Interior Design and CAD

Authority to Speak

As one of the most experienced CAD software experts on the planet (Yes, I’ve been around and involved in CAD every day since it was originally developed), I’m in a reasonable position to talk on the topic. However, I am not an Interior Designer and I definitely fall short in the finer details of running an Interior Design practice overall. What you can take from my knowledge are the factual aspects of most of the software and hardware products used by Interior Designers around the globe. I have some bias towards products that are well thought out and a pleasure to use, and those that offer what I regard as fair and reasonable price options. I have little or no knowledge of CAD software that does not support the English language so I can’t comment on some software used exclusively in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, China or Japan. I have used CAD software, sold CAD software, taught CAD software and developed CAD software from scratch; I hope you will consider my advice when starting your Interior Design career or your Interior Design business.

Just for You

Interior Design is different to other design professions, and just like all design disciplines should be serviced by tools that are ‘fit for purpose’. At first glance one might group general architecture and building design into the same bucket as Interior Design but whilst there are some similarities, the specialised needs of the Interior Design profession call for specialised tools for the best results. You wouldn’t expect a plumber to use the tools of a tiler, even though their work overlaps. Furthermore there are different types of Interior Design, from residential to commercial, to retail, to kitchen, to hotel and they all have unique needs as well as some commonality. It is this commonalty that forms the starting point of software development which over time has been refined into more unique software tools that service the specialists.

3 Key Functions of CAD for Interior Design

1. First is to show ‘what is’; this is the task of defining and modelling existing conditions and constraints that the interior designer must work within. What walls, windows, doors, or immoveable fixed items are in place; What physical restrictions such as ceiling height, room width, area and volume are available; What regulations or rules must be followed such as access, flow of movement or materials are involved? These aspects help shape the designers creative thought process; the physical characteristics are eventually ‘modelled’ in CAD before any of the creative design are documented. In fact most designers rely on the 3D CAD model to help them visualise the space and work within it; A 3D envelope if you will. Even if the project is a completely new build, the interior designer must work with the confines of the architect’s overall plan.
2. Next is to create potential outcomes. These are the design variations and options that stakeholders in a project get to choose from. This could be anything from colours, materials and finishes to layouts and styles, where furniture and cabinetry is located, what lighting is to be used and what modifications to the existing 3D envelope can or must be made. This is where the ‘form follows function’ in a design. And again Interior Designers get to leverage software to present and communicate their creative ideas to stakeholders. At this stage, not only are the tools for 3D modelling and 2D drawing but also rendering. Rendering is the process of making a virtual digital model come to life as a picture or animation. It is an integral part of an Interior Designers workflow and has a huge emotional impact on decisions made on any project. It is often paired with a real or digital ‘story board’ enabling stakeholders to sensorial immerse themselves and get a feel or sense of how a design will be when built.
3. Finally the project must be detailed and documented. Without this final step the project can’t be quantified, priced, approved or even built. Again this is the role of CAD software. It’s accuracy and speed allow designers to formalise a design down to the final screw. Drawing plans and details on paper before building or construction has been the way of our civilisation for millennia. Nothing gets built without some form of plan, and more complex the project the more reliant we become of well detailed plans. Creating good plans is actually one of the most demanding tasks of an Interior Design firm. They must be clear, accurate and unambiguous, leaving nothing to chance or assumption. It is here that the right CAD software also shines in helping users be excellent at the task. CAD can even allow the manufacture of components in the design to be done with precision, speed and repeatability.

Top 6 Requirements of CAD for Interior Designers.

