Design Flex Reviews

Summary: I have learned how to get around a lot of things to make my visuals work, but I shouldn't have to . It's great that 2020 does update and seek out input. But go back into the basic areas of the program and fix those things. It's important for those of us who are slammed with work and don't have time to spend hours creating renderings in programs outside of 2020 or to figure out the crazy lighting.
Generally - I love how much the program has changed from when I started using back at version 4!

Positive: I do like the speed and the reduced amount of crashing. There seems to be more options to fine tune the renderings.

Negative: It is difficult to figure out the rendering program and getting the lighting right - my clients don't need the super realistic looking pictures that take so many hours to create. I just can't seem to get he lighting right.
- the cloud browser for decorative items is horrible - needs simplifying and updated pieces ( some stuff is so overly modern and ugly , especially in lighting and stools/ chairs ) - I don't care for sketch up at all
- PLEASE fix it so that we can trace a surface on a wall for back splash tile and it will automatically cut around a window or pass through the same way a countertop cuts around for a sink - these simple things will make it so much easier.
- Still have problems with trying to do 2 rooms with different ceiling configurations on the same plan.

Summary: Just like all things in life, once you know how to do something the following times it gets done is much easier.

Positive: It has a lot of bells and whistles, it has a lot of things that can be useful to design the spaces.

Negative: Training is too expensive, almost all things to make the design better is an up sale, the software is already expensive enough.

Summary: I like the program, but many improvements could be made. I am used to working with Solid works or rhino, being familiar with product design and being very computer savvy, it is not the easiest program to work with or understand even for the most complex computer users. for those who design large kitchens with many attachments and items, it is something that gives struggles when overloaded with a large project which is also frustrating to have to split different rooms onto different files. I also wish i could put accessories on the floor plan as well so that i can keep track of my installation product count for pricing and designing purposes when it comes to pricing and making paperwork for the installer if a custom part is planned to be designed, you can explain it on the floor plan with the items shown being used with it.

Positive: I like the rendering quality and the simplicity of the program at times. The program has many opportunities for improvement and growth, but overall is is successful for what i use it for every day besides the crashing.

Negative: I cannot stand how frequent it crashes. I HATE the lighting on this program, as it seems to need a rocket scientist to get white to show up properly and not super bright and not super grey. i wish the lighting was more standard. It is such a heavy program that it cannot run renderings/photos quickly or seamlessly with anything else running on a brand new computer. I wish it was available on mac. I wish i could set a queue for renderings of different camera shots to run and save to my computer automatically when i leave for work so that i do not have to spend many hours out of my day watching the rendering bar move. (similar to keyshot rendering program where can select it to render when not at the computer with different shots in line). i really wish that i could change the color of each catalog in the floor plan so when i change an island to be different than a perimeter of a kitchen i can see it on the floor plan without selecting a 3D view or selecting the cabinet itself to see which catalog it is on, this would save me a lot of problems with placing the wrong items on the wrong catalog, which would save me time too.

Summary: Overall I'm happy with using this tool, and my clients love being able to "see" their space. I would use this tool again.

Positive: This program offers high quality renderings to help sell to clients which is a huge asset because so many people are super visual people. Buying something they cant see is hard, so they love when they can envision their space with the renderings.

Negative: Crashing issues prevail, and can be incredibly frustrating.

Summary: Overall I am very happy with the program and the ease of use it provides in both designing the projects the company I work for takes on, and the support that the 2020 company provides to it's users. I don't have the experience of using other design software's to compare 2020 against, but I would highly recommend it to anyone I know looking to work with a design program that is easy to learn how to use, and has a support team to back it up...

Positive: With every latest update the program becomes a little easier to navigate and makes the quality of the design renderings that much better. The auto lighting feature is great when it's working correctly. The customer service and tech support are top notch, and I always get what I call in for taken care of to 100% satisfaction. They are a very knowledgeable team and always a pleasure to work with...

Negative: I wish the 2020 program had more general item options that you didn't have to create a separate account to download items from outside the 2020 program created by other 2020 users. The program tends to run slow or crash if you use too many outside items in your design, which can be very frustrating when you are trying to give a client a more detailed and realistic design renderings. The auto lighting feature doesn't always work, and can cause unwanted shading in parts of the design that you can't do anything to fix, to my knowledge. The other lighting options in the rendering settings don't seem to actually work anymore in the latest versions of 2020, which is frustrating. Sometimes calling into 2020 tech support takes a really long time to get someone on the phone to help you with the issue you're calling in for. Even though that has seemed to get a little better lately, but still a long wait at times...

