Computer program for Skoolie floorplan?

[Larry]

I see some really nice floorplans but what program was used?
I have 3D home but it is worthless at doing plans for a bus!
Best yet - any FREE programs out there? LOL

Larry

[Mark R. Obtinario]

IMHO, masking tape on the floor works about as well as anything.

After you have taken all of the seats out of your bus, use your bus as a tin tent. Get some air mattresses, a Coleman stove and lantern, a porta-pottie, and a cooler and use your bus. Bring along some chairs, either lawn chairs or lazy boys in order to have somewhere to sit. Even an old couch or two would be nice. But use your bus to find out what you like and what you don't like.

As you use your bus, with masking tape, outline on the floor your permanent fixtures. I know at least two people who used some sort of computer program to design their fixtures. Without using the bus before everything was installed they found out the design looked great on the monitor and on paper but didn't work out so very well in practice.

Go to RV shows and tour through all of the different RV's. After you have gone through several different RV's from several different manufacturers you will notice a lot of similarities in floor plans. There are, after all, only so many ways in which you can arrange a bedroom(s), a bath, a kitchen, and a living area in a tube that is 30-45' long.

Good luck and have fun.

Mark O.

[Griff]

IMHO, masking tape on the floor works about as well as anything. Mark O.

Agreed! Also, don't neccessarily think in absolute dimensions for countertops and cupboards, think in units of bus window widths / fractions thereof (unless you plan on covering / removing them).
I am currently using a program called Homeplan Pro. It allows me to use layers for different things. You can download the free 30 day demo here: http://www.homeplanpro.com/ I found the program worth EVERY BIT of the $39.00 full version price! (p.s. - I have no affiliation with them.)

[captainkf]

masking tape is the way to go. However most rv's are designed around the toilet. It's sad but true, unless you are willing to go through the work mascerator pumps and other complications. It needs to have direct acess to your black tank. Unfortunatley that is what mine is designed around. Everything else was planned around that. Make what works for you. I know it sounds obvious, but after looking at what the rv industry does, there is a feeling that there is a right floor plan, and if you diverge from that you are doing somthing wrong. Poooey! Use your bus as often as you can before the big conversion.

-Richard

[Sharkey]

I replied to this a couple of days ago, but I must have hit "preview" instead of "submit", because it disappeared.

I was trying to remember who it was that recommended not only laying out with masking tape, but building full-scale cardboard mock-ups of cabinets, appliances and furniture, bulkheads, etc. Sometimes you don't realize what things are going to look/feel like until you can see the 3D spatial relationships between them and can move around in real time physically with them.

I did to-scale floorplans on the Housetruck and the Crown, and made construction paper cut-outs of all of the furnishings. This allowed me to arrange things and proportion spaces easily.

I have a scan of the old floorplan of the Housetruck:



Allowing the plan to evolve is important too. I originally thought I'd build a toiler and shower enclosure in the corner of the kitchen. After a couple of seasons living in the truck, I decided that counter and cabinet space was more important than steam in the house.

Damien did complete CAD drawings of his fire truck, and ended up building it exactly like the plans with no problems to report:


So it's possible to do it all in virtual reality and still enjoy the results.

If anyone knows of a free CAD program, even one with limited features, post it up!

[roasting8]

Hey Sharkey and Larry,

I remember one free program, that one guy recommended (I can't remember which site though), called "Design Workshop Lite." It is free and you can down load the tutorial.

The link is: http://www.artifice.com/

I hope this helps.