While many markets and industries have been undergoing periods of volatility due to global health crises, the economy, and other internal and external factors, 3D rendering software has been growing exponentially.

The market that was valued at $952.4 million in 2016 is expected to reach $9 billion by 2026, achieving an exceptional 20% CAGR in the coming years.

Although industry leaders gladly welcome this market growth, it begs the question – what drives it?

3D Rendering Is Developing Rapidly

Due to its abundance of applications, ever-evolving software, and growing capabilities, 3D rendering is developing at unprecedented rates. Within just a few years, the global market significantly expanded, presenting new opportunities for artists, developers, and industry leaders.

But what’s genuinely pushing the market growth is higher demand. 3D rendering services became essential across industries, providing valuable benefits that can optimize processes and streamline operations. Even the average consumer is adding to the 3D rendering hype due to the commercially available software solutions and accessible 3D printers that offer incredible versatility.

More Industries Are in Need of 3D Rendering Services

3D rendering has always presented immense possibilities, but it’s only recently that it started achieving its true potential. Initially used to visualize simple objects such as the renowned Utah Teapot, 3D rendering soon found its purpose in the U.S. defense, NASA, and other agencies and industries.

The applications of 3D rendering are expanding, with more and more industries finding themselves in dire need of visualization services.

Real estate

The competitive real estate industry has found an excellent use for 3D rendering software – to assist the sale process. With the help of rendering software, agents can expand their audiences and offer easy virtual tours of every property they have for rent or sale.

Instead of wasting time and money on scheduling individual clients and taking them on physical tours, agents can develop a photorealistic virtual tour that enables attendees to see every nook and cranny and examine every room.

3D rendering can assist with staging homes as well. An empty property wouldn’t need real furniture, appliances, and decorations to show its true colors. 3D artists only need a few photos of the empty space, and they can stage it with realistic images of any amenity necessary.

Artists can also offer digital renovations and showcase what a rundown property would look like with some work.

Architecture

3D rendering might just be the most useful in architectural visualization. Today, it’s become standard practice to develop 3D renders of any home and building, depicting every single detail with precision well before the construction phase begins.

Creating hand-drawn sketches or models is a thing of the past. With 3D rendering and advanced 3D printing, every model can be brought to life in record times.

3D designs are the perfect solution for the clear communication of ideas between architects and their clients. They eliminate any potential language barriers or misunderstandings and keep everyone involved in a project informed. They can help every stakeholder visualize the completed project before construction is even in the works.

3D renderings can divert attention to any potential problem, hazard, or design issue, making it easy to correct mistakes before it’s too late (or too costly).

Interior design

Few other industries rely as heavily on 3D rendering software as interior design. The two go hand in hand today.

Like architects, interior designers often encounter communication problems with their clients that can easily be solved using photorealistic renders that translate the designer’s ideas.

With 3D rendering software, designers can play around with different styles, colors, textures, and lighting and show their clients exactly what the result would look like.

3D rendering software offers excellent accuracy and precise measurements, ensuring that every piece of furniture or decor in the render fits like it would in real life. It can showcase how different finishes affect a room’s mood, how different curtains or wall paint change an interior’s entire appearance, and more.

Healthcare

The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to the success of the 3D rendering software market. 3D rendering services can save and enhance the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

With 3D printers, 3D rendering software has proven to be invaluable in healthcare time and time again. In early 2020, 3D printed ventilator valves were used on coronavirus patients in Italy, saving hundreds of lives.

3D printers are used continuously to customize prosthetics and make them more comfortable for the wearer. 3D rendering software is often used for developing custom medical devices and equipment that can be used in complicated surgeries and medical procedures, crafting parts for repairing damaged organs, and more.

3D renders in virtual reality can be used for training medical staff, practicing operating techniques without putting patients at risk, creating educational content. The healthcare industry will only continue relying more and more on 3D rendering services.

Entertainment

Most people immediately associate “3D” with computer graphic imaging (or CGI) and animation and for a good reason. The entertainment industry is responsible for the early adoption of 3D technology, and it’s the industry that’s made 3D renders widely available to the general public.

It’s movies like Toy Story, Avatar, and Shrek that sparked the public’s interest in 3D rendering software and its capabilities.

The gaming industry relies heavily on 3D renders and CGI to make games ever-more immersive. In the film industry, 3D rendering and CGI can be used for anything from removing unwanted elements from a shot (such as an airplane photobomb in a movie set in medieval times) to creating realistic images of fantasy people, creatures, and places (such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings).

Manufacturing

3D rendering in manufacturing has an abundance of applications. It can quickly build new products from scratch, prefabrication, conceptualization, and even reverse engineering.

With 3D printers, 3D rendering software can expedite the manufacturing process and ultimately optimize the assembly lines in factories worldwide.

