Start with the program
When you are ready to hone ideas, software
can be very helpful. Any illustration package, including free Serif DrawPlus
Starter Edition (www.serif.com), will help you to draw rectangles and other
geometric shapes and sizes which are easily quantified. You can also measure
the size of existing furnishings and create blocks representing them to help
determine the rate.
To get the ground diagram looks smarter,
try Sweet Home 3D (www.sweethome3d.com). This free software runs in a browser,
but also available to download, it is great if you want to access offline, and
want to take advantage of half a split screen mode (split-screen) of it on two
screens. Local version does not include the number of similar 3D models to drop
directly into the project. However, it is not difficult to run the two parallel
import models into a project using the online version, then download this
project to your hard drive and paste the model into the project.
In Sweet Home 3D, all the editing is done
in a project overview from top to bottom, but these changes immediately become
clear in the review 3D. The creation of a design often involves painting the
exterior walls and the floor, then the furniture and other items from the model
library. The selection of Create Rooms and double-clicking a closed area will
create a floor and then calculate its size in m2. Double-clicking any object
will bring the Modify dialog box, where you can set up the location and size of
it and apply the color or textured fill.
There are some advanced features, but we
recommend that you do not spend much time using Sweet Home 3D as a design tool.
It is useful to create plain floor and modify it in 3D, but the software
focuses on interior design rather than architecture. There are models of stairs
to enter, but the floor can be only located in the ground floor, and hard to
keep things tidy.
Google Sketchup is better to model the
structure of the building. It has been released since 2000, but Google had
bought it in 2006 and made it free to encourage people to design 3D models of
buildings in addition to Google Earth. It is used by amateur and professional
architects.
It may not be the accurate software,
but SweetHome 3D can create the site diagram, 3D rendering, and even animated
direction.
The program proved to be superior in
accuracy and speed of operation and unlike SweetHome 3D, it works from the
first principles. The objects are created from lines, rectangles and circles,
and they are pushed out, cut and combined to create more complex shapes.
However, it is only quick when you have mastered the rules, and principles are
not immediately obvious. See the instructions on YouTube videos before you
begin. Sketchup requires meticulous precision. If the points are not aligned
perfectly, then the surface becomes flat and the design buckling would
degenerate into a mess. It is easy to create the shape rather than fix them,
because the surface has been connected together, so moving or deleting can
inadvertently affect others. Sketchup is great to explore ideas in 3D, but at
best you should use it when you already shape these ideas rather than just use
it as 3D sketches.
The interior can be added to the logical
space. Sketchup has a large library of 3D models that can be downloaded and
assimilated into your design. However, although everything in Sketchup has real
size, some models are slightly off the rate.
Sweet Home 3D cannot be compared with
Sketchup about accuracy, but it benefits from an excellent rendering engine,
producing very similar results with complex lighting effects such as shadows
and reflections. The creation of an accurate 3D model of the software is quite
sophisticated, but not impossible - you can always delete any abnormality by
using any image editor.
Click to review 3D and select "Create
photo" to see the rendering options, including size and quality and the
ability to set time of the day to see the sunlight into the building look like.
Set the compass and choose the option to add additional lights or ceiling lights
manually by using design tools to avoid indoor spaces exposed to light. The
rendering takes a while to create - a 6MP images at best quality take more than
24 hours - but the results are worthy. You can also create video tutorials but
have lower resolution or quality setting to avoid long render time.
The hired help
Construction project is a big matter, and
very few people can do without professional help. Architects will be your main
ally, not only because he holds a key role in the design process but also
because of his experience with the entire process, from the cognitive ability
to complete the construction.
You should set the connection as soon as
possible. We spoke to Ian Bramwell of Mole Architects
(www.molearchitects.co.uk), which has designed and built special houses for 15
years. He explained that small companies tend to come up with a project at the
end because it affects the design reputation of the company. However, he
emphasized that the role of the architect is not just creativity. "If you
are trying to take the most advantages of a piece of land, we have extensive
experience in negotiating with planners and we know what is possible and what
is not appropriate."
He added, at the end of the process,
"the contractors have many questions, they occupy much of your time, and
things go wrong. Because it's home and your money, people often do not have a
vision that we have. We can look at things objectively and resolve things
before they become big problems. "
The wealth of information at
www.architecture.com help you better understands the role of the architect
throughout the construction process. Http://tinyurl.com/riba-advice if you
visit, you can go directly to the area for those who are considering hiring an
architect.
Kate Wood of South Cambridgeshire District
Council emphasized the importance of exposure to the planning office as soon as
possible. The certification for construction permission applications typically
takes 8 weeks, but her office provides counseling before filing for a period of
2 weeks. "It's a good thing to do," she said, "as it highlights
any problem and experts involved in the early stages. By that way, you can have
a building permission at first. "
We asked Wood whether the non-professional
drawings have been accepted. She believes that a good drawing, having higher
accuracy in rate is better - is enough for her to give advice with the entire
necessary prelude. "Yes, we are happy to review the non-professional
drawings and blueprints in the period prior to submission - but the more information
you give us, the better advice we can give you."
The submission of drawings will be helpful
if you want to explore several possibilities before hiring an architect.
However, Wood suggested hiring architects as soon as possible. "You can
get an idea of what you want, but you need someone to look at it with a new
vision and realism, and said, 'Actually, if you want to sell the house in the
future ...'”
