Design professional landscape plans and presentations.
Create photo-based designs, plan drawings, and even full
3D walkthroughs, all for only $399.95

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software can be expensive for a small business, but it’s also essential for product design and technical illustrations. For businesses looking for an affordable alternative to popular CAD software options, free and open source CAD software might be the ideal solution. This download was checked by our built-in antivirus and was rated as safe. From the developer: Architect is a program that allows you to design and communicate architecture models and perform change impact analysis.

Design professional landscape plans and presentations.
Create photo-based designs, plan drawings, and even full
3D walkthroughs, all for only $399.95

Professional Landscape Design Software

Impress your clients with detailed 2D and 3D landscape designs using Realtime Landscaping Architect. Design complete landscapes including yards, gardens, swimming pools, ponds, decks, fences, patios, and much more.

• Design professional landscape plans
• Create effective presentations and videos
• Powerful, yet easy to use design tools
• 17,000 objects, including 7,400 plants

Design Landscape Plans

Design houses, decks, fencing, yards, gardens, swimming pools, water features, and much more with easy-to-use tools.

Give your plans a hand-drawn look using a wide variety of plant symbols and color washes. Add plant labels automatically using the wizard, and add a plant legend with just a few mouse clicks.

Design irrigation systems, planting details, and other CAD drawings with accurate size and scale. Includes drawing templates for sheet sizes A0-A4, and custom sizes are also supported. An extensive library of symbols is included, and you can create your own using the wizard.

Simultaneous 2D and 3D Design

As you design your landscape, the 2D and 3D views are updated automatically. Freely switch between views as needed. Design houses, decks, and other objects in 2D, and then switch to 3D to set their elevation. Most tools can be used in either view.

The 2D view, called the Plan view, is used for creating artistic, stylized, CAD-like, or realistic top-down landscape plans. If an object is added to the Plan view it will appear in both the Plan and 3D views, but can be customized for each view if needed. This functionality allows landscape designers to create both detailed 2D plans and realistic 3D designs at the same time.

Choose your Design Appearance

Many different design types of plan designs are available in Realtime Landscaping Architect through large libraries of symbols, color washes, hatch patterns, gradients, and more. Create rich vibrant designs, or opt for a traditional black and white CAD appearance. Through the use of color washes, even hand-drawn or painted designs are possible.

High Quality Plants

Design landscapes using a library of over 7,400 high resolution plants including shrubs, annuals, perennials, cacti, water garden and tropical.

Plants are included from all climate zones, so you can choose the ones best suited to your client’s location.

Most plants are high-resolution, professionally masked pictures of real plants, so they look realistic even close up.

The library also includes 470 high-resolution 3D plant models which are ideal for movies and 3D walkthroughs, and nearly 500 additional standard-resolution 3D plant models.

Create Swimming Pools and Spas

Design breathtaking swimming pools and spas. Above ground, in-ground, multiple level, and infinity edge pool styles are all supported.

Create spas that flow into pools, add pools with rockery, diving boards, or waterslides. Add products from national manufacturers such as S.R. Smith, Master Tile, and PebbleTec(tm).

Present clients with a surprisingly realistic view of your swimming pool design ideas, complete with flowing water, reflections, ripples, and even nighttime lighting.

Design Irrigation Systems

Design irrigation systems perfectly suited to your client’s landscape design.

Add sprinklers, piping, and other symbols. Set the coverage angle and radius of each sprinkler head as needed.

Create Cost Estimates and Material Lists

Quickly estimate the cost of each project using the integrated and automatic Project Material List. Simply open the list, enter prices for the different landscaping objects, and print the result.

When creating client quotes, you can export the material list to Excel and add labor, excavation, and other custom items as needed.

Deck Design Made Easy

Use the intuitive deck tools to create decks of virtually any size, shape, and style. Create a deck design in as few as five clicks, and then customize your creation until you find the perfect combination of style and function. Select one of our predefined styles to instantly visualize a new look, or design your own. Help clients visualize your design ideas with realistic deck furniture, outdoor kitchens, and more.

