Architectural software recommendations other than mechanical CAD

I never thought I would be asking for a Cad recommendation here but until a few weeks ago I never tried to 3d model a house in solidworks.

Certain things in SW just annoy me and one is 3d sketch. I have always tried to avoid it by shifting plains around. I have also never used weldments until recently and I absolutely despise it as it requires 3d sketch and then works everything off centerline. Weldments then mate weldment assemblies have me fuming.

In the Philippines land is cheap and construction is cheaper. Problem is if you don't draw it on a napkin while downing some hi octane Filipino beer with the builder they are lost. Usually when someone wants a house built its sketched out and the builder literary shoots from the hip. No planning, no material list just a shape and a mental picture.

Studs here are non existent so all houses are built from regular 16" construction blocks since the’re only .11 cents a pop. Problem with that is no houses here have insulation, just a 6" thick wall with a year round 90+ degree temp. Most roofs are corrugated metal or grass Nippa with maybe a 3/8" thick aluminum foil sided foam sheet.

I managed to pick up a few hectares of land and I'm building some 14X20 elevated beach bungalows but I want to change it up to a more western build but keep it native looking. My plan is to build 8 Pillars 8' tall supporting a metal truss floor then use C purlins for the wall studs and roof braces. My plan for the roof is corrugated metal with Nippa on top than 2" foam on the inside covered by Sawali (Woven Bamboo mat).

As it stands I have a (Buildable) model in solidworks with a BOM and dimensioned drawings. For me, I could build from what I have but these workers here are absolutely lost. I drew the columns and the foundation flooring and told them to put Re-bar in just like any other concrete job but I want 4 pieces coming out the top on 2.5" centers to weld the main flooring frame to. Nope,,,, now they want dimensioning for all the rebar as well as the cages and then they want drawings for the column forms.

Shaking my head I go back in my office and start to model fkn Re-bar! What a PITA in Solidworks. As Im modeling this the guy ask where I want the windows. Ooopps, It was at this point I realised I don't know how to sketch/extrude through the row of studs I modeled using pattern repeat. Now they are really confused and want to just not do the job period.

I really can't get too upset with the builders as this is nothing like they have ever built before. fro most its block, cement, and bamboo. with Portland Cement only $2.40 for an 80# bag I can't really blame them. I'm looking at the fac t we get 5-10 Typhoons a year and twice that in tropical depressions. 140 Kilometer winds 10' up in the air I don't want to fly away. A 2x4x1/8x20 rectangular tubing is $9.30 a piece. 2x3x.080x20' C purlin is about $6 a pop. My plan is to make the floor joist from the 2x4 metal tube and the wall and roof studs from the C purlins then cover it all in Woven bamboo sheeting.

For the most part I can get these done in SW but its takes a lot of time and I plan on each place being different. Sorry for the long (Kinda OT) post but just wanted to give a general idea of what i'm trying to get out of a software. I figured here would be the best place to ask if theres any architects in the group or if someone can tell me how to sketch/extrude cut through a pattern from a different plain in SW.

Here's a couple of pics of what i'm trying to accomplish.

Look up Chief Architect.

Chief Architect | Architectural Home Design Software

I recently bought Chief Architect's "Home Designer: Architectural". On sale for $200. Haven't messed with it much but so far so good and it isn't a monthly subscription which I appreciate.

Wow, Thats look like the ticket after watching the introduction vid. I'll give the demo a try, Although I am against renting software I think in this case it may be an advantage.

g-coder05 said:

I never thought I would be asking for a Cad recommendation here but until a few weeks ago I never tried to 3d model a house in solidworks.

As it stands I have a (Buildable) model in solidworks with a BOM and dimensioned drawings. For me, I could build from what I have but these workers here are absolutely lost. I drew the columns and the foundation flooring and told them to put Re-bar in just like any other concrete job but I want 4 pieces coming out the top on 2.5" centers to weld the main flooring frame to. Nope,,,, now they want dimensioning for all the rebar as well as the cages and then they want drawings for the column forms.

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I am not a Architect and I don't play one on T.V. I have built several buildings in my lifetime and I am just weeks away from completing a new shop. I applaud you for trying to design and build this project.

