The Ultimate AI for Architects: 10 Must-Have Features Put to the Test

In the second half of 2025, a global task force of 112 designers conducted extensive testing and reached a clear conclusion: SUAPP Inspiration Render, with its exceptional performance, is the AI tool that best integrates with architects' workflows.

The Cluttered and Unstandardized Reality of Architectural AI.
AI tools are exploding in architecture, but most don't fit real workflow needs. While AI tools produce stunning results, they often fail to grasp core "design intent," creating a major disconnect in practice. "We initially tested 11 leading AI design tools," the team's lead technical expert noted. "Designers had to constantly switch between software, which actually reduced efficiency." The breakthrough came with SUAPP AIR, built directly into SketchUp. This AI tool, designed specifically for architects, demonstrates a profound understanding of the design workflow.

In testing, the tool performed consistently well in three areas: controllable rendering results, integration within existing SketchUp workflows, and simplicity of operation. Several participants noted that the learning curve was minimal; one tester reported being able to produce a usable result within approximately five minutes.

Groundbreaking Findings: A Deep Dive into 10 Key AI Features
Precise Rendering
Photorealistic rendering is a cornerstone need for architects. Our panel compared SUAPP's output against leading international tools. In a rigorous, controlled test, we conducted quantitative analysis on five key material types:

Glass Material Rendering Test
● Generic AI Rendering: Only captures basic transparency.
● Lingxi Style V2: Faithfully recreates reflectivity, refractive index, material thickness, and even color variations under different lighting.
● Authenticity Score: 99%

Metal Material Rendering Test
● Generic AI Rendering: Basic light and dark processing, lacks texture.
● Lingxi Style V2: Precisely captures metallic sharp highlights, reflection details, and environmental mapping.
● Authenticity Score: 97%

Wood Material Rendering Test
● Generic AI Rendering: Repetitive, unnatural patterns.
● Lingxi Style V2: Maintains natural grain while adding realistic wear and color variation.
● Authenticity Score: 98%

Stone Material Rendering Test
● Generic AI Rendering: Blurry textures and distorted scale.
● Lingxi Style V2: Accurately renders stone's granular details, seam precision, and sense of weight.
● Authenticity Score: 97%

Concrete Material Rendering Test
● Generic AI Rendering: Simple gray processing, lacks texture.
● Lingxi Style V2: Perfectly reproduces concrete's pour marks, formwork seams, and subtle color variations.
● Authenticity Score: 99%

Across five material test categories, the tool produced an average authenticity rating of 98% based on panel assessment criteria. In several cases, panel members reported difficulty visually distinguishing between real captured reference images and generated output.

Workflow Revolution: From Days to Hours.
Pain Points of Traditional Rendering
Our tests benchmarked the traditional workflow against Lingxi V2, revealing a significant efficiency gap.

Traditional V-Ray/Enscape Workflow
● Material Adjustments: 2-3 hours
● Lighting Setup: 1-2 hours
● Test Renders: Multiple iterations, 30-60 min each
● Final Render: 2-4 hours
Total: 6-10 hours

Lingxi V2 Workflow
● Model Prep: Already complete (no extra work)
● Style Selection: 1-2 minutes
● AI Rendering: 30 seconds
● Tweaks (if needed): 1-2 minutes
Total: Under 5 minutes

According to the technical lead of the study, the most significant finding was the balance between rendering speed and output quality, particularly when compared with traditional V-Ray or Enscape workflows.

3 Ways Lingxi V2 Changes Everything
Shift Decisions Forward. See near-final renders at the concept stage, dramatically reducing costly late-stage changes.
Revolutionize Client Communication. Instantly generate high-quality renders to respond to feedback and present options during meetings.
Creative verification made easy. Designers can freely experiment with material combinations and see results instantly, no longer constrained by rendering costs.

Sketch
Traditionally, a small tweak meant starting from scratch. SUAPP AIR's Sketch feature impressed our entire testing team.
Select the area, describe the change, and let AI regenerate it to blend seamlessly with the original. "When a client wanted to switch from stone to wood grating, I delivered a visual result in just one minute," shared a designer from our testing phase.

Sketch: When a rendered image has unwanted details—like the wrong material or an object that needs changing—you can make precise fixes in just a few steps:
● 1: Enable Overlay in edit mode to use the original image as a reference.
● 2: Use the Brush Tool to carefully paint over the area you want to change.
● 3: Enter a prompt for what you want (e.g., "wooden wall").
● 4: Hit Render. The AI regenerates only your selected area, leaving the rest untouched.

Facade Transfer
During the Facade Transfer test, the team applied various stylistic features to the same building mass.
SUAPP AIR's "Style Reference" allows designers to upload an image. The AI extracts the core style and applies it to your model. This dramatically speeds up early-stage exploration—our testers achieved in 2 hours what used to take 2 days of manual work.

Precision Style Capture & Fusion: The enhanced "LingxiV2" model reads image details more accurately for logical and precise renders. It doesn't just copy materials, colors, or details like masonry patterns or glass reflections—it seamlessly weaves them into your design, preserving natural lighting and physical interactions.

