Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2021 - 19

Many programs today will allow designers to
convert their creations into a 3D or AR design,
where their clients can more easily interpret and
- in the case of AR - even " walk through " their
potential space. VR is more readily used by homeowners and manufacturers, who offer apps that allow consumers to virtually replace a product - like
a sink or a paint color - and see the resulting look.
These renderings can be done in house by trained
designers or sent out to professional software experts to complete.
" To be efficient and successful, the designer
should have the right software tools to leverage
their creativity in the design process while providing the client with 3D renderings, interactive
models and construction drawings, " said Scott
Harris, vice president of sales and marketing for

ABOVE CHIEF ARCHITECT's

3D software is specifically
for professional residential
designers using smart building technology. Its new 3D
ray trace rendering - which
creates highly realistic visuals
- now takes seconds. Chief
Architect Interior pricing starts
at $2,175. chiefarchitect.com
BELOW Exclusive to 2020

Design Live is a new rendering
engine, EZ Render. Designed
to maximize efficiency
and quality, EZ Render will
automatically apply and
calibrate lighting and true
material finishes with just one
click. Prices start at $1,795.
www.2020spaces.com

Chief Architect. " Ease of use is still the most important aspect for professional designers. "
Still, the renderings available today have room
for improvement and innovation. Designer
Veronica Solomon of Katy, Texas-based Casa
Vilora Interiors had the opportunity to be a part of
a virtual luxury designer showhouse recently and
loved how virtual visitors could " try " the products
shown throughout the virtual home in their own
home through VR technology.
" I think there will be a lot more that we can
do digitally to help our clients see our vision for
them, " said Solomon.
THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATION

The main complaint many designers have with
their current software is that it is not as streamlined as they would like.
" I wish there was a program that took the best
of programs like Ivy, Design Files and Quickbooks
and interface with AutoCad, Revit and SketchBook, so you could do everything from one place
and incorporate the mobility of the field and connection to the back office, " said Corinne Enslin of
Los Angeles-based Corinne Enslin Architectural
Interior Design.
According to Enslin, it can be challenging to
find a program with the right amount of flexibility
so they can add custom line items and control
bookkeeping better - without having to contact
customer service and wait for a response. She feels
that it might already be possible to integrate all of
her programs, but it would take significant training and the frustration of talking with each individual manufacturer to figure out how.
" The least number of clicks wins! " said Kaestner,
adding that there are so many options available
now that it can be difficult to use them all to their
fullest extent. " I'm looking for convenience, a clear
dashboard and ease of use. "

BUILDBOOK is the all-in-one

platform for builders and
designers. It includes a
comprehensive feature set
and a fast user experience
that allows anyone - team or
client - to start using it with
zero training. The BuildBook
platform includes project
management, marketing
and sales tools to help designers run their businesses
more efficiently. Team pricing is $149 per month, billed
annually. buildbook.co

HOUZZ PRO offers a way for

designers to do more in the
same amount of time, so they
can focus on designing and
their clients. Tools range from
marketing, sourcing, invoicing and taking deposits, to
communicating with clients,
documenting approvals and
creating mood boards and
3D models. Houzz Pro also
enables designers to provide
a designer-branded, seamless client experience and
includes many marketing
tools to help designers attract and convert new clients.
Prices start at $55 per month.
www.houzz.com/pro

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http://www.chiefarchitect.com http://www.2020spaces.com http://www.buildbook.co http://www.houzz.com/pro

Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2021

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