Google has a free design program!

[Longhorn]

http://www.sketchup.com/

I read about it in the latest issue of Fine Homebuilding, which is a fantastic magazine, by the way. They also have a great site with a message board to ask and answer all sorts of questions: http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/nmh068.asp?d=True&a=S&s=g&CMP=KNC-GPPC&HBX_OU=50. And they have a sister magazine that actually came first, I think, called Fine Woodworking. My husband has subscribed to both since almost the beginning and he has kept every one of them!

Anyway, the reviewer said that it was a pretty nifty program and while it's no full blown CAD program, it is pretty handy and easy to use. He said don't let the price difference between the free version and the full $495 version fool you, that there really isn't that much difference in the two products (something to do with file saving and sharing capabilities.) The reviewer said it is very easy to use with a very short learning curve.

My husband tried it out a little yesterday and wants to play with it some more.

[amerikat]

1. I've been fooling around with sketch up a bit.

Don't forget to view the video tutorials here.

http://sketchup.google.com/tutorials.html

Your collection of Fine Woodworking mags must be worth a small fortune. I have a few issues from the late 70's(not sure of the dates but they are early ones).

[eleny]

2. Thanks!

I'm having an awful time getting my living room together. It's not a small room but not big enough to make into convenient sections. And I have these odd pieces to place that I like since they're old family things like grandpa's old standing wind-up victrola.

This program will make it easier since I do better with digital problem solvers than those kits you can get or drawing one by hand.

[politicat]

3. It's a great program!!

(And no, I'm not just saying that because one of its developers is one of my husband's once and future bosses....)

The warning however.... It's still not totally mac-happy. It does NOT like Intel-based macs at all, and is only somewhat happier with PPC macs. That said, if you have an intel-mac and bootcamp, it runs gorgeously under bootcamped XP.

Also, if you can get your hands on one, a drawing tablet makes it really easy to use.