Everyone loves interior design, now more than ever. Our social media habits have made instagrammable beauty the number one priority for homeowners, renters, and entrepreneurs. If you are a trying interior design artist, now is your moment to shine.

The following tools are the best rendering engines for interior designers. Some are less intimidating than others, and each boasts unique features (and pricing models) for creating picture-perfect interior designs.

Guerilla Render

Guerilla Render goes hand in hand with Guerilla’s other side of the coin, Guerilla Station. Together, these two engines comprise a powerhouse “look development” solution. Artists across industries use it as a modeling, assembly, lighting, and rendering tool.

They are not just any artists. Guerilla signs quite a few animation masterpieces, including Netflix’s jaw-dropping new show Arcane. From TV shows to feature films (Oscar-nominated Ford v Ferrari, among others), Guerilla powers indies and blockbusters alike.

It also caters to businesses big and small. It’s easy to onboard and navigate, making it suitable for all pipelines and projects. Guerilla’s workflow is nodal, procedural, and non-destructive, paired with state-of-the-art tech for immaculate rendering.

3ds Max

Developed by the Autodesk company, this famous 3D rendering and visualization software is one of the most respectable and reliable solutions. We could say that 3ds Max is a tool that offers all the cutting-edge capabilities, but it’s more than that.

3ds Max isn’t only at the industry’s forefront regarding what it can do for interior designers, but it leads the way in terms of rendering technology. It’s the software system everyone looks up to for solutions and ideas, whether for 3D modeling or animation.

If, by any chance, you’re now hearing about it for the first time, here’s what this program is. 3ds Max is rendering, modeling, and animation software that’s comprehensive and powerful enough to help you build “massive worlds and high-quality designs.” It’s an industry staple and a user favorite.

Autodesk AutoCAD LT

AutoCAD LT is another solution from Autodesk, only specifically for 2D design. Sketching, drawing, and designing are seamless, thanks to precise geometry and convenient tools. The solution also facilitates editing and boasts quite a few animation features.

Another significant benefit of AutoCAD LT is an easy collaboration between architects, construction professionals, and engineers. Besides creating complex 2D designs, interior artists can also use AutoCAD to annotate drawings, document projects, and exchange data with others.

The interface is arguably one of the best aspects of AutoCAD LT, as it allows smooth navigation and effortless project tracking. Before you ask, yes, AutoCAD LT is related to AutoCAD. The latter is way more extensive, as it includes capabilities for 3D modeling in addition to 2D drawing.

FluidRay

FluidRay is another solid choice for 3D modeling. It helps produce gorgeous, detail-rich renders in a matter of seconds, making the creative process easy and enjoyable. FluidRay allows you to play with materials, lights, and other elements in a real-time environment.

The one thing that separates FluidRay from the sea of similar tools is that it knows no limitations. Since there is no cap on GPU (graphic processing units), there’s no project that FluidRay can’t tackle. Feedback is always instantaneous, and so is editing.

FluidRay has some other noteworthy qualities that make it a strong competitor in the rendering category. It has a super-intuitive interface, for once, as well as an extensive library of free tutorials, which is especially important for beginners.

SketchUp

SketchUp offers an infinite list of fantastic capabilities. Before we start praising them, let’s get something out of the way quickly – SketchUp is not rendering software. However, it allows frictionless integration with many popular rendering plugins and tools.

What can SketchUp do if it can’t render? Truthfully, a lot. SketchUp is, first and foremost, a suite catering to designers and facilitating drawing, modeling, and collaboration. Its toolkit and premade models can replace any other less advanced CAD software.

One major plus for SketchUp is its competitive prices. Coupled with intuitive UX and user-friendly tools, SketchUp’s prices are ideal for rookie artists. It’s possible to master the foundations and intricacies of 3D modeling using only SketchUp tools.

TurboCAD

TurboCAD is a less expensive replica of AutoCAD. It has more or less the same capabilities, a fantastic array of tools, and an easy-to-use interface – just like its costlier competitor. You can count on it for any interior design involving 2D and 3D models.

When you’re done designing and modifying your models, you can use TurboCAD to present your designs to clients. It also offers a collection of smart documentation tools and outstanding file compatibility. Every aspect of TurboCAD is set to boost productivity.

As an interior artist, you’ll particularly enjoy TurboCAD’s style manager and elevation, section, and terrain tools. The offer also includes self-aligning blocks and self-healing walls, which generally ensures fantastic precision of drafting and detailing alike.

Revit

Revit follows the same successful formula that Autodesk invented and the developers of 3ds Max and AutoCAD perfected. One of the most notable differences is Revit’s GreenBuild engine, Autodesk’s star feature that empowers artists to create eco-friendly architecture.

From energy analysis features that are truly unique in the industry to paperless documentation tools, Revit is the epitome of a “green” solution. It helps architects save natural resources in every way they can. Besides sustainability, it also promotes time and cost efficiency.

Over the past two decades, Revit has been setting standards for project coordination, collaboration, and presentation. With added automation and parametric modeling, which makes 3D modeling faster and more dynamic, Autodesk’s Revit is still an unmatchable tour de force.

Maxwell

If Revit is unmatchable in project management and execution, Maxwell is unparalleled in a simple but crucial element – lighting. Though Maxwell is a rendering engine like any other on this list, many artists use it as a plugin for this particular feature alone.

To help you achieve hyper-realistic light simulations, Maxwell lets you combine physically accurate lighting in multiple conditions with an impressive collection of life-like textures. The results bear an uncanny resemblance to real-life objects, no matter the surroundings.

Maxwell might not be as comprehensive as some top-ranking rendering software, but it gets the job done fair and square. It doesn’t lack power or speed, boasts impressive camera quality, and costs less than most popular solutions. Top grades across the board.

Conclusion

The selection is limitless, but finding the tool that ticks all the boxes can be daunting. As an interior designer, you need more than immaculate renders. You need collaboration tools, ease of use, and project management capabilities to achieve breathtaking results.

If you’ve already found the perfect tool, we’d like to hear all about it.