Architects relate with clients, artisans, and building teams with the use of drawings. With time the way drawings are developed and understood evolves. Architectural drawings can be dated back to the pre-renaissance period where drawings were more of the intuitive thought of the architects; they were not designed with the mind to solve design problems but were more of a matter of orientation. This drawing started with the ground floor plan which then developed into sections. Pre-renaissance drawings were known to have a lot of errors, and omissions, and were overly exaggerated. It was believed that the intuitive thought of the Architect when designing could not be generally brought into reality. During the Renaissance, drawings were more detailed construction drawings with less work of art. Moving down to modernism, Architects began to have more distinct styles of sketch and design which were more conceptual. The medium used in producing these drawings at this time were Papers using drawing boards, T-squares, set squares, different grade pencils, and ink pens. However, it required a lot of work as this took more time and energy of the Architect; Hence the advent of Architecture software.
What Is Architecture Software?
Architecture software is software made up of tools to make the work of an Architect easier and faster. this can be used to draft constructing drawings, build 3D models, and render these models to look like reality. This helps in bringing the vision of the Architect digitally which requires less energy and stress to develop their thoughts before these designs are brought into reality.
Architecture Software to Learn.
The list of Architecture software to learn is enormous. As enormous as they have their best specialty and use; some are best for drafting, some for 3D modeling, and some for rendering and animation. Some of these architectural software are;
- AutoCAD.
This is a CAD-based software for drawing and modeling 2D and 3D drawings. It currently has specialized tools that cover every range of industrial fields that relate to 2D drafting and 3D modeling and it is open to be compatible with more programs. Currently, for 2D design in Auto Cad, a user can dimension automatically, store custom views, ability to extract data from objects, blocks, attributes, etc., while for 3D design in AUTOCAD, a user can create more 3D models that are realistic, apply realistic lightning in renderings, create cross-sectional drawings and directly render in the cloud.
- ArchiCad.
This is another Architecture software tool for Architects who intend to develop their designs from the conceptual stage to the rendering stage digitally. Archi-cad has a vast role it can play in making the architect’s work easier and faster. It has tools for drafting, modeling, and rendering all in the same software. It is compatible with other software and allows you to export various options of documents into its interface. Some of the components of Archi-cad are; the use of actual doors, windows, columns, beams, and other building components while designing, the use of distance guides to improve modeling productivity, the use of short-cut for editing commands, the use of interactive schedule formatting of documents, accessing 3d elements information in 2D layout etc.
- Revit.
Revit is also a one-in-all Architecture software tool for 2D drafting, 3D modeling, and rendering. It has the same features as Archi-Cad as it uses realistic building components such as doors, windows, roofs columns, and beams while designing. It is compatible with other architecture software such as AutoCAD and also allows you to export other documents files such as pdf, jpeg, etc. It has various views for easy navigation and editing such as the plan views, elevations, and sections, and for every change created in a view the other views are affected.
- Sketch Up
Sketch Up as the name implies is an Architecture software that enables its user to start the conceptual phase of 3D design. It has a user-friendly interface which makes it easy for first-timers to navigate and use with its simplicity. It has animations, lightning effects, and textures that give its interior and exterior design a feel of reality. While using sketch up it brings the feel of intuitive thoughts of its user just like using pencil and paper because of its push and pulls technology behind the software. Sketch-up is free to use and it’s best for upcoming professionals in Architecture.
- Artlantis
Artlantis is an Architecture Software used for rendering. It has an interface that is obvious and ergonomic which includes settings that can be modified easily which allows users to navigate these settings based on their technical knowledge. Artlantis has views in 2D, parallel, and perspective. The 2D views make it easy for its user to navigate the project using a panorama path setup, the parallel view projects elevations, axonometric, and top views, while the perspective view projects the 3D view of a project. Artlantis has various shades and textures, objects and 3D characters, vegetation tools, and media catalogs to make its rendering project realistic.
- 3d-Max
This is an Architecture software programmed to produce 3D design modeling, visualizations, and animations of drawings. The software comes with a variety of user-friendly features. They include; mapping tools that allow you to make a precise mapping of your creations, alignment tools to ensure your 3D modeling is at an accurate point, and A relax tool function that averages UVs and allows for texture distortion. It also contains a rendering function that enables you to produce 3D models quicker and faster without having to go through rigorous settings of code and coordinates.