Choose from many predefined styles or create your own.

Design Patios, Fencing, Driveways, and More

The possibilities are endless with the wide variety of tools included in Realtime Landscaping Architect. Create metal, vinyl, wood, or chain link fencing with ease. Add patios and driveways by simply drawing their shape and selecting a material. Add realistic paths, hedges, rockery, and much more.

Fencing styles include metal, vinyl, wood, and chain link. Add fencing by simply drawing the fence shape and selecting a material. Add realistic paths, hedges, rockery, and more.

Patios of any shape and size can be added. Belgard and Unilock materials are included. Have a custom paver? Import your own from a photo using the Wizard.

Create driveways using powerful tools and detailed vehicles. Both sloped and flat driveways are supported.

Landscaping paths are easily added and support hundreds of different materials. Border paths with rocks, lighting, garden designs, edging, and more.

Plants from Every Planting Zone

Choose from over 7,400 high quality plants using the built-in search tools. Locate plants that will thrive at your client’s location and add them to your landscape design with just a few mouse clicks.

Use the Plant Growth tool to help clients visualize what their landscape will look like in the future: anywhere from three months to more than 20 years. This is a great way to determine spacing and other size considerations.

Design over a Photo or in Realistic 3D

Import a photo of your client’s property and design the landscape. Or, design their entire landscape in full 3D using powerful design tools. Mix and match methods as needed based on the needs of each client.

Surprisingly Easy to Use

Realtime Landscaping Architect was designed from the ground up to be easy to use. Whether you are designing the landscape for one home or an entire housing development, Realtime Landscaping Architect will help you create impressive landscape designs without expensive classes or training.

The software includes a built-in user guide, free email and toll-free technical support, and online tutorials. Have a question about a feature? Simply press F1.

Home designs are easy to replicate in Realtime Landscaping Architect.

Design Single and Multi-Story Houses

Use the House Wizard to drop in a pre-built house, or create a new one from scratch. Add houses simply by drawing their outline: the walls, trim, and even the roof are all created automatically.

Easily add single and multi-story houses to your landscape design. Add doors, windows, porch lights, change the siding and roofing materials, select between gable and hip roof styles – all with just a few mouse clicks.

Only the exterior of houses are modeled, not the interior. This makes houses much easier to build and edit than traditional home design programs, and helps you focus on designing your client’s landscape.

Garden Design and More

Create plant-filled gardens with mulch, edging, rockery, decorations, and more. Use the Plant Growth tool to help determine plant spacing. Use the realistic edging, rock border, and other tools to design complete landscapes for your clients.

Present your designs in full 3D using the Realtime Walkthrough feature, complete with lighting, shadows, and other effects.

Add Lawn Furniture, Outdoor Kitchens, and More

Choose from thousands of objects to enhance your landscape designs such as swimming pool objects, 3D rockery, outdoor furniture, intricate gazebos, carports, sheds, and much more.

Choose products from national brands such as S.R. Smith, Jerith, Philips Hadco, Amarr, Kichler, Highpoint Deck Lighting, MasterTile, Noble Tile, and RicoRock.

Realistic Pavers, Brick, Stone, and More

Select from a large library of professional materials including pavers, mulch, brick, wood, concrete, stacked stone, and more. Choose from products by Belgard, Unilock, R.I. Lampus, PebbleTec, and Eldorado. Change the color and brightness of any material as needed for each client.

Landscape Sloping or Uneven Property

Is your client’s property sloped, on a hill, or terraced? Use the terrain sculpting tools to add slopes, hills, contour lines, and custom topology. Modify the terrain before, during, or after creating your landscape design.

Create terraced landscape designs using the powerful Retaining Wall tool, using materials from Eldorado, Belgard, and Unilock.

Design Custom Ponds and Water Features

Design ponds, water gardens, and other water features using the advanced tools in Realtime Landscaping Architect. Design ponds and streams of any shape and size, add rockery, waterfalls, fountains, and jumping jets, and choose from a large library of accessories and decorations.

