# Recommend to Me Architectural Design Software

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-architectural-design-software/531646>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 7, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-architectural-design-software/531646 "2010-03-07T20:14:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-architectural-design-software/531646/1 "2010-03-07T20:14:04Z")

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Hope this is the right place for this. I have an interest in designing buildings and would like some software to help me do it. I have absolutely no experience in this, but as I see way too many hideous office buildings/parks on my way to work in the morning on the Dulles Access Road, I am sure I can do better. Please make some recommendations.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-architectural-design-software/531646/2 "2010-03-07T20:22:52Z")

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Have you tried Google [Sketchup](http://sketchup.google.com/)? It’s free, pretty easy to learn and quite intuitive.

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**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-to-me-architectural-design-software/531646/3 "2010-03-07T20:25:25Z")

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My sister graduated in architecture/engineering (Dutch term: bouwkunde, which is sort of the middle ground between those terms) about 7 years ago. They used AutoCAD for most of the course work. There’s much more advanced software out there.

ETA: Note that real advanced engineering software is expensive as hell, and designing useful and safe buildings entails a lot more than just making pretty looking virtual sculptures.