3D furniture rendering catalogue images and room sets for furniture brands

A cut-out answers what the piece looks like. It is the image for the listing grid, the price list and the specification sheet. A room set answers how the piece looks at home: its size against a wall or a sofa, the style it suits, what sits well beside it. A catalogue usually needs a cut-out of everything and room sets for the main pieces.

A room set does not need a new room for every product. One room can be built and re-dressed for a whole collection, with the camera moved for each piece. That keeps the range looking like one collection and lowers the cost per image.

There are two ways to put a piece in a room. In a fully 3D room set, the room, the light and every prop are modelled, and the result is exact and repeatable. In AI furniture visualisation (also spelled visualization), the room around the piece is directed with AI, which is quicker for exploring mood and styling.

AI on its own is not reliable for furniture that is on sale. Image tools change the leg shape, the proportions and the fabric from one picture to the next, and a buyer who orders from that picture receives a different product. So a piece that will be manufactured is modelled first, to your dimensions.

A render model is detailed and heavy. An AR model has to be light enough to load on a phone. Both come from the same source. We model the piece once in full detail, then make a lighter copy as a GLB file for Android and a USDZ file for iPhone. The shopper taps a button or scans a QR code and the piece appears in their room at true scale, with no app. AR for furniture explains how this is added to a website, and 3D product modelling covers the models on their own.

For each piece we need its true size and its true materials. The rest is styling, and references are enough for that.

• Dimensioned drawings or CAD for each piece
• Or photographs from the front, side, back and above, with measurements
• Fabric, wood, stone and metal references: swatches, close photographs or supplier codes
• The list of variants: sizes, colours and finishes
• The angles you want for the cut-outs
• References for the rooms: the style and the kind of home
• An existing 3D model, if your designer works in SketchUp or 3ds Max

3D furniture rendering has two units. The model is charged per piece, once. Images are charged per image, and a cut-out costs less than a room set. A plain table is quicker to model than a tufted sofa or a carved bed. A new fabric or finish on a finished model is a small addition.

Room sets cost less per image when several pieces share one room. If you plan to add AR or a turning 3D view to your website later, say so at the start. The model is then built so the web version can be made from it. Ask for the quote to list models and images separately, so you can see what a new variant will cost to add.