Software in Interior Design

In October when the interior design group took a trip to Washington D.C., the subject of software and rendering came up. As we walked through Gensler’s never ending hallway of projects, I was amazed at the effects and realism that the presentations displayed. Throughout the trip, I asked the different firms we visited what type of software they preferred. All of the firms we visited (Steelcase, Gensler, Fox Architects), said the same thing: If they weren’t already switched into Rhino, they were in the process of leaving AutoCAD for the Rhinoceros software. I would imagine that switching programs would be a big deal, and something that the management seriously thought about. It seems like Rhino is an up and coming program that more and more firms are putting their confidence in. Since I am speaking mostly about interior here (I cannot say about other disciplines since we mainly only talked with interior groups from the firms), I also learned that many interior designers use Sketch Up on a regular basis. Second year professors on the trip let us know that we will begin using Sketch Up in our second year of interior design often. It’s comforting to know that I am learning the same programs that are being used in the career field, and I’m learning them early on in my education.