Welcome to the Machine

Better, faster photo-realism marks today's design software, but challenges remain. 

By Daina Manning

Photo-realism refined
Design software originally presented a "cartoon" drawing that gave clients an approximation of what their kitchen would look like. Over the years, the design capability has improved, with such 3D photo-realistic features as greater customization, textured surfaces on countertops, cabinetry and walls, and catalog libraries of brand-specific products such as appliances that can be dropped into the design. 

"The cost of 3D photo-realistic drawings has come down to a reasonable level, and the speed has gone up where it's easy to use," says John Murphy, president of KCDw Cabinet Closet Software, in Dennis, MA. "You're not sitting there waiting and waiting for the drawing to come out. And, the look has improved dramatically over the last few years."

"We're seeing a lot of designers moving to more customization of their layouts," offers Kelly Taylor, v.p./design for Cabinet Vision Inc., in Tuscaloosa, AL. "Their clients are expecting more from them. Now that Lowe's and Home Depot offer computer designs, everyone is expected to offer them. They want to show the roll-outs and cutlery dividers, open the doors and model it."

Jeff Welge, v.p./operations for Planit-Cabnetware, in Woodland, CA and Lexington, KY, adds that software programs now provide more detail to handle elaborate cabinetry styles. "We've added the capability to deal with scallops, rosettes the frilly stuff," he laughs.

To save time, 20-20's Version 6 has introduced the AutoDeco function, which will automatically accessorize a kitchen, adding lighting, plants, etc., notes Gerald Wood, v.p./manufacturers' relations for 20-20 Technologies, in Laval, Quebec. "It gives a nice ambiance and saves a lot of time for the designer," Wood explains. The styles feature also allows manufacturers to insert jpeg photos of door styles for a more precise look.

Ironically, all of this realism is almost too much, believes Ted Knudsen, marketing manager for AA World Sales.com, in South Bend, IN. "You can scan a sample of a countertop and it looks very realistic," he elaborates. "But, the moment you print it out and hand it to someone, you're in trouble." When the finished product doesn't look exactly like the computer-generated drawing, the client is frequently disappointed, which leads to slow pays and requests for do-overs.

"I've heard all kinds of horror stories," says Knudsen. "People have had to take out countertops or [exchange] appliances." 

Welge concurs, "You need to put a disclaimer on drawings."

"[The designs] are not exact any more than Toy Story is an exact rendering of real life," says Taylor. To emphasize that a drawing is a drawing, it's possible to install a program such as Squiggle, which makes computer-generated lines look more hand drawn.

"You're dealing with a computer," adds Wood. "Monitors and graphics cards will show colors slightly differently."

Wood adds that a credible designer should have a door sample to show a client in addition to a computerized rendering. "You don't want the client to say, 'that's very nice, but it's not what I thought it would look like,' " notes Alan Frey, director of product quality for Advanced Relational Technology, makers of Chief Architect by ART, Couer D'Alene, ID.

While many agree that computerized design is an essential sales tool, controversy remains. "[These days], everybody wants to see the pretty [computerized] picture," says Murphy. "If a [kitchen dealer] hands them a crummy hand sketch, people lose confidence."

But Robert Gowen, president of Pattern Systems International, in Mt. Arlington, NJ, cautions that, "If you're not careful, a computer program can make a $60,000 kitchen look like a $10,000 kitchen. When we're striving to sell a custom kitchen, we don't want it to appear routine. If you can make the customer think he's special, that [his design is] hand drawn, it'll look more expensive." Many designers agree.

answering the call
The pricing and ordering function of design software, along with manufacturer-generated libraries of brand-specific appliances and other products, remain problematic, manufacturers agree.