Product Review: Live Interior 3D Pro

We last reviewed version 1 of BeLight Software’s Live Interior 3D back in 2007. Today at version 2.1.1, Live Interior 3D Pro has evolved into a mature product, comes in two veresions (Standard and Pro), and includes several new features we’d particularly like to focus on. Firstly, Live Interiors 3D Pro is now capable of supporting multi-storey interiors. So we’ll take a look at that. Additionally, our Pro and Standard version of Live Interior supports the creation of camera paths for shooting QuickTime videos of your interior designs….and, it can also produce panoramic QuickTimeVR movies. So we’ll look at both of those as well as a few other major new features such as further Google SketchUp integration, custom light source editing in furniture objects and more.

To get a fundamental understanding of the overall program we suggest that you read our first review (from version 1). In this review, we will focus on the new features and the overall quality of this software. BeLight Software itself has a nice array of high quality videos demonstrating the many features and capabilities of Live Interiors 3D version 2 on its own site, which we highly recommend you check out.

Some Basics First – Floor Plans

Live Interior 3D allows you to start your project using some template floor plan arrangements (click on the link to see image) or types but you don’t have to. Although the templates come in a lot of common arrangements if you don’t see anything close to the configuration of your apartment or house you can start from scratch.

Drawing walls in Live Interior 3D is very easy. There are several really nice touches in this program. For instance when you click the wall tool the Inspector palette provides you the ability to set up profiles for crown and base mouldings, making these apart of the wall assembly rather than separate elements added to the rooms later. This saves time. A series of master walls gives the user the key walls they will need for exterior walls, including various thicknesses used in common construction.

Walls snap together very well in this program; however the real beauty comes when you decide to move walls or move a single wall. To do this you simply select the wall with the selection arrow tool, the wall will highlight green and there will be green diamonds at the ends of that wall plus a double-arrow icon over the center of the wall–implying slide me in either direction. That is exactly what you do to adjust the location of the wall. The beauty comes next when dimensions of the wall–and other key walls touching the wall you are moving–appear automatically and adjust dynamically as you slide the wall around. Once you reposition the wall those dynamically driven dimensions disappear. (see images 01 – 02)  We find this feature much easier and more powerful than many of the highend CAD software programs we review that cost hundreds more. The appearance of the dynamic but temporary dimensions is really an outstanding feature.

Of course in Live Interior 3D Standard and Pro you can always add permanent dimensions and annotations (notes) to your drawing to produce the common types of blue-print or construction drawings you seek.

Multi-Storey Design

Now in Live Interior 3D (Standard and Pro) you have the ability to add a storey below or above the current storey you are working on. You can add not just one but several stories (Pro), creating multi-story apartments or homes. And with the stair tool you can link these stories together. (see image 03)

To create a storey below or above you current storey you do so by selecting menu Edit > Building > Add Storey Above Current command. (see image 03) In doing this the storey below you will appear in gray. The Project Tree will than display a series of boundary walls that align with the boundary walls of the storey below or above your current storey. If you choose to delete your new storey you do this from the same menu. You can also create storeys, edit their default heights and other storey related functions by using the “Building Properties” tab on the Inspector palette.

In testing this we also got our hands wet with Live Interior 3D’s Help system; this taps some of the Mac’s underlying technologies, we believe, for sophisticated guidance systems that not only allows you to learn about the particular features in Live Interior 3D but also show you the menu commands that pertain to this feature. (see image 04)

Next page: Google SketchUp and 3D Warehouse integration.

Google 3D Warehouse Integration

Live Interior 3D (in both Standard and Pro versions) has built-in Google 3D Warehouse integration. The last time we reviewed this application there was Google 3D Warehouse integration as well but we had trouble with it working properly. This time we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw. Not only does it work and work well…it does so with a lot of style. From within Live Interior 3D you access 3D Warehouse by clicking on the Google 3D Warehouse icon button in the top tool bar (which features a folk-lift machine carrying a SketchUp model) or you can alternatively access it from the menu Window > Google 3D Warehouse command. (see image 05)

When you bring up the 3D Warehouse window you can search for particular types of objects for your model, such as furniture or people. Clicking on the “download model” link will load the model directly into Live Interior 3D. (see image 06) A package icon appears while the model downloads, which is a cute metaphor for what is actually happening. Models load fast and land on the ground plane (in all the cases we tested).

Integration with Google doesn’t stop at 3D Warehouse however. In the latest Pro version of Live Interior 3D you can export your own models or those from the built-in library directly into Google SketchUp or SketchUp Pro for editing. Then saving them back into Live Interiors 3D is an easy and direct process, since the program reads SketchUp files directly. It is important to emphasize this works with the free version of SketchUp 7 too.  (see image 07) 

When you import a 3D object in Live Interior 3D a standard object “3D Representation” window opens where you can assign the object to an object category (eg: Furnishing, Windows, Doors, Stairs), change the scale of the entire object, change its orientation by flipping it in 3D space, and adjusting its 2D representation (in plan views in Live Interiors) by importing in a custom image or flipping or rotating its 2D image. (see image 08)

Additionally, you can also reset the object’s origin. A note of advice to users. Make sure you create custom objects directly on the intersection of the X-Y-Z origin in SketchUp to get the origin exactly where you want it or choose that location for a particular corner or point on your object. This will aid you when you bring it into Live Interiors 3D.

