Designers, architects, or hobbyists can utilize 3D modeling software to produce an excellent overview of a building or test out different home design concepts. If you’re an expert, these types of software can be a simple tool to showcase your work to potential clients. Also, can you tell me the fact that 3D printing, as well as architectural design, can be related?
It is possible to 3D print your entire home, but in the beginning, you can create an architect’s model. It can be a method to gain a better understanding of the work you’ve done.
3D printing is also beneficial since it can speed up making a fast and precise model. 3D printing or even a modeling application is an excellent way to design and implement new concepts. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is Architecture Software?
Architects mostly use software to create and visualize views and documents of design concepts using substantial 2D precision drawings and tools for drafting. Other features include schedule management, drawing automation, and creating custom workplaces. The products in the Architecture category include a range of 2D design tools that aid in planning, scheduling, and creating detailed construction drawings.
By creating a customized environment, the platforms enable designers to create realistic obstacles and provide sophisticated problem-solving capabilities.
Like those found that are available in the General-Purpose CAD and Building Design and Building Information Modeling (BIM) categories, some software products have 3D modeling capabilities and integrations, giving users even greater power to create and visualize intricate designs. Let’s have a look.
Top 5 Architecture Software
AutoCAD
Our list starts with AutoCAD. AutoCAD is a drafting, 2D, and 3D design tool for engineers, architects, field technicians, construction professionals, and contractors. It provides 2D drawing, drafting and annotation tools, 3D modeling, and visualization technologies. With its native iOS and Android mobile applications, AutoCAD allows users to edit, view, create and share drawings on any device, smartphone, or tablet. AutoCAD’s 2D drawing, drafting, and annotation tools permit users to manage text settings, innovative dimensioning leaders, table layouts, fields, and more. The 3D modeling and visualization tools let users control solid, mesh, surface modeling, 3D navigation, and visual styles. They also support photorealistic rendering, 3-D scanning, point cloud, and many more.
Collaboration tools like PDF and DGN export and import 3D model import geo-location information, and online maps permit people to collaborate and share information and add location information to the drawing. AutoCAD’s mobile apps let users create, edit, modify, and mark up drawings and accurately measure when working remotely from their homes. AutoCAD includes ribbon tabs and panel tools, tool palettes, multi-functional grips and dynamic blocks, and much more to make it easier to design. Other essential features include external file references, object selection, and enhancements to text-to-Mtext.
Users can also access advanced multi-touch zoom drawing tools such as an offset and an arc and manage blocks and layers. A primary design feed lets users keep the team updated with pictures, notes and feedback on the project’s progress.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based.
- Platform – Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad.
- Top Features – 2D Drawing, 3D Design & Modeling, 3D Modeling, API, Access Controls/Permissions, Annotations, Bills of Material, CAD Tools, Change Management, Collaboration Tools, Compliance Management, Component Library, Configurable Workflow, Content Library, Customizable Fields, Data Import/Export, Design Management, Design Templates.
- Free Trial & Version Available
- Prize – $235.00/ Month
- Best for – Project Workflow, Project Management, Planning Tools, Mobile Access, Drafting, Drag & Drop.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep), Chat.
- Overall Rating – 5/5 Stars
Bluebeam Revu
The second that comes on the list is Bluebeam Revu. Bluebeam Revu can be used as a plugin within Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint applications and well-known CAD applications such as AutoCAD. The plugin allows for custom PDF markups that can be customized, editing and creation of PDFs, and image manipulation to various frequently used design and office software. Bluebeam Revu comes in 3 different versions: Standard, CAD and eXtreme. Bluebeam Revu Standard allows one-click PDF creation as well as 3D and 2D PDF markup and real-time collaboration.
In Bluebeam’s latest version, advanced features for editing PDFs include custom layouts, fonts, headers, and footers. Users can divide PDFs into sections, extract and rotate pages to convert them into Editable Word documents, and perform greyscale and colour processing. Batch processing lets users make changes to several documents at the same time. It also allows PDF conversion for other kinds of Windows documents. The plugin allows users to add complex bookmarks, modify sensitive information permanently, and build complex PDF forms, a complete set of parameters that can be automated and fully customizable scripting.
The latest version of Bluebeam Revu comes with the Batch Slip Sheet that helps to create quick PDFs while carrying over bookmarks, markups, and hyperlinks. The Bluebeam Revu eXtreme users can also redact marks, add links to documents, and manage access to files.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based.
- Platform – Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad.
- Top Features – 3D Imaging, Access Controls/Permissions, Activity Tracking, Alerts/Notifications, Approval Process Control, Assembly Takeoff, Batch Processing, Bid Management, Built-In Database, Collaboration Tools, Communication Management, Configurable Workflow, Convert to PDF, Customizable Templates, Digital Signature, Document Capture.
- Free Trial Available
- Prize – $240.00/ Year.
