# Raya - AI visualizations by designers, for designers *About us* > Raya is built by Mateusz Ciećwierz and Piotr Kurpiewski - architects, 3D artists and the people behind the CG Wisdom courses. We built the visualization tool we were looking for ourselves. Source: https://www.raya.design/en/about Language: en --- ![Piotr Kurpiewski and Mateusz Ciećwierz, founders of Raya, the AI visualization tool for designers](https://www.raya.design/images/raya-founders-photo.jpg) *From left: Piotr Kurpiewski and Mateusz Ciećwierz* ## How Raya started Design, visualization and teaching designers are what we do every day. When AI visualization tools appeared, we tested them on our own projects. **None of them fully met our expectations, so we decided to build our own - a tool made by designers, for designers.** We wanted [interior designers](https://www.raya.design/en/for-interior-designers) and [architects](https://www.raya.design/en/for-architects) to create visualizations on their own: without months of learning complex render engines, without an expensive computer and without waiting for the final image. We have been making courses for designers for years, so we know their expectations and requirements well - and every Raya feature is built on them. Raya launched in April 2026 and has been growing fast ever since. We keep improving the quality of visualizations and adding new features. - **April 2026** - Raya launch - **7** - programs with a Raya plugin ## AI visualizations without writing prompts We designed Raya primarily for interior designers and architects. We want creating a visualization to be as simple as possible, while giving more demanding users full control over the result. - **Presets instead of prompts** - You upload a view from your 3D model, choose the room type and time of day, and Raya generates a visualization in under a minute. **The generation system works without writing prompts, so you don’t have to learn how to talk to AI.** - **Control for demanding users** - You can [select a part of the image and change only that part](https://www.raya.design/en/edit), describe the fix in your own comment or upload references - a photo of a material, a piece of furniture or an interior whose mood you want to match. - **Plugins for 7 programs** - To simplify the design process even further, we built [plugins for 7 programs](https://www.raya.design/en/plugins): SketchUp, ArchiCAD, Revit, 3ds Max, pCon.planner, Rhino, and Blender. You generate visualizations without leaving the program you design in. - **No powerful computer, no waiting** - The computing happens on our side, so you can generate a photorealistic visualization even on a laptop without a powerful graphics card. The finished image is ready in under a minute, not after a night of rendering. ## Who builds Raya Raya was founded by Mateusz Ciećwierz and Piotr Kurpiewski. Both are architects by training, have worked in 3D graphics for years and run CG Wisdom together. ### Mateusz Ciećwierz *Co-founder of Raya, founder of CG Wisdom* Architect and 3D artist, graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology. He got into 3D graphics while still studying: he taught 3ds Max, worked with an architectural visualization studio and later created visualizations and 3D models as a freelancer. In 2013 he founded CG Wisdom, and he has authored more than 25 courses, mainly on 3ds Max and V-Ray. [Author profile on CG Wisdom](https://cgwisdom.pl/nasi-autorzy/mateusz-ciecwierz.html) ### Piotr Kurpiewski *Co-founder of Raya, partner at CG Wisdom* Architect and graphic designer, graduate in architecture and urban planning from the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk University of Technology. He founded the visualization studio niuanse and ModelUp, a platform with 3D models for SketchUp. Since 2019 he has taught his own computer-aided design course at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw. He has spoken at many conferences about using AI in design. For years he has been creating SketchUp and V-Ray courses for CG Wisdom. [Author profile on CG Wisdom](https://cgwisdom.pl/nasi-autorzy/piotr-kurpiewski.html) ## CG Wisdom - how we know what designers need Mateusz Ciećwierz founded CG Wisdom in 2013 as the first service in Poland with professional online SketchUp courses. Piotr Kurpiewski has been creating courses for it for years, and since 2023 the two have run CG Wisdom together as partners. Today CG Wisdom offers more than 200 courses, taken by more than 10,000 people. **Working with students has taught us what designers expect from their tools, and we bring that knowledge into Raya.** [See courses on CG Wisdom](https://cgwisdom.pl) ## What designers say Our users notice it too: Raya was made with a designer’s work in mind. > The platform is genuinely great — its focus on design makes working with visualizations much easier and faster. You can tell it is built by people who truly understand the field and answer real needs right on point! :) > > - Joanna Goldsztajn, Interior Designer > You can tell Raya was built specifically for creating visualizations, not as just another all-purpose AI tool. The predefined features really make the work easier and let you focus on the project instead of fine-tuning prompts. Being able to edit selected parts of a visualization, add reference photos and carry a style across renders works great for keeping a consistent mood. Another big plus is the support — fast, helpful and genuinely engaged. > > - Natalia Jabłońska, Natalia Jabłońska Architektura Wnętrz Read more in the [reviews from architects and interior designers](https://www.raya.design/en/testimonials), together with their before and after projects. ## Ready to build with AI? Start creating stunning architectural visualizations in minutes. No credit card required. [Try for free](https://www.raya.design/en/login)