Anyone can become an on-site designer of kitchen and other cabinet furniture. This is possible due to the fact that each designer independently determines for himself the design depth to which he will dive. Including zero dive option. Let's take a step-by-step look at the main tasks that a field designer solves.
- 1.Search for a client
- 2. Sales meeting
- 3. Consulting
- 4. Measurement
- 5. Sketching
- 6. Design
- 7. Cost calculation
- 8. Preparation of documentation (payment for the order)
- 9. Order support in production
- 10. Delivery control
- 11. Installation control
- 12. Signing acceptance certificates
- 13. Order support during the warranty period
- 14. Post-warranty service
Some on-site designers make their own furniture and assemble and install the furniture product. But these are rare exceptions. Moreover, it is recommended to concentrate on a minimum of tasks. This is the only way to increase your efficiency, and therefore productivity, which will ultimately affect your financial well-being. Trying to do all the work yourself will sooner or later affect your sales volume.
To increase sales, a successful field designer will sooner or later think about delegating the design task. That is why, as part of a project for training in planning furniture for, creating any other cabinet furniture based on individual designs of consumers, we offer this textbook for free - every successful designer is our potential partner. When the challenge of growth arises and the question arises of outsourcing the design stage, our partner’s candidacy will occupy an advantageous position. At this moment we can say that the depth of immersion in design becomes zero. Now the partners will be involved in the design.
A similar option may be chosen initially. Familiarity with the textbook materials allows you to understand the amount of work and level of responsibility that arises at the design stage. And not everyone has the desire to become a professional furniture designer.
Practical task
It is necessary to divide the above list of tasks of 14 points into two parts. In the first, you list the tasks that you would like to do on your own. The second contains tasks that you would like to delegate to your partners.
For each task from the second part, you need to find a business partner.
You can reach future partners through advertisements, information in the media, via the Internet, through business organizations and unions, through furniture showrooms
2. Use of laminated chipboard in furniture manufacturing
reference Information
Chipboard - chipboard. It is a sheet material made by hot pressing wood particles mixed with a binder. Urea-formaldehyde, phenol-formaldehyde and other resins are used as binders. Chipboard is made from various shavings and other waste from sawmill, woodworking and plywood industries. The density of the chipboard board is in the range from 550 to 850 kg/m3.
The production of chipboards originated in the late 30s of the twentieth century in Germany and Switzerland. The reason for this progress is considered to be a sharp decrease in forest resources in Europe. Experts call two advantages of chipboard - ease of processing and cost-effectiveness.
Chipboards are classified in the following ways:
1st grade
There are slabs of 1st grade, 2nd grade, as well as non-grade slabs, which are usually used for construction purposes. For furniture, 1st grade chipboard is used. According to GOST 10632-89, such chipboard should not have depressions or protrusions, scratches, paraffin, dust or resin stains, chipped edges, chipped corners, under-polishing, or surface waviness. Plate thickness - 10-26 mm.
2. brand
Brands are characterized by physical and mechanical characteristics. The highest quality is the PA brand. It also has lower roughness, lower swelling percentage and higher flexural and tensile strength.
3. surface type
Firstly, they are divided according to the type of outer layer - large chips, a regular surface or a fine-textured surface. For example, chipboard with a fine-textured surface is considered to be of higher quality (at the end you can see how the inside of the chipboard is loose and compacts toward the surface).
Secondly, the slabs are divided according to the cladding. It may be completely absent (used for construction needs), maybe decorative coating from films, veneer, laminate (laminated paper) and varnish.
The most popular is laminated chipboard. This is a chipboard lined with a film based on thermosetting polymers (paper-resin films).
Alternatives to lamination are lamination and veneering. Laminating is less reliable than lamination (the film often peels off), and veneering significantly increases the cost of chipboard.
4. Formaldehyde emission class
Chipboard is divided into classes E1 (up to 10 mg of formaldehyde per 100 g of dry board) and E2 (from 10 mg to 30 mg of formaldehyde per 100 g of dry board). E2 class chipboard is prohibited in the production of children's furniture. It is also prohibited to produce chipboards containing more than 30 mg of formaldehyde per 100 g of dry board.
5. degree of processing
If you don’t go into numbers, they are divided into sanded and unsanded chipboard.
6. water resistance
Chipboard is divided into regular and increased water resistance. The latter are marked with the letter “B”. The water resistance of laminated chipboard is given by a paraffin emulsion, which is introduced at the stage of pressing the board.
Water resistance is measured by swelling of the slab over 24 hours. On a regular stove grades P-A- swelling is 22%. On a regular stove grades P-B- 33%. For waterproof chipboard - up to 15%.
7. other
By adding various substances, new ones are obtained types of chipboard with the required properties. For example, fire resistant.
On this moment In Belarus, Russia and Europe, chipboard is the main material used in the production of cabinet furniture. In its pure form, chipboard is practically not used, mainly laminated chipboard is used - laminated chipboard. At the same time, furniture makers use both the abbreviations “LDSP” and “LDStP”. Based on the fact that the buyer is still accustomed to the term chipboard, the on-site designer is forced to use this particular abbreviation.
Most often, designers and furniture makers in Minsk use 1st grade chipboard P-A class E1 with laminated coating. Slabs with a thickness of 10mm, 16mm, 25mm are used.
