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Prepare to be floored.
We all want to build our dream house or office once in this lifetime. And it all begins with a strong foundation, quite literally comprising detailed floor plans and the ability to visualize these layouts. Floor plans are essentially the stepping stones (pun intended) to understanding what a space will look like when it comes to life.
Floor plans show the relationship between rooms and furniture and make it easier to decide whether a dedicated area is suitable for its intended purpose.
Although designing, in general, can seem intimidating, technology such as architectural rendering software and general-purpose CAD software makes experimenting with design elements a lot easier, interactive, and way more fun, enabling you to see the big picture.
Noted architect Jean Nouvel once said, “Space, space: architects always talk about space! However, creating a space is not automatically doing architecture. With the same space, you can make a masterpiece or cause a disaster.”
Floors are an essential part of building and designing projects and can make or break the fruition of an idea. Consequently, what’s interesting about floor plan software is its use in different industries, including engineering, architecture, interior design, and real estate.
The following tools are ranked alphabetically:
Whether you’re looking to build parts of a project or design a whole new world, floor plan software helps you dream big without burning holes in your wallet.
The list below contains real user reviews, and in the context of this list, vendors that offer a free trial are also considered free. To be included on this list, a solution must have at least one of the following features:
*This data was pulled from G2 on 16th February 2024. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
Category: Building Design and Building Information Modeling (BIM) Software
The AutoCAD Architecture toolset leverages architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) features to design elements, objects, and floor plans that are realistic and spatially aware. It has an architectural library of 8,500+ components and an automatic generator for plans, elevations, sections, and ceiling grids.
The platform offers a 30-day free trial for all paid plans.
“The benefits are the same as the main version of AutoCAD - this is the best CAD software out there, universally interoperable within Autodesk's walled garden. But the existence of a separate 'Architecture' Version comes to question."
- AutoCAD Architecture Review, Kaustav K B.
“The platform has a steep learning curve and some performance issues and can be expensive for smaller teams with limited budgets. The user interface can be complex, and the software lacks the ability to integrate with other tools.
However, AutoCAD Architecture continues to be a powerful platform for architects and designs as it offers tools for drafting, documentation, and building information management. ”
- AutoCAD Architecture Review, Maryam M.
Category: Civil Engineering Design Software
Civil 3D is a free 3D floor planner and supports civil infrastructure projects, including roads and highways and rail and site development, to improve project delivery and reduce risk and errors. Users can also streamline corridor design, intersection design, parcel layout, site grading, and piping design with specific tools and customizable features.
The platform offers a 30-day free trial for all paid plans.
"I have been using AutoCAD for almost 30 years, starting with R12. It is the best all-around CAD software. I have done many different types of work within it. I have worked on many MEP projects, bridges, and landfills through Civil 3D and electrical substations. It's very easy to use and to learn. For the last eight years, I have been primarily working in the MEP field, doing electrical design using both AutoCAD and Revit. We mostly work on apartment complexes, grocery stores, and small shopping centers."
- Civil 3D Review, Justin V.
"Something that I hate about Autocad is when it comes to 3-D modeling, it actually doesn't perform as well as we want in our team. It's in times like these when we have to switch to other software alternatives like Sketchup or Rhino! So, it's high time that Autocad brings major improvement into its 3d modeling features( more because now it's considered an industry standard)."
- Civil 3D Review, Anish K.
Category: Construction Drawing Management Software
Bluebeam Revu is an efficient and innovative 3D design software that streamlines design and drawing workflows for construction projects, floor plans and layouts, and other measurement and carpet area estimations for open spaces and premises. It provides a set of fast-rendering and accurate prototyping tools to advance projects, manage budgets, and foster team-wide collaboration to better your administration and civil planning.
"I can calculate square footage right in the PDF so easily! I'm not an engineer/designer, so I don't have CAD or Revit to find that information out, and it's really helpful in my role. I also appreciate that I can easily add a PNG file of someone's signature directly into a form, where I want it, and what size. With Acrobat, I used to have to add it as a watermark, change the X and Y coordinates on the page to get it where I wanted, etc."
