This question is directed at anyone who is doing design work. I would like to find out which software program folks are using for design. I know many probably use sketch up but it seems like it would be inadequate for many things. I draw many things by hand but it would be nice to have a cad drawing for overlays and ease of changing as it seems my own place the design is a living document much like a business plan. Curious what might be the best to use. Thanks!
Tim, this might be of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g7Gf8v-o1w "Adobe Illustrator Shape and Line Work for quick plan-production " by Ben Falk, Permaculture Designer in Vermont.
thank-you chook-in-eire! Illustrator would work great I am sure. We have the CS package as we teach Photoshop and use InDesign to layout or magazines and book. I have not ventured into the world of illustrator much but it would work great. Thanks! TimO
First, thank you for posing the question. Second, I did some research(adobe illustrator is just way too expensive for me) and I came across Inkscape. I'm going to be fooling around with this, so I'll let you know how it turns out!
Now that I think of it, my niece uses VectorWorks for landscape architecture drawings/plans. But that package is a lot more expensive than Adobe Illustrator. I haven't used either, or any other, so can't comment on functionality.
@unmutual All of the Adobe Suite is expensive. One can find legal copies that are one or two years old on ebay for much less money. Also if you find that you need more than one piece of Adobe software their new monthly plan is great. I went on the monthly plan several months ago and it costs me 27$ each month for the whole suite. So befoe I paid 640 a year for Photoshop, 500 a year for InDesign and the list goes on. The monthly plan will save me about 1500$ a year for the software I use in my business. One benefit is that the cost is for the whole suite so I have access to Illustrator with what I am already paying. @chook-in-eire. Thanks! I will also take a peek at vector works but likely will use Illustrator as I am already familiar with the Adobe product line.
I use Inkscape for quite a few things. I really enjoy using it now that I have 'worked out' some of its functionality. It is not exactly intuitive but with a bit of patient use it does become pretty useful. I seem to remember having a crack at using it for landscape planning. I can't remember how I went as I got busy and didn't get back to it. I don't see why it wouldn't work well. In fact now that I know more about how it works I think I;ll have another go at it.
Hey I use Powerpoint, its free for me cause it was already on my computer and been using it for years sense i am an educator. I wrote an article for PRI a few years ago and have been using it since and continually refining it. https://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/28/how-to-use-powerpoint-for-permaculture-designs/ Been making broad site designs and patch designs and then can easily drop them into presentations, adverts, websites, and blogs. Hope it helps!
Hi Doug Great article. I couldn't see the comments though and wonder if a way to share the drawings was found? Is it a matter of sharing powerpoint files and then importing each drawing into the palette or is there a way to export the palette or each drawing individually. Now that I read your article again, you are saving each object as a picture? This means that it cannot be edited, right? I also researched the "Software for Design work" topic recently and was surprised there is no open source program made for Permaculture designers. I did find a useful website that was sharing graphic files (png, svg, AI): https://ian.umces.edu/symbols/ - let me see if PowerPoint can import and use these... have tried but my clipart is not working at the moment - I think it will be possible to import to clipart, otherwise to insert manually (the png files at least ). Best, Dylan
Over the years I've become well versed in Visio. It used to be an independent product, but now is part of Microsoft. When I did corporate work, ALL of my powerpoint slide content was built in Visio. For Permaculture design, I've found it perfect for importing satellite imagery and building line-drawing overlays of properties for design work. Then I use sketch-up to illustrate detail bits.
I'd like to point you to Open Office. It's an open source version of Microsoft Office. You can export a powerpoint to .pdf, html, and quite a few other things too(and I assume the same with microsoft office). You can also, if you don't mind the paper usage, print it out with blank comment lines(for taking notes during a PP presentation).
If you really want to do 3D work on a low budget then blender might work for you. It's primarily animation software so it lacks some scaling features of full-blown CAD but is perfectly capable of producing relatively complex 3D models that we print out on our 3D printers at work. It's free (open source) and has a decent learning curve but is well-supported with plenty of tutorial videos.
I use Vectorworks Landmark. It's a CAD program so very accurate, but also has good rendering and presentation options (CAD needs to be rendered separately in Photoshop or the like). Excellent options for area measurements, plant schedules, fencing distances etc with linked budgets easily calculated. Costs a few grand but in short, it's a professional design program, designed for designing, and you get what you pay for.
In recent times I have tried a heap of programs and techniques for my design work: Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Visio, Concept Draw, DraftSight, Adobe Illustrator, and good ol' pen/pencil and paper. I have had experience with Illustrator in the past, so know my way around it pretty well, and I use Microsoft Visio in my day-to-day work (I am a business analyst) but you know what, I have had the most freedom and the best experience using plain old pens, pencils and paper.
I think you are right on the colored pencil and paper technique. My first design was using whiteboard and I am going to experiment with this technique on actual clients. Might work, we'll see!
I found this program Garden CAD very useful the Lite version is free and the full version only $50 AUD. https://www.gardencad.net/web/?q=node/1
I am just starting with mapping property, and am using OpenStreetMap as basis, Google Earth Map and my own gps readings and putting it altogether with Merkaartor and Inkscape.