Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020 - 21

PROGRAMS FOR ENHANCING DESIGN

When it comes to everyone's favorite part of the
job - the actual designing - there are also tools
to make that easier. Designers used to take pen
to paper for this aspect, but now digital drawing
tools make traditional methods sometimes seem
arduous in comparison.
"Measuring and planning will always have a
place in well-thought-out design,"said MacSporran. "Drawing, on the other hand, has become
impractical. There are just too many programs
available on the market that will do the job in a
fraction of the time it takes to do it by hand."
"Traditional drawing techniques are still used
by some and not others," argued Scott Koehler,
a technology consultant and founder and president of Whispering Pines, N.C.-based Dream
Kitchen Builders. "It just feels authentic when
I share my hand-drawn sketches and designs
with clients."
Whatever methods of drawing a designer uses,
most will use tools that can easily change digital
floor plans and drawings into 3D plans or even virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). According to Scott Harris, vice president of sales and
marketing for Chief Architect, the more that can
be done to help people experience a design before
it's built, the better for the designer and the client.
"Designing and drawing can be an art form,"
said Harris. "For many people it's a known process they are comfortable with; however, the new
generation of designers is quick to adapt to technology. Using software has many benefits for 3D
rendering, creating options for the clients and
producing construction drawings."
While 3D renderings have been around for
a while, AR and VR are new technological advances in visualization that many clients and
designers are finding beneficial. While VR is
typically only available in showrooms and with
more costly tools, AR is accessible on most smart
devices. With AR, designers can take a room as it
is and overlay new elements onto it in real time on

ABOVE HOUZZ provides CRM

and business management
tools specialized for designers. The CRM tool helps
pros manage leads from any
source to more effectively
win new projects. Pros can
manage their sales pipeline,
add internal notes about the
project and attach relevant
files or photos. A scheduling
tool integrates with the pro's
calendar, making it easy to
book meetings with prospective clients.
BELOW DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

has introduced the HomeByMe for kitchen retailers
application, an easy-to-use
3D planning solution. This
interactive experience, dedicated to kitchen retailers and
their customers, combines
3D digital space planning,
automation and intelligence
in one solution to engage
consumers in a seamless omnichannel design process that
improves retailer business.

the device - like a new countertop or a differentcolored wall - allowing clients a view into what a
space could look like.
"With an infinite number of options available,
clients really want to visualize what's going to be
created for them before they commit time and
budget to making it a reality," said Mimi Hoang,
vice president, AutoCAD strategy and marketing
at Autodesk.
FILLING IN THE MISSING PIECES

For the advancement of AR, kitchen and bath
manufacturers have to digitize their catalogs
and make their products available for platforms
to use. Many already do partner with 3D and
AR software, allowing users to place and move
products in a design easily, but more must be
continually added.
"Besides ease of use, a catalog of helpful items
is one of the most important things to designers
when it comes to software,"said Gert-Jan van der
Wel, chief technology officer of Floorplanner.
"This way designs can be as close to the real thing
as possible."

FLOORPLANNER is an easy-

to-use planning tool with
powerful rendering capabilities to export floor plans, interiors and 3D tours. Recent
updates include Blueprint
Mode, which can be custom
colored to the user's preference, and the Cutaway
Wall feature, which makes
it so users can see through
a wall while in 3D mode.
The Interactive Dashboard,
which serves as the user's
central hub for their designs,
now also shows Floorplanner's most recent updates,
Instagram posts and videos
uploaded to YouTube.

BUILDBOOK is the simple
way to streamline projects,
deliver a premium client
experience and grow your
construction or design
business. In one mobile
app, users have the power
to plan, track, select, share
and collaborate with their
entire team and clients. The
app also includes payment
scheduling and reminders,
access to all proposals,
contracts and budgets and
the ability to create change
order requests.

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2/12/20 5:16 PM

Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020