1. Ease of Use and Learning: It’s fair to say that if a tool is hard to use or hard to learn it will hinder your work rather than enhance it. Not everyone is the same though, so one person may find one CAD software easier to learn and use than another person does. We are wired differently. Some are more grounded, logical and sequential whilst others are more elevated, intuitive and random. Both types however can be taught to use the right CAD tools to magnify the way they work and not fight against it.
2. 3D-Model Based 2D: Early CAD software (such as AutoCAD) was no more than a glorified drawing board, mimicking the process of manual drafting with pen and paper. And whilst this has some benefits such as being able to control every line that’s drawn, it is dramatically slower than more modern CAD tools that automate a large percentage of the drawing process by extracting 2D drawing information directly from a 3D model without having to manually draw lines. Bidirectionally, the 3D model responds and updates when the 2D drawing is modified too keeping everything about your design linked.
3. Object Oriented: You will be working with real objects such as walls, windows, doors, architraves, flooring, tiles, lights, ceilings, cladding, cabinets and not just ‘dumb’ solids or lines. The right system will ‘know’ that a window can be placed in a wall and cuts a hole in the wall when placed there. It ‘knows’ that a window may have blinds or curtains and has a frame with sills and glass and can open in various directions. And it allows the user to set or change the object to suit the designer’s needs without the designer needing to draw. This is a huge benefit and not only does it make creating a drawing smarter but also provides added benefits such as quantity take-offs and associated costings as well as automated detailing.
4. Industry Focused: In the same way you wouldn’t tow a caravan with a motorbike, Interiors Designers shouldn’t use CAD software designed for engineering to do interior design. Interior Design software should have a wide array of tools specifically tailored to the unique needs of the interior design industry. Too often we see interior designers using general purpose software or software better suited to the Architect or engineer.
5. Flexible: It is inevitable that your design will change and be revised over time…there is no avoiding it, so you MUST be able to make both sweeping global changes and specific targeted ones easily, accurately and FAST. If the need for a revision occurs you need to be able to get this done without redrawing. A good system will be forgiving and adaptable to changes, and may even offer the ability to compare changes for you.
6. Compatibility: On most projects you will not be alone. You will be working closely with an Architect, building designer, builder, cabinet maker, trades and more. You must be able to share your work with all stakeholders and be sure the flow of communication between you is smooth. This doesn’t mean you all need the same software to work together but you do need to communicate well. Modern CAD software can share the key aspects of the design with all stakeholders through common industry accepted formats.

BIM vs CAD

BIM (Building Information Modelling) is a term you may have heard about and is linked directly with CAD (Computer Aided Design). BIM’s primary purpose is to tag the objects like walls, floors, roofs etc in your 3D model with useful information such as what material it is made of, how much it weights, how heat reflective or absorbent it is, how much it cost its strength its lifespan and many more ‘attributes’ . In doing so. Not only is your 3D model able to generate 3D views and 2D documents, but it can then also create reports and schedules and provide valuable feedback about the building’s performance from an engineering, economic and even climate-based point of view. When you share a 3D model between your engineer and your architect who may also be using BIM, then this information can be shared and considered in the design and construction. For any small Interior Design team, BIM may be more to manage than is economically viable, but for larger design teams working on collaborative projects it is essential.

MAC vs Windows PC

This is a big topic for debate in most people’s minds, but those who are serious about having as many software options as possible available to them and the highest performing tools have no choice but to use Windows PC’s. Like it or not, if you are a professional Interior Designer, the best products only run on Windows at this time.

Words of Warning… 3 Things Not to Do

1. Don’t choose a CAD software just because your peers recommend it or your teacher teaches it. They will have good intentions and may wish to help you but….
   1. they usually do not not know what’s now on the market and they probably selected their software years ago before better software was developed.
   2. learned what their university taught them because they didn’t know any better, or simply because it was the most advertised product or supplied free to the university.

If you wish to be a leader in your field do your own research and make your own decisions.

2. Don’t buy ‘all singing all dancing’ software that promises to help you design, do your accounts, invoice your clients, track your materials, and balance the books! Those products are masters of none of these tasks and often lock you into their expensive subscription process.
3. Don’t buy non-professional design software aimed at the casual or home user. There are dozens of these products and none of them cater to the rigorous requirements of a professional design practice.

