3D Home Design Software — Browser-Based and Free to Try
A Whole House, In a Browser
Most 3D home design software is heavy: SketchUp, Chief Architect, Home Designer Pro. They're powerful but they assume you have a workstation, a license, and a few weeks to learn the interface. Aedifex aims at the other end of the spectrum: open a tab, design a house, share a link.
What Aedifex Handles Well
- Multi-floor homes — add floors, define stairs, see the full elevation
- Realistic room dimensions — every wall, door, window is in real-world units
- Material library — wood, marble, granite, parquet, wallpapers, paints
- Indoor and outdoor lighting — sun angle, lamps, recessed cans
- Furniture and decor — full catalog with accurate sizes
- Real-time 3D rendering — every change visible immediately, no batch render
Typical Workflow for a 3-Bedroom House
1. Site
Set the lot dimensions and orientation. North-facing rooms behave differently from south-facing ones; Aedifex's lighting reflects that.
2. Floor Plan
Draft each floor's layout: living/dining/kitchen on the ground floor, bedrooms upstairs. The 2D floor plan tool is fastest for this initial layout.
3. Stairs
Place stairs between floors. Standard configurations are pre-built (straight, L-shape, U-turn, spiral); custom shapes are possible by adjusting tread parameters.
4. Doors, Windows, Openings
Drag from the catalog onto walls. Each piece auto-cuts the wall opening and orients correctly to swing or slide.
5. Materials
Apply finishes to floors, walls, and ceilings per room. The 3D preview updates instantly. Try multiple combinations side-by-side using project duplicates.
6. Furniture
Drop in beds, sofas, dining tables, cabinets. The catalog covers most common items; for specifics, type the dimensions.
7. Walk Through
Camera at eye level, WASD to move. Walk every room, every doorway, every staircase. Notice what feels wrong. Fix it.
8. Share
Generate a link. Send to family, contractor, or architect. They open in their browser, walk the same path, leave comments.
Compared to Other Tools
| Aedifex | SketchUp | Chief Architect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes (3 projects) | Limited (Free tier) | No |
| Browser | Any modern | Windows/Mac | Windows/Mac |
| Learning curve | ~30 min | ~10 hours | ~40 hours |
| Photo-realistic render | Real-time PBR | V-Ray plugin | Built-in |
| Construction docs | No | Yes (LayOut) | Yes |
| Sharing | URL | .skp file | Proprietary |
For a deeper look at Aedifex vs SketchUp, see the comparison post.
Whose Project Fits
- Homeowners doing renovation planning before hiring a designer
- First-time builders thinking through a custom-build layout
- Real estate agents mocking up potential renovations for buyer marketing
- Designers doing rapid concept sketches for client presentations
For construction-document output (stamped drawings, building permits), Aedifex isn't the right tool. Use this for design exploration, then hand off to a CAD professional for permit drawings.
Try It Free
Open the demo — full editor, no account. Sign up free for three saved projects.
Looking for a specific room? See Kitchen, Bedroom, Office, or browse all Solutions.