Save hours of your time with interior design software that works for you. Organize your projects in one location, create professional documents, track your time, and manage the back end of your business with Design Manager. Home Stratosphere’s Interior Design Software (Free) We’ve partnered with a top-of-the-line software provider and created an online interior design software portal. Most of the functionality is free. Best of all, there’s no download and it’s very easy to use. You can design any room in your home very, very quickly.

  • Plan your interior design project online
  • Perfect way to communicate with clients and contractors
  • Floor Plans, 3D Photos, 360 Views – all available at the click of a button

” Using RoomSketcher has increased my ability to design. It has helped me to come up with ideas I wouldn’t have thought of just by playing around with it. ”
Jenny, Canada

Interior Design Made Easy

Are you tackling an interior design project? Whether you are a professional with many projects and clients, or if you just have an interest in interior design, RoomSketcher is the perfect app for you.

There are many reasons for creating an interior design project. However, the goal is usually the same – to improve how a space functions and to make it more visually appealing.

What’s essential for interior design is being able to communicate your design ideas clearly. With RoomSketcher, you can create 3D interior design drawings and professional floor plans so that you can communicate your interior design ideas clearly and professionally.

Create Your Interior Design Online

Every interior design project starts with a planning phase. What are you trying to achieve? Is it a remodel or a new build? Either way, for best results, you want to start with creating a floor plan – either of the room, the entire floor, or the whole house. If you already have a blueprint, you can use this as the basis for your project. If not, spend time measuring the walls and making a sketch – this is time well spent for later.

Now it’s time to get the sketch or blueprint into an online project, that you can carry with you every where you go. Use RoomSketcher to create your interior design project online, complete with walls, windows, doors and stairs, and any fixed installations that are not moveable.

Design

Once the project is created, it’s easy to create your various versions and layouts, without having to completely re-draw the project every time. An online project is also easy to share with your clients and contractors, and you can work on the project anywhere, any time.

Learn more about using RoomSketcher as your interior design software >

Beautiful Floor Plans

A floor plan is an important part of the project communication. The 2D Floor Plan can be used to mark everything from room names, measurements, lighting and electrical points, and important notes you need during the installation process. The 3D Floor Plan is a beautiful way to visualize how the final result can look. This helps clients make decisions and is helpful to the contractor so he or she gets an idea of what the final result should look like. 3D Floor Plans can be made complete with details like colors of walls, furniture and accessories, as well as furnishing style and finishes.

Stunning 3D Visuals

With the rise of online tools, interior design has now become available to everyone. You no longer need to use complicated software to create stunning 3D visuals. With RoomSketcher you can create stunning 3D Photos and 360 Views to visualize the interior design project. They are a beautiful way to visualize your interior design project and are helpful to your clients and your contractors.
See more beautiful 3D images in our interior design ideas section.

Learn more about using RoomSketcher as your interior design software.

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” Love using RoomSketcher – it is so easy to use, and makes my ideas come to life. It was so helpful to see how our renovation would look. ”
Kelley, New Zealand

The best home design software is a great start to designing your own dream home or make alterations to your current one. It’s a great way to visualise what your new home could look like inside and out, or how that modification you’d like to make would fit in with the rest of your property.

Once you’re done designing your dream house, you can export the plans in formats architects, contractors and construction workers can use to bring your creation to life.

Editor's Choice: Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design

This program earned the top spot in our review of the best home design programs. It includes everything you need to design a home and is one of the easiest programs to master.

To find the best home design software, we used each program to design a single floor plan with common components like windows, doors, stairs and furniture. Our main scoring criteria was how realistic the software's images look, since the purpose of the software is to give end users an idea of what to expect as they modify and customize their homes.

In addition, we considered ease of use. This subjective evaluation was based on how long it took to learn to use each program, create a floor plan, design the menu and more. We also considered how often programs unexpectedly crashed and how many built-in support options they have.

Finally, we compared the programs' features, scoring them on whether they have features such as roofing and electrical wizards, plumbing planning tools, and object libraries, and how easy they were to use.

After more than 180 hours of testing the best home design programs on the market, Virtual Architect Ultimate is our top pick. It’s our favorite option for most people because it’s easy to use and learn and has advanced features to help you design every aspect of your home.

