Virtual home design software
{{Short description|Type of computer-aided design software}}
{{more footnotes|date=July 2013}}
Virtual home design software is a type of computer-aided design software intended to help architects, designers, and homeowners preview their design implementations on-the-fly. These products may differ from traditional homeowner design software and other online design tools in that they may use HTML5 to ensure dynamic previews of changes. This category of software as a service may put an emphasis on usability, speed, and customization.{{cite news|last=Woods |first=Dan |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/07/13/software-oracle-salesforce-technology-cio-network-software.html |title= Enterprise Software Battle Heats Up |work=Forbes |date=2009-07-14 |access-date=2013-04-18}}
Background
Homeowners, contractors, and architects use virtual home exterior design software to help visualize changes to designs. Since virtual home design suites that use HTML5 are able to rapidly propagate changes to the home design, users can A/B test designs much more efficiently than with previous iterations of online design software.
Virtual home design software has found widespread usage among homeowners who have suffered property damage,{{cite news|last=Quirk |first=Vanessa |url=http://www.archdaily.com/289743/architecture-for-humanitys-5-point-plan-for-hurricane-sandy-reconstruction/ |title= Architecture for Humanity's 5-Point Plan for Hurricane Sandy Reconstruction |publisher=Arch Daily |date=2012-11-05 |access-date=2013-04-18}} as server-side, HTML5-based design software is ideal for homeowners who wish to see what certain products will look like on damaged areas of their houses. Many apps are aimed at use by non-professionals.{{cite news |last1=Biersdorfer |first1=J. D. |title=How to Make a 3-D Model of Your Home Renovation Vision |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/technology/personaltech/3d-home-renovation-apps.html |work=The New York Times |date=13 February 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Biersdorfer |first1=J. D. |title=How to Decorate Your New Home Before You Move |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/technology/personaltech/decorate-new-home-before-move.html |work=The New York Times |date=10 March 2021}} Ikea have experimented with this technology and made various tools available online to the general public.{{cite news |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=Ikea's new virtual design tool deletes your furniture and replaces it with Ikea's |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/22/23178125/ikea-kreativ-room-scanner-ios-app-virtual-furniture-showroom |work=The Verge |date=22 June 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Garun |first1=Natt |title=What it's like to use Modsy, Havenly, Ikea, and Roomstyler to design your apartment |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798453/modsy-havenly-ikea-roomstyler-e-interior-design-services-review-virtual-home-redecoration |work=The Verge |date=9 August 2019}}{{cite news |title=We Tried It: A Virtual Interior Design Service with a Twist |url=https://people.com/we-tried-it-virtual-designing-a-porch-makeover-7568463 |work=People.com |language=en}}
Augmented reality has also been used.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/this-tape-measure-app-for-home-renovations-just-got-smarter-preview-your-room-layout-in-3d-with-measure-tools-ar-ruler-2025-03-31/ |title=This Tape Measure App for Home Renovations Just Got Smarter: Preview Your Room Layout in 3D with Measure Tools – AR Ruler |work=Reuters |date=31 March 2025 }}
Examples
Several manufacturers use virtual home design software to display their products online. These companies that utilize virtual home design software include GAF Materials Corporation, James Hardie, Exterior Portfolio, and CertainTeed. Some companies, such as Design My Exterior, have built virtual home design software that is not limited to products or brands in order to allow for greater flexibility by the end-user. Design My Exterior also uses ImageMapster in order to generate a greater range of options with less processing time.
Live Home 3D is a virtual home design software for Microsoft Windows and macOS.
Future applications
Several companies are experimenting with virtual reality for architecture. They design virtual homes and allow customers to walk around with the help of a VR headset (such as the Occulus Rift). This way, customers get a realistic, true-to-scale idea of the result.
Gallery
File:Layout sweet home 3d.jpg|Sweet Home 3D Layout
File:Overview_entrance.jpg|3D view
File:View from kitchen.jpg|Render