What to Send for an Interior Still 3D Rendering
Quick answer: For an interior still 3D rendering, send the room and its purpose, the plan, ceiling height, elevations and sections, a finish schedule, the furniture and fixture list, the lighting plan and mood, window views and orientation, the camera position, the styling level and the output format.
What an interior still is
An interior still is a single image of a room or space, seen from a chosen corner or eye height, in a chosen light. It is the image people use to decide on layouts, finishes and furniture, and to sell a design. Interiors are unforgiving: the viewer stands inside them, sees materials up close and notices anything that looks wrong. That is why an interior needs more detail than an exterior of similar cost, and why the package you send determines the quality of the result.
This guide lists what to send for an interior still and how to organize it.
Say which room and what the image decides
Name the room and say what the image is for: to choose between two layouts, to approve finishes, to present to a client, to sell a unit. Also say who will see it. A designer's client wants to see a finish palette and furniture arrangement. A builder wants to see the construction intent. A buyer wants to feel the space. That decides the camera, the styling and the amount of props.
Plans, sections and elevations of the room
- Floor plan of the room with dimensions and door and window sizes.
- Ceiling height, and a reflected ceiling plan if it has beams, soffits or lights.
- Interior elevations of each wall that will be visible.
- A section showing stairs, mezzanines or double heights.
- Cabinet and millwork elevations and details.
See sending floor plans and elevations and sections.
Finishes: every surface counts
Interiors show a lot of surface: floors, walls, ceilings, counters, backsplashes, tile, trim, doors, hardware and fixtures. List each with product, color, size, pattern and finish. Photos of samples and product links are more reliable than descriptions. Specify the direction of wood planks, the layout of tile and the color of grout, since they are visible. See finish schedules.
Furniture, lighting and accessories
Furniture defines the mood. Send the furniture plan and product images with dimensions, or describe the style and the pieces. Include lighting fixtures, rugs, curtains, art and plants. Where furniture is not chosen, ask the studio to propose a layout that fits the room. Avoid over-furnishing the image, which promises space that is not there. See furniture and fixture lists.
Windows, views and daylight
Daylight shapes an interior. Send the orientation of the building and the window positions, and say what the view outside is: a garden, a street, a skyline. If the view is a sky, the studio needs to know the season and time of day. If you have a photograph from the window, send it and the studio can use it as a backdrop. A window with a blank white view looks unfinished.
Electric lighting and mood
Send the lighting plan: recessed lights, pendants, sconces, cove lighting, under-cabinet strips. Tell the studio the color temperature you want, warm, neutral or cool. For evening views, the mix of daylight and artificial light is what gives a room atmosphere. If the lighting design is not done, describe the mood, for example "warm restaurant evening" or "bright kitchen morning."
Choosing the camera
An interior camera is usually placed in a corner at about five feet, looking across the room. Wide-angle lenses show more, but they stretch the edges. Mark the camera position and direction on the plan, or send a reference photo of the composition. Choose views that show the key features: the kitchen island, the fireplace, the reading nook. For small rooms, a slightly wider view is acceptable, while for large spaces a two-point perspective is more natural.
Styling: how lived-in should it look
A styled room has a few objects: books, plants, cups, throws. An empty one feels cold. An over-styled one hides the design. Tell the studio the level: minimal, lightly lived-in or rich. Provide references from magazines or projects that show the mood you want. Avoid props that imply features the project does not have, such as a fireplace that is not in the plan.
Textures, wear and realism
Perfect surfaces look artificial. Tell the studio how new or worn the space should feel: a fresh showroom, a family home with soft wear, a restaurant with a patina. Wood grain direction, the roughness of plaster, the sheen of stone and the slight variation in tile color add realism. Send close photographs of the materials you want, including how they look in light, since a flat sample photo hides sheen. Specify whether fabrics are wrinkled or crisp, and whether floors are polished or matte. These choices shape how believable and how warm the final image feels.
Color accuracy between screen and paint
Colors on a screen never match a paint chip exactly. To keep expectations aligned, send manufacturer color codes and, when color is critical, a physical sample photographed in daylight. Explain that light changes color: a warm evening scene shifts whites toward yellow, while a north-facing room turns cooler. Ask the studio to show a neutral daylight version if you need to approve paint or fabric colors. Treat the rendering as a guide to the mood and not as a color proof, and confirm final selections with real samples before ordering anything.
Kitchens and bathrooms: the details that get scrutinized
Wet rooms and kitchens are where viewers look hardest, because they know what these rooms should contain. Send the cabinet layout with door style and handle type, the countertop edge profile, the sink and faucet models, the appliance list with finishes, the shower glass and the tile layout with grout color. In a bathroom, mirror and vanity light heights matter, and so does the direction of the tile pattern. An appliance that does not match the brand you specify, or a tile pattern turned the wrong way, is the type of error a client notices right away.
