Need a simple 2D home floor plan app

[james*b]

Hi
Could anyone recommend me an easy to use app for floor designs for a Mac?
I am looking for something simple - and ideally free - to start off the design process, as I just want to be able to communicate initial, basic ideas with an architect in 2D, so no need for more complex visualisation at this point.
Thanks in advance..

 

[organicCPU]

Any vector based graphics app should fit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gravit-designer/id1207744923
https://inkscape.org

Or not so simple CAD apps:
http://librecad.org
https://www.freecadweb.org

Or a dedicated 3D app especially for your purpose:
http://www.sweethome3d.com

 

[EdwardC]

I enjoy TurboCAD and QCad which also has a free version. Draftsight is very good and is very reminiscent of AutoCAD v14.

www.qcad.org
https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

 

[T Coma]

https://www.sketchup.com/

Free, intuitively easy to learn, do the most basic 2d layouts to uber-complicated 3d pro-level stuff.

I've done everything from the kind of work you mentioned to simple 1 wall design to a huge warehouse layout to practically redesigning our 2 flat.

One of the most useful if not THE most useful piece of software on my mac.

 

[jasnw]

https://www.sketchup.com/

My son's a professional architect, and he uses sketchup and recommended it to me for doing preliminary design work for a bathroom remodel. I've only fiddled with it so far, but it appears to be quite powerful.

 

[rhett7660]

Another vote for Sketchup. I have only done a few things with it, as I just found it myself. Holy smokes is it powerful!

 

[Marty_Macfly]

https://www.sketchup.com/

Free, intuitively easy to learn, do the most basic 2d layouts to uber-complicated 3d pro-level stuff.

I've done everything from the kind of work you mentioned to simple 1 wall design to a huge warehouse layout to practically redesigning our 2 flat.

One of the most useful if not THE most useful piece of software on my mac.

Hi Mr T,


Nice to find the answers from old posts on this forum!


Planning a Room in 2d.
I'm simply trying to do a rectangle, the room, then fill in with moveable rectangles (Bed, desk etc.)


RE: Sketchup.
Unfortunately I don't have auto cad work experiance, so all a bit of an uphill struggle this web site!
I'm trying the free web version now, and I'm afraid its not an easy ride for me unfortunately.
Has the free app been dumbed down now, to get people to buy the app?


Any current '2d room planner' apps out there - for newbies - for 2021?


Regards
Martin

 

[Ruggy]

The simplest one I've used is actually for the ipad or phone if you have one and it's called HomeDesign 3D.
They have a version for Mac OS but I haven't used it so I don't know how simple it is.
If you have an ipad or an iphone then with Home design you just drag the room into shape with your fingers and drop items onto it. Double click a wall to change the measurements that sort of thing.
It's pretty intuitive which you can't really say about the average cad software and you can pretty much have a go straight off the bat. If you want to create odd shapes it's more tricky though and it's better for squares and rectangles.
I'ver just checked and it looks like the basic program is still free and you pay for the furniture packs so you can give that a go if it sounds appropriate. As you don't want much furniture you might not have to pay but it is useful to use the standard furniture because you get an idea of standard sizes and that can really help with the ergonomics of a room. You can change the sizes of the furniture too just by tapping on them (from memory but I haven't used it for a while)
It's not so good if you want to stack up plans but for what you want it might be ideal.

Home Design 3D - The best design app on iOS, Android, PC and Mac !

The one I have used on the Mac myself is called Sweet Home 3D. This is still free.
They are always a bit intimidating because really you need to understand the workflow to use them and you have to know how to create the walls and the measurements for the walls first before you can get stuck in. (Creating a room is a different thing and that isn't intuitive at all. You can build 4 walls and put the furniture in but it still isn't a room. It's a room when you put in the floor and usually for a plan the walls are all you need.) so there is a bit of a learking curve especially when things are snapping to grid lines etc, and they can be very very frustrating. You try to move a wall by a millimeter and everything changes out of shape ARRGH!
It's got quite a good user guide and it is worth looking at it because as I say, once you've got the workflow sorted out it's half the battle. Doing things the wrong way round is what makes it difficult.

http://www.sweethome3d.com/features.jsp

 

[T Coma]

Hi Mr T,


Nice to find the answers from old posts on this forum!


Planning a Room in 2d.
I'm simply trying to do a rectangle, the room, then fill in with moveable rectangles (Bed, desk etc.)


RE: Sketchup.
Unfortunately I don't have auto cad work experiance, so all a bit of an uphill struggle this web site!
I'm trying the free web version now, and I'm afraid its not an easy ride for me unfortunately.
Has the free app been dumbed down now, to get people to buy the app?


Any current '2d room planner' apps out there - for newbies - for 2021?


Regards
Martin

Get the version shown here:

PSA: You Can Still Download the Old Free Version of SketchUp

Free SketchUp lives on if you know where to look.

www.howtogeek.com

Not dumbed down, does everything you or I need. But like anything else, more function means more to learn. That being said, I found it to be pretty darn intuitive despite having no experience in this field. Making simple designs is, well, pretty simple. I assume there are countless Youtube how-to videos to get you started, and more to explain the pro level tricks. And there are loads of crowd-sourced items to put into your work from their online library. I mean if a dimwit like me can figure it out, I can only guess that it shouldn't be difficult for most others. It became pretty addictive to me, and I've done plenty of real world designs from simple to relatively complex.

Design it, then build it!

 

[Big Bad D]

Hi Mr T,


Nice to find the answers from old posts on this forum!


Planning a Room in 2d.
I'm simply trying to do a rectangle, the room, then fill in with moveable rectangles (Bed, desk etc.)


