Also Like The Sims, But Simpler
March 16, 2022 9:21 AM Subscribe
Inspired by this question: I am ALSO now looking for a room planning site, but one that is very VERY simple to use, and free.
I am trying to plan out the storage closets where I work; my boss and I are having a bit of a disagreement about where to put certain items, and I'm hoping a basic floor plan will help us both visualize things better. The only problem is that the closets in question are kind of weird shapes, and I've got a specific list of furniture to work with.
I've tried a number of the suggestions offered in the question I linked above, but almost all of them fail in one or more of the requirements I have. My needs are:
* I would like to input the EXACT measurements of the dimensions of each closet, in FEET AND INCHES, to generate the shape of the room. For instance - one room is 7 feet across along the back wall, but it is 9 feet across along the FRONT wall, and the two side walls are also weird sizes. Please note that I DO NOT need to generate info about the WIDTH of the walls THEMSELVES, which nearly all of the room planning apps I have been using have forced me to calculate and I do not know why.
* I would like to be able to input the dimensions of weird features like fuse boxes, columns, etc., and be able to EASILY place them in each room by some kind of drag-and-drop means or something equally as simple.
* I would like the option of using BASIC RECTANGLES for furniture, at the dimensions I specify, rather than being forced to use a little desk graphic in place of the plain table or something like that. I would also like the option of specifying the exact dimensions of the furniture. All options I've tried either force me to use a dining room table along with chairs, or a desk with desk foobaz on it, instead of the plain table we need; and several of them only allow customizing the sizes of items if you are a paid user, so I can't tweak the bookcase to match the size of bookcase we have.
* Finally I would like an idiot-simple user interface. I tried Sketchup (as suggested in the linked question) but could not even figure out how to start drawing a damn room in the first place so I'm lost there.
This isn't so much for "where should I put the couch", this is more for stuff like "how much Uline shelving do we need and along what wall" and "is there really room under the stairs for the floor cleaning machine or would we be blocking the fusebox". So stressing yet again that something that will let me use basic rectangles for furniture, and will allow me to specify the SIZE of those rectangles, is what I'm looking for. I do NOT need a 3-D viewer, this is really basic stuff, like one step above using graph paper really.
Help?
I am trying to plan out the storage closets where I work; my boss and I are having a bit of a disagreement about where to put certain items, and I'm hoping a basic floor plan will help us both visualize things better. The only problem is that the closets in question are kind of weird shapes, and I've got a specific list of furniture to work with.
I've tried a number of the suggestions offered in the question I linked above, but almost all of them fail in one or more of the requirements I have. My needs are:
* I would like to input the EXACT measurements of the dimensions of each closet, in FEET AND INCHES, to generate the shape of the room. For instance - one room is 7 feet across along the back wall, but it is 9 feet across along the FRONT wall, and the two side walls are also weird sizes. Please note that I DO NOT need to generate info about the WIDTH of the walls THEMSELVES, which nearly all of the room planning apps I have been using have forced me to calculate and I do not know why.
* I would like to be able to input the dimensions of weird features like fuse boxes, columns, etc., and be able to EASILY place them in each room by some kind of drag-and-drop means or something equally as simple.
* I would like the option of using BASIC RECTANGLES for furniture, at the dimensions I specify, rather than being forced to use a little desk graphic in place of the plain table or something like that. I would also like the option of specifying the exact dimensions of the furniture. All options I've tried either force me to use a dining room table along with chairs, or a desk with desk foobaz on it, instead of the plain table we need; and several of them only allow customizing the sizes of items if you are a paid user, so I can't tweak the bookcase to match the size of bookcase we have.
* Finally I would like an idiot-simple user interface. I tried Sketchup (as suggested in the linked question) but could not even figure out how to start drawing a damn room in the first place so I'm lost there.
This isn't so much for "where should I put the couch", this is more for stuff like "how much Uline shelving do we need and along what wall" and "is there really room under the stairs for the floor cleaning machine or would we be blocking the fusebox". So stressing yet again that something that will let me use basic rectangles for furniture, and will allow me to specify the SIZE of those rectangles, is what I'm looking for. I do NOT need a 3-D viewer, this is really basic stuff, like one step above using graph paper really.
Help?
