SmartDraw Bathroom Design Software Review

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SmartDraw is a versatile design program that you can use to design your bathroom and other rooms or locations. Also a business graphics software, it can also be used to plan your living room, backyard, and everything else that needs planning. It is especially useful for those who are new to bathroom design and need to draw up a simple working plan, as it is user-friendly and extremely easy to use.

SmartDraw allows you to create floor and interior design plans for your bathroom, using a wide selection of tile colors and styles, wall designs, fixtures, and furniture. There are also engineering and architectural features, allowing you to work with your plumber or contractor as well. The program is easy to use and requires no technical knowledge or design skills, making it ideal for first-time designers.

If you lack ideas or are not confident enough with your design skills to start from scratch, you can work with one of the floor plan templates provided with the program. These ready-made plans, called SmartTemplates, can be altered to fix your bathroom's size and shape, or used as a basis for a completely different design. There are over 150 templates available, all professionally designed. In most versions the startup screen will take you straight to the template window.

After selecting a template or a blank room, you can start designing your room by dragging lines, shapes, and symbols onto the floor area. SmartDraw has an extensive library of over 20,000 preset graphics. You can design each fixture and area with various tile, wall, and fabric patterns as well. There is also a text input feature, which will allow you to label each item for easy reference.

There are also specialized functions for lighting plans and emergency exit plans, which you can use if you are designing a large bathroom or a bathroom in a commercial establishment. You can also use the program to design other parts of your home after having done the bathroom. There are living room and bedroom floor plans, landscape layouts, and even a WiFi zone planner.

SmartDraw is designed mostly for Windows platforms, and will also incorporate and export files to Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You can also save them in portable document format (PDF), which is useful for uploading to the Web or sending them to your contractor or designer.

There are some drawbacks, however. One major limitation is that SmartDraw operates in 2D and cannot accurately render textures. It is limited to solid colors and patterns, using only simple gradients for glass or lighting details. Interior design has to be done one wall at a time. The program is great for bathroom floor plans, but interior design and planning are best done on a 3D-capable program.