Simple CAD software for barns and sheds?

[N80]

I do not know anything about CAD or design software. But, I am planning a shop in the future, a large carport and possibly an addition on our cabin and it sure would be nice to have a very simple (and affordable) 2D CAD app for that sort of thing. Does such a thing exist? I use a Mac by the way. That will probably limit options. I could not make head nor tails of the apps in the App Store. Many of them got terrible reviews.

 

[Rowdy Redneck]

I love SketchUp. There is a free web version and tons of online tutorials.

 

[N80]

I love SketchUp. There is a free web version and tons of online tutorials.

Playing with it now. Can't figure it out. Will need to look at some videos.

 

[Skeans1]

I do not know anything about CAD or design software. But, I am planning a shop in the future, a large carport and possibly an addition on our cabin and it sure would be nice to have a very simple (and affordable) 2D CAD app for that sort of thing. Does such a thing exist? I use a Mac by the way. That will probably limit options. I could not make head nor tails of the apps in the App Store. Many of them got terrible reviews.

Check out Fusion 360 or if you’re looking for something super simple go Tinkercad.

 

[Rockbadchild]

i draw with Autocad all day long for work, i have the advantage to use it for my personal projects … i have the image of my property on there to scale so i can lay out future building, lay out my fences scenario calculate the amount of post needed, field area ect ect the program is pretty expensive to buy probably not worth it for a project once in a while but usually you can find free monthly demo online you just have to delete it and reinstall it every month

 

[JM7500]

LibreCad is another free, downloadable software. I've used it a little. Long ago, I used AutoCad extensively for my job and side projects. It doesn't have the features but is free. I use Microsoft Project to track tasks, but Project Libre is free and similar. I can't remember everything and I use it as much as the cad software to show stages like site work, foundation, walls, etc and track when it's completed.

 

[LittleBill21]

I would think sketchup would be the best for this

 

[dstig1]

When it comes to building construction CAD, there are a lot of programs out there that do an OK job and are fairly cheap. Or there used to be when you could walk into BestBuy and buy software off the shelf...

I got much more serious and ended up using Chief Architect to design and make prints for my house and shop build. Nowadays it costs close to $3k, so I doubt that is an option you want for this, but I know they sell a stripped down version called Home Designer for anywhere from $100 to $500 depending on version. They also allow you to download trial versions, so you can give it a whirl before you commit. I cannot honestly say if the Home Designer series compares well to their flagship Chief Architect platform, but the higher end stuff was clearly good and very powerful, so I would expect the simpler versions would do what you want for a simple shop and carport. They do make Windows and Mac versions too, so that may be a big deal as I don't know how many are available for Mac. No connection to them other than a user (well, mostly a former user as I haven't touched it in a few years at this point). Download the trial and see if it does what you want. They had a lot of training videos for the flagship product, but charged extra for them. You might find some on Youtube for the DIY series.

Home Designer | Home Design Software for DIY

DIY home design, interior design and remodeling software from the creators of Chief Architect. Create floorplans and visualize in 3D.

www.homedesignersoftware.com

 

[N80]

I messed with SketchUp and watched a few tutorials. The learning curve is probably not worth the effort at this point for the carport but when the time comes for my shop I may revisit one of these apps.

 

[newbury]

I messed with SketchUp and watched a few tutorials. The learning curve is probably not worth the effort at this point for the carport but when the time comes for my shop I may revisit one of these apps.

That could be a very good project. It's better to start with something simple.