I used FloorPlanner for a remodel and the architect thought I had used pro CAD software. It’s pretty great.
posted by amaire at 10:59 AM on March 16, 2022
posted by amaire at 10:59 AM on March 16, 2022
Response by poster: Sorry, I should specify what I have tried that has not worked:
Floor Planner IS one of the sites I tried that wouldn't let me customize the furniture sizes on a free account. I have also tried (checks notes) Planner5D, Plan A Home, and Sketchup.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:19 AM on March 16, 2022
Floor Planner IS one of the sites I tried that wouldn't let me customize the furniture sizes on a free account. I have also tried (checks notes) Planner5D, Plan A Home, and Sketchup.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:19 AM on March 16, 2022
I use Home By Me. You can set it up to be in feet and inches if you want. Up to 5 projects free. You can put many unconnected rooms in one project.
It has furniture from a few brands, but also 'generic'. The generic can be customised in size. It also has (under 'build') a set of shapes which can be given custom measurements (cuboid / sphere / cylinder etc). You can add electrical components like switches, or use the shapes to mock up fuseboxes. You can colour the shapes to be able to see them better.
On the room shapes, you can create rooms by building walls and then adjusting the sizes. This will be a little bit fiddly as you don't have right angles to work with. You'll want to get the inside of the room to match your actual wall dimensions and not care about the outside of the room. Given how you describe the spaces you are working with, the easiest solution would be if there was a software that allowed you to input numbers for each of the 4 walls and then the space was created automatically. None of the easy to use sites are likely to do that. With Home By Me, you will need to create each wall individually and manually adjust the lengths and rotate walls a bit. This will be irritating but doable with persistence.
posted by plonkee at 12:53 AM on March 17, 2022
It has furniture from a few brands, but also 'generic'. The generic can be customised in size. It also has (under 'build') a set of shapes which can be given custom measurements (cuboid / sphere / cylinder etc). You can add electrical components like switches, or use the shapes to mock up fuseboxes. You can colour the shapes to be able to see them better.
On the room shapes, you can create rooms by building walls and then adjusting the sizes. This will be a little bit fiddly as you don't have right angles to work with. You'll want to get the inside of the room to match your actual wall dimensions and not care about the outside of the room. Given how you describe the spaces you are working with, the easiest solution would be if there was a software that allowed you to input numbers for each of the 4 walls and then the space was created automatically. None of the easy to use sites are likely to do that. With Home By Me, you will need to create each wall individually and manually adjust the lengths and rotate walls a bit. This will be irritating but doable with persistence.
posted by plonkee at 12:53 AM on March 17, 2022
I use Excel (roommate claims I have an 'unnatural fondness' for it). I set up rows and columns with equal sizes, and use the insert shapes option to add lines for walls, and other shapes for furniture etc. The Excel cells are just graph paper. If I'm feeling fancy I add a 12x12 grid of bolder borders to show inches.
posted by buildmyworld at 9:31 AM on March 17, 2022
posted by buildmyworld at 9:31 AM on March 17, 2022
Response by poster: I set up rows and columns with equal sizes, and use the insert shapes option to add lines for walls, and other shapes for furniture etc.
Can you draw a diagonal line ACROSS cells, to accommodate for the weird non-Euclidian room shapes I'm dealing with in some spaces? (This seems promising, and I'm a bit embarrassed I hadn't thought of it myself, actually.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:57 AM on March 17, 2022
Can you draw a diagonal line ACROSS cells, to accommodate for the weird non-Euclidian room shapes I'm dealing with in some spaces? (This seems promising, and I'm a bit embarrassed I hadn't thought of it myself, actually.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:57 AM on March 17, 2022
Microsoft Visio has a function for making maps and floorplans, in the familiar Office style. If you know your way around PowerPoint it's not too dissimilar. Create a new blank floorplan, then draw custom shapes and specify the dimensions in the size and position pane (under view > tools > task panes in the ribbon).
Obviously it isn't free, but you might have access to it through your organisation. And if not, you can sign up for a one month free trial here -- pick "Plan 2", since the web version can't do floorplans.
posted by rollick at 8:45 AM on March 18, 2022
Obviously it isn't free, but you might have access to it through your organisation. And if not, you can sign up for a one month free trial here -- pick "Plan 2", since the web version can't do floorplans.
posted by rollick at 8:45 AM on March 18, 2022
Response by poster: I'm marking this "resolved" because I'm buddies with the art director and he just gave me an official pad of Logo Branded Graph Paper "in case you need it," and I'm going to do it old school instead of using an app.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 AM on March 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 AM on March 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jonathanhughes at 9:38 AM on March 16, 2022