Archicad to render

Turn Your Archicad 3D View into a Photoreal Render

Save the Archicad 3D window as a JPEG or PNG (or take a screenshot), upload it, and ArchitecturesAI turns it into a photographic image with real surfaces, daylight, sky, landscape and furniture. Your camera angle, roof shape, floors and openings stay where you modeled them. There is no add-on, no graphics card and no CineRender or Twinmotion setup, and it works with any Archicad version that can save a 3D view as an image. You get a picture back, not a PLN or IFC file.

Render your Archicad view

Sign in with Google or email to render. New accounts get 2 free renders (watermarked); free renders are not available in India on this site.

Archicad-style shaded 3D view of a two-storey family house with a steep dark grey gable roof, white walls, a flat-roofed single-storey side wing and a pale green terrain plane — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model: an Archicad-style 3D view and its render. The steep gable, the flat-roofed side wing and the door and window openings follow the view; the AI chose the metal roof, gave the wing a grey parapet, and added the lawn, gravel, shrubs, hedges, background trees, a neighbouring house and sky.

Photorealistic render of the same house with a dark standing-seam metal roof, white render walls, black-framed windows, a gravel strip, shrubs, a lawn and evening sky — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model: an Archicad-style 3D view and its render. The steep gable, the flat-roofed side wing and the door and window openings follow the view; the AI chose the metal roof, gave the wing a grey parapet, and added the lawn, gravel, shrubs, hedges, background trees, a neighbouring house and sky.

From the Archicad 3D window to a finished image

The Archicad 3D window shows your model clearly, but it does not look like a photograph. A presentation image normally means a rendering pass: textured surfaces, sun and lights, a camera, and then CineRender inside Archicad or a trip to Twinmotion, Lumion or Enscape. For an early option or a quick client update it can take longer than the design change itself.

ArchitecturesAI works from a picture of the 3D window instead of the model. The AI reads the roof planes, wall faces, slab edges, windows and doors in the image and paints over them with materials, light, landscape, people or furniture that suit the building type and style you pick. The perspective and proportions come from your view, so the result still shows your project.

It is not a plugin and it does not connect to Archicad. No BIM data, PLN, IFC, surfaces or library parts come back, and your model is not changed. You download a still image for a client email, a design review or a competition board.

How to render an Archicad view with ArchitecturesAI

Open the 3D window and set up a perspective from the angle you would photograph the building. Save it as a view in the View Map if you want the same camera again later.
With the 3D window active, use File > Save As and choose JPEG or PNG. A screenshot works too; crop out the toolbars and palettes so only the model is left.
Click "Render your Archicad view". The Render Architecture tool opens with Residential and Modern selected. Sign in with Google or email.
Upload your image and choose the building type that fits, such as Residential, Villa, Commercial, Office, Interior, Facade or 3D Model (25 types in total).
Choose a style, such as Modern, Contemporary, Minimalist, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, Sustainable or Rustic (25 styles in total).
Press Generate, then save the result. To change one thing, such as a cladding color or the time of day, use Edit Image or Custom Action on the result and describe it in a sentence. Each change runs a fresh render and spends credits.

Render your Archicad view

Set up the 3D window before you save

The AI can only use what it sees, so a tidy view beats a busy one:

Put the camera at eye level. A perspective from standing height (around 1.6 to 1.7 m) looks like a real photo.
Keep vertical lines vertical. Converging verticals from a tilted camera make the render look distorted.
Basic surfaces are enough. A shaded view with plain colors, a white-model view or a hidden-line view all work. Different colors for roof, walls and glass help the AI tell them apart.
Model the ground. A simple terrain mesh and a few library trees tell the AI where the site is and how big the building is; a model floating in space gets a guessed setting.
Hide what is not part of the building: turn off door and window opening lines (Model View Options), and switch off 3D Cutaway unless you want walls sliced open.
Keep shadows soft or off. The AI adds its own sun, and very dark cast shadows can be read as dark materials.
Save at a high resolution. Make the 3D window large so the image is about 1,600 pixels wide or more; thin railings and mullions get lost in small images.
Leave a margin around the building. A wing cut off by the frame stays cut off in the render.

Archicad-style white model view with black contour lines of a four-storey corner apartment block with a flat roof, a regular window grid and two stacks of balconies — Input and render are both AI-generated examples from our own image model, styled like an Archicad white model. The four floors, the corner massing, the flat roof and the two balcony stacks follow the view; the AI picked the brick and stone, lowered the camera a little, redrew some window divisions, and added the paving, planters, benches, trees, a few parked cars and neighbouring buildings.

Photorealistic photo of the same apartment block with light beige brick walls, a grey stone ground floor, black balcony railings, a paved corner with planters, benches and young trees under an overcast sky — Input and render are both AI-generated examples from our own image model, styled like an Archicad white model. The four floors, the corner massing, the flat roof and the two balcony stacks follow the view; the AI picked the brick and stone, lowered the camera a little, redrew some window divisions, and added the paving, planters, benches, trees, a few parked cars and neighbouring buildings.

