One of the things I like to do is find software that makes a difficult task much easier. Some software can do just the opposite, but there are certain things that I just have no idea on where to begin. One of those is any type of interior design or remodeling project. It’s just something that I have no idea where even to start.

Ironically, I have been wanting to redesign the interior of my home office, but I just end up staring at the wall and realizing that I have zero ideas. Luckily, I came across Live Interior 3D from Belight Software and I just had to give it a try. Will it let a complete beginner in interior design get a workable and realistic idea on how to redesign a room? We will see.

Live Interior 3D is an application that allows you to create and edit 2D and 3D interior designs. Once you create your design, you can also create a “virtual” walkthrough in 3D that gives you a very realistic look at your interior space. Standard and Pro versions are available, and you can view the comparisons here. For this review I chose to go with the Pro version.

You can create a new design from scratch, or get help from the integrated “Assistant”. The Assistant gives you a choice of many templates which you can then base your design off of, or just re-arrange some things and make it your own. Templates include choices from room interiors, bedrooms, cottages, and apartments. You can also save a current design as a template for use again.

I was a little intimidated when I first opened it up, as the interface can look like it requires a lot of work, but in reality, after a few minutes you get very familiar with the features, and it’s very easy to use. One thing I can recommend is just play around with it for an hour or so. You will learn many features just by doing them.

When you are ready to get your design going, you have the ability to “build” the room by placing walls, floors, etc. When placing a wall for instance, it will display the dimensions of the wall, and once completed, even give you the square footage for the room. The ‘Inspector” window gives you much more detailed information, and gives you a multitude of settings to adjust such as wall thickness, furniture dimensions, materials, lighting, and much more.

It took a few tries, and with the help of a tape measure, I was able to accurately reproduce my office. Now it’s time to place building features. The furniture and building objects library is packed full of just about every type of accessory you need to add. Select the object you want to place, and simply drag and drop to the location. Upon placing the object, you can use the Inspector to further adjust settings. For more choices, you also have the option to browse the Google 3D warehouse for more objects.

You can literally spend hours and hours putting your ideal rooms together, but once its complete, this is where Live Interior 3D really shines. Clicking the 3D view gives you a 3D look at your design. You can move throughout your space just as if you were walking through the room, and if you need further adjustments, a split view is available. This is very handy for getting materials right.

You can take a “virtual” walkthrough your created space, and even record it as a QuickTime video. Screenshots can also be taken at any time with a simple click of a button. Live Interior 3D also gives you the option to export in 3DS and Google SketchUp formats.

There are really too many options and features to fully list in one article, but I am very confident it has just about everything you need to design your next interior masterpiece. While I still have a lot to learn about design, Live Interior 3D is one of the best options to put ideas into “virtual” reality.

Get more information at www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/overview.php.