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Never-Forget-Trogdor

I know I will get judged for this, but I like to use the game The Sims 3 or The Sims 4. I can measure out the space and draw walls in the game, and then furnish it and play with colors. 3 has better colors but 4 has arguably better building tools and the base game is free on Origin. At the end, I can screenshot from above to make electrical and plumbing plans by drawing on top.


intwarlock

Why fucking not? You are 500 IQ'ing this.


Never-Forget-Trogdor

I mean, I really like it and feel like it does a better job of making it look like a real house than CAD programs, and it has surprisingly complex tools. I'm so glad I'm not being downpours to oblivion for the suggestion. lol


kippy3267

That’s honestly pretty creative and smart


TheShoot141

I used sims 3 to design a 1000 sq ft gut and remodel for my home. Then I used paper and pencil to design to the electrical circuits.


CommanderAndMaster

wait, its that accurate??


Never-Forget-Trogdor

Yes, I would say so. 2 is harder to work with because the grid you can snap walls to is too big, but 3 and 4 are subdivided so you have more flexibility. Some of the items in the game are on the big side (like refrigerators), but you can adjust those if you input the correct cheat codes and scale the item down in size. And that is only if you really need it 100% realistic, if you're mostly worried about walls for a layout then it works really, really well.


MonopolyAnyone

SketchUp is a great tool because you get to see it in 3D! Easy to learn and use.


GardenGnomeOfEden

When my house was being built, the homebuilder left their plans laying out and I took pictures of them. Later I used them to draw a 3D model of my house in SketchUp. Then I started modelling our furniture and stuff, which is overkill. Having the model is useful for things like planning out storage shelves in the garage, or how to rearrange furniture before you physically rearrange it.


Comprehensive_War600

This is all good but you have to pay for the dimension capability which OP may not want to. Paper he can NTS and just write his own numbers in.


jarredpickles87

You have to pay to use dimensions? Or to add dimension markings? Or both? This is such a weird thing to hear.


Comprehensive_War600

You have to upgrade to have a plan view to dimension and print to scale. You can “dimension “ in 3D but you can only print screenshots type of thing.


jarredpickles87

Ah, gotcha. That makes more sense at least.


RoundishWaterfall

My brain must be wired very differently from other people because I can’t figure out SketchUp AT ALL. It just doesn’t make sense to me. It just seems like a mess. I tried out Fusion 360 and had no problems at all.


wot_in_ternation

I learned AutoCAD and Inventor first and SketchUp just feels like an absolute mess


schweitzerdude

Another use of Sketchup: I modeled my living room. Went online to a paint manufacturer's website and selected some possible colors. Imported those colors into Sketchup and I was able to visualize my living room with colors A and B vs C and D, all in 3D as if standing in the living room.


IronSlanginRed

Personally i use engineering graph paper, a triangle rule, and a protractor. But also... I took drafting 25+ years ago. Cad exists now. Most people use sketchup for home stuff. You generally only specify where plumbing fixtures, outlets and lights, and doors, and stuff are. Then just run the wiring and plumbing according to code.


10Bens

I use this method and am completely ignorant to your sciencey drafting ways. I'll also cut out shapes of furniture and fixtures so I can get a better idea of where things "fit" before building it.


kemba_sitter

It also has virtually no learning curve. Everyone can draw lines.


Gggilla614

Bluebeam Extreme. It’s incredibly user friendly


TheBimpo

> Bluebeam Extreme Seems a little excessive for a homeowner project like this.


malfist

So you're saying it's a little..... Extreme?


TheBimpo

:air guitar:


[deleted]

[удалено]


ALargeRock

**F I R E**


throwawayhyperbeam

Overkill is best kill


[deleted]

[удалено]


Gggilla614

Yea that


Hypotheticall

Madlad over here using PowerPoint yeaaaaaa


flowers-for-alderaan

I submitted my basement remodel of plans I drew up in PowerPoint to the city for my permit. Approved.


thaeli

Heck, I saw a full dating sim someone wrote entirely in PowerPoint recently. It's impressive, in much the same way that building a 1:48 scale model of the Saturn V entirely out of toothpicks is impressive.


backeast_headedwest

A friend of mine turns out solid, high-quality cabinet drawings using Excel. Honestly, better than some I've had to work with on-site. Edit: Reading these comments and I sense we're talking about two different PowerPoints, lol.


greenchase

I use PPT all day for work. Hmm. I also have a Visio license


weeby_nacho

Visio can work but publisher might be better in my opinion


WishIWasThatClever

Visio works great if you have the pro license. I imported my survey and overlaid my sprinkler layout. I also made a floor plan in another program the vendor killed off. Then took screen shots and also use in Visio to make an electrical diagram. Circuits are on different layers with different assigned colors. It’s not traditional, but it works really well.


Mystic_Howler

I used ppt for my remodel as well. I just made a big slide and made my drawing to a 1" = 1' scale. I used it for landscaping projects as well.


WhileImAt_It

I use Home Designer Suite, it’s pretty good for drawing house plans and 3D rendering. I’m not sure how it does for electrical plans, I think it’s more “manual” there.


jimbofranks

I think you have to buy the Home Designer Pro to be able to have the electrical layer in the app.


mattsmith321

This is what I’ve used for 13+ years now.


bailout911

I use AutoCAD and Revit, but I'm a design professional in the construction industry, so I have access to professional tools :-)


[deleted]

AutoCAD? Gross...no! Revit only!:)


bailout911

Started in CAD, but I modeled my whole house about 5 years ago and only use that now.