Practical task
Receive chipboard samples from your manufacturing partner.
3. COMPLEX-SHAPE PARTS
Parts made from chipboard are usually divided into parts of simple and complex shapes. There are a number of rules and restrictions that determine possible appearance parts of complex shape. They are related to the production capabilities and performance characteristics of products and accessories.
Terms and Definitions
Part of complex shape- a part in which at least one of the angles is not equal to 90° and (or) one of the sides has a shape other than rectilinear.
Plast- the largest surface of the slab.
Edge- narrow side surface slabs
Edgebanding- the process of covering the edge of a slab with edge material in order to improve the appearance, physical, mechanical and consumer properties.
Edge material- strip or roll material intended for lining the edges of slabs.
Size 1 is the distance measured in a direction parallel to the direction of the material's texture.
Size 2 is the distance measured in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the material's texture.
Blank- this is a rectangular fragment of a slab, into the contour of which the part must fit, taking into account the assigned technological allowances for processing.
Additive- a set of holes in furniture parts or the process of drilling these holes.
Groove- a recess, a recess in a part into which a protrusion of another part is inserted.
Mounting unit- this is a set of parts (accessories) that ensure the immobility of the connection of structures.
Sketch- a flat image of the part, made in accordance with the requirements of the rules for the design of sketches.
Finishing the edges of parts
The edges of the parts are lined with edging material (Fig. 1). In cabinet furniture, the most common edge material is 2 mm thick.
Finishing furniture edges
Fig.1. Finishing the edges of parts
Complex parts are processed with edge material after milling operations.
When facing with edging material 2 mm thick, a chamfer of 2x2 mm is formed at the joints of the edging materials. When using edges with a thickness of 0.4 and 1 mm, a chamfer is not formed.
Main technological limitations
Rectangular parts(Egger)
Maximum part size:
along the fibers. . . . . . . . . . 2770x1400 mm
across the fibers. . . . . . . . . . 1400x2040 mm
Minimum part size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100x50 mm
The minimum size of the side intended for cladding with edge material is 100 mm.
Parts with complex shapes(Egger)
Maximum workpiece dimensions:
along the fibers. . . . . . . . . . 2770x1200 mm
across the fibers. . . . . . . . . . 1200x2040 mm
The permissible size of the narrowing of the part is 100 mm (Fig. 2).
Fig.2. Allowable narrowing
Internal corners are not allowed. An arc connection is required (Fig. 3).
Fig.3. Internal corner
Maximum radius of external and internal arc - 10000 mm
The minimum side size for cladding is 100 mm
Minimum radius of external arc - 50 mm
Minimum radius of the internal arc - 80 mm
Practical task
1) Obtain samples of edge material from the manufacturing partner.
2) Agree with production on the main technological limitations. Arrange as a table
4. INFLUENCE OF EDGE ON DIMENSIONS OF PART
For 16 mm laminated chipboards, edge material (hereinafter referred to as edge) with a thickness of 2 mm and a width of 19 mm is mainly used. When processing a part, excess edges are cut off and a chamfer is formed (Fig. 1). There are two important conclusions from this:
- - the edge reduces the size of the parts;
- - a chamfer on the edge of a part requires changing the dimensions of adjacent parts.
It is obvious that edge thickness reduces the size of the part. For example, if you need to make the side of a wardrobe with a depth of 600 mm, then such a part dimension can be obtained using an edge 2 mm thick only due to the fact that the depth of the part itself (saw size) will be equal to 598 mm. If such an edge is applied not only on the front, but also on the rear end of the part, then the size of the part will be 600-2-2 = 596 mm.
Using furniture design programs allows you to forget about these “little things” - the part is designed to be 600 mm in size, then an edge is applied to the specified ends and the program itself calculates the saw dimensions of the part.
The situation is a little more complicated with the influence of the edge on neighboring parts. Figure 4 shows an example when parts are placed without taking into account the thickness of the edge (for example, a side panel in a section on the right and a shelf on the left).
Fig.4. The appearance of a gap due to chamfered edges
The resulting gap spoils appearance products. Therefore, the part on the left is recessed by 2 mm (Fig. 5).
Fig.5. Correct location details.
Considering that there can be a lot of parts and they can be located in relation to each other very differently, some care is required in determining the dimensions of the parts. Figure 6 shows an example of taking edge thickness into account.
Fig.6. No edge gap design
In Figure 6, parts 1 form the width and depth dimensions. Let us assume that the dimensions of parts 1 are as follows: width 600 mm, depth 300 mm. And let’s also assume that the 2 mm edge is applied only from the front part of the product. In this case, the depth of the sidewalls 2 will be 298 mm. Shelf 3 is recessed 2 mm narrower in relation to the sides 2. Therefore, the depth of part 3 will be 296 mm. Consequently, partition 4 will be designed with a depth of 294 mm, and shelf 5 - 292 mm. Thus, due to the thickness of the edge, the difference in depth between parts 1 and 5 was 8 mm!
It should be noted that such a principle cannot always be applied. There are exceptions when the designer is forced to make parts of the same depth and sacrifice aesthetics for functionality. Or, from an aesthetic point of view, you have to choose the lesser evil. Fortunately, the designer always has the opportunity to “play” with the details and change the design. Therefore, exceptions are very rare.