Using our exclusive Realtime Walkthrough feature, you can present your designs to clients in real-time 3D, complete with flowing water, koi fish, and other effects.

DWG, DXF, and PDF Import

Import DWG, DXF, and PDF files into your landscape designs using the new CAD Drawing Import Wizard. In just a few clicks, you can design directly on top of site plans and other CAD drawings for accurate scale and placement.

Extract shapes and contour lines from DWG and DXF files. Create lot boundaries, building outlines, and even entire topology using shapes from your existing CAD drawings.

Design Landscape Lighting

Help clients visualize your landscape lighting ideas using products from Philips Hadco, Kichler, and Highpoint. Any number of landscape lights, house lights, and swimming pool lights can be added to your landscape designs. Show clients impressive nighttime pictures and walkthroughs complete with realistic lighting and shadows.

Compelling Client Presentations

Present your design ideas and proposals using a variety of methods. Print your designs to any color printed supported by Windows. Send your design to a print shop in PDF or JPG format. E-mail 2D plans and 3D pictures of your designs. Create a video of your landscape design and upload to YouTube or burn to a DVD.

'The software is a complete set of tools for designing lawns, buildings, decks, patios, edging, retaining walls and other landscaping features.' - Landscape Architect magazine review

Download Option: Immediately after making your purchase, you will have the option of downloading the software.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee
If you are not 100% satisfied with Realtime Landscaping Architect, simply return it within 30 days for a full refund. More

The best free floor planner software is Floorplanner, an intuitive tool built for interior designers, property managers, and real estate agents. For something free, Floorplanner can do basic floor plan designing, offer an innovative cloud rendering capability, provide an auto-furnish feature, and import/export with ease.

When all you want is a general idea of how the floor will look like once the house is complete and furnished, an expensive 3D design software may be excessive for the task. So, it might be best to settle for a floor planner software instead. Unlike high-powered architecture software, this type of tool should help you visualize general spatial ideas, without including the elaborate designs, which usually require the help of a professional designer to decipher.

Luckily, there are lots of floor planning applications that you can use at no cost. To help you narrow down your options, we’ll be discussing the 10 best free floor planner software on the market. In particular, we’ve paid close attention to the real estate and architectural design functionality of these solutions. This way, once you read our analysis, you’ll have the insights to pick a software that can help you develop the best floor design.

The real estate market has had several ups and downs in the past few years. What remains consistent is the competitive market made more difficult by the limited number of potential clients. However, the future of real estate seems bright. More than 45% of Millenials are expected to start buying their own properties with 2020 as the peak buying year for the generation.

A number of young adults are already considering investing their money on a real estate property. Currently, the majority of home buyers are Millenials making up about 37 percent of the entire potential buyers. The number is expected to rise rapidly within the next few years.

Because most buyers choose debt financing, they will be more selective before finalizing their decisions to maximize the value of their money. The combination of increasing property market prices and limited financing drives Millenial buyers to scrutinize most, if not all aspects, of a house. This includes the surrounding community, nearby schools, career opportunities in the area and more.

With new types of clients come new purchasing behaviors. Millennials prefer the web as their primary source of information. With most of them spending more than 3 hours a day on their smartphones and more than 30 minutes using a computer, having a strong online presence is essential.

Information Sources Used by Home Buyers

Website

Real estate agent

Mobile device search

Open house

Yard sign

Online videos

Print ads (newspaper)

Home builder

Real estate books/magazines

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Billboard

Television

Relocation company

Source: Nar Realtor

Hence, you have to publish compelling content to entice picky clients. Aside from photos and other media, floor plans will not only grab the attention of your leads, but it will also provide them with valuable information that can potentially compel them to buy the properties in your listing.

However, creating floor plans are usually done by artists using the best graphic design software. Fortunately, there are free floor planner software that will perfectly suit your needs without the steep learning curve and the hefty price tag. In this article, we will take a closer look at the most popular floor planner platforms. We have also outlined their key features so you can see how each one can help you and your business.

