Hans is right. And the description is important. SH3D does not promise to be an architect tool with all features. But that is also SH3D's strength, with little or no experience a user can do very much, (actually more than the packaging says
). To me the 2D pane is, at the end of the day, where the actual work is done with all construction details. 3D view is secondary, but a very useful feature to visualise the 2D drawing. Rendering hq images and videos is nice, but in an actual construction process its primary value to me is to study sunlight and light sources.
Having completed one relatively large (and several small) construction projects with the help of SH3D, the 2D drawings with all measurements are what described the work - usually different printouts pinned to a wall every morning for masons, carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Somewhat to my surprise, however, everyone involved also very much appreciated getting 3D pictures from different angles when starting their work. And the pictures were often the reason they come back to us discussing different and better approaches to get what we wanted. In short, the 3D visualisation proved more valuable than anticipated during actual construction.
A little caveat. Few amateurs can fully grasp the different challenges of a construction project, I certainly cannot. While SH3D is a perfect tool for finding out what you want and design your dreams, it would be pretty foolish not to go through the plans with professionals later: master builders, architects, engineers. A good example is Akalvin's House designed with Sweet Home 3D. If I remember correctly, he first designed his dream house in detail with SH3D and then took the sketches to a professional builder who, in their own software, redrew the design with lots of engineering detail before they built the house.
But this construction focus is certainly not the only value of SH3D. Looking at the work of some users like Ceciliabr makes you realise what intelligent design and beautiful rendering can be.
So I doubt it is an either/or question. Some will use SH3D for nuts and bolts construction - others will use SH3D to create stunning images and alluring fantasies.
ok