The increasing demand for rendering manufacturing solutions is boosting the 3D rendering software market and taking it to new heights.

Marketing

Marketers are starting to rely more heavily on 3D rendering, as it offers new opportunities and better advertising strategies.

Visuals have always been of the most significant importance in marketing, and 3D rendering software can improve them and make them more attractive to the broader audience.

In marketing, 3D rendering can be used to clean up the product, make the colors pop, show the product versatility, and more.

Instead of wasting time and money on exhausting photoshoots that don’t always yield the best results, marketers can use 3D rendering solutions and create the exact image they want for driving engagement without much effort.

Technology Is Developing Quickly

3D rendering has a lengthier history than many would believe. The first advanced software wasn’t a 21st-century invention – it was developed over 50 years ago by none other than Ivan Sutherland. His Sketchpad program couldn’t create the photorealistic renders we grew accustomed to today, but it was a major breakthrough that’s paved the path for the success of 3D rendering.

By the ‘90s, we received the first Autodesk 3D Studio with extensive capabilities that revolutionized 3D rendering and modeling. From 1992 to today, Autodesk has continued releasing new and updated versions of 3D Studio, and now 3ds Max, every year.

Each new version brought new and enhanced capabilities that today allow for easy hyper-realistic renders in record time.

With the advancements in augmented and virtual reality, 3D rendering software continues to grow and develop to meet the general public’s more demanding expectations.

More People Are Interested in Becoming 3D Artists!

The demand for 3D technology skills has grown significantly, and increasing vacancies and relatively high pay attract more prospective 3D artists.

While 3D rendering is by no means an easy job, the advancements in software and accompanying technologies simplify many of the 3D rendering tasks, so developing the relevant skills and knowledge is less time-consuming and draining than before.

3D rendering software is becoming much more affordable. With high-quality courses at low prices, virtually anyone can quickly and effectively level up their skills and get the necessary education.

What’s making 3D rendering jobs even more appealing after 2020 is the ability to work from home. 3D artists can virtually collaborate with project stakeholders and use cloud computing technology to share their designs with ease.

3D Rendering Brings Many Benefits

Regardless of the industry that’s using it, 3D rendering can bring an abundance of benefits. The following are just a few of the most significant advantages of this technology.

Simplified communication

3D renders leave no room for miscommunication. Since every single render is designed to resemble the real-life inspiration as closely as possible, designers and their clients can immediately realize whether the render is acceptable or not.

Architects can develop their designs quickly and get approval from their clients with ease. Interior designers can ensure that every detail meets their client’s expectations, without unpleasant surprises once the project commences.

With 3D renders, nothing is open for interpretation. The design is as-is, making it easy to communicate any required changes.

Risk mitigation

Powerful 3D rendering software can help designers mitigate any possible risks before the project begins in the real world. For example, in architecture, the rendering can show how a design fits the neighborhood and whether it needs to be changed. It can show whether any doors lead to nowhere or whether the walls are at the right angle – making it possible to correct these mistakes before they’re even made.

3D renders can even be used for testing the resilience of buildings to earthquakes or weather phenomena, providing opportunities to improve the structural integrity in the early stages of construction.

Cost efficiency

By eliminating problems before they arise, 3D renders can significantly reduce the final cost of a project. Designers and their clients can save time and money on correcting mistakes by catching them early on. They can cut costs by ensuring that the envisioned project doesn’t require any changes once completed.

They can optimize processes and keep their teams in the loop to ensure better collaboration and efficiency – ultimately reducing expenses and unexpected costs.

Better marketing

3D renders are ideal for marketing purposes as the designers don’t need to have the real product on hand to show it to the broader public.

3D renders of buildings can be used for attracting investors and buyers. 3D renders of interior designs can be used to build online portfolios and give insight into the artist’s skills and talents. 3D renders of new products can be used for commercials and websites to attract audiences. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Many Developers Are Looking to Get into the Market

The 3D rendering software market is quite competitive, with renowned industry leaders taking up most of the market share. Autodesk has 35.68% of the market share, Adobe 19.12%. Still, developers are fighting to break into the market and take a slice of the profits.

The greater demand for 3D rendering solutions presents developers with excellent opportunities, which boosts the demand, expanding the market, and making it ever-more lucrative.

There Is a Need for Constant Improvement

With the increasing number of industries realizing how advantageous 3D rendering solutions can be, there’s a constant need for improvement in every sector. Consumers are demanding more realistic, more immersive renders that are indistinguishable from their real-world counterparts.

The broader availability of VR/AR equipment has also increased the demand for the improvement of 3D renders, and so have advancements in cloud computing and other relevant technologies.

The constant software improvements drive up the hype around 3D rendering, expand the market, and attract more consumers.

Conclusion

The 3D rendering software market is taking up speed with no signs of slowing down. Advancing technologies will only continue driving interest and pushing the 3D market forward.