Camera Paths and QuickTime VR

With both the Standard and Pro versions of Live Interior 3D you are able to create fly-thru animations using Apple’s ubiquitous QuickTime technology. In addition, you can also create virtual panoramic images using QuickTimeVR. You start by selecting the plan view of your project. Then you hit the camera button which allows you to lay down a spline-based path for the camera to follow. As you define the spline you lay down key points for the camera. Once complete you can easily edit this spline camera path and the orientations of the cameras on that path. The whole process is incredibly easy, fluid and obvious. It is by far one of the best implementations of this technology we’ve ever seen. (see image 09)

To record the animation movie you visit the Inspector palette, which should be open to the “Cameras” tab and select the camera movie track and then hit the bottom on the bottom called “Record Movie.” (see right side of image 09) You then select options such as movie size resolution and frames per second. Give the animation a name and save it.

Producing a QuickTimeVR is just as simple. In a 3D view or hybrid 2D Plan / 3D view you select the camera tool. A pop-up window gives you an option for what type of image to produce. Select QuickTimeVR and set your parameters. (see image 10 above) That’s it, Hit Save. The program will then generate a complete spherical QuickTimeVR image that is also zoomable (in and out) once produced into Apple QuickTimeVR format. This means you can back-up a bit in the VR–which is a nice option to have in tight interior spaces.

Overall Live Interior 3D’s ability to produce walk-thru or fly-thru animations of your project as well as QuickTimeVR movies is truly superior for a product in this class and price range. The quality and speed of the rendered output were both fast and very high. I can honestly say there are few pro tools–even at price ranges 10x more expensive than this product–that can match this product’s productivity and quality level in this area.

Differences between Standard and Pro Editions

We are reviewing the Pro version of Live Interior 3D but by now you may be wondering what are the differences between these two versions. Essentially the program is very much the same for both versions. The key differences break down into quality of output (as in size of resolutions) and a few notable advanced features.

Both versions can create multi-storey designs. But only the Pro version can allow you to do that for more than two (2) storeys. This makes sense because this product would work well for those doing residential tower interiors and would like to do a cut-away, 3D multi-storey presentation. Both versions also ship with the same copious object and materials library and both support Google 3D Warehouse objects. The Pro version however allows you to edit 3D objects using SketchUp. This means if you see something in the Library in Live Interior and want to edit its form you can do so in SketchUp and round-trip it back to Live Interior 3D Pro. And only the Pro version allows you to edit light sources in 3D objects (something we will get to in the next section of this review).

Two other Pro-only features are the ability to do advanced wall designs that include niches and panels and the included Advanced Materials Editor which allows you to customize and fully edit materials in the library plus import in and create your own materials for the Library.

Finally, both product versions support the ability to do QuickTime fly-thru animations and QuickTimeVR movies; however, the Standard version limits the final resolution to 648×480 (web size) resolutions. And this extends to high resolution image output.

BeLight Software has done a commendable job in defining the feature sets for both of these editions. Pro really is directed at the professional user or hobbyist that seek to print out large images for presentations and maybe create presentation CD-ROMs with included fly-thru animations and virtual-reality QuickTimeVR movies. We thought this was a very smart way of limiting the Standard version, which at just under 50.USD is a superb price for a product in this class. Likewise, the Pro version at just under 130.USD is extremely strong.

Custom Light Source Editing

The Pro version includes the ability to take furniture (ideally lamp objects) and customize their light sources for the purposes of illuminating Live Interior 3D scenes. Once again, BeLight Software blows away the competition at providing a feature that is easy to use and extremely powerful. To illustrate this we used the Google 3D Warehouse to find a lamp and download it into the model. (see image 11 – 12)

A right-click on the lamp allows us to choose Edit Light Sources. Up pops a comprehensive light sources creation and editing window. The left side of this window is the Preview area and is fully rendered and setup to view the light under different ambient light circumstances. At the bottom left are some very nice-looking icons that change your view orientation and on the bottom right are icons that allow you to change the ambient light based on time of day.

On the right side of this window you add light sources, adjust the location of the light source(s) using intuitive axis tools, change the color, glow size, light attenuation and luminosity. And you can also, from within this window, set spot direction lighting with fall-off information. All of this gets previewed for you in real time in the Preview window. Again, pretty slick tools! (see image 11) 

For those designers who want to work with Google SketchUp in tandem with this program and do a lot with lighting and creating light objects than this feature is worth the upgrade to the Pro version alone.

