Design software?

rem1970

12 years ago

I tried posting this on the bathrooms forum but it's not as active over there. People on GW are so helpful and friendly I thought I'd give it a shot -- apologies for the double post.

I need to download some 3d software so that I can make some drawings and hopefully get some advice on my mom's bathroom remodel. I tried using the one on the Kohler site, but that program constantly freezes and crashes on me. I also find it a bit limiting.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am a very visual person, and it's killing me not to be able to render some of the ideas in my head.

Thanks!

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Comments (10)

colorfast
12 years ago
I feel for you. I did not have good luck with Punch, which came with my kitchen design book.
breezygirl
12 years ago
Have you tried Google Sketch Up? Free download. I didn't have time to tinker and it didn't seem intuitive to me so I gave up on it. Many here have had good luck with it.
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rem1970
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks breezygirl, I'll give it a try. I can't draw the traditional way to save my life, so really hope I find some design software that works.
cabinfo
12 years ago
You're pretty much in the out of luck department, with some wiggle room...

Merillat has a "design tool" they unveiled this year, but I don't know as it was much better than anything else out there. There might be some sort of opensource CAD program you can grab, but I hunt through sourceforge.net and freshmeat.net regularly looking for said program; haven't found one yet.
I use Linux, so I'd love to find an app I can run on that platform; all of the commercial ones run on Mac or that other monstrosity out of Redmond.

If I ever do find one, I intend on screaming it from the rooftops, so you guys will hear about it.
invadersmall
12 years ago
Google sketch up is great but it does require a bit of time invested in learning the actual program. Its definitely worth trying because its free and it works very well once you become familiar with it.

Chief Architect makes a program called home designer which is an amazingly detailed program that you can buy. There are ranges in price from the basics to the pricier professional programs. Its very user friendly. I did a lot of looking into programs that give you a great 3d visual of your 2d plans down to the details. I highly recommend it.
rem1970
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks so much for the info, I will look into these.
cosmocat
12 years ago
Lowes, home depot and Ikea have online programs. They aren't that hard but don't give a ton of options but you do get 3d and you can change colors and materials.
tinker_2006
12 years ago
Chief Architect.. It's great! I'm able to see any of my house in 3 D and "walk" through it.
Tex-Sun
12 years ago
Another thumbs up for Chief Architect. I started with the Home Designer Essentials, then upgraded to the Home Designer Pro version. It is worth the money for me. You can do a free trial of the Pro version (can't save anything with the demo though). Tried the google sketchup and punch software but found both too frustrating.
User
12 years ago
I also used Chief Architect. It looks like it can do just about anything, but I found glitches I couldn't get past without spending more time learning it than I had available. However, I was able to design my spaces, and visualize them in 3D, which in a few specific cases was very very helpful.