Ceilings, beams and architectural features
Ceilings occupy a large share of an interior image, especially with a low camera. Send the ceiling height, whether it is flat, coffered, vaulted or exposed, the beam dimensions and finish, the crown molding profile and any soffits. Fireplaces, built-in shelving, stair rails and columns are focal points, so send their elevations and details. If a feature is a draft idea, label it as such, and the studio will model it simply instead of investing detail in something that may change.
Scale: making the room feel true
A room that looks bigger than it is misleads the client and creates problems later. Scale is controlled by the lens, the camera height, the furniture size and the density of objects. Ask the studio to keep the field of view moderate and to use furniture at real dimensions. Send the real furniture sizes if the pieces are chosen. A sofa that is a foot too narrow, or a ceiling drawn taller than built, changes the whole impression. If the image will support a purchase decision, honesty in scale is worth more than a dramatic wide angle.
Commercial and hospitality interiors
Restaurants, offices, retail and hotel lobbies have extra items: signage, wayfinding, branded elements, seating layouts, counters, display fixtures and equipment. Send the brand guidelines, logos in vector format, product photographs, the seating plan and the lighting scheme. State what the image must sell: capacity, atmosphere, a feature wall. Say whether people should appear, since a restaurant with no diners looks empty and one with a crowd hides the design. A few figures placed with intent usually gives the best balance.
Existing spaces and renovations
If the room already exists, send photographs of every wall, the dimensions and the changes you plan. The studio can model the room as it is and show it changed. A before-and-after from the same camera is the clearest comparison. See what to send for a renovation.
Resolution, format and use
Tell the studio where the image will appear. A room for a website needs a screen-sized file, a room for a magazine layout needs a large print file. Ask for a high-resolution master and a compressed version. Confirm whether you need a vertical crop for social media. Interiors often benefit from a slightly higher resolution than exteriors, because the viewer looks closely at texture.
Common interior mistakes
- No dimensions. Furniture scale is guessed.
- Vague finishes. The room looks generic.
- No lighting plan. The mood is arbitrary.
- Over-furnishing. The room looks larger than it is.
- Blank views. Windows look unfinished.
- Changing the layout after the preview. Costly remodeling.
A worked example: a kitchen and dining room
An interior designer sends the plan and elevations of a kitchen and dining area, ceiling height, window sizes, cabinet elevations, a finish list (white oak floor, quartz counters, zellige backsplash, brass hardware), the fixture list for the pendants and stools, a photograph of the garden view and a note: "Morning light, warm, a lived-in table with fruit and flowers."
The studio models the room from the drawings, sets the camera in the dining corner, uses the garden photo as the backdrop and delivers a preview. The designer changes the pendant and the stool color, and the final image is approved in two rounds.
A checklist for an interior still
- Room, purpose and audience.
- Plan, ceiling height, elevations and sections.
- Finish schedule with codes and samples.
- Furniture and fixture list with dimensions.
- Lighting plan and desired mood.
- Window views and orientation.
- Camera position and styling level.
- Output size and format.
Questions to ask a studio
- Can you produce a preview of the camera and layout before final rendering?
- How do you match products from my list?
- Can you show the room at day and evening?
- How many revisions are included?
- Can I reuse the model for other views of the same room?
Getting more from the same model
Once the studio has modeled a room, additional views cost much less than the first. Consider a second camera looking the opposite direction or a close-up of a key detail. Together they show the room as a space, not as a single postcard. If several rooms are planned, ask about a package, since finishes and furniture are shared. Decide the set early, so the model is built with all the views in mind.
Frequently asked questions
What do I send for an interior 3D rendering?
Plans, ceiling height, elevations, finishes, furniture and lighting lists, window views, the camera position and the purpose.
Can you work from photographs?
Yes, for existing rooms, with dimensions.
Do you choose furniture?
We can propose it if you have not chosen.
Can you show morning and evening?
Yes, with the lighting plan.
Can I get a before and after?
Yes, from the same camera.
Can you match a product?
Yes, from photos, dimensions and product links.
What resolution do I need?
Tell us the use, and we deliver the right size.
Can you add more views later?
Yes, and they cost less because the model exists.
Related guides
This guide is part of our series on what to send a 3D rendering studio. Start with the overview, what to send a 3D rendering studio. Related: what to send for an aerial view, what to send for an exterior still, sending elevations and sections. When you are ready, send what you have through our quote request.