Interior views, sections and elevations

For interiors, place a perspective camera inside the room, save the 3D window and choose the Interior building type. An empty room gets furnished in your chosen style, as the living and dining room example shows. If you placed library furniture, the AI usually follows that layout and gives it real fabrics, wood and light.

You can also save a section or elevation window as an image and upload it with the Section or Elevation building type. They are flat drawings, so the result looks like a rendered elevation rather than a photo. For a photographic image, start from a perspective 3D view.

Archicad-style shaded interior 3D view of an empty room with a long window band on the left wall, a sliding glass door at the back and a doorway on the right — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model (an Archicad-style interior view and the result). The window band, the sliding door and the doorway on the right follow the view; the AI made the room read slightly shorter and added all the furniture, the floor, the lamp, the plants and the garden, since the view was empty.

Photorealistic living and dining room in the same room with an oak floor, a beige sofa under the window band, a wooden coffee table on a rug, a dining table by the sliding door, a pendant lamp, plants and a garden outside — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model (an Archicad-style interior view and the result). The window band, the sliding door and the doorway on the right follow the view; the AI made the room read slightly shorter and added all the furniture, the floor, the lamp, the plants and the garden, since the view was empty.

Any Archicad version, nothing to install

Because the input is an ordinary image, your Archicad version and license make no difference to ArchitecturesAI. There is no add-on to update when you upgrade. It runs online, so a laptop without a dedicated graphics card is fine.

Graphisoft also offers its own AI Visualizer inside Archicad. That is a built-in Archicad feature with its own requirements; ArchitecturesAI is an independent web tool, and you can use either one or both.

Who renders Archicad views this way

Try one saved view in a few styles, agree a direction, then make the final images in your usual renderer.

Architects who want a believable image of a scheme for a first client meeting, before a full rendering setup.
Small practices without a render specialist or a high-end workstation.
Students who build their projects in Archicad and need presentable images for juries and portfolios.
Builders, developers and homeowners who get a grey 3D view from their architect and want to see it as a photo.

AI render or CineRender and Twinmotion?

An AI render is quick and needs no surfaces, lights or scene, but it makes some choices for you. Planting, cars, people or furniture that are not in your PLN can appear, and a fine detail may be drawn its own way. Do not rely on it for exact colours, finishes, lettering or dimensions; two runs of the same view will not match exactly.

CineRender, Twinmotion, Lumion or Enscape render your real model, so materials, lighting, repeat views and animations are under your control, at the cost of setup time and a stronger computer. Many architects use AI images for early options and a render engine once the design is settled.

Free tier and plans

You need a free account to render. New accounts get 2 free renders, and free renders carry a watermark. In India this site does not include free renders, so a paid plan is needed there. Weekly, monthly and yearly plans for more renders without the watermark are on the pricing page.

ArchitecturesAI is an independent web tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Graphisoft. Archicad is a trademark of Graphisoft, used here only to describe the images people save from it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I render an Archicad model with AI?

Set up a perspective in the 3D window, then use File > Save As to save it as a JPEG or PNG, or take a screenshot. In ArchitecturesAI, open Render Architecture, add that file, set the building type and style, and click Generate. The result is a photographic version of the camera you saved in Archicad.

How should I set up the 3D window before saving?

Use an eye-level perspective with straight verticals, simple surface colors, a modeled terrain and a few trees, and no helper lines, bounding boxes or cutaway planes. Keep shadows soft or off, and save at about 1,600 pixels wide or more.

Do I need an Archicad add-on, a GPU or CineRender settings?

No. ArchitecturesAI is not a plugin. It runs in your web browser and works from an image, so nothing is installed in Archicad, no graphics card is needed and no render scene has to be set up.

Will the render keep my Archicad geometry?

Mostly, yes. The camera, massing, roof planes, storey lines and doors and windows in your saved view are what the AI builds on, as the three examples here show. Thin elements such as railings and mullions can come out simplified, and it may add planting or furniture, so check it against your plans and run it again if a part drifts.

Which Archicad versions does it work with?

Any version that can show a 3D view and save it as an image, or that you can take a screenshot of. The tool only sees the picture, so the Archicad release and license type make no difference.

Can I render Archicad interiors, sections and elevations?

Yes. For interiors, save a perspective from a camera inside the room and choose the Interior building type. A saved section or elevation is accepted as well, but it comes back looking like a coloured drawing because it has no depth; for a photo-like result, use a 3D perspective.

Do I get a BIM model, PLN or IFC file back?

No. You download a rendered image. No PLN, IFC, BIM data or 3D file is created, nothing is sent back to Archicad, and your model is not changed.

Is it free to try?

Yes. After you sign in, a new account gets 2 free renders with a watermark. In India this site does not include free renders. Paid weekly, monthly and yearly plans are listed on the pricing page.

Render your next Archicad view

Save a view from the 3D window, upload it, set a building type and a style, and download the result for your client. Your first 2 renders on a free account are on us.

Render your Archicad view