urbanMSP

So I'd like to model an addition to our house so I can get a feel for how it could look. I've got all the measurements I need (and can obviously take more) and even went so far as to do some 2D quickie drawings in Illustrator to get an idea for where certain things would intersect and so forth.

Now I'd like to take this to the next level and get a (rudimentary is fine!) 3D model put together. I've spent a little time in SketchUp, but despite being a technical person with years of experience in design software it frustrated the hell out of me from the very start—I couldn't even figure out how to get my foundation the right size.

Here's where I come to you, Streets.mn-ers:

• Anyone willing to share tips and tricks with SketchUp?
• Better yet, is there a different basic CAD program for the Mac I could try?
• Should I just hire an architect for these quick drawings and be done with the DIY approach?

I had a whole write up on Sketchup before I saw you had some trouble with it. Biggest thing to remember is that the units are typically in inches,

So to build a box, type in 5', 6' and hit enter. You have a box now you can push or pull.

There's not a lot of good free software out there today but free trials for

ArchiCAD
Vectorworks
Revit

My comfort zone is Solidworks. I tried Sketchup for about a day and a very frustrating day it was. There is some good free software out there for OSX, I would probably use Blender 3D to whack together a quick 3D architectural model. The Blender interface is pretty "unique", since it is built to be used for animation and game design, but the modeling tools are formidable for something totally free. Full rendering support is included, and there is a vast ocean of tutorials on youtube:

https://www.blender.org/

Blender is mesh based. FreeCAD is a bit more like a standard history-based parametric CAD program:

https://freecadweb.org/

Draftsight is a free 2D Autocad work-alike from the makers of Solidworks:

https://www.3ds.com/products-services/d ... -software/

Yeah, I'd give Sketchup a little more time. It's pretty amazing for a free product.

There are plenty of tutorials out there.

Bringing in an architect for a very small project can be tricky, because the fee that they spend on it may seem high relative to the overall cost of construction. But a good residential architect will probably help you in a lot of ways beyond just putting together drawings.

Getting full plan & 3-d architecture drawings actually helped us to decide NOT to do a project they way we originally envisioned. The best 'throw-away' money I ever spent.

(and I got full as-builts of the house to keep.)

I had a whole write up on Sketchup before I saw you had some trouble with it. Biggest thing to remember is that the units are typically in inches,

So to build a box, type in 5', 6' and hit enter. You have a box now you can push or pull.

There's not a lot of good free software out there today but free trials for

ArchiCAD
Vectorworks
Revit

I know you can maybe find a good template from which to work off of in "Thingiverse".