Aspiring Architects Lack Practical Design Guidance
28 posts across 16 communities in the last 30 days; 29% from r/Architects.
“im sorta new to modeling, im only versed in blockbench, im thinking of making some simple models for stuff to use in exotic pet enclosures (like supports and hides and stuff), i tried tinkerkad but its wayy too simple, i mean i like that its easy to understand but theres so much…”
“we are an architecture and structural engineering firm for residential and commercial buildings. right now our architect draws interior floor plans by hand and then goes back and draws on cad and then sketch up. has anyone found a useful method for capturing interior floor plans…”
“Hello, architects and aspiring architects, what are your useful tips to avoid ink smudges on tracing paper? T.T, it's so annoying, and it ruins my plates”
Individuals interested in architecture and building design are struggling to find accessible, practical guidance on the fundamental principles and technical aspects of the field. They desire resources that explain the 'why' behind design choices, detailing construction techniques and spatial reasoning, rather than just showcasing finished projects or historical context. This lack of accessible instruction hinders their ability to pursue personal projects and gain a deeper understanding of architectural design.
SOURCES (60)
“Hey, I could use some help with the layout of my future flat. Unfortunately I don't have any other plans. Those drew my Father in law, as a possible layout. On the ground floor, there's going to be a community floor for the flat on…”
“I'm currently a student taking architecture and am barley on my first year. I found out through professors that throughout the course of my Architecture degree we will only be using Rhino for 3D modeling. Thing is, I have heard from others that if I would want to apply for an internship, they would mainly look for skills in Revit or AutoCAD. I know its my first year so I probably shouldn't worry about it, but what are some suggestions? Should I just stick with learning and mastering Rhin”
“I wanted guests to understand how a hostel fitted together before they arrived. Photos showed individual rooms, but looking at each room separately didn’t tell you how the space actually connected. That was the thing I wanted to show. To model the hostel, I initially cobbled things together using SketchUp, dimensions, and photos. Along the way, I tried free tools that weren’t suitable and looked at paid tools that cost way more than I could justify. Eventually, I did what I always do: I retreate”
“Trying to choose the best herringbone pattern arrangement across my hall and the living space 1 , within the plans attached. I need help with deciding which arrangement is best, or if there are any other suggestions? Extra Context: -The living space 1 is the main hosting area of the house. -Ive drawn red lines to indicate the centre of the entrance door in the hall and the rear double doorset in Living 1 -only doing the pattern in the labelled spaces, living 1,2 and the hall -im the home owner O”
“There are so many models for holders and brackets that I figured finding one would be the easy part. Then you get into the dimensions. Something can be almost exactly right, except the opening needs to be a little wider. Scaling it makes the rest wrong. I’m starting to see why people end up learning CAD for a “quick little print.” I don’t really want to become good at modeling. I’d just like to be able to move one wall without ruining the thing. submitted by /u/Particular_Potato_20 [”
“Ive been playing around with different ai to start the redesign of my open concept dining area. It made me this image and I LOVE this arched chair rail situation. What are some COST-EFFECTIVE ways to create this? ALSO if you have any distinctive or super non traditional images/video of chair railing PLEASE share! submitted by /u/NajaHall [link] [comments]”
“im sorta new to modeling, im only versed in blockbench, im thinking of making some simple models for stuff to use in exotic pet enclosures (like supports and hides and stuff), i tried tinkerkad but its wayy too simple, i mean i like that its easy to understand but theres so much stuff you just...cant do. you cant extrude faces or do cuts or anything. you cant even select specific faces. i tried making a tube with a hole in it, and i decided i wanted to make the tube taller, so i tried figuring o”
“Hi, I'm adding a new bathroom in my attic space and I'm trying to figure out the rough plumbing layout. I've attached an AutoCAD drawing showing the 1st floor existing bathroom (salmon color) and the 2nd floor new bathroom (green). I need to design the rough plumbing, but I don't know how to tie the new water closet into the existing drainage line because of where they're positioned in relation to each other. I have a wall from the existing bathroom that's under the new w”
“Hello! Any suggestions on this layout?? Very rough draft, just trying to get concept/plan across. We are building a wedding venue reception hall, and this side barn is dedicated to serving as the bathrooms / kitchen / prep areas, nearby to actual wedding venue reception barn (thus the reason so many bathrooms in one space). The room layouts and walls need to stay exactly where they are for the most part. The floor is a new concrete slab to be poured, so we have some choice in where the pvc goes/”
“I was contacted to help work out the renovation of a small bungalow in the woods. Now I have measured most of it and worked my ideas out in a model in Sketchup web. But now I need to get to some presentable deliverables. Plans sections and elevations Visualizations to put on my portfolio website I would rather work using a combo of Sketchup with V-Ray for this end. I am thinking this will give the best results. But this will cost me around €800/yr ... I am a freelancer and this is my first archi”
