Software is integral to every phase of woodworking, from design through manufacturing. And with new technological advances, designers and woodworkers are increasingly gravitating toward 3D software as an option.

Imagining how a room will look with a particular cabinet, paneling or laminate flooring is one of the toughest challenges for interior design clients.

The mental preview assembled from swatches and tags of elements, such as veneered panels, mouldings and ceiling panels, frequently rendered as a sketch, or drawn from looking at multiple photos, rarely matches the ultimate outcome.

Sometimes the end result is better than expected; other times, not. Disputes have been known to follow after the completion of work, not because specifications weren’t met, but because expectations weren’t fulfilled.

While designers hold a special skill in imagining “what something will look like,” it’s harder for clients.

But steady advances in 3D visualization software are making inroads. Just as 3D has made superior advances in the movie business, design and production software firms — Autodesk, 20-20, Microvellum, KCD, Vero (pictured), etc. — have developed programs for envisioning and projecting in full size how a room or object within a room will look.

Applications allow walls, floors and cabinetry to be re-rendered in different colors, patterns or wood species. Suddékor and shattdécor both have delved into 3D visualization for applications Pof their décor papers. Also in development: 3D cameras to capture existing interior spaces, so before and after renderings can be created.