From your description of the weather where you are at I am assuming there is salt spray in the air on many occasions. From the bold red I quoted, I don't feel that rebar coming out of the concrete to weld floor frame to is a wise choice. That salt mist at some point will liquify and seep in between the concrete and floor frame to the rebar, which in turn will cause it to rust and prematurely fail. Like I said earlier, I am not an Architect, and I am sure there are many solutions to this problem. Off the top of my head I would use 4 galvanized anchor bolts on each pillar to bolt down the floor frame. I am sure there is a better method, but then, I am not an Architect or Contractor.

You probably noticed I used the word Architect several times, save yourself some aggravation and future problems and talk to one. They aren't as expensive as you might think. Every time I have used one it saved me more money than their fees. Oh, they also are fluent in Contractor Speak which could help with the Contractor not badgering you about more drawings.

Good luck!

Well Autocad is the go to for Architects here, some use Rhino for Curved surfaces and 3d modeling.this is where auto cad falls down.They are hard to build in Advanced places so stay away from compound curves.
Trusses and like can be modelled in Spacegass .SPACE GASS Home Page
you need to work out loads and this is from in my case here Australian Standards such as as1170 wind code etc timber code etc you may not have them over there, can use USA standards as well i suppose if the laws allow.
Then you work out the loads in a appropriate format and put them into spacegass, from then it does analysis to see deflection / buckling limits etc.
Timber connections are done next once you have the results from Spacegass.
Typically these are done by hand or a spreadsheet if you do a lot of them being similar.
Connections are important as the members can be ok but it fails on the joint, timber being hard to join to anything. join is usually the weakest link.

The software does all the complex bits but you pay for it and all design places have it for speed of use.

I have a old copy but do not have time to allocate to it at the moment and i suppose would be liable if i did so anyway. Design houses have insurance to cover there you know what and charge for risk in the work they do.
And make good should the need arise with insured funds

edit i just remembered its 32 bit and i am now running 64 so won't run, its a little old

oh that picture of the shack does not look cyclone proof at all.......

It's likely that I don't fully understand what makes SW difficult/unpleasant for you to use in modeling a house other than the usual limitations of the software. Some functions/features are indeed a PITA but SW is all I've used to model the house I bought 3 years ago. I also use 3D sketching and find it can be faster than creating a sketch for every blasted extrusion, sketch can also be altered for shapes not in the library but you probably already know this. I've created the exterior, interior, plumbing, and electrical for remodeling projects I've already done or plan to do. It's been a great help to me for BOM, fitment, and planning. It took some time to do this, maybe purpose built software would be easier but that's what I used. Good luck.

ShaunM said:

I recently bought Chief Architect ....

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Another vote for Chief Architect ... I've used it a few times. Probably not good for a shopping center but for smaller projects, it's a-okay.

I use Draftsight. Its works very similar to Autocad in 2d but its about $99.i think they have a 30 day free trial. The files save in Autocad format also.

You probably noticed I used the word Architect several times, save yourself some aggravation and future problems and talk to one. They aren't as expensive as you might think. Every time I have used one it saved me more money than their fees. Oh, they also are fluent in Contractor Speak which could help with the Contractor not badgering you about more drawings.

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I would absolutely be grateful to find an Architect here but they are very few and far between. Building permits are non existent for residential. The true architects only want large commercial projects.

That is a good idea about a galvanized anchor rather than exposed rebar, I'll have to put that under advisement.

oh that picture of the shack does not look cyclone proof at all.......

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Haha, I was terrified first time or two I went through a typhoon in one but you would be surprised how strong bamboo is. But, one of the main reasons im building with metal framing is just for this exact reason. Any exposed beam will be wrapped in bamboo halves and the roof will be a proper metal trussed roof just covered with the woven bamboo leaves to keep it native looking.

And yeah, I have seen a few of them floating out to sea, in fact one of the local tiki bar owners near my place has a spot right where the river meets the South China Sea. Every year after the rain season he builds a two story deck bar and we all sit out there taking in the breeze for 8 months. then the first rain comes he cuts it loose and i'm sure it winds up somewhere around vietnam.

It's likely that I don't fully understand what makes SW difficult/unpleasant for you to use in modeling a house other than the usual limitations of the software. Some functions/features are indeed a PITA but SW is all I've used to model the house I bought 3 years ago. I also use 3D sketching and find it can be faster than creating a sketch for every blasted extrusion, sketch can also be altered for shapes not in the library but you probably already know this. I've created the exterior, interior, plumbing, and electrical for remodeling projects I've already done or plan to do. It's been a great help to me for BOM, fitment, and planning. It took some time to do this, maybe purpose built software would be easier but that's what I used. Good luck.

