10 interior design tools: BIM, estimates and visualization

ARCHICAD — BIM and working drawings

ARCHICAD often becomes the main application in a practice: it helps you assemble the model, produce plans and elevations, update schedules and keep the project structure in one place. It also supports a sensible team workflow when several specialists work on the same property.

Useful for: designers who produce their own working drawings; practices that need consistent presentation standards; and anyone who regularly hands models over to other disciplines.

Availability in Russia: a Russian-language website does not confirm that a license can be purchased. Before choosing the software, ask Graphisoft about sales, support and use in your region.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

SketchUp — quick volumes and concepts

SketchUp is valued for speed: you can sketch a volume, build a basic scene, explore layout options and show the idea to a client. It makes it easier to agree on a concept quickly and move forward.

Useful for: designers at the concept stage and those who communicate extensively with clients and develop projects through visual iterations.

Availability in Russia: before purchasing, ask Trimble which payment and licensing options are available in your region. The existence of a seller alone does not confirm the right to use the software.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

101 App — estimates, procurement and project financial records

101 App handles the part of a designer’s work that rarely looks creative but constantly affects their reputation: estimates, procurement, approvals and transparent reports. If you handle furnishing procurement, design supervision and many payments, money becomes scattered across chats and bank statements without a system.

Useful for: designers managing procurement, procurement specialists and anyone who wants to show clients a clear project financial status without manual spreadsheets.

Availability in Russia: 101 App works as a mobile tool you can keep at hand on site and in conversations with clients. It helps you collect project events, record expenses and create documents.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

If you want to estimate work and materials quickly during a meeting, see the articles on estimates: how to create an estimate in 10 minutes and online estimate calculation (in Russian).

nanoCAD — DWG drawings with clearer purchasing options in Russia

nanoCAD is an option when you need a DWG drawing workflow while reducing dependence on restrictions affecting foreign software. For interiors, it is useful for working drawings, schedules, details, wall elevations and electrical plans when you want a familiar CAD process.

Useful for: designers who produce working drawings and communicate with builders using DWG/PDF; and practices seeking a standard CAD toolkit with clearer purchasing options.

Availability in Russia: ask Nanosoft about current nanoCAD licensing options; before paying, check what is included in the product and the support terms.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website (in Russian) before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

If you also use SketchUp or 3ds Max for visualization, check format exchange and output templates so you do not spend time adjusting drawing sheets for every property.

Autodesk 3ds Max — visualization, with restrictions for Russia

3ds Max remains a standard for photorealistic interior visualization, particularly in the classic workflow of model → materials → lighting → render. It has a steeper learning curve than faster tools, but properly configured lighting and materials produce predictable, persuasive results.

Useful for: visualization specialists, designers who create their own photorealistic images and studios with a separate visualization workflow.

Important for Russia: before choosing Autodesk for professional projects, ask the vendor about current restrictions on sales and license use by Russian companies. You cannot infer the terms from a subscription price or the availability of an installation file.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

3ds Max rarely shows its full potential without a renderer. Interiors often use Corona, and less often V-Ray. If fast approvals are your priority, also consider the real-time options below.

Chaos Corona — photorealistic interior rendering

Corona is a popular renderer for interior visualization: understandable lighting, sensible materials and predictable results. Many studios find it easier to configure than some alternatives, so it often becomes their default interior renderer.

Useful for: anyone producing photorealistic images who wants a stable process without spending weeks fine-tuning the workflow.

Availability in Russia: it depends on the region and purchasing channel, and Chaos periodically changes its subscription models.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

Allow time for a material library, scene setup and a consistent texture export standard. This lets you reuse prepared materials instead of building every scene from scratch.

Blender — a free 3D alternative

Blender covers the basic 3D needs: modeling, materials, lighting, animation and rendering. It suits anyone wanting to work legally without subscriptions while using a versatile tool.

Useful for: beginner visualization specialists, designers willing to invest time in learning and studios needing a backup tool for different tasks.

Availability in Russia: available as free and open-source software.

Price: Blender is free software under the GNU GPL. The license terms are published on Blender’s official licensing page.

Points to consider: you will need to build your own collection of add-ons, libraries and scene rules. This takes time, but then the workflow is yours, without dependence on one vendor.

Chaos Enscape — real-time rendering

Enscape is valued for speed: connect it to a model in Revit, SketchUp or Archicad, get an immediate image, walk through the scene and create quick renders and panoramas. This helps during approvals when changes need to be shown quickly.

Useful for: designers who frequently make changes together with clients and those providing design supervision who want to confirm decisions quickly.

Availability in Russia: it depends on the subscription sales rules in your region.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

Twinmotion — videos, panoramas and real-time presentations

Twinmotion is a presentation tool when still images are not enough: interior walkthroughs, videos and quick scenes with surroundings, lighting and atmosphere. Alongside Archicad, Revit or SketchUp, it often serves as the project’s showcase.

Useful for: designers who sell a project through emotion and a narrative; and studios producing fly-through videos and interactive presentations.

Availability in Russia: it depends on Epic Games policies and revenue-based licensing terms.

Price: as of 29 September 2026, Twinmotion is free for individuals and small businesses with revenue below $1 million over the last 12 months, as well as educational institutions and students. Access to Twinmotion Cloud requires a separate check of the paid license terms. The terms and current price are published on the official licensing page.

Figma — mood boards, presentations and collaborative editing

Figma focuses on presentation: mood boards, material collages, client presentations, layouts shown in slides, comments and revisions in one file. In design projects, it reduces the number of scattered PDFs and images in chats. Create a template from the outset: presentation structure, pages for kitchens, bathrooms and lighting, a materials table and a client questions section. Each project can then be assembled faster.

Useful for: designers who want faster approvals, those working with remote clients and studios where several people build one presentation.

Availability in Russia: the web service is usually accessible, but paying for paid seats depends on the payment infrastructure. Check this before moving your entire workflow into it.

Check pricing and terms of use on the vendor’s official website before purchasing: the selected product, billing period, license type and your region all matter.

Toolkits: three combinations for different roles

1) Designers handling working drawings and budget control: ARCHICAD or nanoCAD for documentation + SketchUp for concepts + 101 App for estimates and payments + Figma for presentations. For financial organization, see the article on financial records for interior designers (in Russian).

2) Photorealistic visualization specialists: 3ds Max + Corona + optional Twinmotion for videos and walkthroughs. Given Autodesk restrictions for Russian companies, agree in advance with the client on the format for handing over source files and the legal boundaries of software use.

3) Procurement and design supervision: SketchUp or ARCHICAD for design work + 101 App as a shared workspace for procurement, statuses and money. If you work as a procurement specialist, see the article on interior procurement specialists (in Russian).

If your aim in searching for interior design software is to reduce disputes and hand over properties sooner, start with financial transparency and documents. You can improve the visuals later, once the process stops falling apart.

To learn how to manage estimates and record agreements in one place, see the About the App section (in Russian) and the 10-minute estimate guide.