Best interior design software: 2D, 3D, rendering and AI by Andrea Tru

Andrea Tru is an interior designer and content creator who makes videos for designers starting out in the industry. This video is not a Rendair tutorial. It is a guide to the types of software an interior designer should know, with her personal pick in each category. Rendair sponsored the video and appears in a short segment and again in her section on AI tools. Watch it if you are early in your career and want a clear map of where AI rendering fits next to the tools firms still expect you to know.

What you'll see

1. 2D software for floor plans, elevations, sections and construction drawings. She explains why AutoCAD still matters for job seekers and why she likes a newer, easier drafting tool.
2. 3D modeling software, where she uses SketchUp. Her advice is to master one tool well enough to build anything you design.
3. Rendering software that connects to your 3D model. She prefers real-time engines because she does not want to wait for each image.
4. Graphic design tools for mood boards and presentation boards.
5. Tools for rendering 2D drawings for clients and portfolios, such as adding textures to plans and elevations.
6. A short Rendair segment showing example outputs from Text to Render, Elevation to Render on a CAD line drawing, Sketch to Render, 3D Model to Render, Image to Render and Render Variation, plus editing with Select and Modify, Remove Objects, object insertion and drawing on an image.
7. AI software as the final category. She says she has tried a few and settled on Rendair for now.

Takeaways

• She recommends understanding the categories of software first, before choosing specific tools to learn.
• She thinks traditional skills still matter. Firms still ask for established drafting tools, and some tools have a steep learning curve that is easier with a teacher.
• She sees AI as worth learning because it can speed up rendering and help across the process, from mood boards to developing a concept.
• The Rendair section is an overview rather than a hands-on test, so it shows what the tools do, not a full project workflow.

Try it yourself

If you already model in SketchUp, try 3D Model to Render on a view of your space, or Elevation to Render on a CAD elevation for a client-ready drawing.

Recorded with an earlier version of Rendair, so some screens and app names look different today.