3D furniture modelling is the process artists and designers follow to create digital iterations of furniture using
3D design software. 3D furniture is used as props in video games and animated films, but also has numerous practical uses in manufacturing, design, architecture, product marketing and e-commerce.
Any 3D software that has tools to assist hard surface modelling is suitable for 3D furniture design. Historically, CAD software has been the choice by architects and most manufacturing professionals, while artists in VFX and gaming tend to use software like Maya, 3DSMax and
Adobe Substance 3D Painter, which is a great way to create textures and materials for your furniture.
To design furniture, you need 3D design software, great references and a knack for visualisation. Unless you’re using pre-existing assets from a content library, you’ll need to model a mesh, add materials and textures, then render final images. Some artists use real-world references to help them to recreate furniture digitally. However, if you are designing new items that have never been made before, you may want to create many iterations in 3D to help solidify your design.