What are the Alternatives for CAD for Home design?

Design require accurate drawing tools that can scale for large spaces. It’s amazing that there are programs out there that are able to make such accurate and large drawings. These programs are called Computer Aided Drafting or shortened is CAD.

These drafting programs can take a long time to learn and the robustness of these programs are adeptly paired with a price-tag of thousands of dollars.  There have been a few new programs made by smaller developer companies to help with the design process . Few of them are designed by women who are actively working in the industry.

An alternative solution for Bathroom, kitchen and new home design is Design Appy.  Design Appy is an iPad program that allows for the walls of a home ot be drawn and detailed out to scale.  This includes tile patterns, architectural elements and a background remover to place items into the space from your camera roll.

What is AutoCad?

AutoCad originated in 1982 for drawing engineering. AutoCAD is mainly used to generate 3D models of buildings and other structures. AutoCAD is used for many things like generating floor plans, elevations, and designing buildings. It can also be used to design furniture and items that need precise measurements like flooring and ceiling plans.

Autocad is a CAD (computer-aided design) software which can be used by professionals for designing or diagramming objects in two dimensions. It was originally developed by Autodesk, Inc. AutoCAD’s features are varied and include CAD, BIM, 3D modeling, parametric design, animation, rendering and more.

Autocad has features like offsetting lines, and BHatch its pattern making program that are not found in other programs. It allows for individual line to be drawn and for them to be connected to create shapes. Then you can fill that shape with a pattern and trim any extras off like gently cutting threads of yarn sticking out of lace. It’s great that it can do that, but in this day and age I need something different.

One of the benefits of using the larger Computer Aided Drafting is that it’s updated regularly. In other words, the user always gets to use the latest version, which improves their productivity and helps them create better designs. These large programs cannot be beat for Drafting home plans, elevations and creating the details needed for home design.

Every time a new edition of AutoCAD is released, users get an opportunity to purchase a discounted upgrade. The latest release of this CAD software costs around $2500 and includes 3D modeling features, which many competitors don’t have. The quality of your computer will impact the ease of use as well.

How long does it take to learn how to use CAD?

—AutoCAD is a powerful 3D CAD drawing program that can be used to create anything from architectural plans, to floor plans, to models. It’s a rectangle-based program with a steep learning curve. There are classes you can take to learn AutoCAD in college or Junior colleges to help create a full set of house drafted plans. Most interior designers take classes specifically to learn how to use Computer Aided drafting. I took a year of mechanical engineering AutoCad in college and even back them I knew it was not the easiest way for me to communicate with my clients. It’s an excellent program is precise and it’s hard to beat.

One of the benefits of using AutoCAD is that it’s updated regularly. In other words, the user always gets to use the latest version, which improves their productivity and helps them create better designs.

Every time a new edition of AutoCAD is released, users get an opportunity to purchase a discounted upgrade. The latest release of this CAD software costs around $2500 and includes 3D modellng features, which many competitors don’t have.

There are classes you can take to learn AutoCAD in college or Junior colleges to help create a full set of house drafted plans. Most interior designers take classes specifically to learn how to use Computer Aided drafting. I took a year of mechanical engineering AutoCad in college and even back them I knew it was not the easiest way for me to communicate with my clients. Its an excellent program is precise and it’s hard to beat.

Cad has features like offsetting lines, and BHatch its pattern making program that are not found in other programs. it allows for individual line to be drawn and for them to be connected to create shapes. Then you can fill that shape with a pattern and trim any extras off like gently cutting threads  sticking out of lace. It’s great that it can do that but in this day and age I need something different.

Is Computer Aided drafting necessary for Interior Design?

These large programs are so precise and large that it is beneficial to have something more agile and easier to use as well as part of your design solution.  So much of Interior Design involves working with the client and making progress along side them.

CAD is  software for drawing and diagramming. It has features like drawing and design, 3D modeling, drafting and detailed mechanical engineering images.  This much detail is sometimes not necessary for Interior Design .

It can be used in many fields like architecture, engineering, construction and interior design.

Autocad is one of the most well-known CAD tools. It has been around since 1982 and was originally developed by Autodesk, Inc. Today, autocad continues to be the best way to create professional quality drawings and designs for architects, engineers and designers.

It can be used to design anything from small objects like jewelry boxes to large scale projects like stadiums and hospitals.

Autodesk provides easy to use and beginner friendly programs for designing a house. One such software is kitchen and bath elevations drawing program, which helps in designing a kitchen or bathroom.

The level of expertise required for this software is average and hence suitable for individuals who wish to explore design or those who want to learn how to design a building.

—Other Programs in the Home Plans Program

Building your own house takes a lot of time and knowledge. Most people don’t know how to build their own home or what it even entails. This is where software programs come in handy.

Chief Architect, Vectorworks, Sketch up are all Computer aided Drafting software programs that help you to draw up blueprints for houses and other structures like garages, pools etc. These software programs are not free but they can give you the power to create your own home quickly and easily without having to go through the long process of trial and error.

Architects use a variety of tools to create plans for buildings. Chief Architect is an example of such a program. It is more than just a drawing program as it has many features that help with the design process. Vectorworks is another example of such a program that architects use. Sketch up is another type of software that architects can use, though its features are more specific to those who work on 3D designs and not so much on 2D drawings and sketches.

Is CAD easy to learn?

CAD was created with the intention of being user-friendly and easy for engineers to learn. There are plenty of tutorials that explain how to use it, and it is relatively inexpensive when compared to other CAD software. its relatively expensive to sign up for courses to learn how to use the Computer Aided Drawing.

-What Program do they use on HGTV

When watching the HGTV shows on TV there are video programs to help explain the design process. It’s combination of programs and each TV series uses their own style of program for their visuals. The types of programs they use are part of their production story. One show will use sketch up where another will use something like Autocad or vectorworks for their base drawing.

Step 2 then they will be put in sketchUP for the 3D tour, and that tour will be dropped into photoshop to use its shadows and layering features for images. Photoshop is the icing of a good visual. It has a greater depth for images out windows, lighting with true shadows and it adds everything to get to photo realism. The Adobe Suite can help create amazing visuals to show tours and I have seen some highly produced videos on their shows.

How long does it take for Someone to become Proficient

The Chief Architect is a really good software that you can use to do your house plans, hence the name.

The Chief Architect is an expensive program but for what you get with the program, the price is well worth it and you’ll be happy with your decision in the long run.

What does Design and Drafting Software cost? – The Chief Architect: $2000- $8000 depending on what features you want

Type of Computer Needed to Run these drafting Program

—The type of computer that is best for running computer aided drafting the requirements for running these types of programs. Most drafting programs run best on a windows base computer, it needs a good processor, video card and RAM. I am not here to tell you about the next computer you should buy, but I will point out that your typical work PC with no bell and whistles may run so slow you would want to Gough your eyes out with a rusty spoon. the better the equipment the easier it will be for the program to run. Check the requirements for the video card and a SSD drive will also help the program to run faster.