CAD software

[Electra_Glide]

Putting a new deck on the house, and I need to submit some drawings for the permit. Does anybody have a good basic CAD or drafting software package they could recommend that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg?

It would be a bonus if it could also be used for stuff like retaining walls and patios, too.

Thanks in advance...

Joe

[Prairie Dog]

I am trained and have worked as a draftsman for the last 10 years. The two big ones are AutoCAD and Microstation. We mainly use only AutoCAD products around this area. I don't know what AutoCAD LT is running for right now, but you might be better off to hire a Draftsman (Not an architect) to do your drawings for you. They charge around $40 per hour around here and could do your drawings in a fraction of the time. I would be surprised if it would be more than a 4 hour job, depending on how many changes you make, and the complexity of the deck. Depends on how much your time is worth to you, 'cause you will spend a lot of time getting it to look right. Around here you don't need much of a drawing for a building permit. They accept sketches on graph paper.

I haven't run into to many other knock offs of CAD that worked that well. They were all pretty clumsy. I tried Punch Software although I found it difficult to use. That program costed about $100.

Hope this helped

[John Banks]

I've used this before for quick/easy deck permits...http://plananalyst.com/flowcharts.html

[shri]

AutoCAD is the best I have seen yet!

Shri

[dirt digger]

AutoCAD is the industry standard...theres also a program out there called STAAD which is more of a structural design/analysis program

you're not going to find any of them cheap though, the ones you can "demo" online are fine but you don't have the option to print....if you don't want to spend a lot of money i would recommend going into a Staples or Office Max or something along those lines and search for a cheap design software package...i know they offer programs like deckbuilder or homebuilder...or something like that


EDIT: a quick Google search turned this up for $20 http://www.decksoft.com/

[Get 'er Dug]

I have a degree in Structural Drafting and Design, with over 12 years of experience. AutoCad is the best but will set you back THOUSANDS of dollars, as will MicroStation. You can pick up AutoCad LT for $580. There are even cheaper softwares out there, it just depends how detailed you want to get with your drawings. Best of luck to you.

[countrylife]

For a really basic CAD program you could checkout TurboCAD http://www.turbocad.com/ It has a trial version so you can see if it's worth the money before having to spend money. It does not compare with AutoCAD.

[Static Design]

I use Auto Cad but if you're looking for a easy program to throw up some generic renderings and floor plans you need google sketchup. It is free and only takes a few weeks to get familiar with it.

[hvy 1ton]

For what your doing, i second Sketchup. It a lot easier to use than some of the programs i learned in highschool. Might have something with those programs being 8 or 9 years old, but i digress.

[Groo]

I asked my Architect friend about software for designing a house, he said Atuo CAD or Sketchup.

his sister piped in "even I could design a house with sketchup"