Insights

A floor plan depicts the interior of a structure, whether it’s a home, an office or an industrial structure. Earlier, floor plans were done on paper (2D) and, more often than not, did not convey the correct impression, especially to laypeople. But the growing popularity of computerized, interactive and online 3D floor plans has changed all that.

For architects, builders and interior designers, 3D floor plans are invaluable tools. They help architects design spaces putting resources to optimum use; they’re invaluable for builders to show potential customers how an apartment or office space would look like once it is complete. Interior designers can use 3D floor plans to visualize the interiors. They can they use it to come up with furniture, floor coverings, wall textures and color schemes.

3D floor plans are usually built to scale and includes walls and a floor; the ceiling is cut away to offer a view of the interior. These plans can be used for residential buildings, residential complexes, shopping malls, offices, factories and public utility services such as airports, railway stations, government offices, and so on.

Advances in technology have made very realistic 3D floor plans possible. These plans have almost photographic quality, and users can use 3D architectural walkthroughs to get a good idea of the interior. Built-in interactivity allows designers and customers to make alterations in the plans and check out different options.

Here’s how a 3D floor plan is made. Once the 2d plan has been created, the 3rd dimension is introduced into the floor plan and the perspective views are created. The 3D model with the assigned external settings is sent for rendering, which creates the different perspectives of the model in the form of a view or a picture. The 3D rendered view is taken from different angles to give a better idea on the floor plan.

A 3D floor plan is an excellent sales tool for a property developer or builder. It allows someone with no experience in reading floor plans on paper to get a good picture of the property instantly. It takes much of the guesswork out of the selling and leasing of property.