If you’re looking to design your dream home, Planner 5D can bring it to life, from the ground up.If you’re looking to design your dream home, Planner 5D can bring it to life, from the ground up. If you’re looking to design your dream home, Planner 5D can bring it to life, from the ground up.
I recently moved into a new spot and the layout is… funky. It’s to the point where I can’t understand how design decisions were made in that order. (Maybe that’s the point — there was no order.)
I needed help with understanding layouts and reading a floor plan. I’m a big fan of the intersection between virtual and augmented reality with artificial intelligence, which led me to Planner 5D — a home design platform that lets you create 2D and 3D floor plans, visualize interiors and experiment with different layouts and decor styles. And after my weird experience with Renovate AI, I was open to other options.
Headquartered in Lithuania, Planner 5D was founded in 2011 by Alexey Sheremetyev and Sergey Nosyrev. The company has spent over a decade evolving from a home improvement tool to a platform used by professional designers.
By making its product available on the web, iOS and Android, the company is on a mission to simplify the home renovation process for everyone — and virtual reality and AI makes this mission smoother and faster, whether you have design chops or not.
With a new space and an odd layout, I figured my home could be a great starting point to understand the design process and to visualize my layout before I committed to anything.
How to use Planner 5D
Planner 5D is pretty accessible thanks to its friendly user interface and design layout. However, you’ll need to trial one of their paid subscription plans ($5–$34/month) to use the AI features. Here’s how:
- First, create an account on the Planner 5D website, or you can download it onto your mobile phone. (I recommend the desktop version for seeing 3D renders more clearly.)
- I always need inspiration, so I head to the Dashboard for a great library of designs and play around with a finished project first. The blog is also a great place to start if you want to learn more about the company, design or how AI is changing the interior design industry.
- Start a New Project and begin drawing walls, adding rooms and defining spaces using Planner 5D’s drag-and-drop interface. If you ever played The Sims, you’ll be a natural pro. You can adjust dimensions, select materials and apply different textures to various elements.
- Now it’s time for furnishings. This is where you can access Planner 5D’s furniture and decor catalog — it’s extensive! Be sure to play around with 2D and 3D views to visualize your design and look at it from different angles. This is helpful to see how the interior looks from the exterior and vice versa.
- To finish, after saving your project you have the option to share a link directly from Planner 5D by clicking the Share button in the toolbar — this will prompt you with a link. If you’d like to externally share your design, you can export it as an image (all versions) or high-quality render (Pro version only).
You can also download the floor plan as a PNG, JPG or PDF file. And, if you have the Designer Pro subscription, you can collaborate on a project with others and give them editing access, similar to Canva and Google Docs.
To get the most out of Planner 5D, it’s important to understand your needs. If working in layouts, begin with something basic before adding details. Saving your data along the way is smart because of the robust nature of the technology.
And if you need more support, take a look at Planner 5D’s tutorials and education modules. It’s a great way to further your learning and implementation process — and to speed it up in the long run.
Who should use Planner 5D?
Planner 5D integrates both virtual reality and AI-powered tools to create a design. This intersectionality makes its product more accessible, including for homeowners, aspiring homeowners, real estate professionals and hobbyists.
Planner 5D’s competitors include Floorplanner and Houzz Pro, both of which contain assets for those in the construction and design space. But since I’m not in the homebuying market or in architecture, I can’t tell you whether this is a great tool solely for inspiration, or if it can actually provide clarity and functionality for the home designing and purchasing process.
While interior designers use Planner 5D, it seems more suited for a hobbyist than a professional. But while you can access the website on Planner 5D’s free version, you can’t access any of the AI-powered features without a subscription ($5–$34/month), which unlocks its full catalog, access to renderings and custom branded work.
Not every product is for everyone, but with three suggestions listed, there’s bound to be an option that works for you and your needs. Like anything else, it takes trial and error.
Happy designing.