Interactive 3D + animated decision tools
Visualize before you commit.
Deck decisions are hard to undo. Use 46 free 3D + animated tools to see patterns, materials, lighting, and construction steps before you spend $5K–$30K building.
- Live animations
- 46
- Real-time WebGL
- 3D
- Code-aware
- IRC 2021
- No signup
- Free
What stage are you at?
Designing your deck?
Pick a board pattern + material before you commit.
Composite or wood — which lasts?
25-year time-lapse: PT silvering vs composite holding color. Includes a maintenance toggle.
Building your deck?
Understand construction steps + IRC code at each stage.
Which board pattern is right for me?
5 patterns toggled live: straight, diagonal, herringbone, chevron, picture-frame. Waste % + board count for each.
Which deck material should I pick?
8 materials with brand-accurate colors. PT, cedar, IPE + 5 composite/PVC brands. Climate fit + 25-yr cost.
Do I need deck lighting?
5 times of day with deck lights kicking on at twilight. Helps decide if you actually need fixtures.
How are deck stairs built?
Animated 4-phase build sequence. Cost per phase + tools + common mistakes at each step.
Composite or wood — which actually lasts?
25-year side-by-side time-lapse. PT silvers + checks; composite holds color. Maintenance toggle included.
How deep does a deck footing need to be?
3D soil cutaway of a single footing — layout, dig, pour, anchor, post. Climate-zone selector for warm/mid/cold/extreme frost depths.
12, 16, or 24 inch joist spacing — which is right?
3 deck framings side-by-side at 12″ / 16″ / 24″ O.C. Watch deflection under load + see IRC R502.3.1 compliance shift across spacing.
How does a deck frame actually go together?
5-phase build: ledger → posts/beam → joists → rim + blocking. Continues where Foundation Build ends — see the full load path come together.
How do deck boards actually go down?
Starter → field → fastening → optional picture-frame border. Toggle PT vs composite + face-screw vs hidden clips. Caps the build-sequence trio.
How is a stair stringer laid out + cut?
Blank 2×12 → framing-square layout → notch cuts → installed 3-stringer flight. The single most-failed DIY task on a deck — visualize the inside-corner trap.
How does a deck actually hold weight?
Load arrows trace the path: person → decking → joists → beam → posts → footings → soil. IRC R301.5 40 psf live-load reference. The mental model behind every span calc.
How does a deck railing actually go together?
Post anchors → newel posts → top rail → composite/cable/wood infill → handrail. IRC R312.1.2 + R312.1.3 + R311.7.8 visible at every step. Caps the build narrative.
Why do deck footings need to go below the frost line?
5-year side-by-side time-lapse. Code-compliant vs shallow footings. Watch winter freeze-thaw progressively rack a non-compliant deck into structural failure.
How does a composite hidden clip actually work?
Macro 3D close-up of a Trex Hideaway-class clip locking grooved boards to a joist. Color-matched screw, auto-spaced 3/16″ gap, no top-down fasteners.
What order does a deck get built in, from footings to railing?
Cinematic 6-phase montage of a 16×12 attached deck: footings → posts + ledger → framing → decking → railing → finished sunset reveal. IRC code callouts on every stage.
How many nails does a joist hanger really need?
Macro 3D anatomy of a Simpson LUS210 hanger seating into a ledger and capturing a 2×10 joist. Full 18-nail pattern (10 ledger + 8 joist). IRC R507.10.
What does a code-compliant ledger flashing actually look like?
5-layer cutaway: sheathing → WRB → back flashing → ledger + lag bolts → top z-flashing → siding. The #1 deck-collapse failure mode visualized. IRC R507.9.
What's underneath a deck footing, and why does frost depth matter?
Side cutaway from grass to subgrade: topsoil → frost zone → gravel base → concrete pier + rebar → J-bolt → stand-off anchor → post. IRC R403.1.4 compliant.
What's different about building a deck around a pool?
5-phase build of a composite deck wrapping a 16×8 in-ground pool: footings → 12″ OC joists → slip-resistant decking → bullnose coping → drainage slope away from pool.
How do I reinforce a deck to hold a hot tub?
Standard 40 psf deck → 100 psf hot-tub-rated deck. Doubled joists at 12″ OC, extra center beam, 2 added footings. ~6,500 lb load path visualized.
What are the most common deck-build mistakes inspectors catch?
5-phase compilation: no flashing · half-nailed hanger · shallow footing · wrong fastener · no blocking. Same framing, each phase highlights one classic failure mode.
What does my deck look like in different composite colors?
Interactive 3D color picker. 12 industry colors (Trex Transcend, TimberTech AZEK, Fiberon) for the field + optional picture-frame border. Auto-rotates so you see every angle.
What do the top Trex Transcend colors look like?
6 hero colors from the Trex Transcend premium line — Saddle, Spiced Rum, Lava Rock, Tiki Torch, Tree House, Havana Gold — on a 5-board sample platform with siding-pairing notes.
What does pressure-treated decking look like at year 5 and year 10?
Honest 10-year weathering visualization: fresh green-tan → faded → silvered → cracked → restained. The maintenance reality every PT cost calculator skips.
How does cedar decking age, and what does each stage look like?
Western Red Cedar from mill-rough → sanded → sealed → 5-year UV → 10-year silvered → re-sealed. Every stage of cedar's life shown side-by-side on a 5-board platform.
What do TimberTech Legacy PVC colors look like in person?
6 hero colors from the TimberTech Legacy premium PVC line — Pecan, Mocha, Tigerwood, Espresso, Ashwood, Whitewashed Walnut. AZEK Company's flagship variegated palette.
