I’m planning a new workshop/studio.
I’ve used the line tools in Word to rough out a floorplan. But that’s not to any scale.
Can you recommend shareware for or a reasonably priced retail package? I’m running Windows 7.
I don’t need anything fancy. No 3d or virtual rooms. I don’t want to wait an hour or two for it to render a house. Just need a scaled floorplan.
It would be nice if it drew walls at the correct thickness. A typical studded interior wall is 5 inches (two layers of 3/4" sheetrock, and a dressed 2x4 is 3.5").
I also need to draw out a cabinet diagram to scale. Indicating the dimensions of each cubbyhole in the cabinet.
That software looks very promising. The price $0 looks good too.
Is the furniture scaled? What happens if you put a sofa on a three foot wall? Is it smart enough to show it sticking out into a doorway? Like real life. LOL Arranging furniture to fit a space can be challenging.
Everything has a size.
You can edit object attributes to change their size (like making a couch 5.5’ instead of 6’). It’s not a perfect program, but the price is right, and you can do a lot with it.
When I fixed up our basement I made a very detailed (and to scale) floor plan using PowerPoint. It worked out well.
Yea, there’s better software out there for doing it. But I knew how to use PP, and didn’t want to invest the time (and possibly money) to learn something new.
SketchUp is a very powerful tool, especially as a 3D modeling application. It’s free, but they are smart about one thing-- if you want PRINT TO SCALE, you have to buy the pro version. Still, you can add a scale to your drawing and whenever you print it, you’ll have the reference. You just can’t control it to print to, say, 1/4" = 1’ 0" (a standard architectural scale).
I think any of the home design programs at Best Buy or online that have furniture, windows, doors, etc that you just drop in place. I have used a couple over the years but forget which ones. And a standard wall is 4 1/2" unless 3/4" drywall is required in your area, but you can probably adjust the default thickness anyway.
You shouldn’t have to pay more then $19.99. The better ones are far more competent on the exterior but it sounds like you don’t need that.
Draftsight is a free completely functional auto ad substitute. All the commands work the same.
Bit of a learning. It even but you could make any floor plan, use viewports and scale it however you like.
I would be shocked to find 3/4" drywall on a wall. As noted, 1/2" is standard and 5/8" if you need a firewall, or just want more heat/sound insulation. But 3/4"? Where do you live?
Glad to see there are some easy options for drawing.
I threw out my drafting board, T-square and triangles decades ago. The school made me take a one semester drafting course for my electronics major. Always hated the fussiness of drafting. Eraser Shields and all the other stuff. I always lost points on my projects for one thing or another.
??? All of 'em will draw rectangles. How, in a floor plan, does it matter if it’s a shelf, cage, cabinet, or whatnot?
Heck, you can do a fine job just using MS Paint, drawing rectangles, and moving 'em around.
Where I used to work, the building manager drew the floor plans of the factory building using Excel!
Obviously, the OP wants a bit more precision than that, but if you’re just looking to rearrange a room, you might even be happy cutting out rectangles of paper and sliding 'em around. There are times when stone-age tech still gets the job done!
If you’re in the habit of drawing detailed plans for things, getting and learning the basics of TurboCAD is a worthwhile endeavor. I haven’t built anything of any complexity for years without first laying it out in TC. You work with all the options, make all the changes, add an inch here or there, switch to thinner material, whatever… and THEN you start cutting from pattern sizes and fixed measurements. So much easier than doing all of that on the fly, in the shop, and probably screwing up a lot of small steps on the way.
But it’s only one approach. I’ve built many things by grabbing a cut piece of plywood and a pencil and using eyeball and experience, too.
I used QuickCAD (doesn’t seem available any more, I think AutoCAD got them) to create plans for a two story addition that I built. I also drew an isometric plan. I used these to submit to the building department for a permit (to scale of course).
I also used Chief Architect to design a complete rebuild/redesign of our kitchen and main bathroom.
I’m now doing an R & R on a mud room/entry way.
I ended up buying TurboCAD and a new version of Chief Architect. Really did not need both, but like having them. I very much like Chief Architect (there are different levels and costs). It allows you to move doors and windows and add objects very, very easily. IMHO, it’s very nice to be able/change things quickly, look at them in plan view/elevation/3d to get a feel for it.
aceplace - whatever you get, free or purchased, look closely at the video card/graphics driver requirements.
~ enipla, draftsman, cartographer, GIS since 1982.
Well, different tools. The latter is almost entirely for drawing floorplans and construction blueprints, and as you say, has all kinds of tools to simplify that range of use.
TC is more general (although later versions do have an architectural mode), and I use it for designing all kinds of small things with close tolerances - a giant reptile cage, a decorative kindling box, an artistic umbrella stand, a wood rick, a temporary long-lumber trolley, a teleprompter and a massive trilevel deck, among other things. I find it very useful when I am working with one or more expensive, precisely-sized elements (the plexi for the front of the lizard cage, the special glass for the teleprompter, the premade granite base of the umbrella stand, etc.) so that I can refine every other piece to fit before I fire up a saw.
It’s a quirky tool, and I wish I could still afford AutoCAD (if ya know what I mean), but it works for my purposes. Even does a nice job of 3D renders I can show someone to get feedback and changes.
I pretty much build everything like a kit, I do lay out on paper with all my measurements then cut everything out all at once. I would much prefer a computer program as making changes would ne much easier.
I was also going to suggest Draftsight. It does take some practice, but the end product is very, very good. I use it for everything from floorplans to riser diagrams.
I’ll also point out that you asked about drawing floorplans “to scale.” With a CAD program, you don’t really draw things to scale. The drawings are “actual size” while you are using the program. You will draw a 10’ x 12’ room as a virtual 10’ x 12’ room. You scale it when you print/plot it. In other words, you don’t draw a 1/4" line to represent 1’ because it’s in 1:48 scale. When you print it, you scale the drawing to fit the paper, which might be 1/4"=1" or 1/2"=1" or whatever. This is a simple concept that many new CAD operators have to learn.
One useful feature would be placing electrical outlets in the rooms.
The spacing is pretty standard by code.
It would be great if that was a single click command. Populate the walls with outlets.
Ceiling lights are usually centered in a room. Switch by the door. That could be a single click command.
Don’t know if these programs are that smart. Sure would be useful.
Just need a scaled floorplan.