Which software for designing cabinet and CP layout?

[barvaz]

Hi all,

I am currently in the stage of gathering information and I want to start designing my cabinet and the control panel layout. Of course, I looked at all the examples I could put my hands on. These come in various formats and produced by various software tools (pdf, AutoCad, Visio, Word, Photoshop and the list goes on).

I found some nice plans that I like in AutoCad format (plus jpeg images) but I need to do some minor adjustment (add keyboard drawer) as well as convert all the measures to the metric system (and probably rearrange the layout of the sheet for cutting). I also probably need to redesign the control panel layout.

My question is what software everyone is using for this type of work. I am pretty sure that AutoCad is a good candidate but although I have access to it at work, I am really not up to learning this rather complicated tool. What tools are there that can be easily used for this task? Obviously, I will need also Photoshot for creating the art, but I feel comfortable with that.

Any suggestions and tips are welcome. Thanks.

- barvaz

[Sylentwulf]

The best I've used, and what I ended up using, is Visio. You can, uhh, get it, from, umm, sources for free, and then you have the templates for the buttons, joysticks, and trackballs listed on this site.

After that, Visio had a very low learning curve it seemed, and ended up going together VERY nicely.

[sjgrover]

IMSI TurboCad has a free learning edition (2D design only).  The learning curve isn't too steep and it's more than adequate for what I've needed to do.

[depressd]

I use Sketchup. There are tons of video tutorials on there site to get you started.

[AlanS17]

I'm an AutoCAD fan. That's where I did all my work... Seeing as how I won't have it available anymore, though, I'll probably resort to Visio for any more projects.

[rdagger]

I've never used Visio.  I thought it was mainly for flowcharts and orgcharts.  Can you build 3D models for cabinets or is it only good for laying out buttons and controls?

[barvaz]

I do have access to Visio so I will give it a try. I am not planning to do any 3D modeling of my cabinet, just the layout for how to cut the MDF boards and the design of the control panel so I assume Visio should be enough.

Thanks for the replies.

- barvaz

[zorg]

qcad 2D cad
http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad.html

[Pasqualz]

I'm in the process of designing my cabinet alos and I'm using Visio 2002. I, uh, borrowed it from my job. Yeah that's it!! Visio has some useful features for designing a cab that make it easy to learn and use. i recommend it! By the way, it seems like a good amount of people use Visio, why doesn't someone have a repository of Visio cabinet plans (and for that matter, all cabinet plans in general??)

[zorg]

I'm in the process of designing my cabinet alos and I'm using Visio 2002. I, uh, borrowed it from my job. Yeah that's it!! Visio has some useful features for designing a cab that make it easy to learn and use. i recommend it! By the way, it seems like a good amount of people use Visio, why doesn't someone have a repository of Visio cabinet plans (and for that matter, all cabinet plans in general??)

maybee it will be a good idea maybee not.

the bad point are
1) I guess visio run's only on windows
2) I guess  that visio file are proprietary file I guess

[Witchboard]

I use Sketchup to brainstorm my cabinets, but I use Visio to do my CP layouts.  I export the layout as an image file and import it into Sketchup and paste it on my model.

[zorg]

I use Sketchup to brainstorm my cabinets, but I use Visio to do my CP layouts.  I export the layout as an image file and import it into Sketchup and paste it on my model.

what are the different file format that visio can output.
if it's an easy way to have universal readable files (dxf, pdf, eps, pg, png...) the Pasqualz idea may be interesting.

and Pasqualz, just a note to point you on jakobub's plan repository http://www.jakobud.com/

[Witchboard]

There's quite a few.  It can save to every image format that I can think of and also AutoCAD, Microstation, HTML and Illustrator files.  The only format I couldn't find that you listed were pdf and pg.  What is a pg file?  If you meant a jpg that's supported too.

[Darkstalker]

"The only format I couldn't find that you listed were pdf and pg."

Well, if you actually install Acrobat (The full version, not reader), you can print to a PDF file from almost any program.  That's about the only way you are going to get a PDF, and it's very expensive for the portability.

I'm using Visio 2002 to make my control panels myself, and grabbed a control stencil set to work with of the main BYOAC site.  The nice thing is I can import my overlay so I can see where the controls will sit over the picture.  I don't know if Visio is supported in Wine yet, but that might be a way to get the job done in Linux.  (I assume that's a concern with your Tux avatar).

Visio is good for control panel layout, but I wouldn't use it for cabinet designs.  That's really a call for some sort of CAD program.  There's a multitude of them out there, and I'm sure they all will save to some sort of universal raster format by now.  AutoCAD being the "Photoshop" of the CAD world, of course...