Rendering and visualisation for Australian design offices
Four real-time renderers most studios choose between. You get the listed price of one seat, which modelling tools each plugs into, whether it runs on a Mac, and the free plans with their conditions. Only D5 pays us a commission, and the table says so.
Which one fits your business
You want to render inside Revit, Archicad or SketchUpEnscape
Runs as a plugin inside your modelling tool, so the render updates as you model. Solo is $964 a year inc GST (A$876 ex GST). On a Mac it works with Archicad and SketchUp; the Revit plugin is Windows only.
No commission. 14-day trial.
A smaller firm, or a Mac studioTwinmotion
Free for firms under US$1 million revenue, and for students and educators. Runs on Windows and macOS, and links to Revit, Archicad and SketchUp through Datasmith. Bigger firms pay $754.60* a seat a year (GST not stated).
No commission. 30-day trial for paid seats.
A Windows workstation, stills and videoD5 Render or Lumion
Both are standalone renderers fed by a live link from your model. D5 Pro is US$360 a year (about A$567 with GST), with a free Community plan for non-commercial use. Lumion Pro is €999 a year (listed in euros; about A$1,768 with GST), with a 14-day trial. Both are Windows only.
Or see Lumion (no commission).
How we make money: the D5 button is an affiliate link: D5 pays 10-20% of payments for new D5 Pro upgrades, at no cost to you, and its program gives buyers 5% off their first Pro subscription. Enscape, Twinmotion and Lumion pay us nothing and get plain links. Disclosure.
The four renderers compared
One seat, entry paid plan. Enscape and Twinmotion show AUD on their Australian pages; Lumion lists euros and D5 lists US dollars, so we show those as listed with an AUD estimate under each (Reserve Bank rate of 20 Oct 2026, GST added). Every price and confirmed fact links to the vendor's page.
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | EnEnscapeChaos · Real-time renderVisit site | TwTwinmotionEpic Games · Real-time renderVisit site | LuLumion ProLumion (Act-3D) · Real-time renderVisit site | D5D5 RenderD5 Technology · Real-time renderSee D5 Render |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user | ||||
| Per yearAUD inc GST unless marked | $964/yrSolo, 1 licence, billed annually source | $754.60*/yrSeat for firms over US$1M revenue, per year source | €999/yr≈ A$1,768Lumion Pro, 1 year, billed upfront source | US$360/yr≈ A$567Pro, 1 user, billed yearly source |
| Billed monthly instead | – | – | – | – |
| Prices include GST? | No, GST added | Not stated | EUR only, GST not stated | USD only, GST not stated |
| Other plans (per year) | Premium $1,197 Collection $1,332 | Free under US$1M revenue Free | Pro Floating €1,299 | Community (non-commercial) Free Teams (per seat) US$708 |
| Fit | ||||
| Runs on | Windows and Mac (Mac: no Revit) source | Windows and macOS (no path tracing on Mac) source | Windows PC only; Mac not officially supported source | Windows 10 v1809 or later; no Mac listed source |
| Works with Revit | Windows only source | Datasmith Exporter, built in to Revit 2024 and up source | Free Lumion LiveSync plugin source | Listed under 'Work with' on D5 site source |
| Works with Archicad | Windows and Mac source | Datasmith Exporter, Archicad 23 to 29 source | Free Lumion LiveSync plugin source | Listed under 'Work with' on D5 site source |
| Works with SketchUp | Windows and Mac source | Datasmith Exporter for SketchUp Pro source | Free Lumion LiveSync plugin source | Listed under 'Work with' on D5 site source |
| Free plan | No free plan on the pricing page source | Free under US$1M revenue, and for students source | Free licences for students and educators only source | Community plan, non-commercial use only source |
| Free trial | 14 days source | 30-day trial source | 14 days, no credit card source | No paid-plan trial listed; 50 trial AI credits source |
| Honesty | ||||
| Do we earn from this link? | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission | Yes: 10-20% of payments for new D5 Pro upgrades (own program) |
| Visit Chaos | Visit Epic Games | Visit Lumion (Act-3D) | See D5 Render | |
Choose by your modelling tool and your hardware
- Inside or alongside: Enscape renders inside Revit, Archicad or SketchUp. Twinmotion, Lumion and D5 are separate programs that stay in sync with your model through a live link or exporter. Inside is simpler; alongside gives you more scene tools.
- Mac studios: Twinmotion runs on macOS and Enscape runs on a Mac with Archicad or SketchUp. Lumion and D5 list Windows only.
- Hardware: real-time renderers lean hard on the graphics card. Check your workstations against each vendor's system requirements before you buy seats, and test on your slowest machine.
- Free plans have conditions: Twinmotion's free licence depends on company revenue; D5 Community is for non-commercial use. Read the licence before you put a free render in a client presentation.
The rendering trial checklist
- Load your heaviest live modelNot a sample scene. Time the first sync and a change-and-update.
- Render one still and one 30-second walkthroughAt the resolution you send to clients. Note the time and whether the machine stays usable.
- Check the asset library licencePeople, trees and cars: confirm they're cleared for commercial work on your plan.
- Send a viewer to a clientPanoramas, web viewers or video: check what the client needs to open it.
Offices ask
Is Twinmotion free?
For some users. Epic's licence page says Twinmotion is free for individuals and businesses that made less than US$1 million in revenue in the past 12 months, and for students and educational institutions. Larger firms buy seats, listed at $754.60* per seat per year in Australia.
Does Enscape work on a Mac?
Yes, with limits. Chaos lists Enscape for Windows and Mac, but the Revit plugin is Windows only, because Revit itself doesn't run natively on a Mac. Archicad and SketchUp users can run Enscape on either.
Which renderers work with Archicad?
All four. Enscape has an Archicad plugin, Twinmotion uses the Datasmith Exporter (Archicad 23 to 29), Lumion uses its free LiveSync plugin, and D5 lists Archicad among the tools it works with.