As a designer I need to convey my ideas to clients and the best way to do this is through pictures. Luckily there are some great tools out there to help me and my clients visualize the potential of their houses. Here are my favorites:
AutoCAD
I use this software for all my design drafting. I draw floor plans, elevations, electrical plans, construction documents, etc. with it. It's fast and easy to use once you learn it.
Revit
I use this in conjunction with Auto-cad to create 3-D models of my drawings. This tool is really helpful to clients to visualize designs.
SketchUp
This is a free Google tool that I love. When I first start to design something this tool is useful to block out the shapes and forms in 3D. It's super fast to use and is more like sketching than drafting, so you can quickly get an idea of what works and what doesn't before getting too committed to a drawing.
Photoshop
This tool is perfect for my decorating projects. It allows me to compile a bunch of photos of decorative elements and display them as Project Boards to clients.
This is probably the best "tool" that I have because I can take it anywhere (even to client meetings) as a way to quickly share a design idea. Hand drawings are also less stiff and more free-form so clients seem to relate to them better. Plus you can add shadows and texture very easily as well as the decorative elements that make a drawing more realistic. I also find that knowing the basics of perspective design drawing help to make the software tools above easier to learn.
You can find some of these drawings tools here:
Hi Molly just getting started with the blog thing learning everyday but I love everything about your design and was thankful for you to give me the info about photoshop I like the way you put the boards together..with the handwritten type ..how were you able to incorporate this on blogger...did you do yourself or did you have help?
ReplyDeletewould love to know...thanks suzannepignato @beachhouseetc.
May I use some of your photos on my blog with complete credit to you via links...
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful way to work. I love your style & its great to see how you creat it...Thanks Cate
ReplyDeleteI use all of those techniques except Revit. Do you really use it a lot?
ReplyDeleteYour designs are so great, I actually think your hand drawn stuff looks best!
ReplyDeleteAs a very old fashion (pen and pad) graphic designer I love seeing all the tools available now. Don't think I will ever learn how to use them but love looking!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. Suzanne, I just emailed you. Stephanie, I don't use Revit too much - many of my projects don't require it and it does take some time to do. To me the hand drawn is the most fun!
ReplyDeleteMolly
Hi Molly - I've been using Architectural Home Designer from Chief Architect. Still learning all the ins and outs, but find it very versatile. It provides technical drawings and has a great "walk through" tool with finishes that lets me show clients what their space will look like.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed using AutoCad too, but it is a high learning curve and is quite expensive when you are just starting a business.
Hand drawing is the ultimate though. Too bad clients won't pay you for the time it takes :(.
Donna
Molly FRey I love you ...I love the way you can take something so complicated and simplify it and make it where a family can live their life..you are the best..suzanne
ReplyDeletepretty, if you ever need illustrations for clients of finished work, let me know - illustration by (my 2 hands) is what I love to do.
ReplyDeleteYour designs are lovely.
pve