Showing your clients high-quality renders helps them visualize how a building or interior will look when it’s complete, which helps get approval quicker.
While Archicad’s integrated rendering engine can be useful for very simple needs, the results are not realistic enough to really impress potential clients.
Not to mention that the renderer is bothersome and slower compared to other tools.
While Archicad tried to combat these issues by releasing its AI Visualizer tool, the results are not realistic and accurate enough (at least for now).
Fortunately, there are plenty of robust tools and plugins out there that can take your visualizations to the next level.
To help you in your search, we curated a list of some of the best Archicad rendering software on the market based on user feedback, realism of results, and speed.
Let's have a look.
If you're looking for a rendering software that offers an excellent balance between quality and speed, MyArchitectAI is your best bet.
It offers realistic AI rendering for Archicad in less than 10 seconds, making it especially beneficial for firms that are working on tight deadlines.
MyArchitectAI's render engine uses GPUs. However, since it's a web-based tool, you don't need a high-performance computer as the whole process is handled on their machines.
Being a new player in the market, MyArchitectAI prioritizes frequent updates and prompt support from its founders. It also provides flexibility for architects who only need rendering on a per-project basis, as there are no long-term contracts. You can simply use the software as needed.
Pricing: $29/month for unlimited access. Free testing plan available.
Twinmotion is the most recommended rendering software for Archicad thanks to its excellent quality, features, and speed to price ratio.
With Path Tracing, Twinmotion delivers amazing outputs for both architectural and interior designs with minimal effort.
One of Twinmotion's standout features is its live link with Archicad, which allows you to update your Twinmotion files with changes made in the original BIM file without the need for re-importing. This feature saves plenty of time and enables parallel development, one of the core principles of BIM.
Twinmotion creates realistic lighting thanks Lumen and Pathtracer, ensuring that your renderings accurately represent the intended design. It also has an extensive asset library, letting you easily incorporate a wide range of elements into your projects.
With Twinmotion, you can create 3D renderings and video walkthroughs, providing a comprehensive visualization of your designs. The software also benefits from a supportive community and integrates with Quixel Megascan, Sketchfab, and Adobe Substance for an endless supply of high-quality assets.
Uses GPU for rendering.
Pricing: $445 per seat per year. Twinmotion also has a free license for students and companies doing less than $1M in annual revenue.
D5 Render is a real-time ray tracing renderer for Archicad used in architecture, landscape, interior design, engineering, and other 3D fields.
Its intuitive user interface makes it easy to get started and produce photorealistic 3D renderings relatively quickly.
With D5 Render, you get access to a vast asset and texture library, allowing you to easily incorporate a wide range of elements into your designs.
D5 Render truly shines when it comes to animations. You'll be impressed by the quality results it delivers almost instantly, enabling you to showcase your designs in the best possible light.
It also integrates with many popular architectural modeling tools, helping you maintain a consistent and efficient workflow throughout your design process.
Users praise the D5 Render team for providing frequent updates and listening to user feedback.
Uses GPU & CPU for rendering.
Pricing: free version with basic features, then $38/month for the Pro subscription and $75 per seat per month for a Team subscription.
Enscape is an Archicad rendering plugin that prioritizes ease of use and speed. It also comes with a Revit plugin, making it a seamless addition to your existing workflow.
One of it's biggest advantages is its ability to send standalone 3D files to your clients. It allows them to easily explore your designs without needing to install any software.
Enscape is hard to beat when it comes to speed. As an extension to your preferred design software, such as SketchUp or Revit, you'll edit assets and materials directly within the software. The Enscape window functions as a viewer, enabling you to move around a model, set up views, and export renders. This intuitive integration results in a low barrier to entry, making Enscape an attractive choice even for architects and interior designers with little to no rendering experience.
Uses GPU for rendering.
Pricing: starting at $85/month
Lumion is a standalone Archicad rendering tool with plugins that allow you to link and sync models from most popular CAD/BIM tools like SketchUp, Autocad, Revit, Rhino, and Vectorworks, among others.
Lumion uses real-time ray tracing which allows you to visualize your designs with accurate lighting and shadows. Additionally, you can create 360-degree panoramas that are ready for virtual reality, offering a more immersive way to showcase your designs to clients. You can even share a link to these panoramas for easy access.
This renderer also boasts an extensive library of tutorials and learning resources that make the learning curve a bit less steep.
While Lumion has its advantages, users mention that the quality of renders may not be as high as in some of the other tools discussed earlier. However, with its extensive vegetation library, versatile compatibility, and a wealth of tutorials, Lumion remains a strong contender among renderers for Archicad.
Uses GPU & CPU for rendering.
Pricing: only annual subscription, starts at $749/year
Renowned for its exceptional rendering quality, V-Ray is used by 92 of the top 100 architecture firms, making it an industry-leading rendering software for Archicad.
V-Ray's reputation is built on its high-quality results, flexibility, and scalability. However, achieving these top-tier results comes with a few considerations.
Firstly, V-Ray has a relatively steep learning curve, which may require a more significant time investment for users new to architectural rendering. Additionally, V-Ray is very resource-intensive and requires a powerful machine to run efficiently.
If you're not sure if your system can handle it, V-Ray provides a free tool to measure your rendering speed.
While the rendering process with V-Ray is time-consuming, the outstanding results often justify the investment.
On a positive note, V-Ray supports both CPU and GPU rendering, providing flexibility in how you use your computer's processing power.
Pricing: starts at $85/month
Owned by Chaos, the same company as V-Ray, Corona is specifically designed with architects in mind, offering a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
While V-Ray is known for its versatility across various industries, Corona focuses on providing a more efficient Archicad rendering solution for architectural visualization specifically. This focus results in a more accessible learning curve compared to V-Ray, although it still requires some time and effort to master.
Corona is also more affordable than V-Ray, making it an attractive option for those on a tighter budget. However, it's worth noting that Corona relies solely on CPU rendering.
When choosing between V-Ray and Corona, Chaos has created a helpful guide to help you determine which render engine best suits your needs.
Uses CPU for rendering.
Pricing: starts at $60/month
Redshift is a GPU-accelerated renderer for Archicad primarily used in the VFX and motion graphics industries. However, some architects and interior designers have also adopted it for their architectural visualization needs.
Redshift is praised for its impressive quality-to-speed ratio, delivering realistic renders at a faster pace compared to some other rendering solutions.
However, it's important to note that Redshift may not be the easiest plugin to learn, especially for those without prior 3D visualization experience.
Pricing: included in the Archicad subscription
Ultimately, the best rendering software for Archicad is the one that works in your existing pipeline and is the easiest to train and transition into.
And remember, the "cost" is not just he cost of software itself. It's also the cost of training, libraries, and productivity loss during the transition period.
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