Similarly, a 1mm edge should be taken into account.
The 0.4 mm edge is usually neglected (especially in kitchen modules). However, it is recommended, with the exception of kitchen modules, to treat a 0.4 mm edge as a 1 mm edge. Those. recess adjacent parts 1 mm deep. This must be done for the reason that the error of sawing and additives in total is 0.5 ÷ 1 mm. Without recessing the parts, a situation is quite possible, for example, when the shelf appears to protrude in relation to the sides and the unlined ends become noticeable.
Practical task
Create several projects in the design program* with different combinations of partitions and shelves, taking into account an edge thickness of 2 mm.
Among furniture makers in Minsk, the design program “Basis - furniture maker” is most often used for design. In further lessons, any mention of software will imply Basis software products.
5. FASTENERS
For designing and assembling furniture according to individual projects, the following fasteners are used
- The corner is plastic. Used for fastening laminated chipboard parts at right angles in any plane - sidewalls, shelves, etc. Also used for attaching laminated chipboard parts to room walls. The corners are placed arbitrarily, based on the design features of the product. It is recommended to place the corners at a distance of at least 50 mm from the edge of the parts and in increments of approximately 500 mm.
- Screw confirmed. T-shaped fastening. L-shaped fastening. It is recommended to install two confirmatories at the junction of two parts. For example, when placing a shelf between the sidewalls, 4 confirmations will be required on the shelf (two for fastening with the left sidewall and two with the right sidewall). When connecting large-sized parts (for example, connecting the side of a cabinet and a console), the calculation of confirmations must be made based on the condition of placing confirmations with a pitch of 300-500 mm.
- Intersectional screed. Fixation of parts adjacent to the surface. 4 pieces are recommended. When connecting large parts (for example, two sides of sliding wardrobes), it is recommended to place ties every 1000 mm.
- Eccentric coupler Rastex 15 Used for fastening parts made of laminated chipboard at right angles in any planes - sidewalls, shelves, rear walls, etc. It is attached similarly to the confirmat.
- Wooden dowel. The main application is in conjunction with Rastex when connecting parts, one of which lies in vertical plane, and the other - in horizontal. Also used if products with invisible fasteners are needed (not recommended)
The use of eccentric ties Rastex and VB allows not only to improve the appearance of the product (most customers have a negative attitude towards visible corners), but also to solve the problem of repeated dismantling of the product. While the self-tapping screws will paint the chipboard each time, making the fastening less reliable, the eccentric screed completely retains its properties, since we exclude work with the slab from the dismantling process itself.
Among other things, we did not indicate the following fastening assortment: metal corners, self-tapping screws, dowels, plasterboard mounting, etc. It is believed that this fastener is required exclusively for installation, so it is not taken into account by the designer. Any installation team has a solid supply of such fasteners.
The RASTEX eccentric coupler can be installed on shelves up to 900mm wide. Used for fastening any elements of the product. It is highly recommended to use in conjunction with a dowel.
The eccentric tie VB 35 is mainly used for fastening shelves to the sidewalls; it can be placed on shelves with a width of no more than 800 mm.
Confirmant is the most common mount. It is used either inside products or on front surfaces that are not visible after installation of the product.
The plastic corner is the most commonly used fastener. Has a morally outdated appearance. Using plastic corners, you can attach cabinet elements to each other, as well as attach the structure to the wall. Capable of withstanding fairly large loads on the shelf (1 corner can withstand up to 30 kg.) The width of the shelf when fastened with plastic corners should not exceed 900mm. In cabinet furniture, corners are common due to the irregular geometry of the premises and due to the need to fasten parts to the walls of the room.
Wooden dowels are mainly used for fastening structural elements with increased aesthetic requirements. This fastener cannot withstand heavy loads. Mainly used for fastening wooden boxes, for assembling kitchen boxes with front sides. In critical structures it must be used in conjunction with RASTEX.
Practical task
1) Get it from your installation partner detailed information about the fasteners they use. Get advice and examples of using this or that type of fastener.
2) Coordinate with the manufacturing partner the fasteners used in the structures. The production must be equipped with equipment (additive machine), drills, cutters and other necessary tools.
6. FACADES AND CLEARANCES
Facades are divided into two groups - inset and overhead.
An overlay facade or an inset facade is determined relative to the part on which the hinges for the facade are installed. If the facade is superimposed on such a part, then it is called an inset and it requires overhead hinges. Figure 7 shows an inset façade, and Figure 8 shows an inlay. In both cases, the facade is hinged and the hinges are attached to the left side.
Fig.7. Inset facade
Fig.8. Overlay facade
As soon as we talk about facades, we immediately need to remember about gaps. The gap is the distance between the facade and surrounding parts. Figure 9 shows the gap between the inset facade and the sidewall, between the facade and the roof. As can be seen from the figure, the gap is 2 mm. This value is standard for most furniture makers and custom furniture designers.
Fig.9. Inset façade gaps
Fig. 10. Overlay façade gaps
Figure 10 shows the gaps of the overlay façade. With this option of two swing doors, the question arises of what gap to maintain between the facades. In the figure it is shown as 2 mm. In fact, the recommended gap between the facades is 4 mm.