How much does home design software cost?

Home design software can cost as little as $13, and inexpensive programs are great for making basic indoor layouts. A full-bodied program can cost up to $100 but is well worth the price if you want detailed control and are designing your entire property.

What should you look for in home design software?

To find the best home design software, we considered how difficult it is to get the hang of each application, particularly for people who don’t have experience with this type of program.

We noted whether we needed to consult tech support or other help tools, such as video tutorials, to complete our review. Here are some other points to consider when choosing a house plan program as well as some of our insights from reviewing them.

We focused on programs that covered all aspects of home design, including architecture, landscaping, interior design and more. These programs provide everything needed to create a full house plan from the foundation up.

However, there are more specific design programs available. And the best one for you depends on the type of project you’re planning. If you have more specific needs, you probably don’t have to pay extra for an all-in-one program.

For example, if you’re only interested in landscape architecture, there may be a better program for you in our best landscaping design software buying guide. The programs in that category include advanced tools for designing your lawn and garden so that the outside of your home is as spectacular as the inside.

If you’re more focused on inside the home, you may want to look at our best interior design software buying guide. These programs are great and can help you renovate and remodel your existing home, whether you want to knock down walls or simply rearrange your furniture.

And while we named Home Designer Suite our best pick for Mac users, we have an entire category devoted to the best home design software for Mac.

Best Overall

Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design

It includes everything you need to design a home and is one of the easiest programs to master.

Best Value

TurboFloor Plan Home & Landscape Deluxe

If you don’t need all the features found in more expensive software, this program may be your best option.

Best for Mac

Home Designer Suite by Chief Architect

Only three of the home design products we reviewed worked on Macs, and this is by far the best of them.

1. Virtual Architect Ultimate: best overall

Virtual Architect Ultimate

It scored an A+ in our ease of use tests – no other application received marks that high

Easy to learn
Includes every tool and feature we look for
Must pay for phone support

Of all the home design programs we reviewed, Virtual Architect Ultimate is the best you can buy. It scored an A+ in our ease of use tests – no other application received marks that high.
Anyone can learn to use it, but you should expect to spend at least a few hours exploring all its tools and features.
This program includes nine highly detailed, predesigned floor plans to help you get started, and you can customize them to fit your needs. More advanced users can start from scratch and build a plan from the ground up. Virtual Architect strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and power, making it a good choice for novice designers and experts alike.
In case the preprogrammed designs aren't right for you, the program has a number of wizards that walk you through all the steps you need to follow to design kitchens, decks, bathrooms and more. It also has a large object library full of plumbing fixtures, lights, furniture, and other objects to put the finishing touches on your design.
One of the best things about this program is it automatically calculates what materials you need to make your dream home a reality. It also has a cost estimator that gives you an idea of how much money it will take to turn your design into a reality.
This is the most complete home design software we reviewed. With thousands of objects, wizards and tools, it has everything you need to design your entire home. No other program comes close.

2. Home Designer Suite: best for Mac

Home Designer Suite by Chief Architect

If you use a Mac, this is the program you want

Lets you scan and import physical plans
Compatible with both SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse
No ponds or other water features

When you use a Mac, you often don’t have access to popular, useful programs. This is not the case with Home Designer Suite.
It’s comprehensive, covering all aspects of home design, both inside and out. If you use a Mac, this is the program you want.
Home Designer Suite is also one of the few programs that’s compatible with both SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse. As such, if you like a plan found in either one, you don’t have to rebuild it from scratch. Additionally, once you’re done designing, you can export your plans in multiple formats that can be used by professional builders and architects, making the handoff to contractors a cinch when construction season rolls around.
Another great thing about this application is it lets you customize every aspect of your digital design. In addition to having structural features such as walls, doors and stairs, it includes a library of more than 6,500 objects, including couches, beds, entertainment centers, plants, lamps and dressers. Nearly anything you can think of to put in your home, you can plan for with this program. However, its plant library is less than a third of the size of our favorite program's.