1. Floorplanner

Innovative floor planning application Floorplanner is designed primarily for real estate agents and interior designers. The solution helps users to create floor plans that give prospective homeowners how a remodeled room would look. Whether you want a quick or a detailed 2D/3D floor plan, Floorplanner has the tools to help you achieve your goal.

The application features a simple floor plan editor that works seamlessly on any web browser. This, coupled with the innovative cloud rendering capability, allows you to work on architectural visualization and deliver beautiful diagrams for building or marketing purposes. Additionally, the auto-furnish is the most salient Floorplanner’s feature. The tool enables you to quickly furnish your floor plan with just a few clicks.

FloorPlanner is available on three pricing plans, including Pay as you go, Pro plan, and Business plan. The Pay as you go pricing plan is a basic plan that allows users to create as many projects as they want and download 2D/3D floor plan designs in SD quality, for free. The level provides complete access to all Floorplanner’s features and design libraries. However, for better quality images and multiple floor plans, you have to subscribe to a paid plan.

Key Features of Floorplanner

1. Floorplanner has an intuitive editor optimized for easy and fast floor plan creation.
2. It comes with an Auto-furnish.
3. Also, it makes it easy to import and export designs.
4. Furthermore, it provides a space planner and an interactive viewer for easy publishing.

2. SmartDraw

All-in-one drawing tool SmartDraw can serve as a floor plan creator, org chart maker, and flowchart maker software for anyone who needs to create diagrams, from architects and engineers to real estate agents and project managers. It is a robust application that makes it easy to create intricate visuals from the web browser or any device, including Windows, Mac, or tablets. With over 4,500 diagram templates, file sharing, and collaboration features, SmartDraw is one of the most effective tools for creating floor plans.

SmartDraw provides a free and easy-to-use online editor. Also, with the quickstart templates and the intelligent, automatic formatting, it’s a breeze to create stunning layouts. Furthermore, SmartDraw’s floor creator boasts 34,000+ architectural design symbols and CAD-like drawing capabilities that help you create floor plans in minutes.

Key Features of SmartDraw

1. SmartDraw provides 4,500+ templates and 34,000+ architectural symbols.
2. It streamlines designing with its intelligent formatting.
3. The platform has an easy-to-use online editor that is accessible anywhere, anytime.
4. It’s easy to print diagrams to scale.
5. Lastly, it integrates seamlessly with Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive.

3. RoomSketcher

Cloud-based software RoomSketcher (formerly known as Home Designer by RoomSketcher) is an easy-to-use-architectural design tool for architects, real estate agents, and interior designers. It is an innovative solution that enables users to create stunning floor plans, office projects, and real estate property designs and visualize them in panoramic, 3D views. One thing you will like about RoomSketcher is that all the floor plans designed on this platform are easy to edit. You just click-and-drag to resize, move, add items, and customize the home design with different colors and textures.

Another great thing is that RoomSketcher provides interactive 3D walkthroughs. Regardless of your skill level, the walkthroughs can be of great help, especially when you want to create detailed floor plans with intricate perspectives and depth. The most exciting part is that, if you don’t have time to create your floor plan, you can request the vendor to create one for you.

Key Features of RoomSketcher

1. RoomSketcher makes it easy to create 2D, 3D, and even Live 3D floor plans.
2. It provides tools to create stunning 3D photos.
3. Moreover, it makes it easy to view your home designs and real estate projects in panoramic 360-degree views.

4. SketchUp

3D design software SketchUp is built by Trimble to streamline 3D designing on the web. The solution provides a comprehensive suite of robust drafting and modeling features. Meaning, it can be used for interior, architectural, landscape, film, and civil engineering designs. SketchUp is easy to use, and it can be utilized by builders, designers, architects, and engineers at any phase of the design process.

What makes SketchUp unique is its basic version, which, despite being available for free, offers all the essential tools you need to create 3D models quickly. Moreover, SketchUp Free is a web-based application that comes with a core 3D modeler that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Even better, SketchUp Free allows you to visualize your ideas on paper, and turn them into real projects with unprecedented expediency.