Robust Structure Preservation: This style faithfully preserves your original building's form, proportions, and key outlines. So you can explore styles with confidence, without your design intent being skewed.

Naturally Harmonious: Our AI ensures the transferred style blends effortlessly into your design. The result is a cohesive building that looks like it always belonged, not a forced overlay.

Applying a new facade style is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Start With: Your Base Image & Style Reference Base Image: Provide a screenshot or sketch of the building you want to transform. It can be either a white model or a model with initial textures. Reference Image: Select an image of a building facade whose style you want to emulate. For best results, choose a clear image with distinctive stylistic features.
2. Select the "Lingxi V2" style for precise style transfer. In SUAPP Inspiration Render, navigate to the render type and select "Lingxi V2". This is the key to achieving precise style migration.
3. Enable the style reference feature and upload your reference image. Locate the "Style Reference" function in the interface. Upload the facade style reference image you prepared.
4. Adjust Parameters and Render For finer control, you can input keywords (e.g., "modern glass curtain wall," "vintage stone facade"). Lingxi V2 understands prompts effectively and even interprets more abstract phrases. Click Render and wait for the AI to generate the result. You can then fine-tune the "Style Reference" weight or keywords and try multiple times to achieve the perfect look.

Aerial
"We tested dedicated lighting simulation tools, but they were too complex and slow," the test report states. "With SUAPP AIR's Aetrial, you just tick 'Creative Editing', type in a keyword like 'night scene', and the transformation is instant."
Even better, it automatically adds interior lights, street lighting, and night-time ambiance—without the manual work of placing light sources.

The Lingxi V2 style library combined with one-click Aerial creates a highly efficient mood generator for your designs. This powerful duo delivers on both quality and speed, meeting diverse needs across all design stages.

Here's how this efficient workflow functions:
Its convenience is powered by a smart feature—many Lingxi V2 presets come with a built-in sense of time and lighting.
This means selecting a style gives you more than colors and materials; it delivers a complete lighting setup.

Operational Workflow
Route 1: Direct Style Reference (Fastest way)
This is the most typical way to achieve a "one-click transformation".

1. Choose a dedicated day/night style: ● Day Styles: "Afternoon Light", "Morning Mist", "Realistic Sunlight". ● Night Styles: "City Nightscape", "Interior Ambiance", "Moonlight".Within Lingxi V2's extensive library, many style names or previews clearly indicate their specific time of day.
2. One-Click Application: When you apply two different style types (like day and night) to the same base model, you've essentially performed the "One-Click Aerial". The AI then automatically handles all lighting, shadow, and atmosphere changes. Route 2: Combine "Creative Editing" with Styles (More Flexible) If you need more specific adjustments to your generated day or night scene, follow these steps:
3. Lock in a style: First, select and render a day-style you like (e.g., "Modern Minimalist Daylight") for your model.
4. Transform the time: On the resulting image, enter Editing Mode. Use the "Creative Editing" function and type a keyword like "convert to night scene". The AI will intelligently transform it into a night view while preserving the original style's essence.

lmage Enhancer
The testing team intentionally used low-resolution renders to evaluate the Image Enhancer. SUAPP AIR's Super-Resolution feature does more than just upscale; it intelligently repairs and enhances details through AI algorithms, instantly transforming internal draft images into client-ready, high-definition visuals.
SUAPP AIR's "Image Enhancer" can deliver high-resolution images up to 8K, ensuring your designs remain crisp and detailed even in large-scale prints or displays.

Color Plan
For floor plan rendering, SUAPP AIR offers two efficient methods: first, use the Sketch function to select an area and describe a material; second, utilize the built-in Replace Material feature. Our testers found this particularly useful for early-stage design comparison, enabling rapid iteration of multiple color schemes for client presentations.
The "Color Plan" function in SUAPP AIR's Lingxi V2 is highly efficient. It streamlines the creation of color schemes for architectural plans.
Simply upload your line drawing or white model floor plan, then select a preferred color or material style template from the Lingxi V2 library. With one click, the AI automatically analyzes your plan and applies colors, quickly generating a cohesive and textured color plan. This greatly simplifies the initial design and color exploration process.

Master Layout Plan (MLP) to Aerial
This was one of the most impressive features in testing. Designers simply import a floor plan, and SUAPP AIR intelligently interprets the spatial layout to generate a 3D-like aerial perspective. While precise aerial views still require a 3D model, this feature provides unprecedented convenience for overall form exploration during the conceptual stage.
Using the "Creative Editing" function, whether with preset prompts or custom keywords, to directly manipulate a floor plan is indeed one of the most efficient methods for generating conceptual aerial views.

