cabinet layout soft ware

[Tom Wales]

Hi All,
I am almost ready to start building kithen cabinets, and am wondering if there is some inexpensive software for doing the layout. My wife would like me to do some specific drawer sizes and would like drawings better than I can do free hand.  Thanks Tom in Alaska

 

[ccmviking]

Sorry Tom... I was in the same boat and couldn't find any that was worth a darn.  I ended up by Planit Software's Solid Design.  It was about 6 Grand and works really well.  It's more on the professional side of things (which is why it's so expensive) but it's user friendly and has great support, etc.  I can spend another 24 grand on it and it can run CNC equipment.  Just design what you want, send it to the panel router and there you go.  oh wel..  well I had downloaded and tried about everything before I bought it..  Wish I could help you on this one.  Good luck! 

Chris...

 

[skipclemmons]

http://www.sketchup.com/

Pretty amazing for free.  My 11 year old can use it and we built one of his projects today.  May not be your ideal solution but worth a look. 

 

[Mark]

Sketchup is awesome! It will export to common CAD formats so if you are working with a cabinet shop that is running a CNC router operation it might be possible to design in Sketchup and export a file format that your vendor can use. But as a design tool I have to rave about how easy it is to use. Another tool that "might" be a good visualization tool is IKEA's kitchen planner for just getting a really rough idea of how a kitchen will layout. You will have to use their cabinet sizes but for ideation it might be worth a shot. I do know that the IKEA tool won't run on Vista machines and I'm not sure if Sketchup will run on Vista machines either. I've also used Visio for designing our remodel since it has live dimensioning tools as one of the templates. You cannot do a 3D view of it but for elevations and stuff its a great tool. For those on Mac, Sketchup is now Universal so it cranks on my Intel MacBook now. Good Luck.

 

[Eric Shields]

Tom,

I would also praise and add my vote for SketchUP.  There is a free version and a professional, the professional can/will import/export to other software as suggested by Mark.  The free version lacks that ability but is still a powerful and easily learned program for project (big and small) planning and layout.  Not to mention that the walk thru mode really gives you an idea of what the space will look like.

I just finished a model of my basement workshop.  I am in the process of turning the unfinished space into my shop, with SketchUp I was able to break down this process into individual stages, framing, electrical, drywall, etc all for free.  Though in the physical world the space isn't at this stage, I can now begin to start placing/planning the layout and workflow of my show without any heavy lifting.

 

[Nevin]

Tom,

Have you seen eCabinet Systems by Thermwood? It is inexpensive (completely free) and highly functional. It will
also send the file directly to Thermwood's CNC without the need for additional processing and without spending
30K. You could almost buy a used CNC router with that savings. There is a learning curve as with any other
complex software, but they have an excellent online users group that is always eager to help.

Check outhttp://ecabinetsystems.com/

Regards,
Nevin

 

[John Langevin]

Eric,
Could you post your sketches? I am also revising my basement shop and In-process of building my main shop in the barn.

 

[art stratemeyer]

We use Sketchup Pro every day here in the shop.  I know of other shops that are using the free version also.

 

[Rich Torino]

Art,
is there a big difference between SU(freebie)  and SU Pro?

 

[Lou Miller]

I'm just tossing another vote in for Sketchup. Its become an extremely valuable sales tool for me. I draw up ktchens, bathrooms, entire additions, etc. The best part is hat when I meet with the customers, I get them to download the program to their computer and then I e-mail them the drawings. They can look at them in anyway they want and makes the whole process much easier.

Here's a kitchen drawing a I did recently.

I had to make a lot of changes to the layout of the kitchen. Everytime the customer wanted to see something different, I was able to send it right over. I don't think I would have gotten the work if it weren't for Sketchup.

 

[art stratemeyer]

is there a big difference between SU(freebie)  and SU Pro?

Rich,

I "believe" about the only difference is that there is no import / export for DXF files in the freebie

 

[Gary Nichols]

Tom, I don't know what you consider "inexpensive", but you might check out:

The current version is $180, but you can download the software and tutorials for free, to try before buying.... It's the full-featured version, except that you can't print or save your projects until you register it... As a Mac user, my options are a lot more limited than for most, and they have both a Mac and PC version. I've just downloaded it but haven't had enough time to form any opinions yet; sorry.... but at least it works on my G-4. If you try it, let me (us) know what you think....

Gary