3. TurboFloorPlan Pro 2019: best value

TurboFloor Plan Home & Landscape Deluxe 2019

If you don’t want to shell out extra cash for features you may never use, consider TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe

Includes the essential features
No design wizards
No FAQs section on its website

You don’t always have to buy the best of the best to get what you need out of a program. If you don’t want to shell out extra cash for features you may never use, consider TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe.
It doesn’t have all the tools and features we looked for, but it has enough for most design projects and costs about half as much as its competitors.
This program comes loaded with 45 sample plans you can adjust and make your own. You can also import scanned floor plans. These features are great for beginners who don't know where to start as well as people who simply want to build on other great ideas.
TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe is an easy program to master. It scored an A in our ease of use tests. Rather than blindly click around the screen to figure out how to use its tools, you can consult the program’s video tutorials to learn how to use each one to its fullest potential. However, unlike Virtual Architect Ultimate, it doesn’t have wizards to walk you step by step through the room creation process. Even so, you should get the hang of it quickly.

4. DreamPlan: Best for small projects

DreamPlan

It costs about $20 and has most of the essential features you need for small projects

Easy to use
Small object library

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money or use a complicated program to design your home, DreamPlan may be right for you.
It costs about $20 and has most of the essential features you need for small projects. The program includes a roof wizard and can import scanned floor plans. In addition, its drag-and-drop interface was one of the easiest to use.
However, DreamPlan isn't a good option if you want to completely remodel your home. It’s simply not as powerful or comprehensive as other programs we reviewed. For example, it has weak electrical and plumbing planning tools, and it doesn’t include a cost estimator. Additionally, it has only one sample home plan and a small object library.

5. Total 3D Landscape: Most sample plans

Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium

Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium has over 1,000 sample plans

More than 1,000 sample plans

Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium has over 1,000 sample plans. Virtually all the home design programs we reviewed include sample plans, but they generally have fewer than 50.
As such, Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium is a great choice if you’re not sure what you want or just like to have a lot of options.
However, when we tested this software, we found it was the hardest to master and use. It’s also missing some key features. For example, it lacks a framing editor, and you can't trace existing floor plans. Additionally, while the library has a respectable 800 items, it’s a far cry from our top pick’s library of over 7,500 objects.

Best free home design software

If you want free home design software, RoomSketcher Home Designer is worth considering. It’s a basic program that boils home design down to its most basic elements. It’s easier to use than any of the for-pay programs we reviewed. Its simple drag-and-drop interface and premade home elements make it easy enough for even the most novice user to design a home.

It includes basic tools that help you make a floor plan by placing walls, windows, stairs and doors as well as allow you to furnish the home with a variety of objects. None of these tools are as powerful as those found in for-pay programs. However, they can get you by if you don’t mind generic furniture, appliances and decorations.

One way the program stands out is you can design online. You can download the app and start a design, and your project uploads to the cloud. You can then access and work on the design on the RoomSketcher website from any computer with an internet connection. Also, the program's apps work on Android and iOS mobile devices, so you can work from anywhere.

A downside of the free version is you can only save five designs, though you can purchase five more for $10. This is a theme throughout the program – it frequently tells you that you can buy advanced features such as more objects and 2D and 3D floor plans.

2D & 3D views

All the programs we reviewed are 3D design software. As such, you can see your finished dream home in both 2D, which is flat and looks like a blueprint, and 3D, which has dimension, texture and color. The 3D view gives you a realistic idea of what the results will look like.

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Interior Design Schools Online Accredited

We were especially impressed with DreamPlan because it lets you design in 3D by dragging and dropping elements into your plan. It then automatically converts your plan into a 2D blueprint that includes dimensions. This is opposite from most programs, which require you to build structural components in the 2D view.

Sweet Home 3D also has a neat feature that lets you view the 2D and 3D plans simultaneously. As you place features and objects in your 2D design, you can see them automatically render in the 3D view. This makes it easy to spot floating objects – objects that should sit flush to the ground but don't. This error can happen when you build in 2D, and you can only see it in the 3D view. This feature also quickly checks that everything is balanced.

Object libraries

We counted the number of 3D objects in each program's library. Some apps, such as Punch Home & Landscape Design Premium, have thousands of items in a variety of styles, including tables and windows of various lengths. Others, such as Sweet Home 3D, have basic objects, such as windows and doors, that serve mostly as stand-ins – you can add and modify them to your desired dimensions, but you can’t customize how they look. We found that programs with large libraries make it easy to set up and accurately envision your finished design, since their items serve as more than just placeholders. These programs typically include more decorative items, such as vases, as well as robust window treatment options.

