Sun, 08 Mar 2026 17:22:33 +0000 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301192#Comment_301192 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301192#Comment_301192 Sat, 15 Apr 2023 19:07:28 +0100 Victorianeco
It's a 2 bedroom bungalow with hipped roof, looking at adding a dormer and possibly double extension if possible.

Something I've always been interested in (architecture design) but never really persued it

Thanks]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301193#Comment_301193 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301193#Comment_301193 Sat, 15 Apr 2023 19:32:34 +0100 revor https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301194#Comment_301194 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301194#Comment_301194 Sat, 15 Apr 2023 19:33:14 +0100 Victorianeco
And can it be used to design kitchens for example?

Upload photos and edit/amend etc?]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301216#Comment_301216 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301216#Comment_301216 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:35:51 +0100 Doubting_Thomas
That said, it is still the most intuitive and straightforward to pick-up software I have ever used (in architecture) and the pro version remains a staple part of my output for all sorts of reasons.

For the purposes you describe above, I think it will serve you well. Have a go with the free version and see if you encounter any obstacles would be my advice. Then you can start to investigate what the various paid-versions can offer.

I designed my kitchen in it, but that was because someone else had already modelled all the Ikea units so I could just download them and move around.

There are also loads of plugins and tutorials that expand the basic capabilities once you've got to grips with it.

NB. One thing it's not so good for is good old-fashioned 2D scale drawings. There is a related program they offer called LayOut but I don't think it's that great for the price you pay. If screenshots are enough, then its fine, but you'll need to look at the options if you want something more formal.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301219#Comment_301219 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301219#Comment_301219 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 12:01:08 +0100 Mike1 Posted By: revorI use Turbo Cad have done since windows 3.1 so a long time.Me too, since DOS (and I'm still annoyed that I had to throw out my Epson printer when they went to Windows).

TurboCAD is pretty good but, like most full CAD software, it has a huge learning curve. I'd guess that IMSI's Floorplan product would be easier to use, but haven't tried it https://www.imsidesign.com/products/floorplan

I have played with SketchUp in the past, but never found a big use for it because, as Thomas says, it's 3D-oriented.

For a lower-tech way of experimenting, I suggest drawing up the existing floor plans & elevations to scale (by hand is fine), make multiple prints / photocopies, and draw different ideas on them. And, if you want to go 3D, invest in some Lego.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301221#Comment_301221 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301221#Comment_301221 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:02:13 +0100 bhommels Posted By: Mike1
And, if you want to go 3D, invest in some Lego.
+1
A 4 pins/metre LEGO scale model gave me lots of insight on where the doors & windows should go, lines of sight etc. Very much recommended!]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301227#Comment_301227 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301227#Comment_301227 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 20:16:03 +0100 neelpeel For interiors you can drop in furniture and people and also view from the inside.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301243#Comment_301243 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301243#Comment_301243 Wed, 19 Apr 2023 05:54:38 +0100 cjard
Worked well for me to just take a slice through the model at an appropriate height. I also used layers so I could turn off furniture, piping, electrics, turn on labels etc]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301244#Comment_301244 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301244#Comment_301244 Wed, 19 Apr 2023 06:05:35 +0100 cjard https://designerhacks.com/skp-download-all/ have old versions available, and I tend to use 2017 still though I don't know if the components warehouse (a library of pre made things like sofas and kitchen units) still works in the older versions. You can access it on th web and download/import to an old version of the built in downloader doesn't work

One thing I would say if youre planning on using it, is take a few tutorials first - it has a brilliant system for drawing but it's not necessarily intuitive if you're used to basic concepts in 2D drawing and paint packages

It looks like there is sufficient skill on here that you can get help with using it too]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301268#Comment_301268 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301268#Comment_301268 Thu, 20 Apr 2023 09:14:58 +0100 fostertom https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301300#Comment_301300 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301300#Comment_301300 Sat, 22 Apr 2023 20:12:26 +0100 Victorianeco
I'll have a look at a few of the other products suggested

I want something the wife could almost say 'I want a window by there'. And then within a few clicks I can just add a window etc

2d drawings would be good

We'd probably engage with an architect on this project if our purchase offer gets accepted but we want to play around with some basic ideas ourselves]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301322#Comment_301322 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301322#Comment_301322 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:27:11 +0100 Doubting_Thomas Posted By: VictorianecoI want something the wife could almost say 'I want a window by there'. And then within a few clicks I can just add a window etc


Seriously, give SketchUp a go. Even the free website version will be enough for that kind of design exercise and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how user friendly it is.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301329#Comment_301329 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301329#Comment_301329 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:11:11 +0100 cjard
OK so at its most very basic that would look like this set of operations, assuming you wanted a 2000 wide x1000 high window, 800mm off the floor and 1m in from the room edge of a 4m x 5m room that hs 300mm thick walls:

