Chief Architect vs Live Home 3D

Chief Architect Premier is 3D design software for residential and light commercial work, including remodeling, kitchens, baths, and interiors. Drawing walls and placing architectural objects builds a 3D model and produces materials lists and construction documents such as site plans, framing plans, sections, and elevations. Materials lists can include quantities, unit and labor costs, markup, and project costs, and update as the design changes. For presentation, the software supports realistic and artistic rendering, 360-degree renderings, virtual tours, and walkthrough videos. Its 3D Library contains objects such as fixtures, appliances, millwork, furnishings, and manufacturer-specific products. It imports and exports AutoCAD DXF and DWG files, and imports OBJ, SKP, STL, and DAE. The As-Built app uses LiDAR on supported iPhones and iPads to create room models for remodeling. The trial does not expire, but saving, printing, exporting, and virtual tours are disabled. Premier costs $229 a month, billed $229/mo.

Live Home 3D is a home design app for drawing floor plans and creating 3D views of rooms, houses, exteriors and terrain. It runs on Android, iOS, macOS and Windows and is described for both amateur designers and professionals. Floor-planning tools let users draw walls, trace a plan image, mark dimensions and create multiple stories. A design can then be viewed in 3D, walked through, and changed by rearranging furniture and finishes. The Mac app page lists a library of 2,400 3D models and 2,100 materials. Listed imports include objects from Trimble 3D Warehouse and models from Sketchfab; using Sketchfab requires a free account. Mac import and export options include common 3D model formats, PDF floor plans, images, panoramas and walkthrough videos. Offline on-device ray-tracing renders are supported, while AI cloud rendering uses purchased credits. The free version is limited to two stories, and its exports contain watermarks; formats vary by platform. Paid options start at $5.99 per month, with annual and lifetime licenses also listed.