Creating 3D plans: 6 criteria for selecting professional architecture software

By Dominika Niewiadomska

Published: 30 April 2025

Creating a 3D plan of a house requires professional architectural software: experienced salespeople know that images are key to presenting a property project properly, as this is often what leads to a purchase decision when meeting the client.

Free interior design and plan making software does not offer the same quality of presentation: even a sophisticated project such as a luxury villa can look bad if it is presented from an unfortunate perspective, with a disappointing drawing or off-putting model , which then prevents a purchase.

Using the best 3D home design software available is therefore one of the most architecturally important decisions you can make. In this article, appvizer lists the criteria that are crucial to the success of your presentations to clients:

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6 essential criteria for 3D design software

Manufacturers of single-family homes looking for 3D architecture software must be able to count on a solution that makes their work easier. Let's analyse its essential features.

Criterion no. 1: promoting the construction offer

The creation of a 3D plan allows future buyers of single-family homes to better understand their property project.

Thanks to the 3D perspective and axonometric representations, they not only understand the plan of their home and the possibilities for furnishing its rooms more easily, but they can also request customised changes according to their preferences.

The aim of good 3D planning software is to enable customers to visualise their home, enhancing its architecture and furnishings.

The realism of the perspectives is an undeniable advantage to confirm the customer's choice and persuade them to sign the final purchase contract.

Criterion no. 2: to be quick and easy to use

The majority of architectural software intended for the construction industry requires solid technical knowledge or step-by-step familiarisation, so that it is ultimately used mainly by design offices.

In contrast, other software - such as Cedreo's - allows sales staff to create 3D sketches themselves: a solution designed to make it easier to start working with and using this software.

Appvizer also recommends reviewing the services associated with the software: While the user interface should be intuitive, the best publishers always provide users with tutorials anyway.

Criterion no. 3: to be adaptable to all types of construction projects

The needs of different customers differ from one another. This means that they do not have to be similar for a series of consecutive construction projects.

Your software must be able to support you in designing all types of houses in 3D:

Single-storey detached house,
House with several floors,
House with studio or flat,
luxury villa or villa with upscale furnishings,
chalet, house with wooden structure,
Garage or covered outdoor car park,
Double-glazed windows with circular opening,
door, glass door, steel door, etc.

Of course, your 3D house building software should also include a calculation tool that allows you to estimate the price of the construction project without having to use a calculator or wait for an answer from the site manager.

Criterion no. 4: Favour organisation and collaboration

The best 3D house planning software allows the user to save time with features that promote organisation and collaboration, which specifically means

the centralisation of information, for example on projects and their individual parts,
a library of plans shared between the sales representative and the planning office
classified project studies linked to a customer index card,
a workflow enabling a project to be reviewed by the design office,
a chronology of successive plans allowing the search for a specific version,
a catalogue of plans already checked by the design office so that sales staff can use the most popular models, either as they are or with their own modifications.

Criterion No. 5: Have functions specifically designed to design a house plan in 3D

A good 3D architecture software for sale must necessarily allow the user to visualise the real appearance of the future property, i.e. to show a 3D drawing of this house as well as to create a 2D plan showing all the technical details of this project: the dimensions of the exterior and interior walls, the surface of the rooms of an accommodation, the roofing, etc.

Creating a 3D plan must be simple, straightforward and quick, using 3D planning software that offers the following possibilities, among others:

the reusability of existing plans,
importing a digitised house plan as part of a strategy to avoid paper records,
support the user in drawing the plan with appropriate tools, for example using magnetism to create perfectly parallel walls,
edit rooms in an intuitive way,
personalise the wall openings,
create false ceilings,
parameterise the dimensions of partition walls,
easily manage level differences,
quickly design complex roof structures,
automatically calculate surfaces,
etc.

Please note: Cedreo's professional architecture software allows home builders' sales representatives to create 3D plans without the need for technical knowledge, with drawing wizards that allow them to present customers with a professional-quality 3D house plan in record time, without having to call on a design office.

Criterion no. 6: Creation of interior and exterior furnishings

Creating a house in 3D implies the possibility of creating interior and exterior furnishings for this project.

The creation of the 3D plan must therefore allow you to personalise the project as much as possible without making it too difficult for you.

Your 3D house planning software must offer you the following essential functions, as they help the customer to visualise the house:

redimensionable 3D objects whose cladding and colour can be personalised,
a constantly expanding library of objects,
a zoom function to be able to examine small details.

All elements of the interior design of an accommodation are part of the project. Some accessories and decorations can even be decisive for the sale.

As far as interior design is concerned, you need to make sure you have elements in each room that emphasise its function and also increase the feel-good factor:

the bedroom, with its bed and storage areas, the kitchen, with tiles on the floor, the electrical appliances, the table and chairs,
the fully equipped and furnished bathroom, with sliding door or classic door,
a set of stairs, if the house has several floors, whose style, materials and orientation can be customised,
the living room with sofa and armchairs, the positioning of which should take into account the position of the windows and the light coming from outside,
specific accessories if the customer wants other rooms, such as a cinema or wellness area, or even a playroom for their children,
the ability to switch the lamps on and off and to choose between warm and cold light for the perfect illumination of your synthesis images.

In the early stages of a project, the design of the outdoor area, which may be accompanied by plans of a garden, is one of the most important factors in the buyer's decision-making process.

You must therefore be able to design the outdoor areas to suit your customers' tastes, with a realistic visualisation quality:

a swimming pool to enhance large home projects,
a terrace with garden furniture,
green plants,
a plot of land that looks particularly well-kept with a green lawn, etc.

Which professional architecture software should you choose?

Creating a 3D plan is no longer the exclusive preserve of architects: Cedreo - a solution whose qualities have already been mentioned - offers 3D architecture software that can be operated directly by sales staff.

Sales staff draw the 3D plans themselves

Cedreo not only has all the necessary qualities of 3D drawing software for houses, but can also be used by sales staff who have no prior technical knowledge.

The consultants can thus cultivate the relationship with the customer: they can draw a 3D plan themselves in less than an hour that meets the customer's wishes and provide personalised advice.

An attractive final visualisation that boosts sales

The use of 3D images and their synthesis quality, combined with their rapid creation, improve the salesperson's ability to reassure, convince and inspire the customer, which can lead to a purchase decision at this meeting.

The visually attractive visualisations make the customer feel immersed in their project: These 3D simulations convince him and motivate him to buy.

Additional benefits that impress

In the user interface, we have discovered a few other strengths that deserve to be emphasised.

First and foremost, the sales staff have a catalogue of models that can be used immediately and that have been previously tested by the design office.

Cedreo is also characterised by the quality of its customer service:

a good follow-up by the support team to accompany the user from the first step,
responsive technical support, always open to users' requests and directly accessible by telephone, which regularly carries out user surveys to improve the service and offer new tutorials,
training courses, available remotely or on site,
a large number of illustrated tutorials where everyone can learn at their own pace,
Webinars to discuss the software and learn more about how to use it.

Cedreo

+200 reviews

3D Floor Plan and Home Design software

Learn more about Cedreo

Benefits identified

The sales staff appreciate this tool because it is so easy to use and because its functions support collaboration. Cedreo accelerates the sales process by presenting the construction project in an attractive and uplifting way and by being highly responsive. The planning office is thus relieved and can increase its productivity.

I have been using Cedreo for 5 years now. I estimate that this software has increased my transformation rate by 32%. The interior views are now generated systematically, which has enabled me to increase my sales by 15%. I've been promoted to sales manager for the Dordogne and I'm training my employees to handle a preliminary project in 20 minutes. It's a really great tool.