SmartDraw Reviews

Summary: I continue learning, but I like the app and will use it again. I know that as I gain more familiarity with the various tools, I will have more control over my design, but for now, I am still able to create a design that my contractor can work with and that we both understand and can reference. I have probably created at least a half dozen versions using the app.

Positive: I liked the way it allowed me to create a floor plan for a new addition on my cabin with minimal frustration. I was able to design an 18X12 bathroom plan with simple icons and manipulate dimensions rather easily.

Negative: I sometimes needed to adjust sizing of image to see all dimensions, which was slightly more complicated.

Summary: When the building department rejected my remodeling sketches, I turned to SmartDraw. In a relatively short time, I was able to generate new drawings that checked all the boxes on the building departments list of complaints. On to the next phase of the project...

Positive: lots of functionality, fairly intuitive, great for building plans, e.g. for basement finishing projects.

Negative: so much functionality makes for steep learning curve if you aren't experienced with it already.

Summary: Overall a nice program that allows me to draw up different ideas. I'm able to run different designs and easily come back to them as needed

Positive: The program does a good job being intuitive. I'm able to add clip art as needed. Ease of use was my requirement

Negative: Can get clunky with dimensions. You'll need to zoom way in to get things lined up sometimes

Summary: Smartdraw worked for me to quickly make a drawing, and show others my concept for free! That free trial gave me the confidence that Smartdraw was a tool I could use proficiently and effectively. I then know that purchasing Smartdraw for my farm business for a year would be a great investment.

Positive: I am very muh a computer novice, yet this platform was easy to use and achieve quality results in just a few sessions. I made high caliber plans for a new farm building without involving an architect!

Negative: I would have liked to turn off the measuring tool for some features yet leave it on for others. The clutter on the page when all the measurements are on can be distracting and make it hard to tell what dimension is being measured.

Summary: You can take it as an alternative of microsoft softwares but there is still much to improce. Overall is good.

Positive: Suitable for drawing organisational charts. If you want to use it as an alternative for microsoft office softwares, this is it.

Negative: Lack of some functions such as drawing the details of organisation charts.

Summary: The business that contracted me to draw landscape renderings is pleased and able to use my work for their clients early in my training. I believe I will become more proficient with practice!

Positive: The layers make my landscape design job easy to edit. I use the included symbols as well. I am using the tutorials too teach myself use of Smart Draw.

Negative: Sometimes not as intuitive as I had hoped, but learning through trial and error. Tracing and erasing are often challenging.

Summary: I think its probably a great site for someone thats familiar with floor plan design but it wasnt for me

Positive: It looked like it could be pretty easy. Had plenty of tools to assist you to get things done. Overall I'm not the best at floor plan

Negative: Not very beginner friendly. I had a very hard time with measurements for room floorplans and then I couldnt get the platform to label each room.

Summary: I think a small business who chooses this application for their drawings would be pleased. I'm interested in continuing to use it, which is a good sign. I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it once I take the time to read the instructions. As an individual home user, I feel this is a bit expensive for what you get. I had wanted a tool to help my design bits of my yard and this is great for that. It really is a great tool for the homeowner market, you might want to put a little more work into making it user friendly and add a home user price point. IDK, I've already forgotten what my options were at purchase, except I couldn't pay for a month or 6 months or something, I had to pay for a year and I didn't like that. Also possible I'm not seeing the whole plan/picture and am way off base, but there you are. my impressions.

Positive: Easy to measure and draw lines, squares, other angles. The quality of the printout is good. I actually enjoyed watching my thoughts appear "on paper."

Negative: Well, I haven't had the good sense to read the manual. I usually can figure out an application on my own, but in this case:
-Can't figure out how to delete a document
-Near as I can tell, can't Save a document to itself, have to save a copy. Between these two things, I'm using a lot of space on docs I want to get rid of.
-User interface not entirely intuitive
-I don't like how the page size automatically increases, and then I can' figure out how to put it back again. Can't move pieces of the drawing around without this happening.
-I don't like the default text boxes at the bottom of the drawing page, and I can't figure out (without looking at the instructions!) how to easily modify them (IS it easy?)

Summary: Not good, just a generic draw program used for flowcharts mainly.

You need to use a pool-industry design program like PS or PoolTemplates to be able to do professional pool designs.

Positive: None for me, it is just a simple flowchart program that I can get for free.
Sometimes generic programs like these want to market to niche industries but you'll just waste your time trying to make something and fails miserably.

Negative: As a builder this won't work, its like a cheap Visio for flowcharts.
Zero features for pool builders.