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I'm just not used to creating large multiple assemblies in SW, Especially just general purpose with wide open tolerances. It's like, if I open SW I can't pull the mechanical drawing and assembly out of my mind set. And having to draw rebar cage assemblies I new there had to be something that already had that in it.

I tried using weldments (I have only ever really tinkered with that) and the 3d sketch. Spent a few hours making some foundations with pillars only to find I pulled many of the lines at a 45 deg angle rather than 90 for the rebar. Thats when I gave up on SW for that.

I really lie that Chief architect but it falls off in the foundations area. Now I find that Revit has a sweet rebar package in it but just another example of Autodesk buying up software companies and going subscription based. As much as I would like to have it, i'm not giving AD the time of day.

g-coder05 said:

I
I'm just not used to creating large multiple assemblies in SW, Especially just general purpose with wide open tolerances. It's like, if I open SW I can't pull the mechanical drawing and assembly out of my mind set. And having to draw rebar cage assemblies I new there had to be something that already had that in it.

I tried using weldments (I have only ever really tinkered with that) and the 3d sketch. Spent a few hours making some foundations with pillars only to find I pulled many of the lines at a 45 deg angle rather than 90 for the rebar. Thats when I gave up on SW for that.

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-I'll readily admit that multiple sub-assemblies are required for almost any size project to be of any real use, otherwise it's just a static model that has to be altered in the sketch too often for playing "what if". This does make SW somewhat clumsy to use, a great deal of time spent on constraints for multiple sub-assemblies, too many will test the graphic card and the limitations of the software itself. The house currently has 537 components and seems to be within the capabilities of the software at the moment. I try to remember the instructions for eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

The 3D sketch and weldments features are also a bit clumsy to get acquainted with but once you've warmed up to it can speed up creating structures/piping/conduit. I used the weldments function for large vessel platforms/containment/mounting whenever possible and it saved a lot of time. I used the 3D sketch for new conduit in wiring the machines as well as the flexible PEX tubing on the water filtration system that had a trajectory in 3 planes/axis. I use splines with enough control points and the tangent arrows handles for better control of size/location. Spinning the model for at least 3 different views helps keep the trajectory where you want it, constraints help too.

Rebar/anchors? Sounds like a single model complete with concrete pillar/pad used in the main assembly, especially if it's going to be used in several locations. Yes it's a PITA to do a pattern/array but that's what I did for all the engineered trusses and even several of the windows. It makes for a large, bulky assembly file if ALL details are included so I do a "Save As" copy for the shell/portions of the house/basement so I'm only working on the portion I would actually see if I was there. Yes that means a lot of different assembly and sub-assembly models, it also allows for cleaner drawings and less model configurations to keep straight. IIRC AutoCad uses layer control to keep things tidy in one drawing model, I just use different models instead of multiple configurations. I try to limit what goes into the main assembly so it doesn't become crowded with too many details or sub-assemblies. I've had advice to make use of folders to keep sub-assemblies in for the sake of tidiness/order. For personal projects I prefer making a separate assembly and the drawings per the level of detail needed to keep the main assembly free of excessive clutter and limit file sizes.

Planning the file structure and how you'll create things before starting is a big help and a big PITA sometimes but that's the nature of the beast. I have to believe that a more dedicated software would do a better/easier job of this, I've only seen what the architecture people used at McKee Foods (Little Debbie) when I worked there and while it did have a nice library of architectural details and feature creation functions I only work with AutoCad (or clones) when I'm forced to. With SW I can pull just about any info I need out of the models/assemblies, not so sure if that's possible with other programs due to unfamiliarity.

Looks like I haven't offered better solutions here. If you're comfortable with SW revising your planning/methods may take less time than learning a new software program that's better suited to the task. Hope you find a better/easier solution. Interesting location dynamics involved there. I wanted to visit there when I was younger and learning about the culture.

There is also tekla, there is a trial version but do not know the limitations on it, if it just prints it with a disclaimer or does not do certain parts of analysis or maybe doesn't save the file.

But hey its free to have a look to see what you can do

Tekla | Industry leading model-based construction software | by Trimble