Press R to Select the rectangle tool
Click to start drawing a rectangle on the floor, move the mouse a bit
Type 4000,5000 and hit enter
Press F to select the offset tool (it clones shapes larger or smaller than an existing shape)
Click the rectangle to start offsetting it, move the mouse outside the rectangle, type 300 enter
You now have a rectangle pair, one inside the other
Press P for pull up tool
Point to the space between the two rectangles, click and move the mouse up to pull the walls up out of the "ground"
You now have 4 walls sticking out of the floor
Press T tape measure
Point to a line (not a corner where 3 lines meet) at the base of a wall, click, move up the wall, type 800, press return
Point to the room corner where two walls meet (again, not a bottom or top corner) and again click, move, type 1000 return

You should now have two dotted lines intersecting on the inner face of the wall

R for rectangle, point to the intersection of the two lines and click
Move the mouse to drag an obvious rectangle eg one that is 1m wide and 20 mm high, look in the bottom right to find out if sketchup is saying this rectangle you drew is 1000,20 or is it 20,1000. This informs you what order to write the actual size in to get a rectangle rotated how you want. Type your desired size in the same order

You now have a rectangle "on the wall" of the house

Press P for pull up, point to the rectangle centre and "push" it through the wall to cut a rectangular hole. The pullup tool will auto-stop when it reaches the other side of the wall, and the look of the face you're pushing goes "shimmery" to indicate it is lying exactly coincident with the opposing face and will disappear when you click to finish the drawing

That's a "window", though if you want it to actually look like a double glazed pane and frame you can either draw or download one and scale it to fit the opening

---

SketchUp doesn't (shouldn't) be used to draw like every paint program you ever used. In those other tools, you choose e.g. pencil, you point to the start place, you click and hold the mouse down, you drag to the end place, you release the mouse. That's a terrible way of drawing for accuracy and distance

In sketchup, you should go to Tools..Preferences and set the drawing mode to click-move-click so it doesn't allow you to draw like that old way (click-drag-release) because it's awful

With click move click you point to the start place, click(release) the mouse, move to the end place, and click again. This is much more accurate and allows easy zooming and panning to find the end place while you're still performing a drawing operation (click-move-zoom-pan-move-unzoom-click - try doing that in click-drag-release mode)]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301330#Comment_301330 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301330#Comment_301330 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:55:21 +0100 cjard
https://ufile.io/8ikmh4c5

SU Make 2017 can be obtained from:
https://download.cnet.com/SketchUp-Make-2017/3055-6677_4-10257337.html

Attached is a zip containing a quick model; it is 4 walls,a window and a door, a section plane cuts the model at a height that shows the window and door, and accessory drawing items on a dedicated layer show measurements and door swings; these can be turned off. Two scenes are present; one that orients the camera to top-down and flicks to plan mode (2D, enabled dims and doors etc) and one that is normal 3D]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301544#Comment_301544 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=301544#Comment_301544 Fri, 12 May 2023 17:26:32 +0100 CWatters
I've used that quite a lot for designing things for 3D printing but not house design. Recently did electronic and PCB design using it.

This vid shows what you can do without using any house specific libraries..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWobsxGZ_Q
more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs_dNm1a9Ew

I havent looked to see if there is a library of useful stuff for house design.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306390#Comment_306390 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306390#Comment_306390 Sat, 03 Aug 2024 11:00:51 +0100 Victorianeco
Any up to date recommendations? Looking at something that could perhaps do a walkabout, 3d visualisation etc.

Anything that can then tie in with kitchen layouts, bathroom designs etc.

Maybe even something that can take into account position and orientation of sun on window positions etc?

Cheers]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306411#Comment_306411 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306411#Comment_306411 Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:55:45 +0100 lookseehear https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306487#Comment_306487 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306487#Comment_306487 Sun, 18 Aug 2024 22:03:38 +0100 wookey I used LibreCAD (2D CAD) for many years but have switched to FreeCAD now.
If you like FreeCAD but find the UI hard work, then https://ondsel.com/ is the FreeCAD backend with a nicer UI and a cloud storage system (and there is a subscription for more than basic usage).

Sketchup is much easier to get started with, but there is no Linux version so has to be run under WINE. I tried it some years ago but this was not really much use to me. Whilst the UI is really good for getting started quickly I found it a huge pain for doing accurate drawings and not accidentally making things all twisted when it guesses wrong which way you wanted to move something. And of course it's proprietary (now Trimble, not Google).]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306494#Comment_306494 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17811&Focus=306494#Comment_306494 Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:56:55 +0100 sgt_woulds
https://nanocad.com/products/nanocad-free/

The free version is an older iteration but fully functional. The interface is very AutoCAD and unlike all the other 'Free' CAD programs I've tried it can actually open all versions of AutoCAD DWG format, (I've got files dating back to AutoCAD 2000 when I was running windows 95!).]]>