I tried using chief architect, and way back when, auto cad sketch, and I find them cumbersome. I’ve invested hours learning how to use sketchup, and with chief architect - I didn’t want to go through the learning curve again. If there were a clone “sketchup 2d” or a cad program that used the same tools, I’d give it a try. I still draw stuff with SU in 3D, or maybe draw a floor plan and pull it into 3d, but sometimes a 2d drawing is sufficient. Maybe I’m lazy, but learning a new program seems a waste of time if I can make SU do what I want.
Do you have a 2d drawing program you’d recommend?
G
You know one with such a nice inferencing system like SU? And if you decide to switch to 3D later, it’s only one pushpull away 
CorelDraw has a system of object snaps and dynamic guidelines not terribly different from inferencing, although, obviously, it never heard of the z axis. Moreover, it can do all the drafterly things like lineweights and line patterns that you can do only with great difficulty in SU, and it has a much more flexible dimensioning package than SU. It can even do angular dimensioning. And it has superb text handling and formatting capabilities. And it knows what a piece of paper is. And you can draw a legitimate sheet format, with borders and Title block and so forth. And it has a vastly more capable print engine, with control over margins and tiling. And on and on.
Not if you’re merely constructing geometry to look right from the top. It seems to me that unless you deliberately and carefully construct geometry on axis and on plane using inferencing for every click (as we have all had to learn to do), you’re going to end up with the kind of junk that doesn’t push/pull well, as we hear and see so often. Also, you’ll have a model space full of stray edges pretending to be a page format.
Why handicap yourself? It’s like driving screws with a hammer.
-Gully
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You never tried this?
How do you think I know so much about it?
http://tucsonbdg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hammer-and-Screw.jpg
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I always heard the old timers say the slot was there in case you wanted to remove the screw.
Shep
In my part of the world if you want the hammer your ask someone to pass you the american screwdriver.
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All of which prompts me to ask: do screw threads normally run in the left-handed direction Down Under (meaning you would screw something in with a counterclockwise motion of the screwdriver or hammer)? If not, doesn’t it get confusing when you flush the toilet or let the water out of the bathtub?
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Just hang on there and I’ll go check, then I’ll check next door too, I might be a while.
Russian screwdriver in these parts
Anssi
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Having lived in your part of the world for several years I know what you mean, but if I asked for that when I lived in East Germany I would have been handed a Makarov.
DraftBoard drafting software (formerly Vellum Pro) does have automatic snaps and inference guide lines since the very beginning (~1989), actually they were invented by famous Martin Newell in those days.
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what you are looking for is called ‘nesting’, there are dedicated applications available for doing this.
Try thewoodfather He has developed a more powerful layout program.
I used DrawingBoard by Vellum for many years, and loved the program. It was no longer available after Mac OS X, and the other Vellum programs were much too expensive.
Now, I’m using RealCADD, which is pretty good, but I miss DrawingBoard.
I looked at the webpage for DraftBoard, but since I don’t speak German, I couldn’t find any price information.
Can you suggest a simple-to-use free 2D drawing program? I’m moving to a wheelchair-accessible bungalow and I need to draw floor plans show the accessibility mods I need. One with a shallow learning curve would be great as I just need to plough in and get on with it and preferably one that’s good for floor plans. I can use visio but I no longer have it and can’t justify buying a new one. Any suggestions gratefully received… thanks!
free use plus an intuitive user interface is a contradiction in itself, most of free CAD stuff is either cumbersome to use (i.e. AC clone) or has limited functionality.
you may want try if one of the following both does fulfill your requirements:
• Solid Edge 2D Drafting
• DraftSight Free
Read the license agreement if a commercial use is intended.
I’ve used this little CAD package for many years.
It’s easy to learn, basic, no frills just lines on paper, CAD.
The pro version is worth every penny. < $40