Most of the programs we tested allow you to supplement their libraries with thousands more objects by importing items from popular third-party websites. SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse are the most commonly used, and they have thousands of free objects. Most programs are only compatible with one third-party library, but one of our top picks, Home Designer Suite, can import objects from both databases.

Home design applications also include landscape objects in their libraries. As with the total object library, we counted the number of plants each program has. We noted whether they were legitimate outdoor plants or just indoor, potted plants. Typically, the more objects in the plant library, the easier it is to make your gardens look exactly how you want.

Import plans and tracing features

Another fun feature is a floor plan tracer. With this tool, you can open a picture of a home, a sample floor plan or a blueprint and trace the aspects you want to use in your own design. This is a great way to mesh a lot of ideas into one house plan. It is also valuable if you have your existing home’s plans and hope to design an addition. Using the trace tool, it's easy to extend a wall and create another space that is proportional with the measurements and layout of your current home.

Landscape tools

Designing your yard is just as important as creating your home. In addition to a healthy plant library, look for software with other outdoor objects, such as barbecue grills and outdoor furniture, to help create a beautiful oasis. If you choose an app like Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium, you can use garden templates that make it easy to envision and create your landscapes.

While testing, we found that DreamPlan's topography tools are the best and easiest to use. Topography tools recreate your lot's natural hills and dips, and they can help you picture what your lawn will look like if you bring in more dirt to build it up. However, you should leave most of the topography planning to the professionals.

You can also use deck and fence designer tools, which work much like home design programs’ room-building features – you can connect a deck to your home and set an exterior door as an access point. The same texture and material custom design tools used to update your home can create a deck that is aesthetically pleasing and complements the house’s exterior.

What home design software do the pros use?

When we evaluated the best home design software on the market, we asked professionals what they use in their everyday work. Whether we talked to architects, landscapers or interior designers, they all had the same answer: AutoCAD.

Autocad has been the industry standard for designers since it launched in the early 1980s. At the time, the ability to design on a computer was revolutionary. And as the years and decades went on, the program grew to make use of faster processors, new operating systems, enhanced graphics and more powerful computers. The best in the business, you pay a premium for the privilege, with yearly subscriptions costing over $1000.

What home design software is used on HGTV's Fixer Upper?

If you’ve watched shows like Fixer Upper on HGTV, you may wonder what they use to remodel homes. Joanna uses SketchUp Pro to make her designs. This is professional-grade software that costs about $700, which is far more expensive than the programs we reviewed. However, it includes the full spectrum of tools professionals use to create their designs. We don’t recommend this product for novices or casual users, but if you think you’re up to it, you can download a free trial to see if it’s worth the price.

You can also try SketchUp Free, a web application that's good for small projects or designing custom furniture, decorations and other objects. Once your object design is complete, you can upload it to SketchUp 3D Warehouse, then import and use it in most of the programs we reviewed.

Interior Design Software For Beginners

What home design software does Property Brothers on HGTV use?

Property Brothers is another popular show on HGTV. It's a reality show about identical twin brothers who find run-down homes and renovate them. The walk-throughs they use on the show are generated by Neezo Studios at about $10,000 an episode.

The software used to create these visualizations is called Neezo Renders, which you cannot buy from Neezo Studios. Plus, it is well out of the price range and skill level of casual users. No software we reviewed even comes close to displaying the high-resolution details Neezo Studios can.

However, there are 3D walk-through features in some of the programs we reviewed, including Virtual Architect Ultimate, DreamPlan, Home Designer Suite and Sweet Home 3D. Even though they don't create the same eye-popping results, they can give you a good 3D approximation of your design.

Best home design software for iPad

There are several home design apps you can download on your iPad. The highest rated app in the iOS app store is Home Design 3D Gold. It is quite intuitive and feels more like a game than an architectural or interior design application. It allows you to create both 2D and 3D floor plans by placing doors, windows, walls and more. The app also has a sizable library of furniture, plants, decorations and other objects.

