Easy-to-use drawing & layout program for woodworking and building projects?
 

I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

I want something that meets the following criteria:
1. Easy to learn for the non CAD professional, yet powerful enough
to draw what you want and with room to learn and grow

2. Ability to visualize projects (preferably in 3D) including with
color, texture, shading so that I can get a real sense of how
it looks

3. Shortcuts for drawing standard things like dados, rabits,
dovetails, standard lumber sizes, standard screw and nail
sizes, etc.

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

5. Affordable ($100, preferably)

I know that there are a number of home design programs but those seem
to do too much and not really be good at woodworking projects.

Fri, Nov 19, 2004, 3:49am (EST+5) ender
(Jeffrey=A0J.=A0Kosowsky) wants a miricle:
I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful snip

Have you ever consider just sitting down, in a quiet place, and
thinking about what you want to make? And then taking a pencil and
paper, and sketching it out?

Some of my projects, I don't even bother with paper and pencil,
unles it's to write down some measurements; the rest of them, I usually
just work from a rouch sketch.

I'll be working up a bed design pretty soon. I'll be looking at
some plans, to borrow some ideas. Probably have to take some
measurements, but basically, it'll all be in my head.



JOAT
Measure twice, cut once, swear repeatedly.

"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...

I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

Even CAD pro's would like to find that program.


I want something that meets the following criteria:
1. Easy to learn for the non CAD professional, yet powerful enough
to draw what you want and with room to learn and grow

Do you have any formal drafting experience? If not, a CAD program is going
to have a steep learning curve.


2. Ability to visualize projects (preferably in 3D) including with
color, texture, shading so that I can get a real sense of how
it looks

Harder still.

3. Shortcuts for drawing standard things like dados, rabits,
dovetails, standard lumber sizes, standard screw and nail
sizes, etc.

More expensive.

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

Still more expensive


5. Affordable ($100, preferably)

Probably not going to happen.


I know that there are a number of home design programs but those seem
to do too much and not really be good at woodworking projects.

These tend to be toy like compared to a program that you are thinking that
you want.

Basically you are looking for something like AutoCAD. A few thousand
dollars.

I use AutoCAD LT, Lists for about $800.00 and does no 3D or scheduling.

"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...

I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

I want something that meets the following criteria:

Dream on, brother. Ain't no such thing.

Bob

Apart from the $100 criteria, have a look at www.sketchup.com ...
I like it !

"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...

I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

As discussed here and in FWW I suggest you try SketchUp. Not a CAD but a
design program. Download the trial version and you have 8 hrs of play
time.(timer is 'on' only when you are using it). Here are two views of a
simple bench. Once you get your 3-D made you can rotate in around any way
you want, add shadows and etc and etc... Good import/export and uses Ruby
language plugins(some nice little applets available that add to SU
functionality.)
..disclaimers go here and YMMV.

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhote5/bench1.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~lhote5/bench2.jpg

Larry

On 19 Nov 2004 00:55:15 -0800, "nigel" wrote:

Apart from the $100 criteria, have a look at www.sketchup.com ...
I like it !


I grabbed the demo and it seems pretty nice. But's $500! =8^0

$500 is a lot of paper and erasers!

Barry

I've been playing with Woodworking Projects for Everyone. It has a
built in program that allows simpler projects like bookcases and
birdhouses to do what you're inquiring about. It is by DesignCAD.

You may want to take a look at it.

Thunder

Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:
I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

I want something that meets the following criteria:
1. Easy to learn for the non CAD professional, yet powerful enough
to draw what you want and with room to learn and grow

2. Ability to visualize projects (preferably in 3D) including with
color, texture, shading so that I can get a real sense of how
it looks

3. Shortcuts for drawing standard things like dados, rabits,
dovetails, standard lumber sizes, standard screw and nail
sizes, etc.

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

5. Affordable ($100, preferably)

I know that there are a number of home design programs but those seem
to do too much and not really be good at woodworking projects.

