Interior designing can be a tedious undertaking as it involves the laborious work of measuring, modeling, furnishing, and decorating. It might take days, weeks, or even longer to complete the whole process.
What if there were a small device that could help you accomplish all of the above in just minutes, without even hiring a professional interior designer?
Archisketch, a San Francisco-based startup, is making that happen with their portable 3D-space scanner and cloud-based software with which users can measure and design homes with their fingertips and mobile phone.
Archisketch’s interior design solution project is currently fundraising on Kickstarter. The startup exceeded its fundraising campaign goal of USD 30,000 in just three hours and, as of October 30, has attracted USD 130,000 in pledges from over 560 backers, which is more than four times its initial goal. The fundraising project will continue until the end of November.
How does it work?
Archisketch’s interior design solution consists of a portable 3D space scanner, cloud-based online web editor, and VR preview.
The 3D space scanner’s physical outline is similar to a MacBook power adapter, except that its interior is half empty, enabling it to be held like a mini handbag. To use the scanner, users need only plug in a smartphone, and they can then begin measuring their homes with the integrated device.
Archisketch’s Chief Design Officer, Thia Jo, told AllTechAsia that their measuring method combines hardware sensors and computer vision technology software, providing users accurate measurements of lines, areas, and floorplans of enclosed spaces with high precision. Users can measure up to 40m with an accuracy of ±3mm.
As compared to tape measurement, Archiketch’s 3D scanner is obviously more efficient in both time and labor. It is also more affordable than professional devices and more accurate than competing mobile application-based interior designing softwares, as per Jo.
Aside from labor-intensive measurement, traditional methods of interior designing require users to resort to difficult and expensive 3D software to build a model, often taking days to complete. In contrast, Archisketch can generate 2D and 3D floorplans automatically after measuring. The whole process takes just a few minutes.
After measuring and modeling, users can then furnish and decorate their homes on Archisketch’s web editor. The platform allows users to drag and drop myriad furniture and decoration options inside their home model to see whether they fit in or not. Users can even import their own furniture into the platform as well.
On top of that, Archisketch provides a VR preview experience for designers. With a VR headset, users can immerse themselves in the newly-designed space to achieve a more real-world feel and point of view.
“Archisketch automates all laborious work from measuring, to modeling, to planning. So you can start interior designing your own space on our platform in a matter of minutes,” Jo said.
Speaking of the startup’s goals, Jo said they will successfully finish the Kickstarter campaign in late 2017 and will expand their business to the international DIY market next year.
(Top photo from Architsketch)