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In search of ... someone using CAD software
Veign:
I've used both Inventor and Soildworks in my past life (I designed industrial fans - huge fans the size of houses). Both excellent applications and I believe both offer student pricing - does she qualify?.
Another option I've heard good things about, but never got the chance to use, is Rhino3D.
bob99:
Solid Edge 2D is professional-quality and free.
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/velocity/solidedge/free2d/index.shtml?stc=usiia400104&gclid=CJrSrbi3vasCFZAs7Aodhyd2xQ
-mrainey (September 27, 2011, 07:33 AM)
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This looks very good on the site and in the PDF brochure. I believe they are looking for more professional users though.
Here's the info needed to download:
In search of ... someone using CAD software
superboyac:
Whoo! This used to be my area of expertise not too long ago. Autocad is very expensive, but it can do anything. From what it sounds like, the price would make it overkill for what you described. If Autocad is overkill, any of the big 3D packages are way overkill, like Rhino, Solidworks, etc. i wouldn't go down that road.
I think Sketchup was a good suggestion. It's free and quite fun to use. It's not as easy as everyone makes it out to be, I think it's so fun that people think it's easier than it is. But with a few days of messing around, you'd be able to do some really great things with it.
Autocad is an amazing tool. A couple of years ago, I would have been considered a top expert with Autocad. In around 2005, I was offered a job to actually go around teaching people how to use a 3D version of one of their software branches (but I had just gotten a new job). To me, Autocad has the perfect level of drawing freedom mixed with as much precision as you want. I used to use it only for engineering drawings. Then I used it to put together really interesting graphic/text documents.
In search of ... someone using CAD software
I just love the freeform layout abilities of it. I prefer it even over things like Indesign, because all the snapping and "smart" alignments work perfectly in Autocad. All of Adobe's "smart" stuff that are supposed to help you align and snap things together never jive with my brain well. I'm always cursing out why it won't snap where I want it to snap. It's almost like it snaps everywhere BUT where I want it to snap. In Autocad, you can control that behavior just exactly the way you want.
Then a couple of years ago, I made a full on 3D artwork (a sword) with Autocad. I was blown away that my engineering experience was able to translate to that.
In search of ... someone using CAD software
Now, I'm using Autocad to create story outlines. Why? Freedom, baby. I tried using all the writing tools and outliners, etc, but they all impose their own specific restrictions. In Autocad, i can create outlines just the way I want to.
In search of ... someone using CAD software
I'm a huge fan of Autocad as a tool for documenting your creativity. Sorry for being off-topic, I was reminiscing.
hamradio:
Also Autodesk Homestyler might do what you want. It is web based.
Edvard:
^^ Ooh... that looks like it'll work for what OP is looking for.
If you want something a little (ok, a lot) more powerful (AND FREE!!) take a look at DoubleCAD:
http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXTv3/tabid/1100/Default.aspx
IMHO, the best free CAD for Windows.
So good that if it ran in Wine, I'd use that instead of QCAD.
But it won't, so on Linux, I use QCAD:
http://qcad.org/index.html
Linux has a free Community Edition that you build from source, and I've heard there are ways to get it to compile on a Windows system.
Since it is pretty much geared for design from the ground up, there's not much in the way of pre-built assemblies for interior design, so probably not worth the hassle.
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