There is an Open Source project under way that might meet your criteria.
http://lignumcad.sourceforge.net/doc/en/HTML/index.html

I've looked at it, but have not had the time to download it and all the
libraries it needs, and then compile it.

C.Groth wrote:

Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:
I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful PC program to help me
design and draw projects that I am interested in building such as
bookcases, cabinets, closet organizers, etc.

I want something that meets the following criteria:
1. Easy to learn for the non CAD professional, yet powerful enough
to draw what you want and with room to learn and grow

2. Ability to visualize projects (preferably in 3D) including with
color, texture, shading so that I can get a real sense of how
it looks

3. Shortcuts for drawing standard things like dados, rabits,
dovetails, standard lumber sizes, standard screw and nail
sizes, etc.

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

5. Affordable ($100, preferably)

I know that there are a number of home design programs but those seem
to do too much and not really be good at woodworking projects.

There is an Open Source project under way that might meet your criteria.
http://lignumcad.sourceforge.net/doc/en/HTML/index.html

I've looked at it, but have not had the time to download it and all the
libraries it needs, and then compile it.

I've been using QCAD, it shipped with Mandrake 10, But I can't get it to
work on suse 9.2, and I upgraded my Mandrake box to 10.1 and it didn't come
with it, I'll give this a one a try

Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

CutList Plus
http://www.bridgewooddesign.com/

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

CutList Plus
http://www.bridgewooddesign.com/


Um that is a great program but is not a drawing program so to speak. It is
an optimization program that helps you use your materials efficiently.

....it's me again touting the features of SketchUp. I spent most of the
afternoon learning the thing and put together this lantern model. The
animation is a BIG .avi file about 1.8 meg and should load auto in Windows
media player. I put in 10 views and the program put in intermediate frames
(about 160) to get smooth transitions. The first link is the animation and
the second are a pair of lanterns I made previously using advanced pencil
technology.

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhote5/lantern.avi --------not for people
with slow connections

http://home.mchsi.com/~llhote/projec...anternsbig.JPG

..disclaimers go here and YMMV.

Larry

Leon wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:

4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)

CutList Plus
http://www.bridgewooddesign.com/


Um that is a great program but is not a drawing program so to
speak. It is an optimization program that helps you use your
materials efficiently.

Which is why I put it under...
"4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)"

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dadiOH" wrote in message
...

Which is why I put it under...
"4. Ability to generate parts list (preferable)"


Actually, YOU generate the parts list. I simply draws a diagram of where
the pieces should come from.

The best program for boats is at www.multisurf.com

"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...
(J T) writes:
Fri, Nov 19, 2004, 3:49am (EST+5) ender
(Jeffrey J. Kosowsky) wants a miricle:
I am looking for an easy-to-use but powerful snip

Have you ever consider just sitting down, in a quiet place, and
thinking about what you want to make? And then taking a pencil and
paper, and sketching it out?

That is what I do now... just I find it relatively slow and requires a
lot of erasure. Also, I sometimes find it harder to catch subtle
issues that the scale of my drawings don't show.

Sun, Nov 21, 2004, 3:34pm (EST+5) ender
(Jeffrey=A0J.=A0Kosowsky) says:
That is what I do now... just I find it relatively slow and requires a
lot of erasure. Also, I sometimes find it harder to catch subtle issues
that the scale of my drawings don't show.

Erase? You erase? That's probably you problem. I seldom, if ever
erase. I start with very light lines, then when I come up with
something I like, I go over it with a slightly darker line, repeating
until I get just what I want. The lighter lines remain as reference.
It goes very quickly. The only thing slow about it is, coming up with
what I want. I can't seen any 'puter speeding any part of that up.

"Subtle issues that the scale of my drawings don't show." - I have
no idea in the world what that is supposed to mean. I have no problems
like that. If it comes out looking good, it's right. If it doesn't
look good, it isn't right.

Of course, when whatever is actually made it may be ugly, but in
that case, it'd be ugly even if you used a computer to draft it. No
"subtle issues" to be caught in that case, some things just look
beautiful on paper, and ugly in real life.



JOAT
Measure twice, cut once, swear repeatedly.