These days, homeowners are no way less than designers and when it comes to designing or constructing their own homes they come filled with ideas and expectations. The design shows telecasted on televisions and some special websites like Houzz or Pinterest have a big role to play in that. There are many people now who wish to plan their homes or remodeling projects on their own with the help of some special software like HGTV Home Design Software or Cadsoft Personal Architect, both these software were created for common people who would like to remodel their homes on their own. However, the biggest constraint is that even while the homeowners have complete idea about how their place will look when they remodel it, they might not have the vision to see how it will translate via the building process. How builders and designers inform and engage their clients in this respect?

 

 

 

As per Mark Bankston, Stump’s Quality Decks and Porches LLC’s project manager, “With 3D renderings, the customer is more confident in our ability to build the project. The renderings help us in setting ourselves apart.” Though, it is not the only company to use this tool. As Keokuk Homestore’s kitchen and bath designer, Catie Henoch, likes to add, “I find most homeowners cannot envision what their space will look like remodeled or reconfigured. 3D modeling is invaluable for this reason. Without a terrible amount of effort on my part, I can show them my exact plans for the room without confusion.”

 

Henochuses likes to use the Cadosoft Envisioneer ProArchitect software and explains that its 3D modelling abilities have given her the potential to overcome any hurdle that hampers the visualization of their customers. In her own words, “I love the ease of creating a 3D model. Ten years ago, when I was in school and learning AutoCAD, each wall was four lines and then extruded to a certain height and then you had to add the cladding materials. With this program, I can choose to insert a wall and it already has drywall on one side and siding on the other and automatically joins up with walls that touch it.”

 

 

Virtual reality is another major tool in this direction. As per Jack Zimmer from Zimmer Designs located in Milwaukee, virtual reality is a game changer. He quotes that, “In the written word, the reader interprets the words, the character and places, which creates a scene in their mind. In a movie, that same story is replaced by created scenes and actor/actresses. But the actual viewing is done on a flat screen or with 3D glasses that give depth but still a flat screen. If you look at architecture, you may consider architectural plans as being similar to the written word. The person looks at ‘sheets’ and must interpret a floor plan/elevation/section and recreate the space in their mind. Renderings and animation are similar to the movie presentation. Less is demanded in terms of imagination, but the presentation is still on a ‘flat screen’. With VR, the customer is actually inside the model. When walking or looking around everything is suddenly to human scale. There is depth, shadows, colors and a new form of realism that has not been available any other time.”