Stop competing on price alone.
Upload the deck design you already spec'd in VizTerra or Cedreo, and hand the homeowner a video of their own composite deck instead of a lumber list identical to the other two bids.
3 drafts and 1 finished video every month at no costNo credit card to get startedTakes whatever your deck software exports, PDF, PNG, or DXF
From spec sheet to signed bid
Send the deck design you already spec'd
A VizTerra or Cedreo file showing board direction, joist span, and the cable rail line, or just the framing plan, upload what you've got.
See what we acceptUpload photos of the house the deck is attaching to
The pergola attachment and ledger line read against their real wall and roofline instead of a stock elevation.
We build the shot list and film it
We film the composite decking, the PVC cap trim, and the cable rail the way they'll actually catch the light on their own deck.
See how it's filmedSwitch the board direction before they decide
If they want to see the boards run parallel to the house instead of diagonal, request another pass. It costs a few credits, not a new set of drawings.
Requesting a redoWin the bid with the only video in the stack
Send the link alongside your quote, and be the one contractor whose bid they can actually watch.
See deck examples
What deck builders actually say
- “Three of us bid the same square footage of the same composite decking, so it comes down to price.”
- That's true on paper. Competitive bidding reduces a contractor to a commodity the moment every quote lists the same board and the same footage, which is a complaint contractors voice about this exact process. A video of the finished deck in their own yard is not on the other two quotes.
- “Homeowners get quotes that swing from twenty grand to sixty for what they think is the same deck.”
- That spread is exactly why they can't compare on price alone. A $22,000 quote and a $60,000 quote for similar square footage of decking mean something different is being built, and most homeowners can't tell what from a materials list. A video shows what the higher number is actually buying.
- “They can't tell composite from pressure-treated on a drawing, so they assume every bid is the same.”
- A framing plan doesn't show a PVC cap or a board profile. A video of the actual composite surface does. Showing the material on film is faster than explaining the difference across a table.
Built from what deck builders already run
VizTerra, Cedreo, or a plain framing plan, we take the file your design software gives you.
- Vip3D
- Export
- The 2D plan, and a rendered still or video from the 3D view
- File type
- PNG, PDF, or DXF for the plan; an image or MP4 for the 3D view
Vip3D covers pools, hardscape, planting, and decks in one file, so export the plan and the render as a pair, the plan tells us the layout and the render tells us the finish.
- VizTerra
- Export
- The 2D plan, and a rendered still or video from the 3D view
- File type
- PNG, PDF, or DXF for the plan; an image or MP4 for the 3D view
VizTerra handles decks, hardscape, and planting without pools. Export the plan as PNG, PDF, or DXF and send your best 3D still alongside it.
- SketchUp
- Export
- A 2D graphic of the current scene
- File type
- JPEG, PNG, TIFF, or BMP; or DWG/DXF for a 2D plan
Set the camera to Parallel Projection before you export if the scale needs to hold up. File > Export > 2D Graphic gives you the image.
- Lumion
- Export
- A rendered photo from Photo Mode, or a movie from Movie Mode
- File type
- JPG, PNG, or BMP for a photo; MP4 for a movie
Render uncompressed (PNG or BMP) if you plan to edit the still afterward. For a movie, export at whatever resolution Movie Mode offers, we compress it on our end.
- Chief Architect
- Export
- A picture of the current view
- File type
- BMP, JPG, or PNG
Render the view first, then File > Export > Export Picture (BMP, JPG, PNG). It saves exactly what's on screen, so frame the shot before exporting.
- Twinmotion
- Export
- A rendered image, panorama, or video of the scene
- File type
- PNG, JPG, or EXR for images; MP4 for video
Free with an Epic Games account, and it imports SketchUp and Vectorworks models directly. Export the video at 2K, MP4 keeps the file small enough to upload straight away.
- Blender
- Export
- A rendered still, or a rendered animation
- File type
- PNG by default for stills; MP4 through the FFmpeg video option
Render stills first and check them before committing to a full animation render, a failed video render means starting over from frame one.
- Enscape
- Export
- A screenshot, or an exported video, from inside your host application
- File type
- PNG, JPG, EXR, or TGA for stills; MP4 for video
Runs inside SketchUp, Revit, or Vectorworks rather than standalone. The Screenshot and Video commands are both in the Enscape toolbar of whichever app you modelled in.
- Realtime Landscaping Architect
- Export
- The plan view, or a captured image of the 3D view
- File type
- JPG, PDF, BMP, TGA, or PNG
Export to File (F5) saves the plan. For the 3D view, use Export Viewport to File and pick the highest pixel size it offers.
- Cedreo
- Export
- The 3D render, or the floor and site plan
- File type
- PNG for plans; PDF for a full plan set; the render downloads as an image file
Download the render from the project sheet's download arrow, then generate a PDF plan separately if you want the layout in the same package.
- AutoCAD
- Export
- The 2D plan
- File type
- PDF or DXF
Export a plotted PDF for us to look at, or a DXF if you also want it opened in Pool Studio, VizTerra, or SketchUp. We treat the plan as the layout reference, not the finished shot.
Not on this list? Export whatever your software gives you, a screenshot, a rendered still, a PDF, a saved image, and upload it. If it shows the design, we can work with it.
See what else we acceptDecks that closed the bid
A composite deck with a cable rail line, filmed the way it'll actually catch the evening light.
One plan, no per-trade pricing
The same free plan and the same credit costs apply whether you're filming a deck or a pool.
Free
$0
Try it on a real job before you decide.
- 3 drafts + 1 free 720p output
- Up to 720p output
- 1 seat included
Starter
$50/mo/mo
Or $41.67/mo billed yearly, save $100 a year.
For the builder closing their own jobs.
- 100 credits/mo
- Up to 4K output
- 1 seat included · $20 a month per extra seat
Pro
$149/mo/mo
Or $124.17/mo billed yearly, save $298 a year.
Your name on every video the homeowner shares.
- 350 credits/mo
- Up to 4K output
- Your name on every video
- 3 seats included · $20 a month per extra seat
Pay for a year and get two months free.
Deck builder questions
My deck software only outputs a framing plan, not a photoreal render. Does that work?
Yes, upload the framing plan. A rendered still or a photo of a similar completed deck gets a more accurate result, but the plan alone is enough to start.
Can the video show the cable rail without the posts blocking the view?
The video shows what's in your source file. If the cable rail is spaced and posted the way you intend to build it, that's what shows up.
Does this replace my joist span calculations or engineering?
No. We turn your finished design into a video; we don't touch structural sizing. Your span tables and permit drawings stay exactly as you produced them.
Can I use this to sell composite over pressure-treated?
You can show both if you've designed both. Most builders upload the composite option since that's the harder sell to justify on paper.
How fast can I get a video attached to a same-day quote?
Roughly four minutes for a first draft, so it can go out with the quote the same afternoon you measure the job.
What if the pergola attachment isn't finalized yet?
Upload the design as it stands. If you revise it, generate a new draft. A draft costs half what a finished video does, so a design change doesn't cost a full video.
Let the video make the case your bid sheet can't.
Upload the design, add their yard, and send a video with the quote.