3D design software, building models
rentacarpenter
| Posted in General Discussion on
Can anyone comment on the most practical to use homebuilding design software? I would like to show my clients what I plan to build before I build it. I am looking for a software to use that I don’t have to go back to college to learn. I like to be able to model the space or structure in 3D and be able to have my blueprint guy print the design for me on blueprint sized paper. Also I would like to have a actual model built of a house I’ve designed. Who can I hire to do that for me?
Replies
Who can I hire to do that for me? An architect.
If you want to do it yourself, do a search here or browse the folders for discussions about cad programs. Bring a fat checkbook.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
You sound like a candidate for Sketchup which is owned by google and is primarily 3d. It is free for the basic.
And some guys are so good with it, I wouldn't be surprised if when they hit "print" a 3d model pops out the back of the PC
;)
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I'm not so sure that Sketchup would be the right choice for a 3d modeling program if he's going to want to design houses with it. Sketchup would be very difficult and slow to tweak. Each layer gets locked to build another layer. Moving wall would be a nightmare.I think.... FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
Have you ever used Sketch up? Can I use it to generate blueprints? What do you think of the ease of use of Sketch up?
you know Paul, i think what we should do is plan a 6 hour charrete at Doud's ( or Diesel's..... or whoever )
we could do a hands on learning of Softplan
Sketchup ... &
Chief
say two hours each.. with beer
by next August i should have a handle on our new version X1 ( vs. 11 )
anyways... Chief has a portion of the program that converts plans into scale cutout models, with folds & tabs.......
or you can cut them and paste them onto foam board to get the correct plane thickness ( walls, foundations , roofs )Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I hope I can figure out Chief by next August too! I was serious when I suggested pencil and paper because neither SU or Chief or Softplan qualifies as a minimum learning curve which he requested.Chief is fairly easy if simple designs are the norm. It's tweaking it and getting past the quirks that takes me the most time.I'm also semi-getting a handle on the layer set thing. My eyes are just cracking to the powerful tool that this will be.Once I get a handle on this program, I plan on putting a viewer in the lead carpenters laptop. They will be able to look at all the complex frame issues in a 3d walkthrough. Every item in the material list will be line itemed. The exterior finish details can be scrutinized from a 3d point of view. Subtle roof issues will easily be exploded and the solutions easily sorted out. These efficiencies will save ten times the cost of the program every year on one crew, maybe more. Still plucking away... FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
yes... layers is where i'm spending my learning time now too..
Dan Bauman does a good job of teaching it... but i still have to go back thru the tutorials again & again... i think the hardest part is staying awake
i'll tell you another good thing to look for
when they have one of those big regional meetings of a Chief User's Group... sign up for the Advanced Class
you may not think of yourself as Advanced, but believe me.... you are
i think my categories go like this:
newbie
intermediate
Advanced
power user
GuruMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I want to order some tutorials but I'm afraid that they'll gather dust. I bought the SU book and couldn't get past five or ten pages. I don't know that I could even start watching a set of tutorials if the entire set is more than thirty minutes LOL. I'm much too A.D.D! I probably will invest some time into the regional CA thing. I can see that I will be investing substantial time at this design thing. It seems to be the most natural step for me if I intend to stay involved in construction in any form. I'm horrible at project management, can't build anythign any more and can't stand others designing for us. Maybe if I run into the right type of architect, engineer or cad guy.I still might invest in a nice board though. I'm thinking I might like to do inks and pencils as a hobby. FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
i agree with you about the average person trying to develop a one-time plan should stick to pencil, triangles & scale rule
there is no learning curve
i had a drafting table for 20 years... problem is you can only tape one sheet at a time to the board
me.. i jump around in about three different projects ( probably ADD ) so the drafting board was like weraing handcuffsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'd be very interested in that.
I'd even let you win money from me playing golf for for some lessons <G>
But the lessons would be deductible, the gambling losses might not be
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
They are.
The latest issue of Fine Woodworking has an article on using SketchUp to design complex furniture and how the author uses it to see if the various joints will fit together. The author seems to be able to use SU as pretty much a true CAD program. I may have to give it another look but will probably stick with DesignCAD for now.
