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Sweet Home 3D — Complete Training Guide

[!NOTE] This guide is a general training on Sweet Home 3D (v7.x), written independently of any specific video. It covers the full workflow: installation → floor plan → furniture → 3D view → export. A video-based companion (chaptered from a specific tutorial) can be added on request.

Overview

Sweet Home 3D is a free, open-source interior design application (Java, cross-platform: Linux, Windows, macOS) for creating floor plans, furnishing them, and exploring the result in real-time 3D. It is the fastest way to produce a presentable home layout without CAD skills: draw walls in 2D, drop furniture from a catalog, and instantly walk through the result in 3D.

Why it matters for the KB: it is a standard tool for quick architectural mockups — the same discipline as our diagram workflow (draw.io for schematics, Sweet Home 3D for spaces). It exports to PNG, PDF, SVG, OBJ/3DS, and even photorealistic renders via the YafaRay plugin.

1. Installation

Sweet Home 3D requires Java 17+ (bundled in the installers; on Linux install OpenJDK if needed).

# Ubuntu / Debian (Java + .deb from sweethome3d.com)
sudo apt install openjdk-17-jre
wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/sweethome3d/files/SweetHome3D/SweetHome3D-7.3/SweetHome3D-7.3-linux-x64.tgz
tar xzf SweetHome3D-7.3-linux-x64.tgz && cd SweetHome3D-7.3 && ./SweetHome3D

# macOS / Windows: download the installer from sweethome3d.com — same workflow

[!TIP] Sweet Home 3D is also available as a web version (sweethome3d.com → "Online version") for quick tests without installing anything.

2. Interface Tour

Pane Location Purpose
Furniture catalog Top-left Drag furniture/categories into the plan
Furniture list Top-right Spreadsheet of placed items (name, size, elevation, angle)
Plan view Center 2D drawing of walls, rooms, doors, windows
3D view Bottom Live 3D rendering, synchronized with the plan
Properties panel Bottom-right (in 3D view) Edit position/size/rotation/elevation of the selected item

Everything is synchronized: select an object in the plan → it highlights in 3D, and vice-versa.

3. Floor Plan Basics

3.1 Walls

  1. Click the Create walls tool (toolbar).
  2. Click the start point in the plan, move, click to place each corner, double-click to finish.
  3. Set wall thickness (e.g. 15 cm) and height (2.5 m default) in the properties panel.
  4. For exact dimensions: enable snap to grid and/or type the length in the "Enter wall length" field that appears while drawing.

[!TIP] Draw walls clockwise to keep interior/exterior orientation consistent — it makes room detection cleaner.

3.2 Rooms

  1. Select the Create rooms tool.
  2. Click inside a closed area of walls — Sweet Home 3D detects the contour and creates the room (with floor area computed automatically).
  3. The room shows its surface (m²) and perimeter — perfect for estimating flooring or paint quantities.

3.3 Doors & Windows

  • Drag a door/window from the catalog onto a wall: Sweet Home 3D automatically creates the opening in the wall and updates the 3D view.
  • Adjust the opening height/width in the properties panel (width, height, elevation above floor).
  • Doors/windows can be flipped (mirror) and moved along the wall.

3.4 Dimensions

Use the Create dimension lines tool to annotate the plan (wall lengths, distances). Set the scale and arrow style in preferences — essential before exporting a printable plan.

4. Furniture & Objects

  1. Browse the catalog (categories: Living room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Lighting, etc.).
  2. Drag an item into the plan; drop it near a wall for auto-positioning, or anywhere and refine later.
  3. With the item selected, use the properties panel or keyboard to set:
  4. Position (x, y) and elevation (height above floor)
  5. Rotation (angle) — or rotate freely with the mouse in 3D view
  6. Size (width/depth/height) — note: resizing a furniture piece in Sweet Home 3D scales its 3D model too
  7. Use Align / Distribute (Tools menu) to line up items, or enable magnetic "snap" in preferences.

Importing 3D models

Sweet Home 3D imports OBJ, 3DS, DAE (Collada) and its own SH3D format:

  1. Furniture → Import 3D model… (or drag a file onto the plan).
  2. Configure import: size in cm, elevation, rotation.
  3. The model appears in the catalog under "My models" for reuse in every future project.

[!WARNING] Prefer DAE or OBJ exports from SketchUp/Blender over 3DS (older format, no textures in some cases). For a matching texture, provide a separate texture image when importing.

5. Textures & Colors

  • Walls/floors: double-click the wall or room → "Modify texture/color" → pick from the texture catalog or import your own image (JPG/PNG) — it tiles automatically. Adjust tile size (e.g., 50×50 cm for tiles).
  • Furniture: double-click the piece → color or texture; some pieces have per-part materials (e.g., wooden frame + fabric seat).
  • Textures are stored per-object in the .sh3d file — the project remains portable.

6. Lighting & Rendering

  • Sun: adjustable direction and intensity (Preferences → 3D view → Sun).
  • Light sources: lamps have an "emissive" property; in 3D view you can switch to night mode to see the effect.
  • Photorealistic rendering: install the YafaRay plugin (Plugins menu → Install plugins) for ray-traced images with global illumination, shadows and reflections — noticeably better than the real-time view.
  • Virtual visit mode: in 3D view, click the eye icon or press Ctrl+Shift+V (macOS ⌘⇧V) to "enter" the house and move with the arrow keys / mouse.

7. Export & Sharing

Output How Use for
Image (PNG) File → Export to image… Quick share, 3D view screenshots
Video Plugins → install Video export plugin → choose viewpoint path Walkthrough video of the house
3D model File → Export to OBJ/3DS/DAE Import into Blender/other tools
Plan (PDF/SVG) File → Export to PDF/SVG Printable plans with dimensions
Project .sh3d file (save) Reopen/edit anywhere (cross-platform)
HTML File → Export to HTML Share a 3D view in any browser (WebGL)

[!TIP] Export to HTML is the best "client deliverable": a full 3D model viewable in any browser with no software installed — same idea as our HTML-based diagram deliverables.

8. Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Shortcut Action
Ctrl/Cmd + N / O / S New / Open / Save project
Delete Delete selection
Ctrl/Cmd + D Duplicate
Ctrl/Cmd + Z / Y Undo / Redo
Arrow keys Move selection 1 unit
Ctrl/Cmd + arrows Nudge 0.1 unit
R Rotate 90°
E Edit object (same as double-click)
P Create walls tool
F Create rooms tool
Space Toggle 2D/3D pointer mode
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V Virtual visit mode
+ / - Zoom in/out (plan)
Ctrl/Cmd + P Print plan

9. Extending the Tool

  • Plugins (Plugins → Install plugins…): YafaRay renderer, Video export, Shutter (photorealistic renderer), Sun path.
  • Furniture libraries: thousands of free SH3D-format libraries (sweethome3d.com → Furniture → Download additional 3D models).
  • Community: forum.sweethome3d.com for model requests and plugin help.

10. Typical Workflow (5 minutes to a first result)

1. New project → draw the outer walls (clockwise)
2. Create rooms inside each closed space
3. Drag doors + windows onto walls (openings appear automatically)
4. Furnish: drag items, refine size/rotation in properties
5. Switch to 3D view → walk around (virtual visit)
6. Export: PNG for quick share, PDF for a printable plan
7. Save the .sh3d — it's portable and re-editable

[!WARNING] Sweet Home 3D is a layout/visualization tool, not an engineering CAD: it does not compute structural constraints (load-bearing walls, electrical codes). Use it for proposals and mockups; validate structure with an architect.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-28 · Sweet Home 3D 7.x