In addition to displaying a photo-realistic 3D preview of your design, this app has augmented reality features. You need the ARKit to make it work, but once you have that installed, you can take a tour of your design as if it were already built. This is invaluable for spotting flaws and getting a better idea of how you want your home to look.

You can download this app for $10.99. However, if you’re reluctant to purchase the app, you can start out on Home Design 3D for free. It’s a watered-down version of the program, but it still has many of the great features found in the Gold version.

How can I draw house plans?

Like any new skill, learning to draw house plans requires a great deal of practice. The amount of knowledge required to do it properly is intimidating. However, not knowing how or where to start designing shouldn’t stop you from doing it. All the home design software we reviewed have at least a few built-in training features. Some offer simple tips, while others have full-blown tutorials that walk you through the process step by step.

There’s also a plethora of ways to learn the basics and best practices of home design. For example, there are thousands of videos on YouTube about the subject, both from regular users and software manufacturers. If you’re willing to put in the time it takes to find the right information and commit to learning it, there’s little stopping you from mastering any of the programs we reviewed.

How to design your home on a budget

Interior Design Software Reddit

If you design your dream home with no limits in mind, you probably won’t be able to build it – especially if you’re on a budget or just frugal. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make sure your design is as practical as it is beautiful.

If you’re moving into a new space, you first need to determine what purpose each room will serve. While it may be obvious which rooms are intended to be bedrooms, dens and living rooms from the house's layout, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want when you know what each individual room will be used for, especially if it's outside of its obvious function.

Interior Design Software

The next step is to take exact measurements of your home. You can use these measurements when you rebuild your space in the home design software. Just remember, they have to be exact – if you approximate, the furniture you buy may not fit in the spaces you expected it to.

Taking your homemade plans to a professional

Once you have your plans the way you want them, it’s time to build. However, all the contractors, professional architects and designers we talked to told us they are extremely wary of homemade plans. Their chief concerns revolve around non-professionals not understanding things like spacial flow and wdesign accuracy. Contractors also told us that homemade plans generally don’t take into account local zoning ordinances and misunderstand things like plumbing and electrical work.

So, before you get too far into the building process, you need to make sure your plans stand up to professional standards. Running them past a local architect is a great idea. They can give you an idea of where you may be going wrong. You can also hire them to use your plan as a basis for a better design than you can make yourself.

ProductPriceOverall RatingEase of UseHome & Floor Plan DesignInterior & Room DesignLandscape & Garden DesignHelp & SupportEase of UseRoofs & Pitch WizardElectrical & Plumbing PlanningSample Home PlansImport Scanned Floor PlansFraming EditorDrag and DropTrace Floor PlanCost EstimatorMetric MeasurementsExport File FormatObject LibraryImport Third-Party ObjectsStair GeneratorCurved WallsCabinet DesignerTexturesAdditions & Remodeling ToolsPlant LibraryPlant EncyclopediaLandscape TemplatesTopography DesignerFence DesignerWater FeaturesDeck DesignerVideo TutorialsFAQsTelephone SupportWindowsmacOS
Virtual Architect Ultimate 8View Deal4/5555545A+A+DXF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF7500+SketchUp7500+$
TurboFloorPlan Home and Landscape Pro 20193.5/54.554.54.54.54.5AA45DXF, DWG, VRML4700+SketchUp3800+X
Punch Home & Landscape Design Premium 20View Deal3.5/54.554.54.554.5B+A45DXF, DWG, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF4700+SketchUp4000+X
Home Designer Suite 2019View Deal3.5/54554.554BA31DXF, BMP, JPG, PNG6500+SketchUp, Trimble 3D Warehouse1200+X
Punch Home & Landscape Design Essentials 20View Deal3.5/5454454B+A45BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF4700+SketchUp3200+X
DreamPlan3/54.5432.544.5A-C1DDP65+SketchUp6+$
Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium 12View Deal2.5/5342.5453A+B1015BMP, JPEG, TIFF800+Not Supported60+X
Sweet Home 3DView Deal2.5/53.534.513.53.5N/ACOnline GallerySVG, PDF1200+SketchUp, Trimble 3D Warehouse22+
Total 3D Home Design DeluxeView Deal2.5/5342.51.553A+B1015BMP, JPEG, TIFF700+60+X

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