Pros and Cons of CAD for Interior Design

The following list is a snapshot of what each products primary strengths and weaknesses are as they relate to Interior Design only. It is not meant to be a thesis or feature by feature comparison. Those products that do not rank highly today may have been high ranking in the past but have fallen behind newer more bespoke tools.

Type: General Purpose 2D (+3D)

AutoCAD:

Pro’s

• A powerful line-by-line 2D drafting tool.
• Most well-known CAD software globally.
• Plug-ins possible to help improve productivity.

Cons

• Slow and quite basic 3D capability.
• Ease of learning/use score 2 out of 5.
• No Interior Design specific tools built in.
• Most suited to 2D engineering drawings.
• Slow and difficult to make changes to a design.
• Only subscription licenses now available.

Conclusion: Not recommended.

RealCAD:

Pro’s

• Excellent 2D drafting tool.
• Available for Mac and PC.
• Affordable pricing.
• Perpetual or subscription licenses.
• Ease of learning/use score 4 out of 5.

Cons

• Very poor 3D capability
• No Interior Design specific tools built in.

Conclusion: Not recommended unless all you require is 2D drawings in which case this is then ideal.

IntelliCAD or BricsCAD or ARES Commander:

Pro’s

• A powerful line-by-line 2D drafting tools almost identical to AutoCAD
• Plug-ins possible to help improve productivity.

Cons

• Slow and quite basic 3D capability.
• Ease of learning/use score 2 out of 5.
• No Interior Design specific tools built in.
• Most suited to 2D engineering drawings.
• Slow and difficult to make changes to a design.
• Available as perpetual or subscription license.

Conclusion: Not recommended.

Type: Specialised Architectural 3D/2D+ BIM

Revit:

Pro’s

• A powerful full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Designed with tools for Architectural drafting and modelling.
• Relatively fast and easy to make design changes.

Cons

• Ease of learning/use score 2 out of 5.
• No Interior Design specific tools built in.
• Only subscription licensing available.
• Originally designed for architecture by engineers.
• Only available for MS Windows.
  

Conclusion: Worth considering.

ArchiCAD:

Pro’s

• A powerful full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Designed with tools for Architectural drafting and modelling.
• Designed by Architects for Architects.
• Relatively fast and easy to make design changes.

Cons

• Learning/ease of use score 3 out of 5.
• No Interior Design specific tools built in.
• Only Subscription licensing available.

Conclusion: Worth considering.

ARCHLine.XP:

Pro’s

• A powerful full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Purpose built for Interiors and Architecture.
• Very fast and easy to make design changes.
• Fastest at modelling and documentation.
• Perpetual and subscription licensing.
• Interior design focussed courses available.
• Very flexible modelling ability.
• Integrates well with other CAD products.
• Has its own rendering tools and can use others.
• Affordable pricing options.

Cons

• Only available for MS Windows.
• Learning/ease of use score 3.9 out of 5.
• Works best in metric so not ideal for USA.

Conclusion: Highly recommended for professional use.

Chief Architect / Home Designer Pro:

Pro’s

• A powerful full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Very fast and easy to make design changes.
• Very fast at modelling and documentation.
• Basic built-in rendering.
• Affordable pricing.
• Learning/ease of use score 4 out of 5.
• Fastest at residential house design.

Cons

• USA focused libraries.
• Highly automated making user control more difficult.
• No representation outside USA.

Conclusion: Great option for residential designers in USA/Canada

 

Vectorworks Architect:

Pro’s

• A full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Designed with tools for Architectural drafting and modelling.
• Good 2D detailing tools.

Cons

• Learning/ease of use score 2.5 out of 5.
• No Interior Design specific tools built-in.
• Only Subscription licensing available.

Conclusion: Worth considering.

