Getting started
From a screenshot of your model to a finished render takes about a minute. These steps use the studio at app.3dstudio.co. To do the same inside ChatGPT or Claude, see ChatGPT and Claude.
1. Take a good screenshot
Use any view from SketchUp, Revit, Archicad or Rhino. A plain white model works best, because the look and the materials come from the look you pick, not from your model. A sketch, a plan view or an existing render also works.
- File types: PNG, JPG or WebP, up to 10 MB.
- Pick the camera you want in the final image. The render keeps your building and your camera.
- For a 2D floor plan, use Floor plan. To improve a render you already have, use Enhance.
2. Upload
Open the studio, then drop the screenshot on the upload area, click it to choose a file, or paste one with Ctrl+V. You can make one render without an account. Sign in to get your free renders and fixes.
3. Pick a look
A look sets the style and the light. Your building stays as you drew it. There are 19 looks:
- Exterior: Daylight, Evening sun, Dusk, Overcast, Brick and stone, Timber and render, Concrete and metal, Winter, Night
- Interior: Scandinavian, Warm contemporary, Industrial loft, Minimal gallery, Hotel and restaurant, Retail and showroom, Modern office
- Landscape: Garden and landscape, Aerial daylight, Aerial golden hour
You can add a note of up to 400 characters about materials, light or mood, for example brick facade, wet street after rain. Describe materials and mood, not the building shape.
Keep my materials. If your model already has the textures and colours you want, switch on Keep my materials. The render keeps every material, colour and texture and only adds realistic light, shadows, reflections, sky and landscaping. The look list then shows light and time of day only. It costs the same credits as a normal render.
Same look across views. Choose a project above the looks, render one view you like, then press Use this render's look for the whole project. New renders in that project start with the same look, quality, notes and materials setting, and use that render as a style reference, so every view matches. Press Clear to remove the lock.
4. Standard or HD
| Quality | Use it for | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Fast and low cost. Good for trying options. | 5 |
| HD | The photographic version you show a client. | 10 |
A render usually takes about 20 seconds. Neither quality is pixel locked: both follow your model closely, and fine detail such as window mullions can drop out.
5. Versions
The Studio plan renders up to 2 versions of one view at a time and the Max plan up to 4. Each version costs credits, and a version that fails is refunded on its own. Click a version to make it the main result. Change, Fix, Relight and Download then use that one.
6. Keep areas
Before you render, brush over anything that must stay exactly as in your screenshot, such as a TV screen, a window view, a sign or a logo. Those areas are put back from your screenshot after the render. It costs no extra credits. It works on single renders only and needs Image shape set to Original.
7. Your result
Drag across the result to compare it with your screenshot. All renders are saved under My renders, where you can group them in projects and folders. Under the result you will find these tools:
Change this render
Type what should change, for example make it 4 floors or add plants around the house. The whole picture is updated and everything you do not mention stays as it was. It costs 5 credits in Standard or 10 in HD, and you get the credits back if it fails.
Fix this area
Brush over one part of the render and say what should change. Only that area is redrawn and everything outside the brush stays as it was. Quick choices cover people, trees, furniture, floor, sky, remove and color. Several areas (up to 4) cost one fix. A fix costs 5 credits in Standard or 10 in HD, and a failed fix is refunded.
Relight
Show the same building at dusk, golden hour, at night, overcast, winter, summer or in the rain. It costs 10 credits. If the new light would move the building, the result is discarded and the credits are refunded.
Video
Make a 5-second camera-move video from any render: Drift left, Drift right, Push in, Pull back, Orbit, Rise. It costs 45 credits. Max plan accounts can also make 10-second videos for 90 credits. Videos come with any purchase, even a small credit pack, and take a few minutes. You can close the tab, because the finished video is saved in My renders. A failed video is refunded.
Download
Download the render as an image. Paid accounts can also download a 4K PNG for 2 credits. Asking again for the same render is free.
Free accounts and the watermark
New accounts get 11 free renders and 11 free fixes, no card needed. In some countries the free amount is smaller. Free renders carry a small 3Dstudio.co mark. Any purchase, including a small credit pack, removes the mark, makes renders twice as large and unlocks 5-second videos. See Plans and credits.