Why? As you can see, if you place another product with hinged facades next to this structure, then the gap between the outer facades of the modules will become 4 mm - for one it is 2 mm to the sidewall and for the second facade exactly the same. The gaps should be the same. Therefore, increasing the gap between the facades of one module will have a positive effect on the appearance of the structure as a whole.
Among other things, the increased gap of up to 4 mm does not limit the adjustment of the fronts and compensates for sawing and additive errors.
Practical task
Create several projects with different combinations of facades in the design program.
7. Fiberboard and grooves
Fiberboard - wood fiber board. The production of fiberboard began quite a long time ago - in 1922, in the USA. Also, fiberboard is often called hardboard (organic stone). This is a sheet material made by hot pressing a mass of wood fibers laid in the form of a carpet. Fibers are individual tissue cells, their fragments or groups of wood cells obtained by steaming and grinding wood. That is why back side Fiberboard resembles a “mesh”. By the way, because of this fiberboard technologies cannot be made in large thicknesses.
To improve the properties of fiberboard, synthetic resins are added to the sheets.
Fiberboard has its own narrow range of uses - the back walls of cabinet furniture, the bottom of drawers. Unlike plywood, which can also be used for these purposes, fiberboard is cheaper and more durable.
Considering that the main area of application for fiberboard is the back walls and bottoms of drawers, it is necessary to consider the issue of grooves.
A groove is a depression (cut) in any material.
For fiberboard, the groove is made 4 mm wide and 8-10 mm deep.
What is the connection between the fiberboard back wall and the groove? Yes, the fiberboard back wall can simply be nailed. Or you can make grooves in the sides and “hide” the back wall in the groove. This allows you to improve the appearance of the product - when viewing the structure from the side, the back wall will not be visible.
Thus, it makes sense to groove the sidewalls and other parts under the rear wall only when a side view of the structure is available. In other cases, a back wall with nails is a more economical and simpler option.
Fig. 11. Grooves in the sidewall and floor for the fiberboard back wall
Fig. 12. The back wall is made of fibreboard, installed in grooves. Front view.
In Figure 12 you can see that the rear wall is made slightly smaller than the depth of the groove. This makes it easier to install the back wall into the groove. The recommended gap is 1÷2 mm.
Installing the back wall into the groove is widely used in kitchen furniture, read the link useful material Kitchens.white
Practical task
1) Create several projects with different grooves in the design program.
2) Create a project in the design program with the installed back wall in the groove
The production of custom-made furniture is currently the only option for many people when updating the interior of their home. Specialized stores offer a huge number of furniture models, but it happens that non-standard dimensions of the apartment or individual preferences regarding design bring their own adjustments to the choice of interior items.
Furniture drawing and design in a special program
Excellent assistants when designing furniture are special programs that allow you not only to create a furniture design, but also prepare estimate documentation and drawings necessary for production.
All the steps that are needed must be carried out either by a program for designing cabinet furniture or by a designer. But in any case, the design of cabinet furniture must be carried out in stages, otherwise mistakes may be made, which will cause a lot of problems.
This multifunctional approach allows us to reduce the time required for custom-made furniture to fall into the hands of its buyer.
Program interface for designing cabinet furniture Currently, you can find many similar programs on the Internet, for example, Woody or KitchenDraw, but when choosing a specific one, it will be useful to know their features. So, the most popular programs that allow you to make cabinet furniture, and their features.
The first stage will be the so-called pre-stage stage, which should begin with measurements of your premises (for this it is better to call specialists). Before starting all measurements, the designer must find out the location, specific requirements for such a design, dimensions and materials that can be used in the manufacture of cabinet furniture for this particular room.
The process of designing any furniture should begin with this.
Sometimes clients imagine in their fantasies furniture and arrangements that cannot be created in real conditions. The designer must, without infringing on the customer’s wishes, offer something that will be available for implementation.
Original project of cabinet furniture for the kitchen The furniture designer will have to fix dimensions rooms with windows and doorways. Additionally, you will need to measure the entire location of communications.
First of all, this will concern. Depending on how it will be located Appliances, will depend on the entire kitchen project. Therefore, photography is necessary.
Furniture design software
Exists a large number of systems and programs for designing cabinet furniture that need attention. One of them is T-FLEX Furniture; this program was created specifically for designing cabinet furniture.
Cabinet furniture projects in this program are made three-dimensional, which will help you quickly cope with tasks of varying levels of complexity. In this program you can not only do the usual furniture arrangement, but also carry out all the necessary operations in order to manufacture the product the desired shape and designs.
The system has a modular structure and is divided into several editions. Each of these editions represents a separate type software, which can work not only as part of the complex, but also in autonomous mode.
You should also pay attention to, which specializes in the development of kitchen furniture.
Pro100 Software
This software allows you to design a set of cabinet furniture, and with its help you can visually assess how this individual furniture will fit into the design of the room.
This function is very convenient for professional designers, since it can help eliminate all the customer’s doubts.
It is also worth noting the possibility of drawing up a specification with all materials and fittings. In production, it will be useful to be able to create not only assembly drawings, but also drawings of individual component parts.
An example of developing a kitchen furniture project in the PRO 100 program The design of the created furniture can include curved facades, which significantly expands the possibilities when working with clients.
Let us highlight the main advantages of this software:
Read also
Furniture design programs
Disadvantages of this furniture making software:
Basis-Furniture Maker program
Basis-Furniture Maker is one of the modules of the software package, with the help of which custom-made cabinet furniture reaches its customers.