Closing Comments

BeLight’s Live Interior 3D Pro (and Standard), now at version 2.x, is an absolutely delightful piece of software. We are going to talk-up some of the many things we really like in a minute but first we’d like to point out some items we think could be better. In our last review we noted that we thought the name of each object should appear in the Inspector Palette and that it should be customizable. This is still an issue to us because in the latest version this hasn’t happened yet. You can customize the object’s name but it must be done in the Project Tree. If you have a very big project this can mean a very unwieldly Project Tree.

And the Project Tree itself could be improved. For starters more options for truncating the types of objects in the Project Tree would help narrow it down when you are searching for a particular object (like a wall). It would also be nice that when you double-click an object in the Project Tree that it would highlight (be selected) in the Plan view and be zoomed to in the 3D view. As least as options these would serve purposes useful to working efficiently with the Project Tree.

We love how you can make walls thicker by clicking arrows in the Inspector palette. But we wish we could make a wall grow in thickness from a particular side, not just from its center line. These are some of the items we think would be great to see in the next version.

On a positive note. Live Interiors 3D Pro 2.1 is a superb application for its class and price range. Since last reviewing the version 1 offering the new application has added some wonderful new capabilities and become even more polished. We absolutely love the simplicity and productivity of its Look-Around and Walk-Around navigation tools. The latest version takes the iPod user interface metaphor we liked before and makes it even better by making it float over the 3D image. We also love the visual icon for the location of cameras and the split-screen option (between 2D and 3D) with adjustability is a great feature.

Live Interior 3D version 2 is so full of superior features–features that don’t even exist (or exist as nicely) in CAD and 3D programs costing many hundreds more–that we seriously believe BeLight Software could compete at the higher professional level and do very well.

We think the best tool of all is the animation path tool. Things just don’t get better than this. I can honestly say after reviewing dozens of top-flight and far more expensive CAD and 3D software programs, I wish the big boys of CAD/3D could make the process of generating fly-thru animations and QuickTimeVR movies as easy as BeLight has done with Live Interiors 3D.

This version’s improvements with integration with Google’s tools is also superb. We were so delighted to see the 3D Warehouse work the way the developer’s always intended. The ability to round-trip an object through SketchUp and bring that object back in, fully edited and reformed, was also a highlight of this review. And the ability to add custom light sources is also very strong.

Finally, two features we didn’t really touch upon are the Advanced Materials Editor and the Custom Walls functionality. Both are only available in the Pro version and both add a lot to this program in terms of being able to truly customize your interior design. We are going to do a few How-To companion articles on both of these topics shortly.

Recommendations

We strongly recommend this application to both hobbyist and professionals. BeLight has advanced the Pro version far enough where Live Interiors 3D can make a very good partner application to designers working with Google’s SketchUp. Interior designers and architects doing tenant fit-out or speculative work for high-rise housing can quickly create multi-storey views of housing units by making exterior walls transparent (or non-visible in the Project Tree).

The Standard version at just under 50.USD is a great price (same as a game) for kids and teens who are possibly interested in design careers in the fields of architecture or interior design. Because this application works like a building information modeler (BIM) tool, this app lays good foundation skills for younger people pursuing these careers. At the the same time professionals will find the Pro version both quick to master and an easy fit into their creative workflow. At just its second major release Live Interior 3D is growing into a very slick and accomplished design application…one we are excited to follow and see grow. — ANTHONY FRAUSTO-ROBLEDO, EIC.

Pros: Great upgrade from the last version. Incredibly strong QuickTimeVR and fly-through animation tools in the areas of ease-of-use, efficiency and productivity. Excellent Google SketchUp and 3D Warehouse integration. Ability to create and edit custom light sources; make wall niches and panels and create custom materials to add to your Live Interiors 3D library. Strong plan making tools, fluid and easy way to apply materials to objects, walls, floors and ceilings; faster and high rendering quality than previous version. 

Cons: As an upgrade there are few flaws in this release, and BeLight addressed nearly every “con” from our prior review. Would love to see several small improvements but those would not qualify as deficits in the program at this stage.  

Advice: We strongly recommend this application for users looking for an excellent design and visualization tool for home and apartment interiors creation. Ease of use makes it accessible for teens; depth of features makes it a good partner application for professionals–works very well with SketchUp. If you work on the Mac and you are in need of a good 3D interior design program Live Interiors 3D Pro is a must to consider. 

Cost: $49.95.USD Standard version and $129.95.USD, Pro version. Upgrade $80 for Pro version. Mac OS X (10.4.8 or higher), 1 GB of free space, 1024×768 min. screen resolution, Mac Universal Binary. (Architosh readers can grab BeLight’s Live Interiors 3D for special pricing (15% off) for a limited time by clicking on this link here.)

To see other Architosh product reviews published prior to our new site, please visit this old Features page. We have an array of indepth product reviews across CAD and 3D industry spectrums. 

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