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General Software Discussion / Re: Software for planning wood bookcases/cabinets/tables etc?
« on: October 14, 2015, 12:07 AM »
The one you know how to use!
Seriously, most anything from Sketchup to Solidworks will suffice for the work I see here.
It all depends on what you are comfortable using, or learning.
If this is a new pursuit for you ( designing on computer) I'd keep it simple.
The more capable pro design packages give you endless flexibility which comes in handy is special situations.
The downside is all those options can be overwhelming. Rhino has 10 options for drawing a circle, for instance.
A lot of people like Sketchup and you can't beat the price.
There are many good tutorials online and some are specific to woodworking.
That said if you have any experience with other CAD programs you might find it confusing to transition. ( I know I have to switch my hat around when I switch to Sketchup)
Another consideration is 2D vs 3D.
If you are used to working in traditional 2D drafting methods ( top, front and side views) you could work with almost any vector drawing program ( Adobe Illustrator for one) I've done many quick full scale layouts in Illustrator that get the job done.
It doesn't automatically give you dimensions, but there are tools that will give you what you need.
Sorry for the long rambling answer, but there are many options and most of them will work.
There are several very capable Sketchup users on here who I hope will chime in from that perspective.
It may well be the way to go.
Good luck
Seriously, most anything from Sketchup to Solidworks will suffice for the work I see here.
It all depends on what you are comfortable using, or learning.
If this is a new pursuit for you ( designing on computer) I'd keep it simple.
The more capable pro design packages give you endless flexibility which comes in handy is special situations.
The downside is all those options can be overwhelming. Rhino has 10 options for drawing a circle, for instance.
A lot of people like Sketchup and you can't beat the price.
There are many good tutorials online and some are specific to woodworking.
That said if you have any experience with other CAD programs you might find it confusing to transition. ( I know I have to switch my hat around when I switch to Sketchup)
Another consideration is 2D vs 3D.
If you are used to working in traditional 2D drafting methods ( top, front and side views) you could work with almost any vector drawing program ( Adobe Illustrator for one) I've done many quick full scale layouts in Illustrator that get the job done.
It doesn't automatically give you dimensions, but there are tools that will give you what you need.
Sorry for the long rambling answer, but there are many options and most of them will work.
There are several very capable Sketchup users on here who I hope will chime in from that perspective.
It may well be the way to go.
Good luck
