Well let's beat this horse again.
I'm starting to think about designing a floorplan for a vacation home, and would like to use a software package that is easy to use, and can generate files which might be handed off to an architect for formal drawings.
Any suggestions on packages to use?
Thanks,
Frank
Trimble Sketchup Pro (about $600, much less for students or teaching affiliates) - has quite a few free or low cost library models.
http://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-pro
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/
DraftSight (Free AutoCAD clone). They also make the high end and expensive SolidWorks.
http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/
If I could afford it I would use Chief Architect - the pro version of Home Designer.
Home Designer is so darn good - as are its included libraries. If you don't need to generate plans that would be a great choice.
April 2015.
I had a copy of Home Designer - just the garden verity. It did not require a lot of learning. However when I took it to the engineer and he turned it over to the draftsman. Both were very impressed with what I had done and what it would do for a cheap drawing program. I had two meetings with the draftsman and he flat told me I could have easily turned those drawings in to pull permits in most counties. (Except ours who went nuts with engineering in snow zones.) That was for the first house we designed and drew. We had it engineered for up here. But sadly well sort of sadly it never got built.... I would still like to build it but it had some snow build up problems and two valleys I did not like.... My fault I drew it like that.
Then!!! Then!!! Then!!! We found the floor plain for the house we used when we ended up building. I drew it again and went through the samething all over again. I drew it with the same software. But I know this sounds weird but the main floor plain I did draw it by hand. But just transposed it from computer on to paper. Funny I did it that way because I just so wanted to get a better feel for when we started. When I took it in to the lumber yard for the house package. I did understand the plan a lot better. I also was able to understand better why Bob the engineer drew in so many huge LVLs and heavy foundation tie downs. (Stuff like that) All that to say Frank I would not shy away from a medium priced copy of Home Designer.
sketchup free for the 3d views
dassault draft site for the autocad clone ---free to do the detail dwgs
I will hapilly send you my plans both in sketchup and *.dwg ---- this site did the calcs and the work....so I have some payback
might not be exactly what you need, but better than starting from scratch,
the autocad dwgs passed muster in Mesa county CO - 90# snow load
only changes were the foundation needed signing off by an engineer
I used the inexpensive version of Home Designer for my design and it worked quite well.
Have a look at the design section of my build blog and you can see what can be done with software under $100.
http://www.anglersparadise.ca/category/cabin-design/ (http://www.anglersparadise.ca/category/cabin-design/)
If I was building a more complex building I would want the pro version as it allows you to manually build roofs among other things.