We hope you have had some time to rest of the holidays. Our team has been working 24/7 to finalize the development on the new Ecdesign 5 platform. A date for the beta release will be announced very shortly. In the meantime we would like to begin to share some more details on the new ECDESIGN 5 software platform.

With Ecdesign 5 we introduce new design mode called ORBIT. In Ecdesign 5 you can instantly flip from regular 2D view to an orbit view where you can plan the layout. The new ORBIT mode is awesome when working with multiple floors, sloping walls, placing windows and much more.

Ecdesign 5 uses a brand new 3D engine that will render ultra realistic 3D & at the same time be sure fast. The new 3D engine can render ultra realistic 8K images in no time.

Choosing the right music for your walkthrough videos in ECDESIGN 5 will be easy. The new software will include royalty free music loops from professional studio musicians. The music you select for a walkthrough video can make a huge emotional difference for the viewer. This new partnership will help you choose from a growing library of free music that all sound fantastic.

The "Where do you Ecdesign" contest is over and we have selected the winners. This year we received several hundred contributions from Ecdesign users all over the world. Our team had a hard time picking the winners, but here you can find out if you are one of the winners.

We recently announced the launch of Ecdesign 5 in 2020. Since then we have received alot of questions about the new software and soon we will present in depth information on the new platform, but we can already now reveal a few of the things included in Ecdesign 5.

• Full MAC & Windows support
• New 3D engine with ultra realistic 3D
• New modern user interface
• Design in both 2D & 3D
• New and improved design tools
• Create images, walkthrough videos & vr presentations in much higher resolution
• New export options
• New standard textures and objects

An open beta will be available before the launch and you will soon be able to sign up for it.

Ecdesign is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it evolves rapidly around the world. We are prepared for a wide range of outcomes and our top priorities are to keep all our employees safe and to support the over 10,000 companies using Ecdesign.  To our customers, we want to acknowledge that this is a difficult time and we will continue to put you at the center of everything we do. You can expect the same level of support as always. Our workforce has had the tools to work remotely for many years, so you can count on us being ready to help you if needed.

You can contact our support if you need to move your Ecdesign license to a temporary computer. Our Ecdesign Academy is a great place to start if looking to learn how to Ecdesign or improving your current skills.

In an effort to keep Ecdesign employees safe, Ecdesign has initiated a temporary restriction on all business travel. Although we love meeting face to face with our customers, partners, and prospects, we feel this is the right thing to do until such time as it’s safe to travel again. In the meantime we have several different options available to hold virtual meetings.

Looking to take your designs to the next level? Below is a floor plan created with Ecdesign and now we will tell you how we added some cool features to the finished design.

Here we used CUSTOM FLOOR SHAPES (square) to create the rubber flooring sections. Drag out the shape and size it the way you prefer. Finish by selecting a color or texture. The same CUSTOM FLOOR SHAPES tool was used to create the running track and the marking.

The next thing we did was add custom wall materials. You can change wall materials in both 2D or 3D view. Here we show the steps when in 3D. First select EDIT WALLS and then click on the wall you can want to change. Then select CUSTOM MATERIAL. Select an image from your computer and it will be placed on the wall. You can use the sliders (right side menu) and stretch/ move the image to your liking.

For this design we wanted to render images with a darker feel. So we set set the 3D to NIGHT TIME MODE. This you do by clicking the green icon in PRESENTATION OPTIONS.

We also added the effect of having red ceiling spotlights. This was done by selecting EDIT ROOMS ( can be done in both 2D or 3D view). Then click on the green icon SPOTLIGHT COLOR to select a new color for the lights.