Questions from an idiot

TL:DR - what software to I need to model bespoke carved timber hich is compatible with a CNC machine, but can also be easily exported into a visualisation software for the purpose of creating high quality visuals for the client?

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Hi there, complete newbie to CNC here!

I work for a company that designs timber playground equipment, and our pipeline has historically been pretty straightforward:

- Design 2D layout in CAD, export to 3DS Max, render visuals.

However, our company has recently acquired a CNC machine, and is looking to create completely bespoke carved equipment (3D totem poles, engravings etc). As a result, we're needing to look at completely changing how we do things.

What software do we need for this? I imagine Solidworks/Vectorworks as standard, along with CAD. Do we also need Zbrush for sculpting, creating relief alphas etc?

We also need to create visualisations for the client prior to manufacture, but I don't understand how that would work with the rest of the pipeline.

My (very basic) understanding is that the pipeline would go something like this:

- Model basic geometry in SW

- Sculpt engravings in Zbrush

-Import alphas from Zbrush to Solidworks (send this to the factory guys for manufacture)

-Then somehow create UVs for this model

-Use something like Substance to bake displacement maps onto the basic geometry

-Render this geometry, complete with maps, in a visualisation software, i.e. 3DS Max

The above seems insanely inefficient, and I'm hoping that there's a much quicker way to simultaneously create workable models for manufacture, which can also easily be rendered for visualisation purposes

(Sorry about the terrible wording, I come from an archviz background, and don't really have the venacular for this aspect of 3D modelling).