SketchUp

What is SketchUp (www.sketchup.com) ? Well it is the world's best and easiest 3D application. It was supposed to be a conceptual application to get your ideas down on and then to develop in other more robust programs but it has evolved into a very nice design program. Started by the @Last company in Boulder, Colorado and recently bought by Google. Currently it is on version 6 and has recently released a free version for non professionals. There are plenty of tutorials and movies to watch to help you learn it. So download it and get going :)

What is CADD?

Well I guess it could be called computer aided drafting and design (CADD). It can come in many forms. It could be architecture, mechanical engineering, product design to just about anything. It can also refer to the computer applications used to create such designs. Of course it can refer to AutoDesk's AutoCAD (www.autocad.com), one of the earlier players on the block. There are also many other CADD applications out there that have powerful tools to complete your work/design. I'll try to touch on these from time to time. The good thing is that most of these offer 30 day demos that can be downloaded and actually used to see if it fits your needs. The bad thing is the cost of the programs. They can range from a little under $100 to well over $4,000+!