Hi everybody,

All the HT projects I've done up until this point have been drawn out with the ol' pen and paper. I'd like to present a more professional image, however. What design software, if any, do you like to use to visualize and layout a new HT?

Any thoughts or advice? I'm not super experienced with AutoDesk AutoCAD, but if I sat myself down for a couple hours a day, I could pick it up in a week or so. Thanks guys!

Google's SketchUp - http://www.sketchup.com/ It's cheap (as in free) and pretty easy to get in and start mocking stuff up.

Using AutoCAD to design your HT would be akin to using a bulldozer to plant a flower.

As dachavez mentioned, Google SketchUp is free and more than adequate for our uses - in fact, it's excellent for our purposes. You can literally design in 3D (which AutoCAD is NOT well suited for, I'd add) and once finished, pull sections and elevations from your 3D drawing, dimension, print - and build from the drawings.

Oh, and do a search - there are several threads on how people have used SketchUp and lots of examples of the drawings they've produced.

SC

Sketchup for me..its easy once you get to know it and a lot of fun can be had during the design process..It is like sketching on paper..only in 3d!