Interface of the Basis-Furniture Maker program In short, this product has a rich set of functions with which you can get all the necessary drawings of the model being created, find out the exact mounting locations, and also find out other details. In addition to this module, the software complex has six more components, with the help of which you can set up an entire factory for creating interior items.
Benefits of the program:
Disadvantages of the program:
- The cost of the software will be unaffordable for many organizations;
- The three-dimensional visualization of the program does not allow it to compete with similar products in terms of picture quality;
- It will take a lot of time to learn the basics of how the program works. This is aggravated by the scarce availability of training videos from users online.
Let's look at the remaining modules of this software product for furniture production.
Basis-Closet
A utility for designing furniture by changing design diagrams. 
Using this module, you can simulate a cabinet with the desired parameters in a few minutes.
Basis-CNC
A module that is used to cut parts of cabinet furniture created in other modules of the software package.
Basis-Cutting
A utility for cutting parts according to specified parameters. This module allows you to calculate the area and dimensions of the model, find out the presence of scraps that may still be useful and calculate the amount of unnecessary waste.
Basis-Estimate
This component of the software package helps calculate the cost finished products, analyzes the costs of intellectual work and production activities.
Calculating the cost of a cabinet in the Basis Estimate program In addition, the utility takes into account other costs associated with furniture production. Having entered the necessary information into the settings, the utility automatically creates accounting documents necessary for the activities of the manufacturing organization.
Basis-Salon
A utility that allows you to sell products. With the help of this module, the manager can easily present the client with a three-dimensional image of the selected interior item, orient it according to the possible cost, as well as production time. The program automatically transmits information about the order to production or informs personnel about the availability of similar products in the warehouse.
An example of designing a room and kitchen in Basis-Salon Basis-Warehouse
This module helps to keep track of products. With its help, business activities at the enterprise are carried out faster and easier, because all necessary information about the receipt/expense of materials, their balances and movement.
30.04.2019
When choosing new furnishings for their apartment or house, modern consumers want to see their rooms furnished with comfortable, aesthetic and original furniture. To satisfy these demands, manufacturers need to constantly work to expand and improve their product range. Special software provides invaluable assistance in developing new collections, design lines and individual items. We bring to your attention an overview best programs for furniture makers, the use of which significantly reduces and facilitates the design process. Among them there are convenient and simple tools for beginners and advanced furniture programs, used by experienced professionals.
Among the free furniture programs, used for design and calculations, many experts prefer “PRO100”. With its help, you can develop furniture models and work on interior design. The results, at the user's choice, are displayed in the form of drawings or visualized in 3D. The simplicity of working on the project allows, if necessary, to make changes in the presence of the customer, agreeing with him on the final version of the model.
The program allows you to calculate the consumption of materials and their cost (in the extended paid version), replenish the library with previously developed projects, use ready-made furniture elements, changing their geometric parameters. IN latest version The program has a mode for capturing video and saving images with subsequent 3D demonstration.
An effective tool furniture production at all its stages is “K3-Furniture”. She represents comprehensive solution, covering all aspects of manufacturing single and serial products of any complexity. With this program it's easy to:
- develop a set of drawings for the manufacture of the most intricate and non-standard furniture model;
- draw up an optimal cutting map, calculate the necessary fastenings;
- change overall dimensions, make other changes in accordance with customer requests;
- present to the customer a full-color volumetric visualization of the project;
- develop interior solution for the customer's home;
- calculate the consumption of materials, determine their cost;
- convert project data into a format suitable for CNC systems.
The program was implemented in as four modules: “Basic AMBI”, “Professional PKM”, “Cutting” and “Salon”. The user selects and completes his own version depending on the needs of his production. K3-Furniture products are provided on a paid basis.
Fully featured furniture design software"Volumnik" offers design based on the parametric principle. An extensive library contains a set of standard elements with variable dimensional and design parameters. In addition, the designer can independently create and add new elements to the database, and form his own database from developed projects.
Graphic capabilities are supported by a convenient calculation part and spectacular 3D visualization. The program allows you not only to design furniture, but also to carry out interior planning, as well as calculate cutting technology. This is an indispensable tool for designers and technologists, sales managers and management of furniture companies. The official version is distributed free of charge, and for all major operating systems: Windows, MAC OS X and Linux.
“KitchenDraw” is recognized as one of the best professional programs for designing kitchens, the interface of which is designed specifically to simplify the work on creating kitchen furniture and interiors. Projects are created in the form of a flat drawing with the possibility of subsequent photographic volumetric visualization. The program has:
- extensive element catalogue;
- the ability to import catalogs of furniture manufacturers;
- the ability to create your own catalogs;
- the presence of an estimate calculation function;
- the ability to create a local network that unites several furniture sales points, with analytics functions and control over the operation of these points.
The program is aimed primarily at professionals who design and manufacture kitchens serially and on an individual basis. The use of the software is paid, and is billed hourly, but a free version with limited functionality is also available.
Universal software for furniture production “bCAD Furniture” is necessary to speed up and automate all stages of manufacturing and selling products, from design development and structural calculations to sending the finished copy to the buyer. This is perfect furniture program for a modern enterprise. With its help, they develop hull and frame furniture, trade and exhibition equipment, furniture for bars and restaurants, doors, partitions, dressing rooms and much more.