The solution combines 10GB cloud storage, 3D models library, mobile viewing, and the powerful 3D modeler to facilitate floor plan creation. Factor its interoperability in, and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing you can collaborate, store, access, and illustrate 3D models anywhere, anytime.

Key Features of SketchUp Free

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1. SketchUp Free supports different import and export file formats.
2. It has a robust 3D modeler.
3. In addition, it offers a 10GB cloud storage space.
4. It also provides numerous user-generated 3D models.
5. Lastly, it supports 3D model viewing on mobile phones.

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5. Civil 3D

Another product on our list is AutoDesk Civil 3D. This powerful, on-premise civil infrastructure design software is built for construction companies, architects, and civil engineers. The application is primarily designed to support Building Information Modelling (BIM). However, it comes with innovative features that enhance workflow efficiencies and collaboration, from infrastructure design to production phase. Besides, the solution provides a suite of integrated features that enable architects to improve construction and design documentation.

What you’ll notice from the first impression is that Civil 3D has a compelling suite of civil engineering tools, and its quite capable when used to support intricate civil infrastructure projects like roads, rails, lang development, and airport structures. However, upon in-depth scrutiny, you will realize that the solution offers some lightweight technical features to support the creation of floors and 3D house plans.

The only quibble is that as powerful as it is, Civil 3D is not capable of creating detailed floor plans, and it may not be the best solution for enterprise design companies. Additionally, Autodesk Civil 3D provides a 3year free version for students. If you are a professional architect or house designer, you have to subscribe to a paid plan to get access to advanced features.

Key Features of Civil 3D

1. Civil 3D has a traverse editor
2. It comes with a corridor overlap resolution tool.
3. Furthermore, it supports plan sheet generation.
4. It also features property labeling tools.
5. It has dynamic offset profiles

6. Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design software built to help architects and interior designers create house plans and arrange furniture more effectively. With the solution, you can draw your plan and fiddle with aspects such as the size and thickness of the walls, the color & texture of the floor/ceiling, and even the location & orientation of the furniture. That’s not all. Sweet Home 3D allows you to easily annotate the plan, control the sunlight effect, and customize lights to create photorealistic images.

Unlike other programs on our list, Sweet Home 3D is open-source software. This means the vendor gives you access to the software’s source code, and you can modify it to suit the way you work. Moreover, you can extend Sweet Home 3D functionality using plugins. The best part is that the solution if free, whether you are using it for commercial or personal use. Lastly, it runs smoothly on Mac, Solaris, Windows, and Linux devices, and its online version works seamlessly on any browser.

Key Features of Sweet Home 3D

1. Sweet Home 3D makes it easy to draw sloping, rounds, or straight walls.
2. It allows you to insert windows and doors with ease.
3. You can add and rearrange the furniture.
4. Furthermore, it comes with a compass rose to aid plan annotation.
5. It is accessible in 27 languages.

7. AutoCAD Architecture

AutoCAD Architecture is yet another software on our list that is designed by Autodesk. This is a unique version of AutoCAD software that is stripped-down to suit the way architects work. It is an industry-specific solution exclusively designed to streamline and accelerate architectural design and drafting.

With over 8,000 architecture, engineering, and construction objects, AutoCAD Architecture enables architects and designers to create stunning designs without a struggle. When used to design floor plans, AutoCAD Architecture delivers realistic, 3D floor plans. However, like other Autodesk products, this solution provides a student version that is free for 3 years.

Key Features of AutoCAD Architecture

1. AutoCAD Architecture supports architectural renovation.
2. This has a Roombook feature for useful room documentation.
3. Moreover, it provides powerful keynoting and detail components.
4. It also makes it easy to define walls, windows, and doors.

8. Roomle

Are you looking to create interactive floor designs, but don’t want to spend on the task? Here is the kicker, Roomle can help you achieve that and even enable you to share your designs with prospective clients.