- Bluebeam Revu Review, Corrine H.
"In the past, modifications made in Bluebeam were not always visible by clients using Acrobat, but not sure if this is still the case."
- Bluebeam Revu Review, Corrine H.
Category:3D Modeling Software
SketchUp is a 3D drawing and scripting software that enables architectures, project engineers and designers to build fast and efficient 3D area layouts. It provides media animation support, visualizer, and real-time collaboration between teams to ideate on feedback, discuss feedback, conduct walkthroughs, and drive client satisfaction through efficient design-based engineering.
The platform offers a 30-day free trial for Sketchup Studio.
"The ability to control almost every aspect of a model. When I need to make a piece or part for a model, it is completely up to me to be able to create it. I am not so limited as with other programs that are built with more automation - where the program takes over on some level."
-SketchUp Review, Mark P.
"Minor nitpicks, some I come to learn do have solutions. I would like every project to have default settings like units used (I prefer to stick to fractional inches only). Groups and tags take a little bit to wrap one's head around that may be used to a workflow that uses layers or the like."
- SketchUp Review, Dan P.
Category: Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software
Fusion is an integrated AutoCAD, CAM, and building information management tool that helps you sketch out floor drawings with a set of automated tools and features for your graphics and media teams to scale plans and project workflows. It can speed up the product development process by assisting the product engineering, quality assurance, and software testing teams to build generative designs, video simulations, and cloud-compatible design assets.
"Fusion has the ability to give the sense it understands what you are trying to accomplish in many aspects and operations of the program; it is by far the most intuitive feeling software I have ever worked with.
This is true at all levels of use, in my opinion, from beginners to experts. I have yet to train anyone who did not enjoy working with Fusion over previous software; that is quite an accomplishment."
- Fusion Review, Joel G.
- Fusion Review, Jackson A.
Category: Other Real Estate Software
Planner 5D is a 2D and 3D interior decoration and real estate software that can generate ideas, visuals, and designs for open houses, construction projects, and civil projects. This software could set axis mechanisms, design rendering and real-time 3D modeling for architectures and planners to build aesthetic appeal of houses and build dream homes and user experiences.
The software offers a free trial for users to experiment with new designs and schematics.
"Overall, my journey with Planner 5D has been nothing short of extraordinary, and it has significantly enriched my expertise in this particular field.
The advantages of Planner 5D are truly exceptional! This remarkable software empowered me to channel my creativity, transforming my visions into breathtaking design projects. Its user-friendly interface and extensive range of features ensured a delightful and seamless experience as I brought my interior design concepts to life with stunning realism. Planner 5D unquestionably stands as an indispensable tool for anyone seeking to undertake professional and customized design projects."
- Planner 5D, Juan Pedro M.
"I hope that more features can be released in a trial version so that when you are showcasing it for enterprise use, you can use all features."
- Planner 5D Review, Skyler Y.
Category: Visual Product Customization Software
Zakeke is a cloud collaboration and data visualization platform that builds agile simulations, mood boards, plans, and efficient design edits to structure your floor plan workflows and drive immersive simulation experiences. With this tool, you can experience real-time changes to your projects, walk through the models, and inspect for any design flaws. The features library provides an endless option for textures, vectors, materials, colors and texts, and images.
The platform offers a free trial for its 3D and cloud-hosted team-wide graphic designing use cases.
"Rich and interactive "design-your-own" experiences can be effortlessly integrated online and offline through Zakeke, allowing brands to be engaged by their customers. Well, via Zakeke, the increasing demand for customized products can be met with ease by merchants, & consumers can be empowered to access seamless customization options and products courtesy of Zakeke.
Not only this, Zakeke supports the integration of popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Walmart & Magento, which simplifies the process of adding customizable products to online stores for businesses. In summary, a versatile tool like Zakeke is employed to enhance customer engagement and cater to market demands."
