Compare the Top Architectural Rendering Software for Windows as of June 2025

What is Architectural Rendering Software for Windows?

Architectural rendering software is a tool used by architects and designers to create images that simulate how a building or structure will look in the real world. It uses 3D models, textures, lighting and other effects to accurately represent the physical appearance of the design. Rendering software also helps designers visualize the construction process, allowing them to make decisions about materials and layouts before the project begins. Compare and read user reviews of the best Architectural Rendering software for Windows currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.

  • 1
    Blender

    Blender

    Blender Foundation

    Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, video editing and 2D animation pipeline. Cycles is Blender’s built-in powerful unbiased path-tracer engine that offers stunning ultra-realistic rendering. Blender’s comprehensive array of modeling tools make creating, transforming and editing your models a breeze. VFX professionals say: “Probably the best tracker in the market”. Blender includes production ready camera and object tracking. Allowing you to import raw footage, track the footage, mask areas and see the camera movements live in your 3D scene. Eliminating the need to switch between programs. Thanks to the high quality rigging and animation tools, Blender is being used for numerous short films, advertisements, TV series and feature films now.
  • 2
    SketchUp

    SketchUp

    Trimble

    Design delightfully, collaborate clearly, and build better buildings. The joy of drawing by hand. The ease of super-smart 3D modeling software. Make sustainable buildings. Change the world, hundreds of professionally-developed extensions at your fingertips. Design in 3D. Document in 2D. Make work easier, bring efficiency to your team and the 3D community. A great idea can be its best with the right technology. Draw in 3D, analyze and improve your building’s performance, and creatively document and share your ideas with your class. Integrated with Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. Works on Chromebooks or any Internet-connected computer. Students have access to free and intuitive 3D modeling tools. Positioning-centric information is changing the way people, businesses and governments work throughout the world. By applying Trimble's advanced positioning solutions, productivity increases and safety improvements are being realized.
    Starting Price: $119 per year
  • 3
    Archicad

    Archicad

    Graphisoft

    Graphisoft Archicad - Design and deliver great buildings. Design: Unleash your creativity with the leading BIM software developed by architects like you. Focus on what you do best — designing great architecture — thanks to powerful algorithmic design tools and large model support. Visualize: Archicad’s professional architectural visualization tools translate your conceptual designs into compelling imagery of future buildings. Bring your models to life, inspire the audience, and invite stakeholders to engage with your designs. Collaborate: Work with your team and other disciplines around the corner or around the world on projects of any size and complexity. Open standards and workflows mean collaboration is guaranteed — regardless of what software other team members are using. Document: Complete, out-of-the-box documentation tools combined with a powerful publishing workflow that complies with local BIM requirements means you can focus on your designs, not the paperwork.
    Starting Price: $225/month
  • 4
    The Wild

    The Wild

    The Wild

    Put your stakeholders inside your design remotely from any location. Effectively communicate spatial concepts through immersive design reviews to unlock better decisions and alignment. Collaborate in a shared virtual space that evolves with your ideas. See what your colleague is building, and they can see you. Meet together in real time remotely, or leave comments for your team to see later. Rapidly sketch, prototype, and iterate on your ideas. Import your SketchUp or Revit models, and gain critical context by experiencing your work at scale. Integrates with Revit, SketchUp, and BIM 360 workflows. Import from all major 3D filetypes. Easily access your content from HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, AR (iOS), or desktop (Mac or PC). Rapidly prototype and express ideas spatially in an immersive environment. Work and present from anywhere in real time, with up to eight people in a space.
    Starting Price: $295 per month
  • 5
    Modo

    Modo

    Foundry

    3D modeling and rendering platform designed to help businesses create 3D drawings and configure UV mapping and texturing workflows. Modo’s powerful and flexible 3D modeling, animation, texturing and rendering toolset empowers artists to explore and develop ideas without jumping through technical hoops. Modo® is your starting point for creative exploration. With fast direct modeling, flexible procedural modeling, the award-winning MeshFusion Boolean toolset and built-in sculpting tools all working together, Modo’s modeling moxie is unmatched. Free yourself from creativity-killing constraints, with Modo’s intuitive, artist-friendly toolset. From roughing out volumes to creating highly detailed forms, Modo lets you focus on creation, not construction. Build your own kit of specialized tools by combining different operations, with Modo’s flexible tool assembly system. With Modo, every job you do becomes easier, as you continually develop new efficiencies.
    Starting Price: $65 per month
  • 6
    V-Ray

    V-Ray

    Chaos

    Chaos® V-Ray® is a 3D rendering plugin available for SketchUp, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Rhino, Revit, and more. It is widely used in architectural visualization, advertising, and visual effects for film and television. With V-Ray, artists and designers can explore and share their projects with real-time ray tracing and render high-quality visualizations. V-Ray has a large community of users and is recognized for its incredible versatility. V-Ray has been honored with a Sci-Tech Academy Award® and an Engineering Emmy Award® for bringing fully ray-traced photorealistic CGI to the film and television industries. For more information, please visit chaos.com
    Starting Price: $60 per month
  • 7
    Vectorworks Architect
    With more support for common file formats than any other BIM solution, Vectorworks Architect can pull together all necessary information to start your project, providing everything you need for conceptual design, site planning, and analysis all in one interface. Quickly confirm design intent while transitioning from massing models to concept models. BIM software isn’t exactly known for promoting creative expression. But Vectorworks is different. We allow you to freely sketch, model, and document your design ideas with precision drafting capabilities and the most flexible 3D modeling engine available, powered by SIEMENS Parasolid. So you’re not limited by presets and strict parameters — you have the flexibility you need to design anything you can imagine. Getting the most out of the “I” in Building Information Modeling is essential for optimizing your designs.
  • 8
    Cinema 4D
    3D computer animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software. Cinema 4D Subscription Release 24 (S24) includes functionality to easily browse and obtain models, materials and other assets, and to intuitively place them within the scene. The release also includes key workflow enhancements and a sneak peek at the continued progress on the Scene Nodes and Scene Manager interfaces to the new core. Cinema 4D is a professional 3D modeling, animation, simulation and rendering software solution. Its fast, powerful, flexible and stable toolset make 3D workflows more accessible and efficient for design, motion graphics, VFX, AR/MR/VR, game development and all types of visualization professionals. Cinema 4D produces stunning results, whether working on your own or in a team. Cinema 4D is widely recognized as one of the easiest and most accessible 3D packages to learn and use. To soften that learning curve Maxon offers thousands of tutorials on Cineversity and hundreds of Quick Tips.
    Starting Price: $16.58 per month
  • 9
    Chief Architect

    Chief Architect

    Chief Architect

    Chief Architect software brings home design projects to life. Automated building tools for home design, interior design, and kitchen & bath design make it easy to create construction drawings, elevations, CAD details, and 3D models. Download a trial and see why Chief Architect is the best residential home design software for architects, home builders, and remodeling professionals. Chief Architect software is the professional tool of choice for architects, home builders, remodelers, and interior designers. Smart building technology makes it easy to create construction drawings, floor plans, elevations, 3D renderings, and 360 panoramic renderings. Chief Architect's software is purpose‑built for residential design with building tools that can automatically generate roofs, foundations, framing, and dimensions. As you draw walls, windows, and doors, the program simultaneously creates a 3D model.
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