Design tools

[dsaracini]

Hello All,

I must admit that in the past, when I went to do a project, I was kind of a "cocktail napkin" kind of designer... but, now that I'm starting to work on "nicer" projects with more expensive materials, I've been thinking that I need to spend a lot more time in the planning and design phases. What tools (e.g. Software packages) do people use? I've been playing with Google's SketchUp and it seems ok for free, and I've bought a book to try to get better at it, but I can't help but think there must be better things out there.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

[dsaracini]

Hello All,

I must admit that in the past, when I went to do a project, I was kind of a "cocktail napkin" kind of designer... but, now that I'm starting to work on "nicer" projects with more expensive materials, I've been thinking that I need to spend a lot more time in the planning and design phases. What tools (e.g. Software packages) do people use? I've been playing with Google's SketchUp and it seems ok for free, and I've bought a book to try to get better at it, but I can't help but think there must be better things out there.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Ok. There may still be something better out there, but have found "SketchUp for Woodworkers" website and have been going through the videos and it has helped a lot. So, just for future people that might view this posting, you should go check out:

http://sketchupforwoodworkers.com/

[Southwood]

I still draw it out old school. I feel I have better control that way. I wouldn't mind using SketchUp, but I really don't have the time.

I attend the local community college, trying to finish up something started long ago, and I have ask the CAD/ drafting dept about classes. They don't even have anyone that knows it.

[areynoldsre]

SketchUp is the way to go if you want to use a computer. No, it's not the best CAD tool out there but it's free and does %95 of what you need. I use it for all my design work these days. I have found it easy to use and learn.

I still tend to start with napkins, scrapes of paper, old envelopes, etc but when I've got past the concept phase I move on to SketchUp.

[flairwoodworks]

Drafting programs and plans drawn up first have the disadvantage of not factoring in the wood. Often, the wood itself has an impact on the design. Sometimes I want a curve to follow the grain, other times I want to balance the sapwood and heartwood. Or maybe I need to cut out a check or a knot.

[sbarton22]

I use all the tools imaginable. I sketch to come up with the general idea. Then I might go to 3D Studio Max to give it 3d form, spin it around and cast some light to see how the forms work. I might skip this step if it is something simple. Then, if I want dimensioned plans, I take it into Revit to draft and dimension it. That is the high end process, and is not always the standard.

For any given idea/project, I might add or eliminate steps. I've only used sketchUp once to design a woodworking project, and while very simple, I find it too clumsy. I can do 3x the work in Max and get better results for half the time. I don't dimension in SketchUp, but if I did, I might force myself to use it more.

Sometimes, I can only "plan" the piece properly on the real wood...either by mock up or, like Flairworks says, to enhance some quality of the specific piece I am using.

At the end of the day, for me, and probably because I design for living, I think the plans, dimensioned drawings, etc, are just like military strategies....they are all well and good, but once the bullets start flying, you need to react to what the project is telling you. For example, I've tried 3 times to build a certain cutting board design for gifts. I have now made 3 different boards that are way better than my original drawings and is a result of always keeping my eyes open for opportunities or exploiting my mistakes instead of trying to hide them. Another example is a table I am building had added detail and interest because I couldn't foresee how my connections would actually effect the wood and I had to reinforce it.

My overall strategy is always to not let the tools I use constrain my design. If you can't model it in SketchUp, don't change your design idea, change the medium you are using to develop it.

[flairwoodworks]

Here's a good quote by Graham Blackburn:

If you remain insensitive to the individual characteristics of the material you are working with and cut regardless to a predetermined, exact measurement, then the finished piece will lack a certain wholeness and be little better than something you could have bought from a factory.

I'm compiling quotes on my blog HERE and HERE.

[bois]

I too use multiple tools in the design process. I do think it's important to keep a sketch book to play with ideas. I even got a new app for the iPad that lets me sketch with a stylus. Once I settle on an idea, I usually skin the design in Sketchup until I'm happy with rough dimensions, proportions, etc. Then I'll actually build out the components and joinery (to the extent necessary) as a reference tool. I also like to do a full scale model if I can, as this has helped me a lot in the past to identify things that just don't come across in a 3D model. I've used pink foam insulation with reasonable success (although I still get ribbed to this day about the pink writing desk I did). I documented a bit of my design process on that project on my blog.