Bathroom Design Software

[Trevor Oakley]

I am looking for bathroom design software (PC based or Web based).

Does anyone know any?

A cost up to £1000 is OK if the software is good, for a lifetime licence. I would like 2d layout mostly, but a 3d presentation may be useful (but not essential). I would like drop and drag features, and the ability to create different baths in a template, eg airbaths, jacuzzi, phoenix, etc.

I have searched groups.google.com and found a few links, but the software is not really suited to bathrooms.

Key elements in the program:

- specificy bath (eg spa, one-person, two-person etc) and position

- position basins, toilets, cistern

- showers (electric, power etc)

- bidet, accessories (eg towel rails)

- heated towel rails (radiators)

- lighting (spot lights etc)

- shower enclosures (eg walk in)

- doorway

- bath filler, standpipes etc (these can be large, eg 30cm high)

The key objective is to get everything to fit and work.

[Martin]

I have seen a number of packages for both professional and DIY use, all of them stink! even the ones used in stores to persuade people to part with their hard earned; most look good but fall apart (often big time) on the bill of materials etc.

Personal opinion: stick to a professional off-the-shelf CAD package and invest some time getting to know it.

[dg]

I think MS Visio is a very good 2d drag and drop program, and has a good range of included pre-drawn blocks - or you can adapt them and save them for your future drawings. I use it on a Tabletpc and you can get a plan drawn up in no time in someone's house. Its very quick and easy to use and is designed as a drag and drop program.

For mainly 3d (and 2d) you wont get better than Sketchup for easy of use, design options, speed and customer presentation. See

Some of the Autodesk lite products have a comprehensive range of predrawn blocks available, but the software itself is a bit time consuming to use.

dg

[Trevor Oakley]

I sell baths/showers/etc and I need something for my own company.

I have a demo of Chief Architect and it is great software, but not really for bathrooms. I have also a demo of Articad which looks very good but the demo is very limited. I have to contact the makers on Monday.

Modern baths vary so much, with freestanding, corner, wide, long, spa, a more, than bathroom design is more important. I get a lot of calls from people interested in freestanding baths using standpipes (long pipes from the floor to the taps). The bath market is changing a lot, and there is a leap towards to high quality baths, with high capacity. It is more common that people bath together (eg young children and their mother), or couples.

It would help sell the goods to show a demo of the bathroom.

[Trevor Oakley]

I tried sketchup but the options are quite basic. Are there additional libraries for it. The Plumbing library but it had no bath at all.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Didn't know they had got that realistic ;-)

[dg]

Sketchup is a unique product. It should be considered more for conceptual design rather than true 'CAD'

There are additional blocks in the site forum, but as things are so easy to draw or convert from other CAD files, then its easy to build up your own library. It can take a couple of minutes to extrude a bath or shower tray and about the same to convert a 'dwg block to 3d

After all, how many different types of things do you need for a bathroom?

I have shown internal perspectives of bathrooms done quickly on Sketchup, and these have won work purely on how much the client was impressed with the model.

dg

[Trevor Oakley]

Clients like to see demos, and be pampered, especially when they are spending £3-5K on a new bathroom.