The design burden faced by small interior firms—who find it difficult to employ their own in-house designers due to industry-wide price competition and declining profitability—is undergoing a dramatic transformation. In particular, because 3D designs that prove so useful in client consultations can now be rendered in real time, firms can expect a tangible boost in sales. Korea Virtual Reality Co., Ltd. offers the online service for 'KOVI Archi,' a 3D interior design program that resolves the design challenges encountered by interior firms run by individuals or small teams.
KOVI Archi is a program that lets anyone easily design and directly experience 3D simulations with nothing more than a simple floor plan, converting to 3D at the click of a button right after the floor plan is drawn. Its greatest strength is that even individual interior business owners in their 40s and 50s, who struggle with training on specialized programs such as CAD or MAX, can readily create floor plans and render 3D simulations. In particular, a wide range of wallpapers, flooring, furniture, and accessories actually available on the market can be applied directly to a design, enhancing real-time consultations with clients and allowing the design and purchasing processes to proceed simultaneously. Beyond the finishing materials—such as furniture and wallpaper—updated by the hundreds each month, users can also add their own items directly to the library to improve operational efficiency.
CEO Jang Ho-hyun explained, "KOVI Archi is a 2D and 3D design program that individual or small interior firms can use most effectively; since its launch in July 2000, more than 18,000 member companies have been using it." He added, "With floor plans for 43,000 apartments nationwide and information on some 45,000 finishing materials, furniture, and accessories, this long-accumulated data provides interior firms with optimized information they need for actual business operations, from client consultation all the way to ordering."
Using design programs tailored to specialized spaces or furniture enables more professional and detailed design consultations. In addition to KOVI Archi, Korea Virtual Reality offers the KOVI Built-in, KOVI Kitchen, and KOVI Bath programs. Each program comes with pre-made base drawing files, allowing quick and easy modeling. Another advantage is that construction can begin immediately after the design is complete. For higher-quality rendered output, users can turn to 'KOVI HighRender.' This product is a VR rendering program that renders spaces designed in KOVI Archi in real time, letting users move around as if in a game and check high-quality results in under 10 seconds. Each program can be used by purchasing a license, renting on a monthly subscription, or obtaining a 6-month or 1-year pass.
Meanwhile, Korea Virtual Reality was selected in the platform business category of the 2018 VR Content Production Support Program run by the Korea Creative Content Agency, and will soon unveil an 'interior and furniture distribution platform using virtual reality.' In line with the recent trend of the furniture industry adopting augmented reality (AR) to help consumers choose furniture more conveniently, this is an innovative model in which furniture makers, general users, and interior businesses create synergy with one another—both online and offline—through a single platform.
General consumers can use a smartphone app to decorate their desired interior spaces in virtual reality for free and share them via social media. Furniture in the virtual reality space can be purchased online right away, and interior finishes requiring construction are linked directly to offline interior contractors for free consultations. Furniture makers can update their latest products while also showcasing various details—such as furniture size, texture, and how pieces harmonize with one another—through virtual reality, drawing consumers' attention to their choices. Interior companies can introduce their own virtual reality work on the platform to promote their competitiveness.
CEO Jang Ho-hyun explained, "This new platform, connecting general consumers, interior companies, and furniture makers, will serve as the foundation for dynamic cultural creation—one in which, in the ever-expanding interior remodeling market, the three parties achieve a win-win through virtual reality as the medium and build a new interior culture together." 02-3433-5400