Software For Design & Presentation

It’s the nature of software to evolve, so every year brings new updates to our favorite packages that have just become comfortable to use.

Many of these upgrades are simple library changes, such as when KCD (kcdsoftware.com) added Integra’s powder-coated doors and TAG’s hardware catalogs last year. Those additions didn’t change the nature of the program, but simply added a few new options for design and value-adding sales. They let KCD users offer products to clients that can make sales both easier and more profitable.

Most drawing suites offer drawing (CAD) tools that ‘build’ the cabinets from scratch or import them from libraries of similar drawings that can be tweaked. Several also let the shop create complete images of the final project (renderings), and some offer CAM software that sends the completed drawings and parts lists to machines to have the parts made. One advantage of this type of integrated programing is that, from the moment the room dimensions are entered, everything being done on the computer is governed by software that looks for lean solutions that are geared to the specific shop’s preferences, such as frame/frameless construction, or the worktable size on the CNC.

Bundled programing also allows a woodworker to take the project to the jobsite on a laptop or tablet, and to create photo-realistic drawings of the completed room before a single grain of sawdust is generated. Being able to give such a presentation reduces any conflicts or surprises that might arise from misunderstandings between the designer and the customer, because they’re both looking at the same rendering. They’re not depending on technical drawings or specs. The shop can make simple changes in a drawing now, rather than having to rework something later.

Some CNC manufacturers offer in-house training for software packages, and even guidance on which available programs may be best suited to the kind of work the woodshop produces. For example, ShopBot Tools (shopbottools.com) has partnered with the North Carolina Furniture School to offer cabinetmaking courses that cover foundational skills for designing, cutting, and assembling. Many CNC manufacturers offer similar guidance, so it’s worth asking the salesperson.

Thermwood Corp. has online training available for eCabinet Systems (ecabinetsystems.com), which is cabinet and furniture design software that has several levels of interaction. At the entry level, a woodworker accesses and uses free libraries of cabinet designs, and the shop can also have Thermwood create custom libraries. At this level there is no need to learn how to design or modify cabinets, and the learning curve is relatively easy. The next level lets the user modify those library cabinets and add price and material information. And at the power level, the shop can pretty much design any cabinet or furniture with in-house libraries and create very realistic room images.

Cabinet Pro has been providing design and manufacturing software since 1986, and the current package includes the ability to generate detailed shop and finished drawings, floor plans and 3D renderings, elevations, cut lists, and panel optimization (the most efficient way to use materials). The company has uploaded several videos on design and presentation at cabinetpro.com.

The ability to create a simple 3D rendered view is also included in CabMaster’s Designer Software (cabmastersoftware.com), and an advanced Photoview option is also available. CabMaster uses simple drag and drop designing that lets the operator modify cabinets easily, and it provides access to an extensive hardware library, so slides and handles can be integrated into the design. Plus, cutting lists created in the program can be configured in many different ways, such as for cutting on a panel saw, or as an assembly guide.

Multicam (multicam.com) is primarily known as a CNC machine manufacturer but is also an authorized retailer for several software solutions. The sales team helps woodshops select the right software for a manufacturing application, and then installs and integrates systems along with providing complete training. In addition to offering Alphacam and EnRoute (see below), Multicam has also developed Coreo Design. This is a 2D CAD design platform that designs in layers to allow one CAD drawing to control the path of multiple tools. It also lets a woodworker design parts from pictures or sketches by converting raster images (made up of pixels) to vectors that are created with lines, curves and color filling.

Cabinet Vision is a Hexagon Software (hexagon.com) product that has various modules available for tackling a variety of tasks, including xRendering, a sales and presentation tool that creates photorealistic renderings. It lets the cabinetmaker make changes to designs in seconds, whether to floors, wall coverings, countertops, wood species, stain colors, and more.

Two modules from Mozaik Software (mozaiksoftware.com) give woodshops the tools needed to design and present casework. Mozaik CNC begins with design but also provides cut lists, nesting, and machine-ready G-code. Mozaik Manufacturing is for shops that use traditional machinery (no CNC).

EnRoute from SAi (thinksai.com) provides a combination of 2D and 3D design and toolpath capabilities for CNC routers, lasers, plasma cutters, waterjets and knife cutters. The company recommends its basic package for all types of woodworking applications, including inlays, curved moldings, textured panels, 3D millwork or cabinets. And its Auto Toolpath Software is a CAM connection for many of today’s leading kitchen design and presentation CAD programs such as KCD, All Master, 3D Kitchen, and Cabinet Solutions.

Microvellum Software (microvellum.com) lets a woodshop create 2D submittal drawings, 3D models, and presentation renderings. It has a design module that combines product libraries with AutoCAD technology, helpful for sharing and reviewing drawings with architects and other designers.

Not all aspects of design have to do with aesthetics. Sometimes, it’s about the physical size of parts being processed. For example, the newest version of Carbide Motion from Carbide 3D (carbide3d.com) has a feature that checks whether a job will fit in the cutting area of the machine. If everything looks good, the operator won’t see anything. But if the cutter is going to run too far in any direction, the software will deliver a warning before the part is made.

CIM-Tech (cim-tech.com) is a hybrid, AutoCAD-based software solution that slips in somewhere between CAD and CAM. Invented in 1986 to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing, the software essentially simplifies the steps necessary for woodshops to move from design to production, and can save time, materials and money.

Framework is a design and cut list package from EuroSoft (eurosoftinc.com) that combines both a simple, non-CAD, front end for defining parametric part templates with machining (optional) to create flexible product libraries and the ability to export a cut list or send part data to your CNCs or panel saws. Parametric design is based on algorithms, which essentially means the designer creates rules, parameters and variables about the space, and the computer builds cabinets accordingly.

RouterCAD software (routercad.com) is an all-in-one solution for cabinet, door and drawer design from BOSS Routers. It provides detailed access to a CAD-based drawing engine, including quick-start templates with dozens of cabinet plan examples. RouterCAM creates code from layered DXF files so for shops that already draw in a CAD program, it will nest and create code from those drawings.

For shops that build more than cabinets, several smaller CNC manufacturers recommend or include Aspire CAD (vectric.com) with their machines. This is a set of intuitive tools for 2D design and calculation of 2D toolpaths such as profiling, pocketing, and drilling as well as 2.5D toolpaths including V-carving, prism carving, molding, fluting, chamfering and decorative texturing. Optional design tools let a woodworker build 3D relief models and machine them with 3D machining strategies. Aspire also lets the designer import and edit external 2D and 3D data.

Finally, Vortek Spaces (vortekspaces.com) is software for professionals without much time on their hands or deep 3D expertise. Design professionals can use their favorite CAD software to design, and then use Vortek Spaces to present their work as live 3D walkthroughs, images, videos, 360 videos, or virtual reality.  

This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue.