# Room planning software **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283 "2006-09-03T06:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/1 "2006-09-03T06:46:40Z")
ok, i’m currently living in a shoe box. I need to maximize my space. I have some measuring tape and I can measure my furniture. I’m looking for a peice of software where I can create 2d(birds eye view) versions of my furniture, then rearrange then easily in my room so that I can maximize my space. … now that I thought about this… is there anyway of getting photoshop to make scale peices of furniture? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/2 "2006-09-03T13:55:39Z")
Download the trial version of [Visio](http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010857981033.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/3 "2006-09-03T15:06:17Z")
Well, there’s a free 30-day trial for the software [Room Arranger](http://www.roomarranger.com/) available you might try. Or, for a quick and simple online app, try this [Room Planner](http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_wide/text/0,1783,HGTV_17897_23822,00.html) from HGTV. It’s not super detailed but it’s adequate to figure out if a furniture arrangement will fit without having to move all the furniture. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/4 "2006-09-03T16:03:51Z")
umm, I hate to spoil your party… but you can do all this with NO software whatsoever!!! You see, if you take a peice of graph paper, and a pair of scissors, and a pen, you can cut little cardboard cutouts of your furniture, and then arrange them on the paper using… your fingers. And yes, I’m being serious! I work professionally with computer graphics, and I have a great program for doing just what you want to do. It costs $3000 and takes about 2 months to learn to use, and a year or 2 to become proficient with. But when I sit down with the spouse and talk about rearranging stuff, I use the cardboard and scissors method. It really is easier! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/5 "2006-09-03T16:31:08Z")
That sounds interesting. And where can we download this mysterious “cardboard and scissors” program of which you speak? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/6 "2006-09-03T17:28:48Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I work professionally with computer graphics, and I have a great program for doing just what you want to do. It costs $3000 and takes about 2 months to learn to use, and a year or 2 to become proficient with. Yeah, I do CAD as well and sometimes I’ll sketch out a room plan in Microstation if I’ve got freetime at work. But, the little HGTV thing I linked is a really easy way to just get an idea of how a layout will work. I think it’s a lot easy to click and drag than to try to figure out where 4" is when you’ve used a foot per square of graph paper… ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/7 "2006-09-04T03:06:17Z")
I just got a new dining set, and I’m thinking about getting a TV but wasn’t sure if I had the room for it. That RoomPlanner link above was a big help! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/8 "2006-09-04T05:49:42Z")
thanks guys. You won’t believe how much stuff is now stuffed into my room. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/room-planning-software/371283/9 "2006-09-04T15:47:41Z")
MyFengShui?