RE: Sketchup.
Unfortunately I don't have auto cad work experiance, so all a bit of an uphill struggle this web site!
I'm trying the free web version now, and I'm afraid its not an easy ride for me unfortunately.
Has the free app been dumbed down now, to get people to buy the app?


Any current '2d room planner' apps out there - for newbies - for 2021?


Regards
Martin

Sketchup is nothing like as complex as autocad. The free web app version has less features, but far more than necessary for room modelling. If you only want to model in 2D as a plan, select top down view so that it appears to be 2D and draw lines dimensioned to walls. Sketchup community has many models for common funrniture and other objects.

 

[neutrino23]

Hi Mr T,


Nice to find the answers from old posts on this forum!


Planning a Room in 2d.
I'm simply trying to do a rectangle, the room, then fill in with moveable rectangles (Bed, desk etc.)


RE: Sketchup.
Unfortunately I don't have auto cad work experiance, so all a bit of an uphill struggle this web site!
I'm trying the free web version now, and I'm afraid its not an easy ride for me unfortunately.
Has the free app been dumbed down now, to get people to buy the app?


Any current '2d room planner' apps out there - for newbies - for 2021?


Regards
Martin

If you just want some moveable blocks try using Keynote. Make a large rectangle for the room then make rectangles for the objects. You can add labels to them and group them so they move together. Set the rulers to inches and choose some convenient scale ( 1 inch to 1 foot for example).

 

[PlayUltimate]

If you just want some moveable blocks try using Keynote. Make a large rectangle for the room then make rectangles for the objects. You can add labels to them and group them so they move together. Set the rulers to inches and choose some convenient scale ( 1 inch to 1 foot for example).

you could do the same in Pages.

 

[Marty_Macfly]

If you just want some moveable blocks try using Keynote. Make a large rectangle for the room then make rectangles for the objects. You can add labels to them and group them so they move together. Set the rulers to inches and choose some convenient scale ( 1 inch to 1 foot for example).

Hiya N,

That is the perfect kinda thing I want to do!

I’ll give that a go later this week when I have time

 

[Marty_Macfly]

Get the version shown here:

PSA: You Can Still Download the Old Free Version of SketchUp

Free SketchUp lives on if you know where to look.

www.howtogeek.com

Not dumbed down, does everything you or I need. But like anything else, more function means more to learn. That being said, I found it to be pretty darn intuitive despite having no experience in this field. Making simple designs is, well, pretty simple. I assume there are countless Youtube how-to videos to get you started, and more to explain the pro level tricks. And there are loads of crowd-sourced items to put into your work from their online library. I mean if a dimwit like me can figure it out, I can only guess that it shouldn't be difficult for most others. It became pretty addictive to me, and I've done plenty of real world designs from simple to relatively complex.

View attachment 1848910

View attachment 1848911

View attachment 1848912

Design it, then build it!

View attachment 1848917

Wow, Thats cool!

Waaay overkill for what I’m trying to do


I probably just got off on the wrong Foot with sketch up. Could not make head or tail of it.
The missus tried as well - we have no idea!

Off to Pages and keynote instead for our movable blocks!

Thanks for your time though, take care


Martin

 

[Marty_Macfly]

If you just want some moveable blocks try using Keynote. Make a large rectangle for the room then make rectangles for the objects. You can add labels to them and group them so they move together. Set the rulers to inches and choose some convenient scale ( 1 inch to 1 foot for example).

Hi Mr N,



Just tried Keynotes for this - I think this will do the trick nicely!

Thanks - great thinking out the box!



Best wishes
Martin

 

[adib]

The simplest one I've used is actually for the ipad or phone if you have one and it's called HomeDesign 3D.
They have a version for Mac OS but I haven't used it so I don't know how simple it is.
If you have an ipad or an iphone then with Home design you just drag the room into shape with your fingers and drop items onto it. Double click a wall to change the measurements that sort of thing.
It's pretty intuitive which you can't really say about the average cad software and you can pretty much have a go straight off the bat. If you want to create odd shapes it's more tricky though and it's better for squares and rectangles.
I'ver just checked and it looks like the basic program is still free and you pay for the furniture packs so you can give that a go if it sounds appropriate. As you don't want much furniture you might not have to pay but it is useful to use the standard furniture because you get an idea of standard sizes and that can really help with the ergonomics of a room. You can change the sizes of the furniture too just by tapping on them (from memory but I haven't used it for a while)
It's not so good if you want to stack up plans but for what you want it might be ideal.

Home Design 3D - The best design app on iOS, Android, PC and Mac !

The one I have used on the Mac myself is called Sweet Home 3D. This is still free.
They are always a bit intimidating because really you need to understand the workflow to use them and you have to know how to create the walls and the measurements for the walls first before you can get stuck in. (Creating a room is a different thing and that isn't intuitive at all. You can build 4 walls and put the furniture in but it still isn't a room. It's a room when you put in the floor and usually for a plan the walls are all you need.) so there is a bit of a learking curve especially when things are snapping to grid lines etc, and they can be very very frustrating. You try to move a wall by a millimeter and everything changes out of shape ARRGH!
It's got quite a good user guide and it is worth looking at it because as I say, once you've got the workflow sorted out it's half the battle. Doing things the wrong way round is what makes it difficult.

http://www.sweethome3d.com/features.jsp

Not sure why you recommend Sweet Home 3D; however the app keeps freezing after every action or so. SweetHome3D 6.6 on macOS 12.2.1 / Intel.

 

[Spacetime Anomaly]

If you just want some moveable blocks try using Keynote. Make a large rectangle for the room then make rectangles for the objects. You can add labels to them and group them so they move together. Set the rulers to inches and choose some convenient scale ( 1 inch to 1 foot for example).

you could do the same in Pages.

This also works with Numbers, which has the added advantage of having a highly zoomable canvas (and tabs).

I sometimes use Numbers as a scrapbook for research.