Program "bCAD Furniture":
- offers extensive parametric modeling capabilities individual elements, products and interiors;
- performs estimate calculations;
- imports drawings and sketches from other design systems;
- automatically generates a wide range of reporting and production documentation in accordance with GOSTs and regulatory requirements;
- improves sales organization in furniture showrooms;
- converts 2D drawings into photorealistic 3D visualization of the project.
Users have access to extensive libraries containing many standard elements, materials and finished products. The program is distributed for a fee in several versions, which differ in the scope of tools and capabilities.
Program for creating furniture drawings Astra is aimed at representatives of small and medium-sized furniture businesses. It consists of three modules:
- “Astra Constructor” for the development of drawings and volumetric visualization of created projects;
- “Astra Cutting” for developing optimal cutting cards manually and for automatic lines, accounting for material residues, etc.;
- "Astra S-Nesting" for creating cutting cards for free-form parts and automating figure cutting.
The program allows you not only to design geometric shapes and sizes, but also to select fasteners, fittings and other finishes, check the selected type of connection for strength, generate specifications of parts and estimates for materials, and print out individual drawings of each part of the developed project. The Astra Constructor module is available for free download, and along with an extensive library of models, other modules are distributed for a fee.
The “Basis” system can rightfully be called the most large-scale and comprehensive furniture design program, production and sales. It covers all aspects of furniture production, from design to dispatch. finished product to the end consumer. The system consists of a number of modules, so each user can choose the optimal configuration that fully meets his needs, from an ordinary designer or craftsman to a large company. The system includes:
- Basis-Furniture Maker is the main module, available free of charge with limited functionality, which is an excellent tool for the development and 3D visualization of any type of furniture;
- Basis-Closet is a specialized module for cabinet furniture design and development technological map for production;
- Basis-Cutting – for automatic generation of cutting maps based on the developed design project;
- Basis-Estima – module for automation of calculations production costs;
- Basis-CNC – a module for automatically generating the necessary data package for a line of CNC machines;
- Basis-Packaging – to develop an optimal packaging scheme for furniture elements intended for transportation, taking into account the customer’s requirements;
- Basis-Warehouse is a warehouse accounting module that facilitates the control of inventory items of an enterprise, taking into account the planned production process;
- Basis-Salon is a module for interior planning, visualization of options with various materials, placing consumer orders with cost calculations.
In addition, the Basis system offers a wide selection of paid and free services, applications, as well as broad support at all levels. Using software, an enterprise will reduce the period between accepting an order and sending the finished product to the consumer several times, reduce staffing, and reduce the costs of materials and other resources.
The "Basis Cabinet" program is designed for designing cabinet furniture. It can be used as part of the Basis system, as an addition to the Basis-Furniture Maker program, and as an independent furniture program for design and calculations. Design is carried out using a parametric model in dialog mode.
The system's capabilities include the selection and placement of fasteners, fittings and decor, as well as wide functionality for editing the original version with automatic reconstruction of the structure and calculation of parameters when changes are made. A demo version with truncated capabilities is available for free. To gain access to the full-featured Basis-Cabinet software, you must purchase a licensed product.
Simple, intuitive program for creating furniture projects SketchUP is offered in two versions - free, for amateur designers, and paid, with advanced functionality sufficient to solve a wide range of professional tasks. Features of the program include:
- the presence of a special “Push/Pull” tool for transferring lateral planes and creating walls;
- setting geometric parameters only from the keyboard, without using preliminary settings windows;
- the ability to export created models to other graphics formats;
- export to a Google Earth map taking into account the terrain and import of terrain from the map;
- Availability of a simple 3D editor.
An interesting feature is the ability to control the inspection of 3D models, similar to the principle of computer games.
Which furniture program to choose?
The programs presented here are recognized as the best for furniture makers by many experts, but the choice of specific software depends on the tasks for which it is intended. So, for a small enterprise offering individual solutions to consumers, “PRO100” or “SketchUP” are perfect, for the purchase of which you do not need to spend large sums. Small and medium-sized businesses often choose “Obyomnik” or “Astra” for the versatility of the solutions offered by these programs and the ability to organize sales in a furniture showroom.
Full-scale software packages “Basis”, “bCAD Furniture” or “K3-Furniture” fully reveal their potential in large-scale production, however, individual modules can be used by small companies.
Separately, it should be said about the choice of free software or paid versions. Free access to a program often means that you are offered a product with limited functionality or without libraries and databases, which significantly reduces their effectiveness. By paying for the purchase of a licensed program, you get access to a fully functional version, extensive libraries and, what is sometimes equally important, provide updates and technical support for the product.
At the same time, a free product allows for an easy start in the furniture business, allowing you to minimize costs in the initial, most difficult period. Having chosen and mastered the free version, you can subsequently supplement and expand it by paying for the purchase of a licensed product.
Modern furniture is represented by expensive and specific interior items. Often people simply cannot find suitable designs that would fit well into their general style rooms or suited the tastes of the household. Therefore, it is often necessary to design furniture, as well as create it yourself. The formation of individual projects, on the basis of which a certain piece of furniture is assembled, allows each person to become the owner of a unique and original element.