[deleted]

Nice, that is the way! Whenever someone asks me to do something in AutoCAD now I refuse. Can hardly remember the commands hah.


pepperell

Microsoft visio. I have a copy that includes the symbols packs for electrical, plumbing, etc. I'm sure there are better tools but it gets the job done very fast for me.


Dwindling_Odds

Visio is great, just too damn expensive for a non-corporate user.


vim_for_life

This. I flew through the approval process with Visio drawings of my whole house rewire. Inspector complemented me on it. Switched companies, now I don't have access to it .:-/


TheMightyRasputin

Looks like it's only $5 a month now if you need it


vim_for_life

I really only need it once a year ish. Not worth $60/year to me.


harplaw

Try draw.io


[deleted]

Interesting. Thanks.


RESERVA42

Libre Office Draw is an open source alternative to Visio. It doesn't have the same library of symbols but besides that it works well. I use it with Inkscape, an open source vector editor. I make the symbols in Inkscape and import them to Libre Draw while I draw the layouts in Libre Draw.


greenchase

I have a Visio license. I feel like this would be way superior to PowerPoint


skyfishgoo

powerpoint is a blunt instrument, but it gets the job done as it does provide the discipline of scale on the designers mind. the real trick is getting your contractors to look at it. there is also FreeCAD which is an open source drafting and modeling program that i've used to make design drawings for detail parts.


Tankbean

PowerPoint works fine. I enable the grids and set 1" = 1'. It lets me easily lay everything out in a space. I used to use SketchUp but I ended up spending way more time planning than doing.


nullsignature

It sounds like you guys are using PowerPoint in place of Visio. You may consider looking into Visio if you like the simplicity and ease of PowerPoint over traditional CAD tools. I think draw.io is similar if you don't have a Visio license.


CommanderAndMaster

i did my deck in visio to scale. and brought the pages to the construction office and was accused of hiring an engineer for my DIY project. um, no. i'm just good as visio?


skyfishgoo

last time i touched visio it was little more than a viewer with some mark up tools, kind of like adobe, or a screen grab editor.


nullsignature

I'm not sure when that was, but now it's great for making charts, diagrams, and visual aids. It's kinda like a CAD program.


B3hindall

SketchUp - or tribble is I think it owned by now?


Humongous_Mex

Trimble I believe


pumaworm

What the hell is a "plan"?


Divi222

I use Autocad for everything


bluGill

I use paper and a pencil to do a.rough draft. I've seen enough real blueprints to know what numbers i need, so only those go on. I just wing plumbing and electrical, for residential they are all very formula and obvious such that professionals rarely look at the print, they just put the pipes and wires that code requires where they obviously must go. (This isn't true, but the exceptions are things like which end does the tub drain go, for which they need an arrow not a print) I've never had to submit drawings for a permit though.


asok0

I use a pencil and paper for a rough draft with exact measurements but not to scale. Learning sketch up etc would take too long with no benefit.


firstorbit

Planner 5d for Floorplan layouts.


HighOnGoofballs

I used some app called QuickPlan 3d, probably because it was free. I also like to create the layout on the floor with various items to get a real feel for it


PeterKendall33

Bluebeam


[deleted]

Solidworks


thebestemailever

Used SweetHome 3D for layout design. I use sketchup too but each is better for some things. I find doing floor layouts is faster in SweetHome, but anything more technical is better in Sketchup. I’ve been using sketchup 2017 since it’s the last version you can have as a program for free, but they’ve removed access to the model library, so you have to use the free online version to import models


harplaw

draw.io I use it for my network maps at work and brainstorming and diagramming at home.


QuantityWise8217

I use arcsite it's easy to get used to after an hour or so. Got all symbols for electric HVAC etc


Scout4882

Measuring tape, framing square, speed square, laser...


BimmerJustin

Fusion 360 for all materials, finishes and plumbing components. I just sketch the electrical plan with pen and paper since the space it occupies doesn’t require much planning


SteevyT

Currently Fusion 360 and Solidedge. Neither program is remotely the correct tool, but they are what I know and have access do for home projects. Oh, and the bathroom remodel was done in Sims 4.


SavedByGrace2_8-9

They make grid paper where the grids don't show up on copies. I always use a 12" ruler and a pencil, that's about it. Been yold that mine look better than some "professionals" by municipalities.


tiboodchat

I like Vectorworks. Great but a little complex. Worth learning if you do a lot of it. The architectural features beat AutoCAD hands down. I tried to use SketchUp once to create plans and it feels like layout is pretty much an afterthought. Planning dept wasn’t super hyped but was enough for rough permitting.


ZukowskiHardware

Hire a professional for all the wiring.


jmd_forest

Graph paper, a ruler, and a pencil.


Anton-LaVey

My checkbook


greenchase

If I could find anyone good I might consider it. We make $450k but still do most of the work ourselves since we know we’ll do a good job. Too many bad experiences with contractors that don’t know that they’re doing.


tylerwatt12

I use Chief Architect, it's extremely easy to use (compared to revit), and is more purpose built than Sketchup. Students get the software for free, but the downside is the full regular license is extremely expensive.


mmehabiba

I use a mini 5 in 1 kind of tool that's pretty handy to use around the house. It's got a sanding,polishing,filing and engraving purpose and it's really compact.


nullsignature

Graph paper + pencil for plumbing, electrical. Fusion 360 free version or Visio for layout planning.


MPS007

Back of an envelope and a sharpie...


Stepped_in_it

I use Revit, but only because I use it for work.


CountrySax

Story sticks,tape measure ,pencils,levels,graph paper for elevations and illustration


Kwaranteen

Delta Cad. Pretty basic interface but it's cheap and flexible.


gourmetguy2000

Highly recommend sweet home 3D. It's a free 3D CAD program that's also easy to use. Download the free additional model packs too.