Glossary
Home design terms,in plain words.
No jargon. Here is what the common 3D and home design terms actually mean, so you can plan your room with confidence.
- 3D rendering
- A computer-made image of your room that looks like a photo, used to preview how a design will look before anything is real.
- 3D room planner
- A tool that lets you lay out and furnish a room in three dimensions, so you can see it from any angle before you buy or move anything. Learn more →
- Augmented reality (AR)
- Viewing a piece of furniture or a whole design placed into your real room through a phone camera.
- Design style
- A consistent look for a room, like japandi, mid-century modern, or Scandinavian, that ties the pieces together.
- Floor plan
- A view of a room or home from above that shows the walls, doors, and how the space is laid out, drawn to scale.
- Home planner
- A tool for designing and furnishing the rooms in your home, usually in both 2D and 3D. Cona is a free home planner.
- Photorealistic render
- A 3D render made to look as close to a real photo as possible, with realistic light, shadows, and materials.
- Real-time 3D
- A 3D view that updates instantly as you move furniture, so you see each change the moment you make it.
- Room layout
- How the furniture and fixtures are arranged within a room, and how well they fit the space and how you move through it.
- Room scan
- An optional way to capture your room's shape with a phone camera or LiDAR sensor, as a starting point instead of measuring by hand.
- Shoppable furniture
- Real products from actual brands that you can place in your design and buy, not just generic 3D models for show.
- To-scale (true-to-size)
- Drawn at real measurements, so a sofa or table takes up the right amount of space in your plan and the fit is honest.
Missing a term?
Tell us what to add. In the meantime, the best way to learn is to try it. Get in touch or start designing for free.
by Nikita Losenco · Founder & CEO, Cona
Last updated June 2026