During a conversation with one of our valued customers the other day, the topic of Autodesk’s Homestyler came up. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Autodesk Homestyler, it is an online application that is free and easy to use. Homestyler comes equipped with a robust set of tools, allowing you to create a space from scratch, or use a background image of a floorplan to help you layout the space you’d like to create.
Along the left hand side, is a dashboard with several categories. In the Build panel, you have architectural features like your walls, windows, doors, stairs and and other features like fireplaces. Then there are the Furnish, Decorate panels to help you along with anything else you might need to place inside the space as well. Homestyler doesn’t just deal with indoor spaces though, you can begin to establish an outdoor space just as easily with the Landscape and Outdoor features. All of these panels come equipped with proprietary blocks directly from the manufacturers. If you want a Kohler faucet…you can have a Kohler faucet, or maybe you want your countertop to come right from Dupont. This is possible too!
Some other things that I was very impressed with, is the ability to create snap shot. Perhaps you’re looking to renovate and your contractor needs to see quickly what it is you’re after. This tool is ideal because you can take perspective snapshots of any of the spaces you set up, and then simply pass them along to your builder. But maybe you aren’t the client, and maybe you just want to get a space set up quickly so you can use it in a 3D model. Homestyler gives you the options of viewing your design in plan view or in a 3D isometric. Exporting your designs to a DWG as well, in either 2 or 3D is quick and simple, and if you’ve become a fan of BIM, which I most certainly have…then you don’t even have to worry about the DWG. Export your new space to a Revit project file and you’re off to the races! For teams working together, this application also has collaboration options like sharing. You may want to share your idea to Facebook or Twitter, if not a fellow collaborator, and so of course these options are built right into the interface as well.
Free design solutions are all over the place, and although some of them are very advanced, none of them are going to work into your Autodesk software as smoothly as this. Whether you’re a professional just looking to get a concept done quick, or you’d like to see what your living room would look like updated with that new leather sofa, Homestyler is a great tool to have in your toolbox. For those of you who are interested and would like to see yet another great tool from Autodesk, take a few minutes to check out Homestyler at www.homestyler.com. It’s well worth it.
~ Travis
