SketchUp UK Blog

So you’re searching for the best basic architecture software?  You’ve hit gold! At Elmtec we provide the best 3d architecture software for beginners, simple, inspiring and fast ways to intuitively create stunning images that look wonderfully realistic. 

The results are ideal for convincing clients, delighting stakeholders and providing fully-accurate, fully-detailed drawings that you can transform into glorious hyper-real images and animations. If that sounds good, read on to find out about our paid for and free architectural design software for beginners.  By the end of it you’ll know all about it – and you’ll be keen to get started on your first project.

Benefits of Architecture Software

First, let’s look at how 3d architecture software for beginners will help people like you. This kind of specialised architecture software is an excellent platform for bringing creative ideas to life. It lets you make realistic, accurate 2D drawings and 3D models, along with convincing walkthroughs. All this makes it much easier to visualise and test your ideas before the construction stage begins, and just as easy to spot and remedy mistakes. You can sometimes even create 100% accurate materials lists and cut lists to save money and hassle. 

It’s also a team thing. Architecture software makes close collaboration simple even when you’re working remotely from one another. You collaborate with other team members, your fellow  architects, your clients, engineers, builders, project managers and more. Because it facilitates teamwork naturally, everything runs smoothly. 

While the traditional way of drawing out ideas is great, and has worked perfectly well for centuries, software comes with many advantages over the old-school way of designing buildings and their surroundings. Hand-design and drafting takes so much longer. It’s hard to achieve the same excellent levels of detail and precision by hand, when it isn’t supported by software that doesn’t just create designs but also reveals issues and problems with your work so you can fix them fast and easily.  

All this means beginners can work much more efficiently,  accurately and confidently, enjoying a lot more control over the entire design process. You’ll be more flexible, more creative, and more adaptable. 

At Elmtec we provide a choice of brilliant basic architecture software for beginners along with pro tools, each with its own advantages. Take SketchUp, for example, a famously user-friendly 3D modeling tool that takes no time to grasp, is fun to use, is perfect for beginners and has a large, friendly community of users to support you and learn from. 

Top Architecture Software for Beginners

While SketchUp is a hugely popular choice of 3d architecture software for beginners there’s also AutoCAD, Revit, and Rhino to choose from. AutoCAD is a 2D drafting tool used across the architecture sector to make reliable technical drawings and plans. Revit is a BIM or Building Information Modeling tool for creating highly detailed 3D models of buildings and other structures. And Rhino is a 3D modeling tool popular in the industrial design and architecture sectors, great for making complex geometries and fluid organic shapes.

Because they all have their own special features and benefits, as a beginner it makes a lot of sense to carefully explore your own needs and preferences before making the choice. So what should you think about? 

Look for software that’s easy to learn and use, with a user-friendly interface plus great support and lots of handy learning and training resources. Then you’ll stay keen, stay excited, and won’t get discouraged. The price matters too, and while some of the options  can cost a lot others are free to experiment with. At Elmtec we have great architecture software available at different price points to suit various circumstances.

Tips for Getting Started with Architecture Software

Next, let’s take a look at how to set up and install the software. As a beginner you’ll want to carefully follow the instructions from the software source to get it right first time. Luckily it’s usually a simple process, one you’ll have followed before when installing tools to your computer. The Elmtec team provides support and resources to help you successfully install and set up the software we provide. You can rely on us. 

 

There are some best practices to follow around learning 3d architecture software for beginners, to help you make the most of the opportunity. Start simple to grow your confidence fast. Begin with the most basic tutorials then practice what you’ve learned and how to do it until you’re fully fluent. Then you’ll be ready to take your knowledge to the next stage without getting frustrated or lost. 

 

Don’t forget to save your work frequently and back up your files so you can’t lose it. And take full advantage of every opportunity to collaborate with people who already use the software, since collaboration and communication are key to success – and to making the whole thing more enjoyable. 

 

Choose software that includes plenty of resources for learning and improving your skills and you’ll have even more fun while getting to grips with it. We can help with that too, since Elmtec provides such a huge collection of resources for learning including online tutorials, training courses, and friendly user forums. We also recommend books, manuals, and workshops.

Common Challenges for Beginners and How to Overcome Them

Will you face challenges along the way? Probably – but that’s all part of the learning experience, and there are ways to keep the challenges positive rather than frustrating. 

Common issues beginners face when learning architecture software include the steep learning curve involved in some tools. You might encounter technical issues and software bugs, which can take time and effort to resolve. In that case it’s good to have a community of users to help you solve your problems, one of your key strategies for overcoming challenges and boosting your skills. In a nutshell, the more time you spend playing and experimenting with the software, and the more people you bring to the experience, the better. 

Can the Elmtec team help you in any way? Perhaps you’d like to test-drive the options for yourself?  In some cases you can try out the software for free, using free architectural design software for beginners supported by learning resources and communities to help you get where you want to be faster and easier. If so, feel free to get in touch. As a beginner in the field, this is an exciting time. We’d love to help you along your journey. 

About Elmtec

Elmtec have been the UK distribution partner for SketchUp since 2010, and service a network of UK and Irish resellers. We have over 22 years’ experience within the digital design community.

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