Custom Cabinet Design Software

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Permalink Reply by Joel Templin on April 28, 2009 at 11:15am

I am not sure. Some companies have trial software and some do not. You need to call each company.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Sanders on May 15, 2009 at 9:03am

Cabinet Vision is the best for a cabinet shop. But off the wall designs are not easy to do. Ecabinets is based on the cabinet box idea but it can be easily used to make most furniture. Microvellium is probably the best for archetechural design. But I find it cumbersome and it has a huge learning curve.

All the cabinet design software titles I am aware of (KCDW. Cabinetpro, etc.) are specifically meant to be easy to use for the cabinet shop. They make them easy to use by automating a lot of the details of the design. This also means you have fewer options. If you really need versatility to design furniture, look at Inventor, Solid works or some of the other 3D CAD packages. I have heard a lot of good things about Sketchup Pro and I think it is $500.

I used Ecabinets for years and it is an amazing program. I miss it every day. I tried Microvellium but found it too much like AutoCad. Now I use Cabinet Vision because it produces better cutlists and reports for a high production shop. For furniture and odd things I use Inventor. It is great.

If you are a custom cabinet shop making cabinets, entertainment centers, builtins and commercial work, I know that you can use most of the cabinet design packages out there. But you will need training. You will not be able to design nonstandard cabinets with these programs unless you take the classes.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Sanders on May 18, 2009 at 8:50pm

Another thing I want to say, and I can't believe I didnt notice this before, the presentation part of the software is the least important part of the software. When I first started looking at cabinet software I was attracted to the renderings and 3D presentations I could give to a client. After I started to use the programs I learned that it is the cut lists and assembly sheets that will change you shop forever.

When you are looking at various packages you need to focus on these parts. That is where the software pays back.

Having optimized nesting maps, complete parts lists, and exact materials needed is a big advantage. It will allow you to work much faster. After that if you focus on the material costs and bidding parameters you will gain another huge benefit. Lightening fast bids that are very accurate.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sams on August 7, 2009 at 9:46am

Hey everyone,
I guess we have all been frustrated by the need to use and the bucks to pay problem when it comes to software. But let's face it,if your going to be competitive in today's market you absolutely must find a way to do things faster and with less labor while maintaining the quality your customers have a right to expect.

I, like some of the other writers, was drawn in to the Ecabinets web and at first was very pleased with what I got for the amount spent. But, as the old adage tell us, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Ecabinets is good for standard designs, but when the custom work needs to be done, then you need to break out your degree in computer programing. Additionally, it is geared to used with Thermwood CNC. The last time I checked there was no ability to provide G code for other machines. And it can be cumbersome to use without a state-of-the-art computer.

When I finally did decide to purchase an honest to God cabinet design program I was drawn to RouterCad's AutoCabinets software. It has the capabilities to do just about everything, including custom cabinet box designs, radius applications, and if you want to spend the extra money you can move into an award winning CNC interface and presentation module. Although it has a built in CAD program I have been using TurboCad since it was just a puppy and understand its ways. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to learn and for my money is a true bargain when compared to AutoCad.

The other thing I like about AutoCabinets is that in its basic form will provide cut lists that I can up load into another fine little program called Cut List Plus, which has a lot of great features.

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Permalink Reply by David Tuttle on August 8, 2009 at 8:07am

My two cents on eCabinets. Purchase from them "The 'nearly' Completed Guide to eCabinet Systems" it cost about $100.00 invest the time into learning it. You can't draw in AutoCAD on the first day either. The program is a lot more powerful than you think, and for the cost of the manual you can get your takeoffs and I send my boxes to a Thermwood router shop to be cut. Custom work can be done in it... It takes time and patients like any program (most people don't even know what Excel can do for them). IMHO the only draw back to the program as a fore mentioned is it is proprietary to a Thermwood. Sketch up is free and very nice to use, you have to pay to get the title blocks. NOTHING is FREE, NOTHING is EASY. As I am sure everyone knows.

All that said and done, I still think in AutoCAD 2D (I have to get into a class at sometime to learn the 3D). I will sketch a room or a complex piece in AuotCAD then literally build it in eCabinets (It will be more effective when I can think in eCabients).

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