Roomle is an innovative 3D configurator primarily designed to help furniture designers to create beautiful product displays. However, Roomle comes with a floor planner with excellent floor plan designing capability. You can also use the floor planner online or on your iOS devices to create stunning floor plans and share them with ease. The ability to share floor plans can be an indispensable feature to real estate agents and project managers.

One thing you’ll like is Roomle’s Virtual Reality (VR) Functionality. The VR feature utilizes innovative technology to deliver interactive, virtual walkthroughs. Moreover, the walkthroughs inspire creativity and simplify floor plan creation.

Key Features of Roomle

1. Roomle has a VR functionality for virtual walkthroughs.
2. This application lets you share designs with family, teams, and prospective clients.
3. It easy to white-label your design before sharing them online.
4. Lastly, it allows you to embed design into your website.

9. AutoCAD LT

AutoCAD LT is a reliable 2 dimension (2D) drawing and documentation CAD software built by Autodesk. Architects, designers, and engineers trust this platform for all sorts of projects. Looking at this solution from an expert perspective, you’ll notice that it is a stripped-down version of AutoCAD. That aspect aside, AutoCAD LT is still a capable solution so you can easily use it to create detailed floor plans and other technical diagrams

The application features a simple, intuitive interface, and a suite of advanced annotation, design, and editing tools. This makes it one of the best tools for creating detailed technical drawings and documentation. Besides, AutoCAD LT relies on the innovative TrustedDWG technology to facilitate the storage and sharing of drawings. The best part is that with AutoCAD LT, you can create, edit, and view drawings on any device -web, desktop, or mobile. However, like Civil 3D, AutoCAD LT is free for three years for students.

Key Features of AutoCAD LT

1. AutoCAD LT provides powerful 2D, annotation, and documentation tools.
2. The platform works seamlessly with the AutoCAD suite of solutions.
3. Moreover, it supports web and mobile use.
4. It offers advanced features such as enhanced DWG compare, purge redesign, and block palette.

10. PlanningWiz Floor Planner

PlanningWhiz Floor Planner is a 2D/3D floor planning software for interior designers, real estate agents, property developers, and furniture retailers. It is an easy-to-use floor planning tool that enables users to convey floor plan concepts to customers. The solution is available on both free and paid versions. Its limited free plan allows you to create five 2D/3D projects and, depending on the type of project; you may not print or even export the plans.

Even though the tool boasts a set of lightweight design tools, it still creates high-quality floor plans and is the best for planning outdoor spaces. One highlight is that PlanningWhiz Floor Planner allows you to embed your logo into finished projects. Moreover, adding your identity to finished plans can influence brand credibility and boost property marketing strategies.

Additionally, property developers can use the tools to create presentations that give property buyers an accurate and realistic view of the proposed property. Furthermore, the tool provides an edition tailored to help fitness trainers show potential buyers how to arrange gym equipment. Lastly, PlanningWhiz Floor Planner enables landscape designers to create the perfect layouts for parks, recreational facilities, and playgrounds.

Key Features of PlanningWhiz Floor Planner

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1. It provides industry-specific drafting and designing tools.
2. The platform supports outdoor and indoor space planning
3. It can produce both 2D and 3D designs.
4. It features a WYSIWYG editor.

Which is the Best Free Floor Planner Software for You?

There is no clear-cut answer to this. After all, each company has a different set of needs. Hopefully, with our analysis of the 10 best free floor planner software, you were able to get the data you need to make an informed decision. We’ve even gone a step further by listing the key features of these solutions.

If you are still undecided about which free floor planning tool to pick, we recommend trying out Floorplanner. This platform is easy to use and has a free version that gives you access to all its floor planning features. Plus, it comes with advanced features like the auto-furnish tool and the cloud rendering capability that lets you create stunning, photorealistic images and share them online with ease.

In case you feel that this still isn’t the right fit for you, perhaps you might be interested in checking out architecture software instead. To help you get started, feel free to check out our list of top architecture solutions for beginners.