Visual Building (was launched by the man who introducted the Arcon range of self build products to the UK market. Somewhere in the middle we find packages that are tailor made for house design and which also provide a more user-friendly experience.

If you don’t have CAD experience, some additional training or a significant dedication of time might be needed to get the best out of it. They also offer free trial periods for their premium design products. Having said that, they do have a free web and mobile app called AutoCAD 360 which can be used to create, veiw and edit drawings. Their packages are generally better suited to professional designers who’ll benefit from the considerable investment rather than the average self builder/designer. House Design Software – Pro PackagesĪt the other end of the spectrum you’ll find computer aided design packages such as the well renowned AutoCAD by Autodesk.

There’s handy tutorial videos to quickly help you learn your way around the features and loads more on Youtube for specific bits and pieces. Just go to the website, download it and away you go. It’s the free version of SketchUp Pro and is a great tool for basic 3D modeling. If you are looking for something to start playing with layout and design ideas then have a look at Sketchup. Programs range from free online 3D modelling tools to expensive professional computer aided design packages.

The company no longer develops Sketchup Make, its free desktop software, but you can download it from Trimble's archives.House design software or computer aided design (CAD) can be a useful tool whether you are taking on part of your home design or just want to use it to play with ideas before talking to a professional. The SketchUp website offers a really impressive array of video and self-paced training options to help you along the way. Of course, if you're looking to put out detailed designs with accurate sizing and tolerances, you'll need to spend some time learning the ins and outs of the program. Even if you've never done any CAD work or 3D modeling before, you can pull together some really nice presentations in minutes. The interface makes it easy to get up to speed on the basics. SketchUp's free web-based version has plenty of power, but if you need additional functionality, you have to buy SketchUp Pro-and pay a hefty price tag. Trimble has enhanced it and developed it further and now offers a slew of related products. In 2012, Google sold the product to Trimble. SketchUp was originally developed by Google and was one of the greatest free CAD packages ever put on the market. Free feature is web-only with many important features hobbled.

Free house drafting software