Furniture design software is used on a computer to create virtual models and plans for a piece of furniture to be created. Furniture design software is helpful for both furniture designers, interior designers, and homeowners as well. It allows the user to communicate his needs to a designer hired to create the desired piece of furniture and also allows the designer to create plans for the piece he is building without having to draw them out by hand.
Like CAD software, furniture design software can create a 3-D model on the computer screen of the piece of furniture for the user to examine and make changes to. CAD software is typically more advanced and used for engineering or architecture, while furniture design software is created to be more user-friendly for those who do not have special computer training, though people of all levels can typically use it. It can be as detailed or as simple as the user wants.
The 3-D tool is one of the most important features. This allows the user to manually draw and manipulate the piece of furniture he is building. He can change the shape and size, along with color and material. Having a picture of the finished project makes creating it in real life much simpler. A homeowner might use the software to show a designer what he has in mind and see how the designer can incorporate that design into his own work.
Once the furniture has been created, plans for making it will show up on a different screen in the program. These detailed plans show measurements and may point out where to make cuts to create joints for the piece. Woodworkers will find this feature extremely useful. Instead of drawing out each plan by hand, the computer does it for them. If they make a change to the piece of furniture, the software changes the blueprints instantly.
Since the furniture design software cuts down on labor time in drawing up plans and designs for the piece, it saves money and effort both in the short and long term. A furniture designer may save a copy and send it to another designer or a client over the computer without ever having to leave his home. He can then receive feedback about the piece and make changes as needed to suit the client's wishes.