Kitchen and bath rendering guide
ARQ gives kitchen and bathroom teams an after-design route from existing JPG or PNG images to presentation renders, with queued production, automatic comparison and human approval. Every paid plan includes the whole team and the complete ARQ product. For 2020 Design rendering, first make the room, viewpoint and materials clear in your design software, then choose whether to refine the native render or bring that image into ARQ for the team's presentation work.
Check the design and camera first, select the rendering engine available in your version, balance light without washing out the finishes, and save a clear image. Use ARQ when you want that image to enter a shared rendering and approval workflow. ARQ automatically compares the result with the original design and flags possible changes; a person makes the final approval decision.
That shared workflow is the reason to consider paying for ARQ alongside your design tool. Your team can queue related room images, organise approved work by client and room, and use moodboards or Cinematic Reveals for the presentation. The paid package includes the whole team and every feature, with the monthly render allowance determining the plan.
This guide covers the 2020 Design Live product family, now Design Flex. Cyncly describes it as the next evolution of 2020 Design Live for kitchen and bath designers. If you use 2020 Fusion, follow our separate 2020 Fusion image workflow; the product names do not make the rendering controls interchangeable.
Choose ARQ when the design already exists and the team needs to produce, compare, approve and present room visuals. Start with JPG or PNG design images. Keep product selections and dimensions in the design software, then carry the approved visual into the client conversation.
Use the native renderer to refine the view directly from the model and its selected materials. Cyncly documents Cycles, EZ Render and Redway3d. The available engine, controls and hardware support depend on your installed version. Check your included tools before buying an additional rendering service.
Both paths can belong in one showroom. A designer may prepare a reliable native view, then bring it into ARQ for further rendering and the shared presentation process. Compare the complete work required to deliver a client image: preparation, revisions, approval, team access and presentation tools. A native design licence and an image-production plan serve different jobs, so their headline prices alone cannot settle the choice.
Open File > Preferences > Rendering to check the selected engine. Cyncly's rendering preferences guide also covers texture size, lighting defaults and hardware acceleration. Record those choices before comparing images so you can reproduce a useful result.
Cyncly's engine comparison says Cycles is available from version 14.8 and can use the GPU when available; EZ Render uses the CPU; Redway3d can use CPU and GPU and benefits from attention to lighting. That does not establish one universal fastest option for every computer or room.
Use a working view to settle the camera and composition before requesting the final image. In EZ Render, Cyncly places View Mode/Quality in the Rendering Dashboard. Choose a view suited to judging finishes, rather than expecting a wireframe or hidden-line view to communicate the finished room.
Image dimensions and surface detail are separate decisions. A large saved image can still show a poorly chosen material or an unreadable cabinet edge. Inspect the image at the size you intend to present, with particular attention to door divisions, handles, worktop edges and the sink or hob area.
Start with the light needed to understand the room. In its EZ Render effects guidance, Cyncly documents brightness, contrast and saturation adjustments. Use restrained changes and keep the chosen finish samples beside you. A white door should remain distinguishable from the worktop and wall.
If the cabinets look dark, inspect the native lighting rather than changing the room's dimensions for the sake of a picture. Keep the measured design intact. For an AI presentation, ask for clearer light from the visible window or existing fittings. Our interior lighting guide explains how to separate that request from adding new fixtures.
Confirm the cabinet configuration, appliance positions, worktop, splashback and selected finishes in the design. Give the current revision a clear identity. If a client chooses a different door or worktop, make that change in the actual project before preparing the image that will represent it.
Choose a perspective that explains the decision: an island view for its doors and seating, or a sink-wall view for the tap and splashback. Cyncly's saved-view instructions use Perspective View in the Presentation ribbon, then the Save View field. Saving the camera makes the next revision easier to compare.
Save an image with readable edges and surfaces, without interface panels covering the room. For EZ Render, Cyncly documents File > Save As High Resolution Image in the Rendering Module, where you set the resolution and save the file. Other engines or versions may present different controls; check the matching help.
Add the JPG or PNG to ARQ's queue. Give the rendering work a specific purpose, such as a daylight presentation of the selected oak kitchen. Explain which finishes and visible fittings must stay. ARQ uses the image after your design software; this handoff does not update the editable model or constitute a native Design Flex integration.
Read ARQ's automatic possible-change findings and inspect the result against the original. Have the responsible designer approve the image before using it with the client. Organise the approved work in its client room, then process supporting viewpoints with the same revision and brief. See keeping materials consistent across angles for a multi-view presentation.
Consider a proposed client brief: oak perimeter doors, a painted island, a pale worktop and brushed handles. The client wants to understand the finishes in daylight. Save the chosen island view from the resolved design, then use a bounded rendering brief:
Create a realistic daylight presentation from this kitchen design image. Retain the viewpoint, cabinet divisions, island shape, appliances, handles, sink, tap and openings. Show the selected oak doors with subtle grain, the painted island with a matt finish and the pale worktop with restrained texture. Use light from the existing window. Keep the worktop clear and preserve the visible fittings.
This is an illustrative starting brief, not a tested result. Inspect the island's door splits and the handles as well as the overall atmosphere. If the image suggests a different cabinet arrangement, resolve that before presenting it. When the client chooses a new island colour, update the design and start the next presentation from that revision.
Use physical samples and supplier specifications for the actual purchase decision. A generated finish appearance does not establish an exact colour, grain scale or product identity. Our kitchen material control guide gives more detail on assigning the finish to the intended surface.
For a bathroom, choose a camera that clearly shows the specified vanity, basin, brassware and shower screen. Keep the tile direction, mirror outline and visible fittings readable in the original image. An attractive reflection should not become a reason to introduce another window or change the furniture.
Ask the rendering work to explain one client decision, such as the selected tile against the vanity finish. Keep the specified products alongside the original image during approval. The bathroom product accuracy guide covers the details that matter when a presentation must represent what the showroom is selling.
Cyncly describes Design Flex as the next evolution of 2020 Design Live. Check the product and version installed on your computer. This guide covers that family; 2020 Fusion has a separate workflow.
Check the engines available in your version. Cyncly documents Cycles, EZ Render and Redway3d, with different hardware and lighting behaviour. Compare a representative room on your own computer before choosing the settings for the team's work.
Yes. Bring a JPG or PNG design image into ARQ after resolving the design. ARQ automatically compares its result with the original and flags possible changes. A person approves the result; the image handoff does not update the native model.
ARQ works after the design software, using the room images your team already creates. Keep the editable layout, product choices and quotation in the design tool. Use ARQ for rendering, automatic comparison, human approval and the shared presentation workflow.
No generated image establishes an exact product, colour or installation detail. ARQ flags possible changes against the original design and leaves final approval to a person. Keep supplier specifications and physical samples available for the client's selection.
Choose one kitchen or bathroom your team has already designed. Test the render, automatic comparison, human approval and client-room handover together. ARQ's Windows app starts with a 14-day trial, 10 free render credits plus one Cinematic Reveal, and no card required. Compare the whole-team paid plans when you know the monthly quantity you need.
Try ARQ with your design image