Type: Specialised Interior Design 3D/2D+ BIM

ARCHLine.XP Interiors:

Pro’s

• A powerful full 3D/2D BIM tool.
• Purpose built for Interior Design.
• Includes features seen in all the other products.
• Very fast and easy to make design changes.
• High level of user control.
• Fastest at modelling and documentation.
• Perpetual and subscription licensing.
• Interior design focussed courses available.
• Very flexible modelling ability.
• Integrates well with other CAD and rendering products.
• Has its own high quality rendering tools built in.
• Affordable pricing.

Cons

• Only available for MS Windows
• Learning/ease of use score 3.9 out of 5.
• Works best in metric so not ideal for USA

Conclusion: Highly recommended.

InteriCAD:

Pro’s

• A Plug-in that is purpose built for Interior Design
• Integrates well with other CAD products
• Has its own rendering tools and can use others

Cons

• Only available for MS Windows
• Learning/ease of use score 2 out of 5.
• Not well supported outside of Asia
• Slower than some to make changes

Conclusion: Not recommended.

Type: General Purpose 3D (+2D)

SketchUp:

Pro’s

• Learning/ease of use score 4 out of 5.
• Integrates well with other CAD and rendering products.
• Great at conceptual 3D.
• High level of user control in 3D.

Cons

• Slower than most to make changes.
• 2D tools are not as refined.
• Product is generic rather than specific to interiors.
• User can easily accidentally ‘destroy’ a model unknowingly.
• Only Subscription licensing available.

Conclusion: Highly recommended for quick 3D sketch design in conjunction with other CAD tools

Rhino3D:

Pro’s

• Learning/ease of use score 2 out of 5.
• Integrates well with other CAD and rendering products.
• Great at curvaceous 3D modelling.
• High level of user control.

Cons

• Slower than most to make changes.
• 2D is not as refined.
• Product is generic rather than specific to interiors.
• Not really designed for interiors

Conclusion: Highly recommended for 3D curvaceous design tasks to be used with other CAD tools.

Type: Rendering/Animation

3DsMax, V-Ray: Older style renderer. Harder to learn and use but quite accurate.

Unreal, Enscape and D5: Modern gaming engine rendering and animation. 

KeyShot: Top-notch high accuracy rendering and animation.

Lumion: Top-tier, gaming engine and ray-trace rendering engine. Fast and easy to use.

ARCHLine.XP: Built-in Ray-trace rendering inside ARCHLine-XP. Easy fully integrated with the 3D ARCHLine.XP model.

Note: There are many more rendering programs available that you could use with your chosen 3D modelling software. The most important things to consider when choosing a renderer are:

1. Ease of use, as you don’t want a pilot’s license to make it work.
2. Size of materials library, as you don’t want to create all your own materials.
3. Accuracy of final result, as you don’t want to give clients a false expectation or make your work look amateurish.
4. Speed of rendering, as you don’t want to be waiting for hours to get an image or animation.
5. Live linking to your 3D model, as you don’t want to lose all materials and effects if you need to edit the model.
6. Features that evoke emotional responses from your audience such as atmosphere as you want the tool to sell your ideas.

Image Editing

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign are all programs designed to assist you in creating new fabric designs or embellishing static images such as plans, elevations or 3D perspectives derived from your CAD software. My expertise in these products is limited and therefor any advice you may be seeking about them is best gleaned from others. 😊

Conclusion

In a year or two things may well change and the advice I am giving now may also change. If I was an Interior Designer today and starting my own business, I would easily choose to invest my time and money in ARCHLine.XP because I would want to ensure the most efficiency in my business at an affordable price. If money and time were not that important, then I would equally also consider either ArchiCAD or Revit paired with a rendering tool such as Lumion or Keyshot. In the latter cases I may also indulge in having SketchUp available so I can quickly mock-up ideas in 3D which I can them import into my BIM software for final drawing and documentation purposes. In all cases I would also subscribe to one or more of the AI tools available that allow the exploration of design ideas. With ARCHLine.XP I would need to decide if I should use the full product or the slightly reduced toolset that exists in the ‘Interiors’ version of the program.

I hope is article serves to provide you with some added clarity around your choice of software for your Interior Design business.