- V-Ray
This is an Architecture software for 3D realistic visualization and animations. It allows plugs of Archi-cad, SketchUp, 3D Max, and other modeling software; which makes it easier to transfer models from them for easy rendering. In addition to this feature, it has also a great ability to function and interact with other chaos tools to simplify the rendering process further. V-ray has a vast library of objects, textures, materials, etc. that aids rendering and realistic views of scenes. V-ray might seem a bit tedious to learn at first for a beginner but as time goes on it becomes an easy route to produce Renderings and Animations given with its variety of options and render image quality.
- Lumion
This is another Architecture software that allows you to create 3d visualizations and animations. It is intuitive, easy to learn for beginners, and reliable. the software comes with a variety of tools such as Lightning tools that help illuminate your project surroundings, an animated phasing tool that helps you navigate through the progression of your design, a Live sync tool that allows you to create a synergy between CAD programs when rendering, Volumetric fire tools that add warmth and a cozy feel to your design, Orthographic view tools that add light, texture, and color to your renderings, Rain streaks tools that add rain drops effects to your renderings, import custom decals that allow you personalize your designs, etc. the software is compatible with Auto-Cad, Archi-Cad, Sketch up, 3Dmax and host of other 3d modeling software.
- Cedreo
This is an Architecture software for home 3D exterior and interior design, with more than 7000 customizable furnishings, materials, and textures, a conceptual design of 2D house plans, 3D house plans, and Interior and exterior photorealistic 3D renderings can be done as quickly as possible. Cedreo architecture software is user-friendly, powerful, and fast. Some of the key benefits of using Cedreo design software are it allows users to organize preliminary drafts of 2D plans per client, it gives users a guide to draw house plans step by step, 2D house plans can be easily edited in Cedreo, Users can visualize the 3D interior and exterior design with the constant evolving library of materials and furniture items.
- Photoshop
This is an image editing software which has become an essential software for Architects. Photoshop plays a role as a post-production architecture software because it gives a perfect and final touch-up to rendered 3D designs. Photoshop allows for image editing, correcting, retouching, and improving the picture effects. Photoshop has a variety of tools for editing such as the Marquee tool, Eraser tools, brush tools, Selection tools, Lasso tools, and Magic Wand tools. Aside from being an image editor. Photoshop comes with an object template that can be useful for producing well-detailed 2D-floor plans.
How to Know the Architecture Software That Works for You.
Creating a design goes through a series of stages. From sketching, drafting of 2d plans, modeling of this plan to form a structure, rendering to create realistic visualizations, touching up and editing of these images for presentation., the Architecture software highlighted above caters to these specific needs. But to save cost and know one’s strength it is best to opt for software that caters to more than one stage of design rather than investing in multiple software. Learn which works for you depending on your familiarity and expertise in the field of Architecture.
Reference List.
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Hnin, T. (2023) What is V-ray and why is it popular among architects? Novatr Prev OX. Available at: https://www.novatr.com/blog/what-is-vray (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Kristiel (2023) What is Lumion Software used for? Studica Blog. Available at: https://www.studica.com/blog/lumion-software/#:~:text=Lumion%20software%20is%20used%20for,exactly%20as%20it%20was%20imagined. (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Anthony, J. (2024) 12 best architecture software programs for beginners in 2024, Financesonline.com. Available at: https://financesonline.com/12-best-architecture-software-programs-for-beginners/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Homepage (2023) Cedreo. Available at: https://cedreo.com/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Adobe Photoshop CC (no date) Softonic. Available at: https://adobe-photoshop.en.softonic.com/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
From stone carvings to CAD: How architecture drawing has evolved over the years (2022) Arch2O.com. Available at: https://www.arch2o.com/from-stone-carvings-to-cad-how-architecture-drawing-has-evolved-over-the-years/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Marketing@stacbond.es (2022) What is AutoCAD and what is it for, software for Architecture & Engineering, STACBOND. Available at: https://stacbond.com/en/what-is-autocad-and-what-is-it-for/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Artlantis (no date) Graphisoft. Available at: https://graphisoft.com/partner-solutions/artlantis (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
Csikos, E. (2023) Welcome to Archicad, Graphisoft Community. Available at: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Getting-started/Welcome-to-Archicad/ta-p/304193 (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