What does a 45° diagonal deck look like, and how much more does it cost?
5-phase install of a 10×10 diagonal deck: chalk line → center boards → fill → picture-frame border. ~15% waste factor, ~25% extra labor over straight pattern.
How do you install a herringbone deck, and what does it cost?
5-phase build of interlocking L-pair tiles at 45°. Short ~24″ pieces on 12″ OC joists. Premium parquet geometry with ~25% material waste, ~2× labor.
What's the difference between chevron and herringbone, and which is harder?
5-phase install of mitered V-shape chevron. Boards meet at perfect center seam with 45° miters. ~20% waste, ~2.5× labor — most cut-precision-demanding common pattern.
What's a picture-frame deck, and why is it the highest-ROI pattern upgrade?
Single best pattern upgrade per dollar: ~5-8% material, ~10% labor, 2-3× visual impact. 5-phase build: layout → border → field → trim → settled with optional double-row.
How does a custom cedar pergola actually go together?
Architectural 6-phase build of a 12'×12' cedar pergola. Slate paver patio → Simpson stand-off anchors → chamfered 6×6 posts → doubled girders + 45° knee braces → sculpted cloud-lift rafter tails → top slats + bistro string lights + climbing vine.
Do cable railings actually meet IRC code?
5-phase macro of horizontal stainless cable railing — black aluminum posts, swage terminal hardware, 10 × 1/8″ 316 cables at ~3″ o.c., ~200 lb tensioning, IRC R312.1.3 4-inch sphere compliance test.
How does a frameless tempered glass railing mount?
5-phase macro of frameless glass — aluminum U-channel base shoe through-bolted to deck, 12 mm tempered panels lowered onto EPDM setting blocks, tightening wedges driven, aluminum cap rail. The pool / view-deck premium railing system.
Why is the parallel layout the default deck pattern?
5-phase build of the default board layout — perpendicular to joists, parallel to long edge. ~5% waste (lowest of any pattern), 1× labor baseline, used on 80%+ of real-world decks. The pattern every premium layout is measured against.
What does an inspector actually check on a deck?
5-phase IRC 2021 walkthrough — footings (R507.3 + R403.1.4), ledger flashing (R507.9.1), joist hangers (R507.6 + Simpson), guard rail (R312.1.2 + R312.1.3) — each zone highlighted in green on the same representative deck section.
How does IPE age vs other premium hardwoods?
6-stage lifecycle of premium Brazilian Walnut — fresh-milled chocolate → 6-month silvering → 1-year driftwood → UV oil restoration → 5-year maintained → 25+ year heritage finish. Janka 3,680, Class A fire, 40-75+ year lifespan.
Which Trex Enhance color suits my house?
All 6 Trex Enhance colors in 3D — Beach Dune, Saddle, Coastal Bluff, Foggy Wharf, Toasted Sand, Rocky Harbor. Enhance is Trex's value tier ($4-6/lf) and outsells Transcend 3-to-1. Per-color house-pairing notes.
What does TimberTech's flagship line look like in 3D?
All 6 TimberTech Reserve colors — Storm, Antique Leather, Driftwood, Mahogany, Pecan, Weathered Teak. 100% PVC capstock, cathedral grain, lifetime structural warranty, coolest summer surface in composite.
How does a 2-tier kitchen-to-patio deck go together?
6-phase 3D build — upper kitchen-exit level at +24″, lower patio-grade level at +6″, 3-step transition with selective guard rail. The most architecturally striking deck layout.
How is a corner-wrap L-shape deck framed?
6-phase L-shape build — 14′×7′ along south wall + 10′×7′ along east wall, mitred corner framing, premium outside-corner post sizing. The most square-footage-efficient corner-lot deck.
How does a rooftop deck mount without penetrating the roof?
6-phase rooftop install — TPO membrane → adjustable pedestals on 2-ft grid → interlocking 2×2 ft deck tiles → 42″ commercial cable/glass guard. Zero penetrations. Urban deck standard.
How big should my deck be?
Interactive scrubber through 6 deck sizes (8×6 → 20×16). Real-time use-case + installed cost range per size. The 'what does each size feel like?' tool.
How do 6 deck patterns compare side-by-side?
Same 12×10 deck, 6 patterns — parallel, diagonal 45°, herringbone, chevron, picture frame, mixed accent. Live waste % + labor multiplier per pattern.
What will my deck look like across the year?
Same deck through 6 seasons — early spring → late spring → summer → autumn → late autumn → winter (with snow). Per-season build tips: snow loads, sealing windows, leaf cleanup.
How does camera angle change deck perception?
Same deck shot from 6 dramatic angles — plan, elevation, hero 3/4, drone, low-angle, auto-orbit. Pedagogical tool for design review + listing photography.
What do real complete deck designs look like?
6 curated preset packages — Budget PT, Family Trex, Modern PVC, Heritage Cedar, Premium IPE, Pool Deck. Size + material + pattern + cost in one deck per preset.
When animations help vs when calculators help
- ▸ You can't picture what something will look like
- ▸ You're choosing between aesthetic options
- ▸ You want to understand how something is built
- ▸ You're convincing a spouse / client
- ▸ You need exact $ cost or material count
- ▸ You need IRC code compliance check
- ▸ You need a number for a permit or quote
- ▸ You're ready to build, not still deciding
Most projects use BOTH — animation to decide what to build, calculator to spec exactly how much. Each animation page links to the relevant calculator.