Core Workflow:

1. Prepare Base Image: Import or take a screenshot of your 2D floor plan as the base image.
2. Enable Creative Edit: In editing mode, check the "Creative Editing" function.
3. Use Key Prompts: Enter the preset phrase "Master Layout Plan to Aerial" in the prompt box.
4. Generate with One Click: The AI will intelligently interpret spatial relationships from your floor plan and automatically generate an aerial view with 3D perspective and massing. The major advantage of this feature is: Extremely Low Barrier: No complex 3D modeling required. Designers can focus on functional layout in the plan, while AI handles the 3D conversion. Instant Visualization: See the 3D potential of your plan in seconds to minutes, dramatically speeding up early-stage concept development and option comparison. Creative Stimulation: By experimenting with different prompts (e.g., "photorealistic", "model-like", "wireframe"), explore diverse visual possibilities for the same layout.

Of course, for final deliverables requiring precise dimensions and details, refining the AI-generated concept in 3D software remains the most efficient workflow for human-AI collaboration. In summary, using the "Master Layout Plan to Aerial" prompt with Creative Editing is a powerful creativity accelerator, perfectly meeting the need for speed and overall ambiance in the conceptual phase.

One-Click Analysis Diagram Generation
SUAPP AIR's style library includes a variety of pre-made analysis diagram templates. Testers simply import basic graphical elements, select a corresponding style, and can generate professional-grade diagrams for flow, functional zoning, and landscape analysis. This feature reduces production time from hours to minutes.
Here's how SUAPP AIR enables one-click diagram generation:

1. Select an analysis diagram style template Search for "Analysis Diagram" in the style library. Choose a functional template like "Conceptual Diagram" or "Circulation Analysis".
2. Upload Base Image Import a floor plan, model screenshot, or massing sketch. Supports various base formats like white models and line drawings.
3. Smart Recognition & Rendering AI automatically identifies spatial relationships. Generates color-coordinated analysis diagrams.
4. Primary Diagram Types ● Circulation / Flow Analysis ● Functional Zoning Diagram ● Massing / Mass Generation Diagram ● Site / Landscape Analysis Diagram ● Spatial Relationship Diagram
5. Output Features ● Automated Color Coordination ● Clear and Standardized Legends ● Supports Multiple Iterative Optimizations This feature is ideal for early-stage analysis and client presentations, quickly turning design concepts into professional diagrams.

One-Click Building Renovation
In a building renovation test project, SUAPP AIR's "Iteration" feature proved immensely valuable. Designers could apply a procedural approach: first, clear the surroundings, then update the facade materials, and finally, add landscape accessories. "This step-by-step method allows for precise control over the renovation extent, avoiding the unpredictability of a one-click, full transformation," a designer noted.
SUAPP AIR achieves "One-Click Building Renovation" through the following core workflow:

1. Upload Original Image Import a photo or screenshot of the building's current state.
2. Enable Creative Editing Check the "Iteration" function in editing mode.
3. Enter Renovation Needs Use preset or custom prompts, e.g.: "Modern facade renovation" "Exterior wall renewal" "Commercial street upgrade"
4. Generate Smart Solutions AI automatically creates renovation plans that respect the original structure.
5. Iterative Refinement Optimize through multiple renderings: Round 1: Basic remodeling Round 2: Material refinement Round 3: Environmental integration
6. Local Adjustments Use the partial repaint feature for precise area tweaks.

This feature is particularly suitable for:
● Historic building facade renovation
● Streetscape enhancement
● Commercial space modernization
● Rural revitalization projects

One-Click Rough Space Renovation
The final test involved renovating a blank-space apartment. SUAPP AIR's extensive interior design style library instantly transformed the empty unit into a variety of refined spaces. From modern minimalism to neo-Chinese, industrial to Scandinavian, the testing team completed complete visualizations for 15 unit types across 3 styles in a single day.

From Concept to Visual: SUAPP AIR's continuously evolving AI meets the essential needs of the modern architect's workflow.

It consolidates previously fragmented, complex, and high-barrier digital visualization tasks into a powerful, intelligent toolkit that integrates deeply with existing workflows, especially SketchUp. The realization of these ten core features marks a seminal shift in design methodology:
● It delivers "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" creative acceleration. Whether through "Lingxi V2" for precise rendering and plan coloring, or "Creative Editing" for one-click aerial views and day-night transitions, it drastically compresses the time required for creative visualization.
● It enables "Precision-Controlled" intelligent collaboration. Functions like "Sketch" and "Facade Transfer" transform AI from a mere "idea generator" into a directed assistant that faithfully serves defined design intent.
● It achieves "Full-Cycle" efficiency. From early-stage diagrams and conceptual massing, through mid-phase rendering and material replacement, to final renovation plans and ultra HD output, SUAPP AIR provides continuous AI augmentation throughout the entire design cycle.

In summary, SUAPP AIR has evolved from a novel AI to a production-grade core tool that tangibly enhances both the quality and efficiency of design. Its emergence is fundamentally reshaping the relationship between architects and technology, allowing us to refocus our energy on the essence of design itself.

Explore SUAPP AI Now: Streamline Your Design Workflow
he SUAPP AI product suite is accessible to beginners yet powerful for experts, allowing both new designers and seasoned professionals to quickly get started and create efficiently. Our features are continuously evolving, with more innovative capabilities rolling out soon.

For more product details or support, feel free to reach out through the following channels:
Visit SUAPP AI Website: www.suapp.ai