Replies

1. 
   BigFrank | Jan 17, 2007 12:29am | #1

   Have you tried Google Sketch-Up? Its free and is quite powerful. The learning curve is steep, but once you are there you can do some pretty sophisticated stuff. Simple is also doable - and even easier! :-)

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 17, 2007 01:04am | #2

   BigFrank,

   How does the free program compare to Sketchup Pro, the full version?

   Rich

1. 
   BigFrank | Jan 17, 2007 01:08am | #3

   It compares *very* favorably.the pro version, in fact, doesn't really have any new features - it has more access to a library of components, materials and models, but for woodworking I don't find them to be useful at all.Really, the free version does everything you would want from the pro version.

1. 
   BigFrank | Jan 17, 2007 01:13am | #4

   As an example, Here is a hall table I am designing for myself using the free version of SketchUp.

   
1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 17, 2007 01:51am | #5

   That's excellent.

   I have the full version. I got it for a major add-on project to our house a year ago. It took several months before I could do even the most basic things. Then things "clicked" and I was able to do pretty sophisticated things.

   Now I'm using it for furniture design. It has really saved a lot of hassle by allowing me to work out complex joinery. I'm in the process of designing a complete kitchen remodel and it has already let me catch a number of mistakes which would have cost a lot of time and materials.

   I'm glad to hear the free version is so capable, because I'm often asked for recommendations about software.

   There is no getting around the "learning curve," however. It's not CAD software and it's not Adobe Illustrator. I've had lots of experience with those. SU has its own way of doing things. If you fight it and try to use concepts from other graphics programs, you're in for a lot of frustration. When you get used to its way of working, it's obvious its programmers really knew how to design this kind of 3D program.

   Rich

2. 
   BigFrank | Jan 17, 2007 02:05am | #6

   No kidding! It took me *forever* to figure out how to draw things so that if I put one object up against another they wouldn't turn into one big object! Once I figured that out (and the fact that i really wanted every "primitive" piece of wood to be its own group) then everything fell into place. Now I can do dovetailed drawers in full detail with each piece of wood and its joinery all there in correct detail.Now I just need to get my woodworking skills to match my sketchup skills! ;-)

3. 
   Rich14 | Jan 17, 2007 02:12am | #7

   "Once I figured that out (and the fact that i really wanted every "primitive" piece of wood to be its own group"

   That's one of the biggest secrets in the program. Once one discovers the power in that simple fact, things start to improve fast.

   The term "group" is a little misleading, because it 's a fundamentally different thing in most other graphic programs.

   Organization in this program is by grouping, not by layers. In fact, layers are almost unnecessary and can actually cause confusion because it's very easy to put elements of a single entity on different layers. That's disaster!

   Group everything. I group primitive shapes, then combinations of primitive shapes, etc.

   Rich

4. 
   Rob Brown | Jan 17, 2007 04:33am | #8

   Thanks for letting me know about sketchup. I have downloaded it and am going to start to try to figure it out tomorrow. I have used AutoCAD extensively. What are the main differences? Are there a couple of pointers you could give someone who knows AutoCAD (or not) and wanted to try their hand at Sketchup?

5. 
   Rich14 | Jan 17, 2007 06:25am | #9

   Rob, Forget AutoCad. You need a completely open mind to use Sketch Up. It is nothing at all like any CAD program. Download the free demos and tutorials. They are great. Rich

2. 
   kenshep | Feb 14, 2007 06:27am | #10

   Hi Rob,

     Openoffice.org is a free software suite from Sun.  I use it instead of sending money to Bill Gates every couple of years to buy the latest version of MS Office.  It has a sketch program in it for free.  Also, a word processor, data base, math equation editor, slide presentation application and a spreadsheet.

     Also, if you have excel already, I have used the drawing tools in it for drawing two dimensional plans.  You can set up the cells with gridlines to make scale drawings to your liking, i.e. one small square equals 1 foot, etc...

     Want an alternative browser for free?  Mozilla.org  I use firefox as mine and thunderbird instead of Outlook.  Fewer problems with viruses so far.

   Free is good.

    

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

1. 
   atfsaw | Feb 22, 2007 02:33am | #11

   A few candidates:
   DesignCad 3D approx $69
   Sketchup free, $600 for pro
   TurboCad
   DeltaCad

1. 
   jeff100 | Feb 22, 2007 11:09am | #12

   I just bought TurboCAD Pro Version 11.2 for $165.00. Been using TurboCAD Deluxe Ver. 11.0 for last few months and it's a full featured package. The Deluxe version would suffice for most people doing woodworking. The Pro version includes the full engineering/architecture package including constraint based modeling.Jeff

2. 
   woodman1549 | Feb 22, 2007 07:55pm | #13

   I have Design cad 3D 14 and it works good but I don't use the 3D too much 2D is good enough for me and I bought it off ebay for a really good price . Yopu can probabely get Design Cad 17 now for the same price. Good luck Mark.Have fun woodworking but respect your tools

1. 
   davidraynalds | Mar 08, 2007 09:17am | #14

   I use Drawingboard which was the easiest CAD program to learn but I think it was discontinued. For 3D I use Turbocad Standard version 8 that I bought on Ebay for 15.00. I have been tempted to upgrade to the Pro version but I am waiting for the version 9 or 10 to drop a little in price. Going from 2D to 3D was very difficult but I am starting to get the hang of it. If you buy an older version on Ebay make sure you get a printed book.
   Dave