3D CAD software for designers and installers
More and more carpenters, kitchen and bath installers, shop and interior designers, landscape gardeners, and deck and barn builders are realizing the need and benefits of getting off the drawing board and using a CAD system as your main design tool. The long-term benefits are substantial in terms of time and cost, and learning to plan in some CAD packages is easy enough for anyone in these businesses, especially those used to reading plans.
Some CAD programs are purely 2D, but more and more customers want to be able to view designs in 3D to get a clear idea of what the building will look like in the end, and now this is possible with software that costs about as much. like drawing board. You can also photograph an existing interior, building or lot, import the image into your computer (this takes two minutes), and overlay your revised design to present to the client. This level of technology, while easy to learn, gives any designer/builder an edge over their competition, especially if the opposition still relies on 2D drawings.
The first steps in putting together the design are no different on a computer than they are on the drawing board. There are a few lessons to be learned, but for many packages this can take just a day, and there is often online or phone help when you get stuck. The three big benefits of going off the drawing board are, first, that bugs and changes are easily fixed. Second, regularly used components can be stored and simply placed, without the need to redraw each time. Third, drawings can be submitted electronically to clients, manufacturers, or possibly local authorities via the planning portal, for planning permission and feedback.
Most designs, in all areas of construction, will need to be changed at some point to a greater or lesser degree. It may be that the client changes his mind or that the local authorities establish restrictions. In the past this may have meant starting over with a new drawing, but with a CAD drawing this is accomplished seamlessly by simply updating your drawing. Because it’s easy to edit, it’s also easy to present variations of a basic design to the client without having to draw each one individually. Different color combinations or wood finishes can be displayed with two mouse clicks and after a while being able to “walk through” your proposed design will impress and win the contract.
It is important that the CAD system can read all major file formats, as many as possible. As long as this is the case, exchanging files with other companies and other designers is not a problem. It will also make it possible to read Sketch Up files and build on top of them. Being able to save as PDF will allow you to send designs to those who don’t have their own CAD package for their approval or comment.
Once the fundamental skills are learned, designs will take a fraction of the time they used to, or if you’ve been paying an architect or CAD professional, it will save you thousands of pounds in costs.
The more you use CAD, the more you learn and the more possibilities begin to open up. Large libraries of materials are available to be imposed on a surface with a mouse click. Bricks can be placed in Stretcher, Common, Flemish, English, Stackable, and Rowing. The veins of the wood can be opened, change direction or color and there are metals, marbles, stones, textiles, wooden floors, etc., etc. Both indoor and outdoor furniture can be downloaded for free and inserted into your design to give it a more realistic look. The lighting can be changed to create shadows to add a bit of drama to the final display and it becomes fun.