Furniture design is considered an indispensable stage in the formation of any interior item. It consists of carrying out various calculations, as well as creating drawings and diagrams. Only on the basis of work carried out in advance can it be guaranteed that a high-quality, reliable design will be obtained.
Projects can be standard or individual. In the first case, you can find them on the Internet or contact specialized offices. They are affordable and easy to implement. Individual projects are created for a specific interior. They are prepared by specialists using special programs.
Project furniture, which is formed due to individual difficult work designer, will be unique. Creating furnishings based on individual projects has both advantages and some disadvantages.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Exact match to the size of the room, as well as the space allocated for installation of the structure. | A lot of time is spent on developing a complex project, since it is necessary to carry out strength and verification calculations. |
| Uniqueness of the appearance and design of the product. | The customer needs to spend a lot of time on approval different elements and changes made. |
| Thoughtful style that perfectly matches the interior. | The high cost of the project due to exclusivity, as well as the complexity of the work of specialists. |
| Possibility to use different materials when creating structures. | The difficulty of implementing furniture according to such a project is due to individual characteristics. |
| The ideas of future users are realized, so they receive products that exactly match their taste. | There is a possibility that even qualified specialists will make design errors. |
Many people think about how to design furniture themselves, but to do this you need not only to have specialized software, but also to have a good understanding of the design of a particular item, as well as have some skills in creating diagrams and drawings. If the process is not carried out by a professional designer, but by the future owner, then there is a high probability of making complex mistakes that cannot be corrected when creating furniture.
Main stages
Designing furniture is complex, time consuming and unusual process, which requires taking into account all the features of the future piece of furniture. It is advisable to trust it only to specialists to be sure there are no errors. The furniture design takes into account its dimensions, material of creation, filling, external design, fittings used and decoration, so after its formation it will be possible to visualize what a specific product will look like.
Measurements and drawing creation
This stage consists of performing the following actions:
- It is determined what kind of furniture will be created;
- A place for its installation in a specific room is selected;
- Measurements are taken, based on which you can understand what dimensions the structure should have;
- Production materials are determined;
- The filling of structures is taken into account;
- Based on the data obtained, direct design begins;
- First, a technical proposal is made, which consists of all the customer’s wishes, which will allow us to obtain furniture that ideally suits his requirements;
- A preliminary design is made, and the diagrams and drawings should be understandable for future furniture assemblers;
- Adjustments are made if necessary;
- The final technical project is being created, on the basis of which the work will be carried out by the assemblers, and errors are not allowed in it, and it also contains all the necessary design documentation to obtain ideal furniture.
Even if you plan to do the design yourself, all actions must be performed in the above order. Violation of the sequence can lead to the creation of low-quality design documentation, so it will not be possible to use it to assemble furniture.
Thinking through the project
Determining the dimensions
Thinking through the content
Create a sketch
We make a technical project
Required Tools
Design is usually carried out on the basis of special software, so if you plan to carry out this process yourself, then you just need to have a computer and the necessary programs.
It is possible to perform the work manually if you have the appropriate skills, but there is a high probability that serious errors will be identified when creating the designed product, so it is still recommended to carry out calculations using technology. If you plan to create furniture according to the project yourself, then you will additionally need the following tools:
- Tape measure for measurements, as well as laser level and a pencil;
- Drills for metal or wood;
- Screwdriver;
- Hammer;
- Screwdrivers;
- Electric jigsaw;
- Hexagons;
- Additional elements that depend on the material from which the furniture is made
The number of tools may vary depending on the planned methods of decorating furniture.
Frame making
Initially, a frame is designed, which acts as the basis of any interior item. It must be durable and correctly calculated, since flaws in the calculations can lead to the fact that the structure will not be very strong or there will be distortions. The frame is divided into internal and external parts. The basic rules for designing and creating such an element are as follows:
- Implementation of the internal part - it consists of the back and side walls, as well as the lower and upper parts (if cabinet furniture is being designed). For upholstered furniture internal part there will be the frame itself and the padding, as well as the transformation mechanism. All the elements to form this part are prepared, after which they are measured to ensure that all the parts are aligned accurately;
- Creation of the external part and facade - the appearance of any furniture is considered an important parameter, since it determines how suitable it will be for a certain style and color scheme. Facades are prepared, which can be glass, mirrored or solid. Their size should ideally suit the main parts of the frame. To make the appearance of the interior item attractive, the edges are treated with polypropylene tape.
The procedure for creating any part involves sawing or cutting it out. To do this, the drawing is transferred to slabs of selected materials, after which the procedure for creating elements is carried out using the markings. The edges are processed so that there are no sharp corners or protruding corners. As soon as all parts of the future furniture are ready, you can begin assembly.
Internal filling
External part
Assembly
Furniture projects assume that the main parts of the furniture are first formed according to the drawing, after which the assembly of the structure begins. To do this, you need to use suitable fasteners, which can be designed for working with metal or wooden products.
Assembly is important stage, and during its implementation one must follow correct sequence actions specified in the project, and the attractiveness and reliability of the furniture depends on the competent execution of the process. The procedure completely depends on what kind of interior item you have to work with. Typically the process is divided into stages:
- The main parts of the frame, represented by the side walls and the rear part, are connected;
- Elements are attached to the top and bottom of the structure;
- Legs or wheels are fixed;
- Guides are installed if you plan to equip the furniture with drawers;
- Shelves, drawers or other storage systems are attached;
- The façade of the furniture is fixed.
