Diane Dean was very excited to learn that her virtual great room captured the grand-prize of the first ever 3Dream ‘Speed Design’ contest. The contest was held as part of the first in a series of Design Technology workshops that took place during the recent High Point furniture market. Held at the new facilities of the Interior Design Society (Radio Building) the hands-on training focused on 3Dream.net, a to-the-trade 3-dimensional interior design tool where professionals can create and fully decorate their project spaces in a ‘live’ virtual 3D environment.
Attendees of the classes ranged in age from 25 to 68, and technical experience from a novice with computers to knowing and using CAD programs. They were invited to enter ‘snapshots’ of their 3D room creations to win a year of the online program, a $600 value. Very creative room designs were submitted - complete with furniture, rugs, flooring, window treatments, paint and art. Judging was based on using required items as well as design creativity.
“This is fun!” Dean said of her experience using 3Dream. “I would rather work with this program than sleep or eat chocolate, she added. Dean, who is a member of IDS from Alpharetta, GA has revealed her own interest in becoming an instructor to teach this program, noting that for designers to stay competitive in this (design) industry they need to learn and use skills that enhance their professionalism and presentations. “By attending these workshops, professionals have shown a keen desire to keep up to date on the latest trends and tools that can help grow their business in a profitable, efficient and exciting way”, she said.
Sandra McClure, Director of Sales for ViewIT Technologies (creators of 3Dream.net) had a difficult time deciding on a clear winner. “Most of the submissions were great, and showed a terrific grasp of the program”, she said. “But Diane’s use of Picaboo to present her amazing photos just blew us away!” She was referring to Picaboo.com, a free online service that lets anyone upload pictures to create a customized photo book. The books can be easily shared with friends or clients simply by sending a link to the book by email. Diane’s winning room photo book can be seen at http://doiop.com/IDS3dreamdesign
Rhonda Hull, of Hickory, NC won the second prize of 6 months free with her family-room design, which included an outdoor room and kid’s play area. “Rhonda’s 3D scene showed that you can easily expand the design to include any part of the home, opening up greater sales potential”. Rhonda’s and other contest submissions can be seen here.
The workshops were presented by ViewIT Technologies, and co-sponsored by Greenhouse Design Fabrics and Micro-D. More design technology workshops are planned for future High Point markets and will incorporate relevant topics such as creating winning design presentations and using the internet to reach new markets.
3Dream is available to industry professionals for only $39 a month. Designers, retailers and manufacturers are invited to sign up for a free 30-day trial account. To register online visit www.3Dream.net or call 1-800-449-9984 for information.
About ViewIT Technologies, Inc.: Best known for The Board™ Space Planning Systems, ViewIT Technologies has designed and manufactured quality sales and presentation tools for professionals for over 16 years. Building strong relationships in the design community has been the primary focus of founders Ross and Donna Barlett, and in doing so they recognized the industry’s need for flexible, easy-to-use tools that help the design professional become more efficient and profitable. Their latest offering is 3Dream.net, and is being referred to in the industry as “a video game for designers”. http://www.3dream.net/