Can anyone recommend building design software?

[Tom Rick]

I need something dead simple to just throw together a conceptual sketch for a shop design. That is- exterior elevations- how the building will look.

I have Autocad but don't want to anything like that involved- just something that can slap a roof of given pitch on a given footprint and show some windows siding etc.

Down loadable would be nice and free nicer but I will pay a few bucks to get this done.

Thanks all

[Mitchell Andrus]

Google Sketchup. Anything you pick will have a learning curve, but after just a few tutorials (on the Sketchup site and/or Youtube) you'll be ready to do a few concept drawings.


The basics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfH_cyXa1o

.

[Britt Lifsey]

Second the SketchUp suggestion!

[Tom Rick]

Thanks guys.
Perfect for what I need. I have the walls up the roof on and am trying to figure out how to model the eaves then some shingles and will get this thing in siding tonight.

[Brendan Plavis]

Chief architect v12..... draw the walls... it auto adds the siding, layers, etc, tell it to add a roof, it does, tell it to add the framing automatically, it does. Then you can sit back with a 3d camera, and enjoy...

All for the measly sum of $11,000 +/-

[Stew Hagerty]

Without a doubt, 3D Home Architect by Broderbund. I have used it for years to design everything everything from sheds to complete homes. It will even save files in autocad format so you can print off full size blueprints. It is very simple to use, you can put in fixtures, electrical, and even finishes if you want. Then you can print off a complete materials list that is pretty accurate. I believe the current version comes with landscaping functions as well.

I have used several different programs over the years and you just can't beat this for the price (I think it is only around $40).

[Charlie Kocourek]

I used 3D Home Architect when I built my house. It was great, and very easy to use. I didn't get too fancy, and I used it mostly for laying out the floorplan. I have a friend who is a remodeling contractor. He uses Chief and he told me that 3D Home Architect was similar to the commercial software that he uses.

[Will Hon]

Working in the architectural profession, I can tell what is used by 99% of firms.

Sketchup -> 3d Studio Max (you model the building in Sketchup and then export the file to 3ds Max to render "lifelike images")

Revit -> 3d Studio Max (same system as before, accept Revit allows you to throw in mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, and cut exact sections through your building at any point right down to the sheething, and a whole host of other things.... which is nice and all. But imho, Revit lacks the intuitive interface of Sketchup, pigeonholes your design into vary... generic buildings, and frankly costs a lot more money.

Or, if your good, you can just model everything in 3ds Max, which can be extremely overwhelming for most, but once you get the hang of it, it is the most powerful modeling program out there.

This is a topic that I could talk about and stretch out over a hundred posts. I would just say, do yourself a favor, and model in Sketchup. heck you can even download a program called Kerkythea "free" to render in (if you even need to). By no means is Kerkythea a 3dsmax, but it can definitely with the right tweaking churn out some pretty good stuff.

[Alan Lilly]

If your a woodworker... I have 3 words for you...
sketchup, sketchup, sketchup.

[Stew Hagerty]

3-D Home Architect is actually based on Chief Architect. And, yes, they are similar, except that 3-D is $2500 less that CA. I have found that while 3-D is very limited compared to CA, it is simpler to learn and more intuitive to use.