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Woodworking Software FAQ
What are the most popular types of woodworking programs? Furniture design software seems to garner the most interest based on questions received here at WoodBin over the years. Software to optimize the cutting of sheet stock and to create cut lists for projects is also very popular. Some other hot categories include board feet calculators, instructional and reference software, and project management (especially commercial woodworking shops). Is there any decent free woodworking software? Yes indeed. For starters, check out the free online programs and the woodworking software freebies list. You'll find calculators for computing board feet, wood movement, wood selection, wood moisture content, compound miter angles, shelf sag, drawer sizing, cost estimating, and more. There are also free programs for creating cutlists for doors, cabinets, drawers, and other types of furniture. There is a handful of free design programs for laying out woodshops and cabinets but if you're looking for a full-featured free CAD application, there's not much out there, although a few visitors have suggested Design Workshop Lite, eCabinet Systems, and QCad. Are there any woodworking programs that run on Macintosh computers? Although the vast majority of woodworking applications are designed to work on PC's running Microsoft Windows, a number of programs have sprung up for the Mac in recent years. Many of these are CAD applications, such as TurboCAD and Design Intuition. You might also take a gander at this site: http://guide.apple.com/uscategories/3d.lasso Look under 2D/3D Graphics and Animation and also under Home and Recreation. Are there any Excel spreadsheet woodworking applications? Excel is a surprisingly powerful programming tool and quite a few Excel-based woodworking applications have been developed (many of which are free). Here is a sampling:
What exactly is "CAD" and why do I need it? Computer-Aided Design (CAD) refers to software that is used to graphically design objects such as furniture (or space shuttles) on a computer. An example of a simple "CAD-like" program is the paint utility that comes with Microsoft Windows. CAD packages provide capabilities such as zooming, rotating, copying, stretching, grouping, layering, corner snapping, automated dimensioning, import/export of several file formats (particularly DXF), and viewing objects from different perspectives. Some packages also provide object template libraries, shading, texturing, and simulated 3-D rendering. CAD software ranges in price from about $20 for a basic program like DeltaCAD to around $4000 for professional-grade products such as high-end versions of AutoCAD. AutoCAD, by the way, is a CAD pioneer and the dominant player in the CAD marketplace. Admittedly, CAD software isn't for everyone and it may not be right for you. If you only create a handful of simple projects each year, or if you think computers are evil, pencil and paper will do you just fine. On the other hand, if you rely on woodworking for your livelihood, or if you're an ambitious hobbyist woodworker, or if you just like tinkering with software, CAD software offers a number of advantages that are worth considering. I think the Wood Miser says it best: "The full list of benefits of using CAD is too long to get into here but in a nutshell, the ability to quickly produce high quality, professional looking, dead-on accurate, shop drawings and plans without a degree in drafting is definitely nothing to sneeze at. " What is the best woodworking CAD product ? This is probably the #1 woodworking software question. First off, there's no simple or snappy answer to it because much depends upon your: 1) computer expertise, 2) technical drawing background, and 3) your threshold for pain. If you're looking for something that costs less than $50 and that will have you cranking out professional-looking drawings within a couple hours, I suspect you will be disappointed. However, some of the mid-range CAD products (costing $100-$300), are worth checking out. To see what other woodworkers are using, take a look at this article: Most Popular Woodworking CAD Products. Some of the favorites include Design Intuition, DesignCAD, and TurboCAD. If you build a lot of cabinets, you should consider purchasing specialized CAD software for cabinets. Although pricey, such products pay for themselves in the long run. See also: CAD Software for Woodworkers Is there any way to make CAD drawings look hand-drawn? Yes, with Squiggle - a Windows product that converts straight lines into squiggly lines to give your perfectly rendered CAD drawings a softer, less antiseptic, more human touch. It works pretty much with any CAD, drawing, or graphics application that outputs HPGL, HPGL/2, DXF, or DWG files. How can I exchange CAD drawings with other woodworkers? You have a couple options here. Many woodworkers exchange CAD drawings as Drawing Exchange Files (.DXF) a vector "standard" that was developed by the AutoCAD folks. Most decent CAD packages can import/export DXF files but be aware that there are some incompatible versions of DXF and not all objects created with AutoCAD have an equivalent object type in other programs. DXF files are basically text files with special formatting commands so they can be easily emailed as attachments. Drawings can also be exchanged in the Design Web Format (.DWF) a compressed, open file format that was developed by Autodesk. It represents drawings in a manner that is independent of the original application used to create it. If you just wish to view or print CAD drawings, another option is to use Windows Metafiles (.WMF) or Postscript (.PS) files that can be loaded into word processors and graphics software. Likewise, the Adobe Portable Document Format (.PDF) is handy for shipping drawings around since many people already have a free PDF viewer on their computer. What is cabinet design software? If you create cabinets for a living there's a good chance that you're using, or thinking about using, cabinet design software, which is essentially specialized CAD software for cabinetmakers. The allure of such software is that it greatly automates the whole cabinet design and construction process: With a few clicks of a mouse, you select a cabinet template, the basic dimensions, and the type of wood, joinery, and hardware to use. Many packages allow you to create photo-realistic 3D displays which can be rotated and viewed from different perspectives. A few more clicks enable you to generate cut lists, materials lists, price estimates, optimal panel cutting layouts, and bar code labels