Has anyone used a software application for visualizing design & rebuilding projects before actually cutting wood?
I’ve tried one package that cost me about $100 at a retail store, it had lots of building tools & a 3D rendering feature, but the program was pretty lousy all around.
Any info & experience woudl be appreciated.
Thanks,
-Beach Guy
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Replies
Throw the words Softplan, Vectorworks, Chief Architect into the search engine and you'll see a ton of discussions on same topic.
Check out sketchup, about 500 bucks, but well worth it.
Tom
I'm here to help the humans.
Beach Guy,
I was also interested in some design software and tried Home Architect and was frustrated by its limitations. Right now I am taking a beginning CAD class at a community college and am loving it. Next semester I will be moving into Architectural Design and plan on buying the same software the school uses. Check out http://www.thecadstore.com for a list of software and prices. Architectural Desktop goes for $369 although without taking a class it could be difficult to figure out.
Good question, I often wonder about the cheif architect, etc, programs that claim to take the plan and do everything for you, a model, rendering, schedules, etc. I didn't want to spend the extreme amount of money for some of the software out there though, and it seems the sky is the limit.
But taking classes might be a good suggestion, There are so many fassets to these programs that I still learn something everyday about Cad that I did not know. All it takes is seeing someone use a command one time to learn something new. A good background is the key. I started taking Cad classes in 94 (autoCad v.13) and I still get sent off to training everytime my company updates our CAD system. Even with my computer experience I still wouldn't be able to produce a good computer 3-D rendering.
Your local college might be the place to find the software you are looking for. The teacher, and especially the kids can tell you the newest programs that you can use. They say you should bring both a young person and a gray haired person to a meeting with a client, and the young person will be looked upon for any technical questions. Personally I am going to purchase AutoCad LT for my 2-D work and I would call a younger guy I used to work with to do any computer 3-D rendering. I remember him using Form-Z at the local college for rendering but that might be more then what you are looking for.
Dan