Summary: Overall, I've had great experiences using 2020 LIVE. I've worked with 2020 design for many years and can say that despite a few cloud connection issues I've had, I thoroughly enjoy working within the LIVE program.

I would highly recommend this product to all designers who want element flexibility, faster high-quality renders, and more options overall.

Positive: The 2020 Design Live is a great product overall. Having access to the live catalog allows our designs to take on a more realistic look that our clients love! I like being able to pull different elements into my designs to show clients what their homes can look like. This is also great for clients who are particular about their design and want to get a more accurate image of their overall space. I love the EZ render options in the Live program as well because it does make rendering designs faster, easier, and look better overall. You can still manipulate light features, sun, and angles but don't have as many issues balancing ambient vs natural vs user-added light features.

Negative: While I love the online catalogs for their options, one issue that I come across regularly is when the cloud does not connect to 2020. Usually, this is a wifi issue, so not completely a 2020 Live issue - but it would be nice to be able to select your most used items to be available offline. Having that option would keep designs from missing design elements when working through internet connection issues.

Summary: We love 2020! When we help them find bugs they are good at taking notes and trying to fix them in the future. Customer service is great!

Positive: It has grown as a program and it is the best for other catalogs that we use. Customer service is great!

Negative: Doesn't show detail on Shiloh doors like old-world textures which is huge!
Sometimes there are bugs. Need better hours for customer service. We work a lot after hours.

Summary: Overall, 2020 Design Live has been a huge upgrade in the kitchen and bath world. It has never been easier to update catalogs, work up amazing designs, have beautiful renderings/perspectives to show the clients and overall to just have fun working on! I have been on 2020 Design Live for 5 years and I would recommend it to any kitchen and bathroom designer!

Positive: - easy catalog updating
- 10/10 graphics
- new user freindly
- access to decorative catalogs
- easy modification abilities
- easy design graphic modifications.

Negative: - price per year
- some glitching when working on large projects.

Summary: Once you work out the problems with rendering, it will like the program much better. I like the ez render feature, I just wish I had a faster computer to run it on.

Positive: I have gotten very comfortable with the rendering feature in the newest versions, I like that it reproduces whites better than it used to.

Negative: Ever since I downloaded version 13.6 I have had several problems with the renderings losing the textures of the floor and walls etc. This has caused me to call tech support several times. They seem to want to blame it on my graphics card, but it has worked fine for all previous versions.

Summary: Overall, I enjoy using 2020 Design live, with just a couple of "tweaks" to the lighting it would be absolutely amazing.

Positive: I love the number of catalogs available at your fingertips, & the help that is available both virtually and over the phone.

Negative: I really have issues with hotspots in the renderings and the lower cabinetry not getting enough light.

Summary: In general, it runs faster and I am able to complete my designs more quickly. The rendering images are far more realistic.

Positive: As a cabinet designer, I use 2020 Live every day. It flows much better than the old version that used the key. You are able to run a rending and see the layout at the same time. I love the ability to alter the rendering easier. It also functions much better with the cloud browser. In the past, I had a lot of problems with the program shutting down, and that does not seem to be an issue anymore.

Negative: I have not come across anything I don't like yet.

Summary: It's good, but crashes a lot in perspective view and using sketch up. Work on that. I like that you can bring in appliances.

Positive: I like that you can design quickly and easily and everything is intuitive. Great support and great product.

Negative: Support is great when they are available, but often there are days where no one answers the phone or chat. Need to work on that, especially for the price.

Summary: Overall this is a good program to use for showing clients what their space can look like as well as putting together good pricing quickly.

Positive: The program is intuitive to use and there are a lot of good catalogs that will help make the design look amazing.

Negative: The program will shut down a lot and begin to run slowly after some time being open.

Summary: It is a fun and overall easy tool that makes my daily work life much easier. There are tons of options and I am looking forward to seeing future improvements.

Positive: 2020 Design Live is user friendly and offers a ton of different options to improve the look and feel your design. I have gotten ton of comments since upgrading that the overall look of the design has improved.

Negative: The cloud items can slow do the program causing it to crash on occasion.

Summary: I do enjoy working with 2020, despite it sometimes getting on my nerves. As a whole the program is helpful and gets the job done. There are improvements that could be made to make usage more seamless and additions or updates to give users more ability to create spaces that look as realistic as some of the other design software on the market.

Positive: I like the ability to manipulate rooms to look realistic for clients. The interface is user friendly and it's easy for someone who is trying to learn it on their own.

Negative: Sometimes the glitches or lack of decorative items makes designing difficult. Elevations do not look professional and add lots of unnecessary measurements. Improving on that aspect, so that writing install notes for contractors and presenting layouts to clients looks neater would be very beneficial.