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For those who don’t know the tool: D5 Render is a standalone real-time visualisation application for architecture, interiors and landscape work. D5 Lite places an earlier visual-feedback stage inside SketchUp, Rhino and Revit, with scenes continuing into the full renderer for final images, animation, VR and presentation output.
The render is no longer the meeting
D5 3.1 treats the design review as an interactive session rather than a screening of finished images. Its central addition is Interactive Presentation, which combines slide-like organisation with access to the live 3D scene. Teams can prepare views and scene states, then switch materials, lighting, weather, object visibility and design schemes while the review is in progress.
A still or animation records a decision that has already been made. An interactive scene can take part in the decision. If a client asks to compare flooring, move the sun or hide an option, the operator can respond in the same session instead of returning to the 3D rendering queue. And we know clients, they always want more time to push away any decision.
Interactive Presentation is not an automatic substitute for a prepared review. Someone still has to define useful states, protect approved choices and keep the live scene responsive. The release changes the presentation container, not the need for editorial control. A meeting with every parameter exposed can become a very expensive material browser surprisingly quickly.
A live scene with several delivery routes
The presentation work extends beyond the operator’s display. Stereoscopic Panorama adds depth-aware panoramic output for headsets, while revised VR navigation and controller interaction target more practical immersive reviews. Spatial Tour receives faster generation, smoother indoor and outdoor transitions and dollhouse views for navigating complex projects.
These formats serve different review conditions. A controlled presentation is useful when the design team needs to lead the conversation. A panorama or VR walkthrough gives the viewer more spatial agency. Spatial Tour provides a shareable route through a larger scheme without requiring every recipient to operate the authoring application.
D5 positions the additions as extensions to stills and animation, not replacements. High-resolution images remain useful for approvals and print, while linear animation still controls timing and emphasis. Interactive output becomes another deliverable for questions that cannot be anticipated in a fixed camera path.
D5 Lite moves upstream
D5 Lite now expands beyond SketchUp with beta versions for Rhino and Revit. The lightweight renderer lives inside the modelling environment and updates visual feedback as geometry, materials, lighting or the viewport change. The aim is to keep evaluation close to the model while the design is still flexible.
For Rhino users, this places material and lighting judgement next to freeform modelling and parametric exploration. Curvature, façade patterns and landscape surfaces can be checked under lighting before a selected option is developed into a presentation scene.
The Revit version addresses a different pressure point. BIM decisions carry documentation and coordination consequences, so late visual discoveries are rarely just cosmetic. Reviewing finishes, daylight and atmosphere inside the active model can expose issues before drawings and schedules make changes more expensive.
D5 Lite does not contain the full presentation toolset. Materials, lighting and proxy models can continue into D5 Render through a one-way workflow, while the Rhino route also carries Geo Sky. This separates fast design feedback from final animation, advanced scene work and delivery without asking teams to rebuild the visual direction from zero.
Cloud collaboration, with an important boundary
Cloud Collaboration moves shared projects away from a local-network dependency. Team members can work on a common project from different locations, upload saved changes and reopen the latest version. Comments can be attached to objects, views or lighting conditions to preserve review context.
This is asynchronous project syncing rather than live co-editing. Users do not manipulate the same scene simultaneously. That makes this closer to distributed hand-off and review than a multiplayer DCC session, although it can still reduce manual file exchanges for teams working across time zones.
ACEScg enters the real-time pipeline
D5 3.1 adds ACEScg as a working colour space alongside Linear-sRGB Rec.709. The option is intended to preserve a wider scene-referred colour range and improve continuity between the viewport, rendered output and downstream finishing. For teams already using an ACES pipeline, this is more consequential than another collection of look presets.
The implementation still needs production testing. Colour management only behaves as expected when input transforms, display transforms, exported formats and receiving applications agree on what the values mean. Existing projects should be duplicated and checked before a studio changes its default working space.
More relief without more geometry
HeightField Tracing targets displacement materials such as brick, stone and timber. It produces stronger surface relief without converting every detail into explicit geometry, which should help large architectural scenes retain depth while controlling scene complexity. The useful question will be how the method behaves at grazing angles, in animation and under changing light. Or if your design is so revolutionary that it can’t be traced. And yes, that is a challenge!
Smaller production refinements include Custom Pivot, MeasureLine, improved City Generator controls, retained Auto Exposure values and ray-tracing support for 3D Gaussian Splatting models. None is likely to dominate a demo reel, but these are the changes that often decide whether a real-time tool remains pleasant after the first week. Also, you’ve seen what’s out there in Demo Reels, maybe this counts.
Vegetation becomes time-dependent
Seasonal Vegetation connects supported plant assets to a project date. Foliage colour and branch structure can move through spring, summer, autumn and winter without manually replacing every plant. That makes seasonal comparisons possible inside one scene and keeps placement consistent between alternatives. With Climate change, you probably need only two, but it’s nice to have the feature available.
The feature has value beyond decoration. Landscape light, visibility and perceived enclosure can change substantially when leaves appear or disappear. For architectural visualisation, a winter and summer review of the same camera may reveal design consequences that a single idealised planting state hides.
What 3.1 changes in practice
The release joins three stages that are often separated: early visual feedback in the modelling tool, production rendering in a dedicated application and interactive review at delivery. D5 Lite handles the first stage, D5 Render remains the main 3D production environment, and the new presentation formats keep the scene available after the render button has stopped being the centre of attention.
See it live!
D5 will demonstrate the 3.1 workflow in a live webinar on 21 July 2026 at 13:00 UTC (Three in the Afternoon for all fellow Munich Residents, so perfect to enjoy in the beer garden). The session covers D5 Lite for Rhino and Revit, Interactive Presentation, VR review, Stereoscopic Panorama, ACEScg, HeightField Tracing and Seasonal Vegetation. Registration is available through the webinar page, and registered users who cannot attend live will receive access to the recording.
https://www.d5render.com/posts/d5-3-1-live-presentation-in-3d
https://forum.d5render.com/t/release-notes-of-d5-render/5791/5