- Best for – Real Time Data, Real Time Notifications, Project Tracking, Project Workflow, Projections.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep), Chat.
- Overall Rating – 4.8/5 Stars
ARCHICAD
ARCHICAD is third on the list. ARCHICAD is GRAPHISOFT’s Architectural BIM (Building Information Modeling) CAD software suite that provides 3D and 2D drafting and visualization tools designed explicitly for planners, architects, and designers. With the latest software version, ARCHICAD builds on legacy features, improving the design tool and introducing improved design workflows. General performance improvements comprise GPU-accelerated, 64-bit algorithms to enable more efficient zooming and panning. In addition, Parametric Custom Profiles allow more intelligence to be added to beam, wall and column profiles inside the program’s Profile Editor. Expression-based properties permit logical expressions to create new properties and values for properties dependent on the element’s parameters. Customized graphic labelling and enhanced IFC export and import are additional updates worth mentioning.
Furthermore, ARCHICAD is then supported by the BIMcloud online collaboration platform. BIMcloud allows secure real-time collaboration between teams of architects, BIM managers, and IT professionals, regardless of the office’s location, connectivity speed to the internet and the size of the project. Compatible with various versions of ARCHICAD The platform’s features include a web-based management interface with real-time messaging and role-based permissions, monitors for diagnostics and automated backups of servers. As mobile support is added, The BIMx viewer app, available for Android and iOS, provides native BIM visualization capabilities to render and explore ARCHICAD models.
The key features are the “BIMx Hyper-model” for navigating the drawing sheet integrated into the application, 3D building models, Support for Google Cardboard VR, walk and fly mode, split-view multitasking, and many other features.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based.
- Top Features – 2D Drawing, 3D Imaging, Access Controls/Permissions, Activity Tracking, Animation, Approval Process Control, Architectural Symbol Library, BIM Modeling, Bills of Material, CAD Tools, Change Management, Collaboration Tools, Comparison View, Component Library.
- Free Trial & Version Available
- Prize – Price not provided by the vendor.
- Best for – Mobile Access, Multiple Projects, Planning Tools, Presentation Tools, Project Management.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Phone Support, Chat.
- Overall Rating – 4.7/5 Stars
BigTime
BigTime is the operating system that powers the top professional service teams around the globe. Learn how we can help your company driven by projects, monitor and bill its most valuable asset time. BigTime can assist you in taking the burden of capacity planning, utilization, and revenue forecasts. BigTime users can manage teams of a project and work in progress (WIP) and track the profitability of projects or even per employee. BigTime allows users to be paid more quicker and with the least hassle. Businesses can improve their workflow by using the Quickbooks integration developed by the BigTime team of developers, who were selected as a result of Intuit for their OEM development team.
Users can keep track of their team’s time and expenses online with the BigTime iPhone and Android apps in motion. BigTime’s web-based app can be accessed via the internet and is responsive to any size device.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based.
- Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad.
- Top Features – Billable Items Tracking, Billing & Invoicing, Billing Portal, Billing Rate Management, Bills of Material, Budget Management, Budgeting/Forecasting, Business Process Automation, CPA Firms, CRM, Capacity Management, Change Order Management, Client Management.
- Free Trial & Version Available
- Prize – $10.00/month.
- Best for – Timer, Timesheet Management, To-Do List, Utilization Reporting, Vacation/Leave Tracking, Visualization, Web-based Deployment, Workflow Configuration, Workflow Management.
- Support – Email/Help Desk FAQs/Forum Knowledge Base Phone Support, Chat.
- Overall Rating – 4.7/5 Stars
BQE CORE Suite
BQE’s robust all-in-one platform, as well as skilled support, gives A & E firms the efficient tools they require to satisfy their company’s needs, empower their employees, increase the profitability of their business, and produce top-quality results for their clients. Engineers and architects explicitly developed BQE CORE Suite for the A&E industry. Having an A&E platform that fully understands your business and provides it with the advanced tools you require is essential.
After the success of their A&E companies, the founders of this company created the most advanced platform for A&E from scratch. They venue caters to the requirements unique to those in the A&E industry.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based.
- Top Features – API, Account Reconciliation, Accounting, Accounting Integration, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Activity Dashboard, Activity Tracking, Alerts/Notifications, Approval Process, Control Approval Workflow, Attendance Tracking, Audit Trail, Automatic Billing.
- Free Trial Available
- Prize – Price not provided by the vendor.
- Best for – Customizable Templates, Data Import/Export, Data Visualization, Contact Management, Contract/License Management.
- Support – Email/Help Desk FAQs/Forum Knowledge Base Phone Support, Chat.
- Overall Rating – 4.4/5 Stars
Conclusion
The ones mentioned above are worth looking into if you’re seeking great 3D Architecture software. Each has different options and can cater to other users, making it crucial to select the most suitable for your requirements.