“Is there a simple way to get a strengthening structure like that on a smooth surface? Not that experienced at CAD submitted by /u/boonhuhn [link] [comments]”
“Say I want to build a shed or a workshop on land I own. Maybe pay someone to lay down a concrete slab and then do the rest myself. I understand some of the basics like sill plate, top plate, header, king stud, jack stud, truss, sheathing, blocking, etc. but I also know that this is like 10% of what there is to know. I have no idea where you need to put insulating material and what kind to use, or how thick a header needs to be for a given window size, and what's the anatomy of an exterior wa”
“I have to finish this for art class and I forgot to ask the teacher if I can take a photo of the reference he gave. The houses are spot on, but I need to finish the scenery. All I know is the bottom hill is red and there are a few green cypresses in the painting. It would be great if anyone knows the name and artist. submitted by /u/AeroX000 [link] [comments]”
“Hi I've been wondering how to read blueprints so I'm not so useless at work and know more of what's going on so I can do more. I'm trying to find modern decent blueprints online to no avail. Some of the ones I've seen online on the lighting and power are confusing. For instance in commercial prints I see that homeruns go to the light fixture instead of the switch and then I see different switches hooked into the lights "$" or "OS" and get confused on the w”
“Working on a installing coffered ceiling open concept house, could use some ideas on how to break things up make it look more traditional. Bit of an odd space for a coffered ceiling. What are things you have done to make something like this work? have a stair case on one side, a opening to a hallway and a kitchen on the otherside. submitted by /u/Apprehensive_Week349 [link] [comments]”
“I have created a bunch of pieces for walls, ceilings, floors... But none have some interesting features like beams, pillars, whatever... So I am asking, is it a standard practice to create beams, pillars, and other trims as separate object and combine with them or just as a separate objects and combine later in engine? submitted by /u/Uniprime117 [link] [comments]”
“We just bought our first house and have some ideas for what to do in terms of renovation. This seems like a cool way to explore and test them! Possible to scan existing build- and layout-plans and get them in-game?”
“we are an architecture and structural engineering firm for residential and commercial buildings. right now our architect draws interior floor plans by hand and then goes back and draws on cad and then sketch up. has anyone found a useful method for capturing interior floor plans in a space that’s not empty? lidar has been a struggle because if furniture, curtains, etc are in the way of the bottom of the floor it cannot capture. any advice is greatly appreciated! submitted by /u/Littl”
“I've been learning and working in the 3D CAD/BIM space for almost 20 years and one thing that often comes up is the availability of simple assets that are efficiently modelled.One of the challenges I see a lot is an Architect will need to model a kitchen unit, so they go to BIM Object or another library and download a model. There are two problems this creates; firstly the 3D element itself contains an enormous number or polygons which can cause performance issues, and second the Architect is at”
“I'm an architectural designer that's being tasked with getting a basic spec done on a pretty short notice for DD. I'm feeling absolutely overwhelmed at the moment though. I've looked at specs before and searched them for keywords, but I've never written a section much less a whole spec book and I don't know where to start? I've got some projects to reference, but these things are incredibly dense. The way things are worded is strange to me. Some times its a command, s”
“I would love some help on where to put a double bed, little dining table, chairs, whatever else, and also some advice on how to make it look nice and cozy. I like different wood, soft natural colors, plants, and warm lights. The picture of the room seems bigger on the picture than it is. thank you! submitted by /u/pyjamapeach [link] [comments]”
“Try it: https://archai2-0.vercel.app/ Archai 2.0 is a lightweight way to model buildings and plans directly in the browser. I'm calling it "half-BIM": you get parametric building elements (walls, rooms, doors, windows, stairs, railings) and linked 2D drawings like in BIM tools, but you also get free-form parametric 3D modeling (sketch → revolve / sweep / extrude, with a full feature history) like in Rhino or Blender – without the weight of a full BIM package. What's in the demo”
“السلام عليكم، أنا مهندس معماري من اليمن، وأعمل حاليًا في مجال العمارة والتصميم المعماري، مع خبرة عملية في Revit, BIM, AutoCAD, architectural drafting, residential design, floor plans, elevations, sections, 3D modeling and visualization . هدفي خلال الفترة القادمة هو الانتقال إلى العمل مع مكتب هندسي أو شركة تصميم في السعودية ، سواء من خلال فرصة عمل مباشرة من خارج المملكة أو من خلال مسار نظامي يسمح لي بالانتقال للعمل هناك. لذلك أود الاستفادة من خبرة الموجودين هنا: ما هي المسارات الواقعية التي يستخد”
“Hi I am a 3rd year architecture student and throughout my time in this program, I have struggled to find furniture to decorate my plans with. I have mostly used adobe stocks but sometimes it doesn't have what I am looking for. Most of the websites I find require subscriptions, so I was wondering how everyone else is getting theirs. submitted by /u/Far-Molasses-6891 [link] [comments]”