- Zakeke Review, Saket S.
"Overall, Zakeke is up to mark & a unique platform which scales out E-commerce potential, but in my opinion, it lags promotions & Advertisements for mass adoption."
- Zakeke Review, Priyanshu K
Category: Architecture Software
RoomSketcher is a practical floor plan and home design software solution. It’s an app packed with features perfect for creating plans and 3D home visualizations for the real estate and interior design industries.
The platform offers a free plan for a single user and a limited furniture library.
"RoomSketcher is very user-friendly, and it doesn't take long to learn how to use it. There are a lot of YouTube tutorials should you run into questions. I love the library of furniture they have to choose from, and I love that I can show my plans in 2D and 3D. The plans, once saved and printed, are very crisp and clear. I've used other programs, and the printed quality is much better on RoomSketcher. The feature to be able to type things directly onto the floor plan is so helpful, along with attaching labels to a piece of furniture."
- RoomSketcher Review, Amy S.
"There is no functionality for the Mac Software (I don't know if Windows has it) to select multiple decoration elements at once and move/delete them."
- RoomSketcher Review, Patrick L.
Category: Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) software
Creo Parametric is a free augmented reality (AR) CAD software developed by PTC. It empowers engineers and designers to create, analyze, and optimize intricate product designs. With parametric modeling capabilities, users can easily make design changes and explore various iterations efficiently, integrate agile capabilities, and build accurate floor measurements for an ongoing architectural deal or construction. It's parametric and associative nature ensures design intent is maintained throughout modifications.
"Creo Parametric is best for managing large assembly files. It has various features which are pretty easy to use. It is very flexible and customizable. It has very good technical support, which enhances the implementation process."
- Creo Parametric Review, Jagadeesh R.
"To be honest, creo parametric is hard to use. Because some relation in it is so strict that will not allow user resume their work when a sketch is broken or a constraint is broken"
- Creo Parametric Review, Pham C.
Category: Diagramming Software
SmartDraw, an enterprise-grade diagramming tool, has thousands of diagram templates for various target users. The software has capabilities such as adding shape data, diagram generations, document retention, and single-sign-on (SSO) security options. It can also be integrated with Google Workspace, MS Office, and Atlassian stack.
The platform offers a 7-day free trial.
"SmartDraw's intuitive interface stands out as its best feature. It simplifies the process of creating complex diagrams, flowcharts, and other visuals, making it accessible even for those without extensive design experience. The drag-and-drop functionality, along with a vast library of templates and symbols, enhances its user-friendliness and efficiency."
- SmartDraw Review, Nick B.
"I find that drawing lines and objects requires a bit more finesse than I expected. Getting text to land exactly where I want in a screen is tricky, too."
- SmartDraw Review, Alex S.
Avocode is an illustrative open-source file platform to conduct handouts, design inspections, design file modifications, project model definitions, and floor plan uploads and downloads for your entire product design and development teams. It is a compatible and easy-to-access platform with a user-friendly interface and quick response features to export your media files or design files.
The platform is entirely free to use for interior design and 3D outputs.
"In the past we had developers placing requests for assets, the designer would then export these 1 by 1 and inform the developer. Now one of the features we use the most is being able to let the developer export all assets individually without a designers."
- Avocode Review, Marjin R.
"There are few things which are not solved yet, for example, REM units size - in the app, there is just one REM = x 1px setting, but in reality, you might want to set it up per project or maybe even layout size (mobile, tablet, desktop) not to think about.
The rest would be sharing variables, having a mobile, tablet or, desktop design under one project (you can't do that when you are a freelancer not with a company subscription).
- Avocode Review, Karolina v.
Putting time and effort into visualizing spaces and models helps you make better design decisions and can save tons of resources in the long run. Remember that all design and architectural principles only become more efficient with the right technology. And if you think about it, don’t forget to go over this list again.
Want to learn more about the design process and how you can better understand complex designs and systems? Here’s a guide to 3D modeling to fuel your creativity.
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