by Marsha Landry
No one erects houses or buildings in a sane world without a picture of how it will look like by having the floor plan. This dictates the building's direct installation to the ground even though it might change when it is built up already (in the case of story buildings, penthouse, and others related), and such change is accounted for in the design.
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Architects come in in this assignment. They make building easy by giving a pictorial view of the plan, including the elevated side views, the front, and the rearview. They even go the extra mile in providing the 3D view of the house, giving you an exact picture of how the house will look like precisely if the house is built according to the proposed plan.
Floor plans give a scale-down, aerial illustration of a particular space. Like building blueprints, they can be very comprehensive, showing the interior and exterior space. It also gives a mental picture of how the building looks after it is furnished and finished.
A few years ago, drawing these building plans has been employing the traditional paper and pencil with the automatic culmination in numerous papers. Before we go into the list of the free floor plan software we have, the disadvantages of drawing on paper will be discussed so that the software's need might be unveiled.
1. Storage Space: Working with paper means you have to provide space to keep the paper, and it is a limitation on its own. Papers take so much a significant volume of space, and with each work done frequently, the volume of papers increases, and you might need to dispose of the older ones to accommodate the new ones.
2. The Prone to Damage: every work done on paper is susceptible to damages. They can easily be damaged, misplaced, or even stolen. Any environmental or natural disaster will mean losing such documents, which leaves you with no backup and no way of getting it back.
3. Transporting the Documents: have you imagined how to travel with a thousand rolled papers than having them as a soft copy in a hard drive? The hardship attached to transporting those files is a major setback to the traditional way of drawing floor plans with pen and paper. However, working with digital copies from software will b very easy to send, either through email or other means.
4. Correction of Mistakes: how many erasers can you use that will leave your work as neat as they are without erasing at all? That is because using the traditional paper and pencil doesn't give room for editing and correcting your mistakes. Using software to draw is not like that. It allows you to make mistakes confidently and correct those mistakes without the fear of coming up with rough work.
5. Collaboration and Communication Limitation: When working traditionally, it isn't easy to collaborate with other planners to draw out an amazing plan. When it comes to presentation, there are limits to the tools that can be employed, as the technology of zooming, drawing marks on the plan to explain a specific place. But using software to draw gives room for this flexibility.
6. Non-Eco-Friendly: anyone advocating for eco-friendly materials will pick the usage of software over the use of papers because of its implications on the environment.
With these listed disadvantages, it becomes very obvious that using software to draw a plan is more easy, flexible, safe than the traditional way known. Investing in the digitalized system reduces the amount and cost of paper used, and it will also increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the task.
| FLOOR PLAN SOFTWARE | KEY FEATURES | COST |
| AutoCAD Architecture |
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| AutoCAD LT |
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| SketchUp |
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| SmartDraw |
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| PlanningWiz Floor Planner |
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| FloorPlanner |
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| Civil 3D |
| Paid Version: |
| RoomSketcher |
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| Sweet Home 3D |
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| Roomle |
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AutoCAD by Autodesk is a very comprehensive tool but has a specialized version of it made especially for architects and buildings generally. It uses AEC objects (i.e., the Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction objects), including the common walls, windows, and doors as elements of designs in bringing out an amazing and realistic floor plan.
The free version of every AutoCAD lasts for three years, while the paid version has a more advanced toolset.
AutoCAD LT is a computer-aided design software made for 2D drafting and documentation, and it is available for both Mac and Windows operating systems. AutoCAD LT is the lite version of AutoCAD because it is based majorly on 2D drawings. Despite being a lite version, it still fulfills all construction companies and contractors' basic technical drafting and diagramming needs.
This is a 3D design app and tool, user-friendly, and is used for modeling and drafting. It is designed to emulate the feeling of working with pen and paper but gives more freedom. Every of its version gives, including the free one, has modeling and drawing benefits.
Its free version allows users to draw 3D images and models in a web browser. In contrast, the paid version comes with more advanced tools to create and annotate SketchUp documents.
SketchUp can be used in any stage of building construction by any personnel, be it the designer, architects, builders, or engineers.
This software is a chart maker that offers an online building floor plan creator for free and easy use. The app allows for easy sharing and collaboration. It came with charts, drawing templates that can be used to create simple visuals for the presentation. With an internet connection, the floor plan creator can be accessed, and it has comprehensive architectural toolsets and design symbols.
PlanningWiz is made for both the floor plan design related services and the floor planning solutions. The software can be used for both indoor and outdoor building designs, and it is designed to handle the specific intricacies required for each specific industry when printing out the blueprints. There are tailored editions for various designers in various industries like for recreational facilities or the property development industry.
Creating 2D and 3D floor plans come very easily, and the interactive version of the plans can be shared online. FloorPlanner comes with a very amazing feature called "Auto-Furnish" that lets you easily decorate all the rooms in your floor plan. And when these plans are completed, they look so polished and professional, absolutely ready for presentation.
Civil 3D, another tool created by Autodesk, which is a BIM solution created for most civil engineering project design and other construction companies. With the advanced toolsets on it, you can technically create a whole 3D house plan. However, the app might not likely produce the most detailed plan as desired by most companies because it provides more civil engineering and surveying tools.
RoomSketcher, formerly goes by RoomSketcher Home Designer, is a design application that allows users to create floor plan designs in both 2D and 3D. It is made for both individuals and professionals, and it has great features like the 360-degree photos view and interactive 3D design walkthroughs. Designs on this app can be customized to custom colors and textures with the confidence of accurate measurements for every design.
Sweet Home 3D is an open-source app for interior design. It can either be used online in a web browser or be downloaded to the system. The name's context allows you to view a designed 2D floor plan design in 3D both for presentation and context. It is a very straightforward app that can be used even by non-professionals, and it is diverse as it can work on Mac, Linux, and Windows operating systems.
Roomle is a 3D digital configurator that helps designers in the furniture industries to display and advertise their stock. It has a module for both 2D and 3D room planning, which is essential for interior designers and real estate agents and allows them to use high quality and engaging visuals to create amazing and interactive floor plans. The floor planner by Roomle supports easy sharing and virtual walkthroughs for every design.
The kind of floor plan software you will choose is based on the need for the design, the budget, and all other things that have to be in the design. There is no distinct answer to the question of what floor plan to use. But with the analysis made here, comprehensive information has been given.
About Marsha Landry
Marsha Landry is an accomplished writer known for her expertise in the field of movies. With a keen eye for storytelling and a deep understanding of film analysis, she has established herself as a prominent voice in the world of cinema.
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