“EDIT: I’m the client that hired this architect for my home renno. I was super excited to start my project with a great guy. I think he told me a few things I wanted to hear in the beginning, like how much stuff he was going to do. I admit I couldn’t follow his process as I’m very visual and OCD /adhd… so I think what I envisioned him doing versus what I got were miles apart. I never got more than an hour at a time with him, and many times what he’d bring back to the meeting was nothing like what”
“Appreciate someone explaining to me briefly/as a layman what I’m looking at in this room and what the options are. My feeling is that these boards should stay well under anything we put down, be that floorboards or carpet, but I’ve had several people say “oh original floorboards how lovely”. That was before I uncovered the lighter wood on the left hand side House is 1890s UK this is the first floor. I just took up the faded engineered flooring and think I can see; The original floorboards? They”
“Appreciate someone explaining to me briefly/as a layman what I’m looking at in this room and what the options are. My feeling is that these boards should stay well under anything we put down, be that floorboards or carpet, but I’ve had several people say “oh original floorboards how lovely”. That was before I uncovered the lighter wood on the left hand side House is 1890s UK this is the first floor. I just took up the faded engineered flooring and think I can see; The original floorboards? They”
“I want to learn house planning online from zero, in which I will learn the house map, exterior of the house, is it possible to learn this online as a short term course and how to learn etc. because most of my relatives House contractor is the one who builds houses submitted by /u/Proper_Antelope_4638 [link] [comments]”
“I have a piece of land with some old buildings on it, and I wanted to figure out what kind of new building could fit there and, more importantly, where it should go and how it should be oriented. I could obviously draw some rectangles on a piece of paper and move them around. But I wanted to actually see what different layouts would look like in 3D — especially in relation to the existing buildings, driveway, trees and the shape of the property. The obvious alternative was learning a proper CAD”
“Laying out floor boxes on a commercial job. I’ve scaled them off the prints to center from two exterior walls. The exterior walls seem to be the only thing to pull measurements off of. Is there a better way to lay them out? submitted by /u/Ok-Inevitable4676 [link] [comments]”
So I made this prototype, but I can't commit myself to it without validation. Can you please share your opinion? The idea is diorama builder specifically about waterfalls and nature - shaping…
“The reference is the last one. I’m having trouble working the left side buildings, everything I do still makes them look flat and idk why 😭 submitted by /u/EmptyVisibility [link] [comments]”
“Can you think of any books that demonstrate a design approach that starts with a Core/seed of a house that facilitates it being expanded later? I'm working on a small uninsulated cabin that I suspect will eventually be renovated to become a fully insulated home down the line. I'd like to plan for this from the outset. I'm looking for books to guide me, but the only thing that comes to mind is 'How Buildings Learn', but this isn't quite what I need. submitted by  ”
“I'm making a game that takes place in the interior space of a city block, interconnected buildings with different purposes. Until now I've been making the structure of the entire level (i.e. the walls, ceilings, and floors) in a single blender file and using that file as a living scene inside my engine (godot) so that any changes to the level are immediately propagated into the engine. This has been working pretty well, but as this file has grown in complexity, it's started slowing d”
“Visual nourishment is just a tool, and there is no shame in it—it is a helpful reference. But the real questions are: What exact tools and methods do you personally use to spark and generate architectural ideas from scratch? And how can architectural texts shape a true design sense, translating abstract words into spatial mass and shadow? However, many of us struggle with distraction and a lack of time for long, heavy reading. If reading thick architectural books is a challenge, what are the bes”
“I want to create a product that combines a footstool and a cat bed. However, this is my first time trying 3D printing, and I don't know how to do 3D modeling. I have used Codex to generate reference images, and then employed various AI tools—including FreeCAD's MCP—to generate STL and GLB files. I designed the four support legs to be detachable and foldable, but the AI didn't align their dimensions with the floor panel. I'm really worried that the final product's dimensions”
“I came across this staircase during my travels and was baffled at the design. It’s made of concrete and I see no supporting beams or backing. It spans 4 levels high. submitted by /u/Percocet_5s [link] [comments]”
“Yeah like this it is easier and more accurate with measurements ^ Yes: "Architecture & Design"”
“This looks super useful to me! I have a challenging architect-designed house and resorted to using scad to try and figure out how to place a shelving system/wall-mounted storage, and large art on a 22 x17 ft wall, that sort of thing. I actually used the Sims 4 to demonstrate to my husband why I wanted to build a wall between the kitchen and dining room (success!). This looks soooo much better. Is it called Architecture & Design? Or,”
“In the 2D-Plan window: you can upload your floor plan as PDF or image and scale it in the right size :) In 3D: in your furniture library under "My Models" you can import your own models as obj or glb file.”