for use with CNC machinery. In a fully-automated setup, the software can also send milling instructions to computerized panel saws, drills, routers, and shapers. Note that if you make a change to the cabinet design, you can quickly spit out new cost estimates and construction data with no fuss, no muss. Most cabinet design packages run on Windows PC's and range in price from about $300 to over $20,000. Two of the biggest players in the cabinet software business are Pattern Systems International and Planit. To get feedback about specific cabinet design packages, check out the woodweb.com discussion forums. See also: Cabinet design software list What other types of design programs are available? There are actually quite a few. You'll find programs for designing cabinets, doors, windows, picture frames, shelves, stairs, closets, wardrobes, decks, kitchens, woodshops, and homes. Although not strictly "design" programs, there are also numerous calculators to assist in creating items such as bowls, drawers, boats, boxes, tables, molding, and various types of turned items. Surprisingly, there doesn't yet appear to be any utilities for designing chairs. See also: Woodworking software list Is there software to figure out the best way to cut parts from plywood? Indeed. There are many panel cutting optimization programs on the market. Such programs can significantly reduce layout time for large and/or complex projects and are indispensable for large commercial cabinet manufacturers. Desirable features in an optimizer include handling of wood grain orientation, compensation for saw kerf, graphical display of cutlines, manual editting of cutlines, reuse of left-overs, label printing, and job estimating. Some optimizers are of the "guillotine" variety for performing end-to-end cuts with panel or table saws. Other optimizers layout the cuts without regard to making through cuts - these are typically used with CNC routers. Some popular panel optimizers among hobbyist woodworkers and small businesses include CutList Plus and Sheet Layout. I personally use CutList Plus and have had very good results with it. On a side note, people in the operations research field use the term "2-D stock cutting" in referring to algorithms that perform cutting optimization. This has been an ongoing area of research since the 1950's and it gets into some pretty heavy math (you'll run into phrases like "genetic algorithms", "simulated annealing", and "NP-complete"). Is there software to figure out the best way to cut parts from boards? Yes. This type of optimization is a simplified version of panel optimization that is often referred to as 1-D stock cutting. The difference is that the width of the "panels" (boards) matches the width of the pieces to be cut, so the challenge is how to best chop pieces off each board in order to minimize the total number of boards needed. For example, you may be looking for the optimal way to cut up a bunch of 2"x4" 8-foot studs into 30 pieces ranging in length from 1' to 3'. Many 2-D panel cutting programs can handle this task but there are less expensive, dedicated 1-D cutting programs such as Cut Length Optimizer (implemented as an Excel spreadsheet), and Cutstick. CNC refers to computerized numerically controlled machines - usually routers, borers, tenoners, and saws whose cutting action is controlled by a sequence of numerical coordinates sent from a computer. These coordinates (known as G-codes) are generated by a CAD program that interfaces directly with the CNC machine, or they can be generated by post-processors such as CADCode for design software that lacks CNC integration. Some typical uses of CNC systems are for sign making, milling special hardware and trim, carving chair seats, and cutting out cabinet parts. Many high-end cabinet design packages feature CNC integration. CNC machines are ideal for cranking out multiple copies of identical parts due to their outstanding, repeatable accuracy - often within 0.001 inch. In the case of a CNC router, the milling head moves along two axes for cutting flat surfaces and three or more axes for shaping complex 3D forms. Some CNC router systems accept a standard router as the milling head, and come in partial kit form for the do-it-yourselfer. These systems can cost as little as $4K to $6K (see next question). Industrial strength CNC routers, on the other hand, can easily cost over $100K with features like vacuum hold-down tables, heavy duty motors, and cutting blank rotation. Where can I find an inexpensive CNC router setup? ShopBot produces a "robotic tool" that is designed for medium-duty routing and costs under 10K (that's cheap for CNC systems). This includes the frame, stepper motors, control hardware, and software. It does not include the table, PC or the router. (factor in another $1K to $2K for these components). Other companies to check out include Larken Automation, and WartHog. Some other ideas: check out the alt.machines.cnc newsgroup for home-made solutions or try to find a used unit (Woodshop News is a good source). You can also hunt around in the discussion forums at woodweb.com. What software/hardware is required for a computerized sign making system? A computerized sign making system consists of a CNC router, a PC, design software, and control software. Some CNC router manufacturers such as Trend, and Larken Automation provide turnkey systems that include all necessary hardware and software. Others just provide the hardware and control software. In either case, there are many graphics design programs that can interface with CNC routers. These include: ArtCAM, BobCAD-CAM, CASmate, EngraveLab, Enroute, FlexiSign, EasyCAM, MasterCam, and SignLab. To learn more about the topic, SignIndustry.com provides a series of articles about sign making software. Are there any computerized systems for laser engraving? Laser engravers are computer controlled devices that vaporize material using a very small beam of focused light. The effect in wood can be likened to that of a wood burning tool, although the detail that can be achieved with an engraver is far superior. Laser engraving equipment operates much like a big laser jet printer in that you install a print driver for the engraving system onto your computer. The art is generated using a graphics arts package (CorelDRAW and AutoCAD are popular), or else it is scanned in from existing artwork. Standard engraving resolutions range from 400 to 600 DPI. For all you wanted to know about lasers and more, check out Sam's Laser FAQ. Here are a few companies that manufacture or sell laser engraving systems: Epilog Laser |
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