Enscape
Chaos
Real-time rendering that runs inside Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad and Vectorworks.
- Runs on
- Windows, Mac
- Pricing
- Subscription
- Students
- Free education licence
Rendering & visualisation
The tools used across the design process, from the first sketch to the final board. What each is for, what it runs on, how it's paid for, and whether students get it free.
Rendering & visualisation
Images, walkthroughs and real-time views for clients.
V-Ray
Chaos
Photoreal rendering for 3ds Max, SketchUp, Rhino, Revit and more.
- Runs on
- Windows, Mac
- Pricing
- Subscription
- Students
- Education pricing
Corona Renderer
Chaos
Photoreal rendering for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D, known for being easy to set up.
- Runs on
- Windows
- Pricing
- Subscription
Lumion
Lumion
Fast renders and animations of buildings in their landscape.
- Runs on
- Windows
- Pricing
- Subscription
- Students
- Free student licence
Twinmotion
Epic Games
Real-time visualisation built on Unreal Engine, with live links to design tools.
- Runs on
- Windows, Mac
- Pricing
- Free for students and smaller firms; paid above that
- Students
- Free
D5 Render
D5
Real-time ray-traced rendering with a large library of assets.
- Runs on
- Windows
- Pricing
- Free community edition; Pro subscription
Unreal Engine
Epic Games
Game engine used for interactive walkthroughs, VR and high-end visualisation.
- Runs on
- Windows, Mac, Linux
- Pricing
- Free for architecture and visualisation
Newer tools, from startups
Generative design, site analysis, estimating and more: see what startups are building for architects and builders.
See startups →Platforms, pricing and student access are from each maker’s website and can change; check there before you buy.