Live Home 3D Pro 5.1.0 — macOS

Version 5.0.4 of Live Home 3D Pro fixes a licensing issue with the standalone Pro edition, so if you’re running the Pro version separately from the standard app, that shared licensing should work cleanly now.

Slots into your daily Mac apps with a typical sequence

Most of the design work I see people do on their Macs happens in apps they already use daily. Live Home 3D Pro slots in alongside those tools without much fuss. Here’s a typical sequence:

1. Start a new project and choose your measurement units (inches, feet, meters — whatever the plan uses).
2. Draw the floor plan in 2D, then switch to 3D to place furniture, adjust lighting, or change materials directly in the view. You don’t need to jump back to 2D for every tweak.
3. Use the roof creation assistant — pick one of the 12 templates — and adjust it in 3D until it matches the house.
4. Set up multiple cameras for different viewpoints. Adjust each camera’s field of view and projection type so the render matches what you want to show a client or save for yourself.
5. Export or render. The Pro version handles ultra-high-resolution images, panoramas, and video renders. If you need to bring in furniture or fixtures from other projects, it imports SketchUp, COLLADA, KMZ, FBX, OBJ, and 3DS files.
6. Save to iCloud so the same file is available on your Mac or iPad if you use the iOS version.

Everything happens inside one app. You don’t need a separate modeling tool or a renderer. For an office Mac used for occasional design work, it keeps the project in one place.

Sends project copies through Mail, Messages, or AirDrop

Live Home 3D Pro doesn't lock you into its own file format. You can send a copy of a project through Mail, Messages, or AirDrop straight from the app — handy when a client needs a quick look or a contractor wants to review measurements on their own device. The export options cover the usual image formats (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP) and 3D model formats including COLLADA, Trimble SketchUp, VRML V2.0, X3D, FBX, and OBJ. That means you can move a model into a rendering app or a presentation tool without converting it twice.

iCloud support keeps the project file synced between your Mac and any iPad or iPhone running the iOS version. If you start a floor plan at the office and want to check room proportions at home, the file is there. No extra sync service needed.

Automatic dimension lines appear as you draw walls and floors

A few features don't get mentioned much but save time once you know they're there:

• Automatic dimension lines appear while you draw walls, floors, and ceilings. You don't have to measure afterward and add notes manually.
• Furniture and fixtures show as outlines in the floor plan view. That keeps the 2D drawing readable while still showing where everything sits.
• The level-of-detail control simplifies 3D models while you're editing. On an older Mac or a machine with integrated graphics, turning that down keeps the view responsive.
• Corner windows and complex openings are supported. If a design calls for a window that wraps around a corner, you can place it without workarounds.
• Natural lighting adjusts based on geolocation, time of day, and cloudiness. Set the project to your city and the time you're presenting, and the shadows fall where they would in real life.
• The shadow map technique produces softer shadows than the basic render method. It's a small toggle that changes how the 3D view looks without slowing things down much.

Real-world scenario: a landscape designer adding terrain

A landscape designer working on a hillside property can use the Pro edition's advanced terrain editing tools to shape the ground around a house model. Start by drawing the house floor plan on a flat lot, then switch to the terrain tools and raise or lower sections of the ground to match survey data. Add retaining walls where the grade changes sharply. Place trees and shrubs from the included model library — more than 2,000 furniture and other models are available — and adjust their shadows using the time-of-day lighting setting. When the client asks to see the view from the patio at sunset, set up a camera at that spot, adjust the field of view, and render an ultra-high-resolution image or a panoramic view. The whole project stays in one file, and you can send a copy by AirDrop to the client's iPad during the meeting.

• Fixed the problem with sharing standalone Pro app licensing.

• macOS 12 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon