Looking for a new drawing program
Hi everyone,
I have outgrown my drawing program (Quick-Cad by autodesk)
I really need a 3-D program to better communicate with clients.
My work is not nearly as fancy as what a lot of you guys build.
I am a one man shop building custom cabinets, entry doors and the like.
I do not have my cabinets confined to any set of definite parameters that would seem to be needed if a guy was to use one of those cabinet programs that a lot of the big shops use. Most of my jobs are one-off deals so I need to remain flexible.I can’t seem to break over the learning curve with the sketch -up. I keep reverting to things I learned in the Q/C program. I’ve been using that program so long, I’ve begun to wonder If I CAN learn anything else. Old dog you know.
I’m willing to spend what I need to to get something I can work with.
How about the sketch up pro? Would it be any easier?
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
Replies
SketchUp Pro is essentially identical to SketchUp in terms of look and feel, so you won't gain anything in terms of usability.
I come from AutoCAD and other similar software, so I agree that SketchUp requires a whole new outlook on life. But unlearning the old habits and learning new ones is definitely possible. The book Sketchup for Dummies frequently comes up in conversation as being helpful in that regard. (I don't have personal experience with it.)
-Steve
D.O.M., The free version of SketchUp ought to do what you need. As far as drawing capabilities, the Pro version won't do anything you can't do in the free version. The program is quite intuitive but it does some things differently than CAD applications so you may need to unlearn or relearn some. Layers are a good example of this. In SketchUp layers do not separate geometry.
There's quite a lot of information right here on the Fine Woodworking site in the Design. Click. Build. blog. and if you have questions about using SketchUp, feel free to ask.
Dave Richards
Just want everyone to know Dave Richards gave up a coupla hrs. of his Saturday to help me over the phone getting started with sketch-up.
Dave, you're a good guy, thanks a million.
I had hit a brick wall trying to get my brain wrapped around this program but am now on my way.
I knew this was a worthwhile drawing tool but I had no idea what capabilities were. And I've only begun to scratch the surface.
My wife (graphic artist) looked at it, says it looked like Adobe Ilistrator only better.
The Sketch-Up for dummies is probably a good idea also.Thanks
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled