2d or 3d drawing package

I use Rhino 3D

make up my own objects..

I suspect that the cost might be outside of my budget for this exercise.

The 30 day trial sounds good, but I don't want to go through multiple learning curves.

I really wanted something free (or very nearly) that can do the job for me once in a very long while!

It's still SketchUp though! The only CAD program I've found that doesn't have a vertical learning curve.

Thanks - I was a little wary of it being bought by a third party.

I'd second that - it's very widely used. Still don't have the hang of it myself, as aspects of it don't seem very intuitive, but maybe that's just me. Being free makes it highly attractive compared with the alternatives...

Trimble s/w is used by quite a lot of GIS systems, probably a better "fit" for them than it was for Google.

DesignSpark Mechanical is a bit like SketchUp but for engineers, and not that painful to learn.

Theo

I've got and used Live Interior 3D Standard, and found its learning curve reasonable - easier than SketchUp since it does a lot of automatic actions for walls, roofs, windows, doors etc.

Although I had our architects SketchUp model, I built a LI3D complete model of our house, and used it to work out lighting, kitchen layout, paint colours, and furniture layout. Mind, it's library of furniture is very dated in design, and I had to blur my vision a bit at times!

You can paste in models from the net, and even SketchUp models - I pasted in the architect's staircase design with no problems.

Gordon

If 2D is ok and you intend using it for other things too, Draftsight is good and free. You can make up your own library of symbols (in this case kitchen units). It does take some learning - but worthwhile, IMHO. For all sorts of 'technical' drawing.

And google are still doing the 3D warehouse etc. You can also be fairly sure that the terms of sale obliged Trimble to carry on doing a free version.

BIG +1

Not sure if it was Dave who mentioned it on the group a few years back, but Draftsight is excellent. I install it for corporate users as well as for home use. If you download it to individual PCs and don't need support it's free. Anyone who has used Autocad - the industry standard drawing software - will walk straight in. Draftsight is not far off Autocad LT (light version of Autocad product) which Autodesk charge close to £1k for. If you go that route, any blocks/symbols created for Autocad in DWG format should work with Draftsight (probably millions out there!). It is more semi-pro, so might take some effort, but there's help out there

If you need 3D specifically for a kitchen, then Alno kitchen planner used to be excellent. Probably still is but haven't tried it recently.

Phil

Oddly enough, provided you can work within its limitations, I have found the build tool in Sims 3 to be a very simple way to experiment with changes in a building, before going on to proper drawings.

Colin Bignell

Blimey that takes me back. It was the mid 80s and I was doing telesoftware for Micronet for the Spectrum, and somone came up with room designer. Basically you put in the shape of the room and could insert things of different sizes into the space. It could figure out door opening issues and stuff like that. Most of it was written in basic and it was not the fastest of bits of software known to man however. Brian

'Live Interior 3D Standard' for some obscure operating system? :-)

We use Sketchup and find our customers (Building contractors, interior designers etc.) use it and welcome models in it.

Yup. I actually learned how to use ProCAD+ on my Acorn machine - but found it pretty easy to use Draftsight after that. Can swap files between them too. And of course a file produced from it can be used to control a suitable cutting etc machine. I tend to now use them for any drawing task no matter how big or small. Since my freehand skills are abysmal. ;-)

Maybe, but free versions then typically become crippleware!

designers etc.) use it and welcome models in it.

Well obviously anyone designing something in good taste would be using a Mac :-) As do all the architects I know... In my defence, I had just been reading through the Mac Usenet groups immediately before, and forgot I'd left safe territory.

I use VISIO for all my 2D drawings - very intuitive, loads of libraries

Well most of em are too clueless to use a grownup's computer ;-)