“The game is called "Architecture & Design" on Steam. (I don't know if I can post a link here)”
“I keep seeing fancy looking notion and I’m wondering how to do this on my own any tutorials i can follow? submitted by /u/TrapNouz [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, I'm developing stock plan documentation with my team for the U.S. market. We are looking to clarify several technical items related to wood framing/drawing standards/LODs. We are interested in scheduling a paid hourly consultation with an experienced professional. (preferably architect with experience in the above mentioned) Any recommendations are welcome - please DM or comment with a contact. Thanks! submitted by /u/Melodic-Spinach4383 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, architects and aspiring architects, what are your useful tips to avoid ink smudges on tracing paper? T.T, it's so annoying, and it ruins my plates submitted by /u/Accurate_World_9597 [link] [comments]”
“Been working on a workflow for my company for 6 months now, and the AI models have finally gotten capable enough to make it work. It converts 2D architectural plans and elevations into a fairly detailed 3D model in sketchup or revit (my company uses it to make VR). We've put it into production now and it's scary how quickly it improves, would say this might be how people are modelling in 12 months from now. Curious if there is a use case for this outside our company? trying to get cleara”
“Exactly! It's not meant to be a comparison with professional CAD/BIM, but to make early design and exploration much faster and more intuitive. And I really like the “engineering version of Replit/Lovable” comparison 😄”
“Exactly, it is primarily intended as a supplement that can be used more intuitively and without much learning, even by people without experience. SketchUp is great, I'll see what can be done to make the UI better. So far, there are several environments where you can choose your plot of land. In the beach area, you can even place cacti, palm trees, or similar items yourself to make it look more like a desert. So there are already quite a few detailed objects, but especially there will be a lo”
Been years since I've used autocad but this looks very cool
“My family and I are designing our homestead starting with the main house. We have narrowed it down to these 5 floor plans. Which one/s is/are your favorite/s? If not the whole layouts, what are your favorite features? submitted by /u/RelationDazzling5835 [link] [comments]”
“I study urban design and I want a physical book to learn stuff from instead of old PowerPoint, asked my teachers and they recommend the only book they have which costs about a 100 used. So I’m looking for an urban design study book with the basic information in it, like the sizes of different roads and walkways, heights of streetlamps, what kind of foundation is needed under different road materials. That kind of stuff. It would also be nice if the book has just some information about urban desi”
“Hi all, Does anyone have experience buying a template? I know I should make my own form scratch, but i'm looking for inspiration, and trying to fast track it. I would like to purchase one or two really high quality template files and modify them to be my own. I do a lot of multifamily, so if there are specific templates that suit that project type im especially interested. Thanks in advance. submitted by /u/iddrinktothat [link] [comments]”
“Sorry for the long post but I really need advice In the past 2 months after my previous post , I took your advice and started ignoring architects and architectural studios and started focusing on developers and home builders. I started looking and now I'm going through a list of home developers, In this list I found that some of them have not so great renders and others have a hand sketch or a water painting style image that looks like it was made with ai. using ai I now know that I should r”
“I know practically nothing about carpentry and I suck at drawing but I'm moving into an apartment soon and I'm a advid gardener. I'm 16 and I made a very rough design and if I could get any tips, constructive criticism or encouragement I'd greatly appreciate it submitted by /u/Free_Race_4332 [link] [comments]”
“I’m struggling to read and measure construction plans correctly in my current job, especially when it comes to translating 3D visuals into 2D floor plans. There are so many lines and details on the drawings, and I sometimes struggle to understand which line represents what in the actual building and where exactly I should take my measurements from. Does anyone know of any useful resources, courses, videos, or tips that could help me get better at reading and understanding construction drawings?”