I have been using sketchup for many years now (since version 1.3) I have also been a long time user of several other CAD programs: AutoCad, ArchDesktop, Rhino, 3Dmax, Illustrator, etc. In between I have tried several popular programs spoke of here: Chief, Vectorworks, SoftPlan, 3Dhome arch., Revit, etc. Professionally, Sketchup is my #1 program. It is the easiest to learn because it was designed to be intuitive to the beginner. It is fast yet powerful. I can always impress a client by having at least one fully rendered house/remod drawing or at least 3 rendered cabinet designs BY THE NEXT DAY. There is a little fine tuning that may be needed, but only if I were to hand off to another carpenter. I can output a complete set of plans in about 3 days that anyone could build off of. One of the greatest uses of sketchup is to quickly and accurately figure out complex framing issues in 3D space then perfectly cut all the pieces needed on the first try. I've had to pull out my laptop to make design changes onsite just before building. The ability to create 3d objects without restraint is another advantage to sketchup. Some programs bug out when you try to build something non-standard. I remember Arch.Desk. wouldn't allow you to add a skylight so I had to "trick" the software to allow a window to install in the roof at an angle. It was a PITA to say the least. Now I can install a virtual skylight in less than a minute. Clients love seeing that kind of thing happen right in front of their eyes. Oh and the best part about Sketchup...It's free for beginners. You lose some of the abilities but nothing you'll miss. Won't print to scale if that is really a problem (many prints I have been given by professional archs/designers weren't to scale). As long as dimensions are there, no prob.IMHO, Everyone should learn Sketchup; It is the future of CAD. It is the next monster like AutoCad. Think about it, those geniuses at Google go and offer free use of their program that was designed to be easy for non-CAD users to learn. By doing so, they are setting themselves up to be the new operating standard. And all the while, the pro version will continue to become more and more powerful but still based on the basic principals. Heck, I just got a V-ray plug in that can output renderings that you would swear were real photos. That part is a little more complex to figure out. But a lot of fun to do.gk
Thanks alot for sharing your experience with me. I appreciate your time and expertise. I do believe I will give SU a try.
And thanks to all for your input reguarding SU. Your help is much appreciated.
Sounds like a good idea. I have still not done much with sketch up, but by then I expect to be full time designing and likely to be on the latest of SP.SP does have a 'Profile' mode that could be used to cutout foam or cardboard walls.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Jim, you are right about house design, and partly right about blueprinting. Gene has a pretty good handle on that, but the reason I mentioned SU to this fellah is that he was talking 3D modeling and that he still has a third party do the blueprints anyways.. For me, I would rather work on SP which gets all the details in on the first pass pretty much, but there is something to be said for the concept method of design presentation. With SP, by the time I have a concept to present, I have nearly finished the design too. So I try to do the concept presentations with freehand sketching and personal description, which is how I have seen architects work also.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I use SU quite a bit but in a recent discussion (in the last month or so) here I see that Chief and others has a better output. SU can do a lot for 3d modeling, I use it to make working drawings for less than capable crews (with good motivation)or as a means to convey details of how I want things done to eliminate confusion (a picture is worth a thousand words). What is lacking in SU (at least the freeware version I use) is the lack of title block capability, line type/quality and a few others that don't come to mind right now. Supposedly print options on the paid version allow scaling (prints 1/4" = 1' etc) but I don't think the $ version covers all the issues I've encountered.
You may find that your local BI will accept what you can print from SU and it will work for you. If the desire is there you can make SU work in your favor to get your output but it still doens't resemble a set of traditional blue prints. The free software is still pretty powerful but your time is $$$. I do think it's worth a try for you since the cost offsets the risk fo time lost but it may not be the far reaching 3d software your looking for.
Have you searched the archives here (under Advanced Search) for Sketchup and the rest? Look for Chief Architect, Softplan etc...
You should go to school. A couple months of night classes at your local community college will be enough. Then you'll know it for the rest of your life.
CAD is one of the most useful programs you'll learn.
http://sketchup.google.com/ The freebie of which our esteemed Oracle spoke/wrote. I heard his voice, didn't you? ;)
The latest issue of Fine Woodworking has an article on Sketch Up