A free tool that's worth a million
I've been planning (code for procrastinating) a bathroom remodel in my house for some time now.
Well, earlier this week my wife and I sat down at the table to make a plan. With a ruler and graph paper, we started plotting where we wanted things to go. A couple of minutes later, I'd worn down a perfectly good eraser and made a heck of a mess out of the graph paper.
There's got to be a better way, right?
There is. And it's free. Hey, wait a minute, did you say free?
Thanks to the people at Google, there is a fantastic drafting program called SketchUp. It is PC and Mac compatible, and downloads pretty quickly. With this program you can now create your own architectural, woodworking, or landscape designs that are clean, clear and to scale.
The program doesn't replace an architect or engineer--but it can help a knowledgeable DIYer make some very workable shop drawings.
Like any new program, there's a learning curve. And if you're the type that has a VCR still flashing 12:00, there's some terrific on-line tutorials. These tutorials also happen to be free. You heard that right, free. The tutorials, clearly presented by master craftsman Gary Katz, are available at GaryMKatz.com.
Posted by James Kidd | Categories: Gadgets & Electronics | Permalink
(1) Comments
I'm finishing up a bathroom remodel myself. Although I didn't change the floor plan, I spent alot of time with Visio before hand doing various different tile layouts to try and get a idea of how best to lay the tile. Visio is a wonderful tool for that, and also for tryign to figure out how to best arrange furniture in a room. I've used Sketchup a bit before but never thought to use it for this, I'll have to give it a shot for my next project.