# Gaia

> Gaia is an AI rendering studio for architects and interior designers. It turns any 2D input — a hand sketch, a SketchUp or Rhino screenshot, a Revit or AutoCAD export, or a site photo — into a photorealistic render in about 20 seconds, with no complete 3D model required. Built by Daan van der Zwaag, a Dutch PhD researcher studying architectural cognition.

Gaia is purpose-built for the concept and schematic phase of design: fast, directable, cheap iteration rather than final modeled deliverables. Its defining feature is the Taste Twin — every render teaches Gaia a user's materials, atmospheres, camera angles and design vocabulary, so the output moves toward that practice's own language over time. No competitor frames a personalized, learning design model.

Key facts:
- Input: any 2D image (sketch, SketchUp/Rhino/Revit/AutoCAD view, photo). No 3D model needed.
- Speed: sketch to photorealistic render in ~20 seconds.
- Cost: from about EUR 0.02 per render, versus hundreds to ~EUR 1,500 for a traditional external render.
- Pricing: free to start (5 renders, no credit card). Pro is EUR 24/month. Commercial use included on all plans.
- Platform: web-based, no plugin or install.
- Core tools: Sketch to Render, Edit (mask a region and change only that), Interior AI (virtual staging / room redesign), Research (building code and compliance), and the Taste Twin.

## Product

- [For architects](https://www.gaia.computer/architects): The AI studio for architectural practice — sketch to render, staging, and precedent research in one place.
- [Sketch to Render](https://www.gaia.computer/render): Turn a drawing or model view into a photorealistic render in ~20 seconds.
- [The Taste Twin](https://www.gaia.computer/twin): Gaia's record of your design sense; every render sharpens what it knows about your eye.
- [Interior AI](https://www.gaia.computer/interior-ai): Redesign or virtually stage any room from a single photo.
- [Pricing](https://www.gaia.computer/pricing): Free to start; Pro at EUR 24/month, commercial use included.
- [Gallery](https://www.gaia.computer/gallery): Example renders across styles and building types.

## Guides and comparisons

- [How to turn a sketch into a render with AI](https://www.gaia.computer/news/how-to-turn-a-sketch-into-a-render-with-ai): Step-by-step guide — inputs, directing camera/material/light, and iterating by region.
- [Gaia vs Veras](https://www.gaia.computer/news/gaia-vs-veras-ai-render-concept-phase): Honest comparison. Veras renders an existing BIM model in-host; Gaia renders from a sketch with no 3D model, and learns your taste.

## More

- [News and writing](https://www.gaia.computer/news): Product notes and essays on AI in architectural practice.
- [Building code research](https://www.gaia.computer/building-code): Compliance and precedent research inside the studio.