When attaching any element, it is important to constantly monitor the correctness of its location and make adjustments to prevent distortion.
Connecting the main parts
Assembling the lower and upper parts
Fixing the legs
Installing guides
Fastening the shelves
We fix the facade
Accessories
When designing and creating furniture with your own hands, you need to pay attention to even the smallest details. Therefore, you will have to spend a lot of time selecting and installing accessories. Furniture fittings presented with different pens, guides, rollers, shelf holders or other fasteners. The main purpose of the fittings is optimal performance doors, shelves or drawers. In addition to the aesthetic component, when choosing mechanisms and fasteners, you need to take into account their safety margin.
For each product, the load is calculated - the predicted number of openings and extensions. From this calculation, the material and type of fittings are selected.
Design and decor
Furniture made according to an individual project should not only be of high quality, but also beautiful. Therefore, a lot of attention is paid to its design. For this you can use different ways decoration depending on the material used to create the piece of furniture.
Nowadays, there are many programs to correctly calculate all the required furniture sizes for your home. Furniture design software is a tool not only for the professional furniture assembler and manufacturer. Any person who decides to furnish an apartment or house with their own hands can discover a lot of useful functions in this software.
There are both paid and free programs, which have a trial period of use. If you are making up individual project home furniture, this free period should be enough for you.
The furniture manufacturing process includes several main stages.
Each stage of work has its own program. Using the appropriate software allows you to speed up the process of creating furniture, avoid the most common mistakes, use ready-made package solutions, making your own adjustments that will make your piece of furniture individual.
There are three main types of programs of this kind:
Large development companies specializing in design, engineering, cutting and manufacturing of furniture often offer packaged versions of their software products. When one shell and a single interface supports different mods and add-ons, it’s convenient primarily because it’s not needed once again resolve the issue of compatibility and reading formats. These packaged software offerings automatically read the data without asking any questions.
All applications that are aimed at are designed in such a way that you can enter all the coordinates and dimensions of your room, as well as separately place and change each detail. In any case, you can find the program on the Internet and choose the one you like. There are also online services for these purposes.
The best furniture design programs
OBEMNIK program
Every designer involved in the process of creating any furniture knows that drawing up a design and model is the first and most important step. This is done using special software, which automatically shows errors in calculations and allows you to see the appearance of the product. Some programs calculate prices and create estimates. One such useful utility is VOLUMENIK.
What is the utility for?
As a rule, designers are not limited to one program. However, OBJEMNIK is an alternative to several software at once. Therefore, it is used not only by small furniture showrooms, but also by the largest enterprises.
In this program, the designer creates a layout of the finished product. Moreover, the sketch is drawn with shadows and other specified parameters with maximum level of detail. The customer can immediately see what it will look like new item interior design, and the company management can monitor current orders.
Tools
VOLUME contains a lot useful tools for design:
The program also includes ready-made furniture projects various styles. If you wish, you can not use them, but create your own layouts and entire catalogs.
Pros for users
The utility has several advantages:
- Easy to use, intuitive interface.
- Relatively large functionality.
- The client immediately sees the result of the work and makes a decision to order.
- Calculations required quantity materials occur with the customer.
- The software is supported on Apple MacBook, iMAC, Linux. Thus, the program is good for enterprises that fundamentally choose only licensed software. Moreover, it can be installed on any PC.
- Cheapness. Most organizations using the utility talk about its payback after the first order.
Where can I download the program?
Astra Furniture Designer - a simple program for designing furniture
One of the most famous programs for designing furniture is. Such a program will serve you for designing cabinet furniture, as well as interior design. It uses tools that are very easy for average users to learn.
ASTRA program for furniture modeling By using even the simplest furniture design program, you can eliminate all sorts of mistakes in construction that are usually made when designing with pencil on paper.
Astra software product
A large company developing design and construction software offers a whole software package consisting of separate autonomous modules. Each client can choose exactly the kit that he needs. Available modules for furniture design, interior design, cutting sheet materials and free-form parts. Additionally, modules and macros for Excel are presented that make it possible to simplify the work of professionals - to automate the process of monitoring the cutting process on professional machines. A bonus is the ability to export information in the correct format from Excel to the software interface.
Working window of the Astra Constructor program This program has two types - axonometry and perspective. Working space usually divided into four or two parts, so you can install a separate projection. It will allow you to rotate the entire scene, as well as view it from the angle you wish. This program is so simple that it will be very easy for you to explain to your master what exactly you want.
Program for professionals PRO 100
This application combines high professional level and ease of maintenance.
This is one of the best furniture design software as it is equipped with all kinds of additional functions, and is constantly updated, following the latest trends in the world of interior and design. This program was developed by Polish programmers and engineers.
Advantages of the PRO100 program
Compared to more universal Arson programs, this application is characterized by greater simplicity and flexibility. An intuitive interface without complex add-ons allows you to properly master the work in this program in the shortest possible time. In terms of visualization, the application is on par with competing applications. It is worth noting the realism of the picture.
Professionals will be interested in the possibility of creating custom libraries of materials, elements and furniture.
Great convenience and functionality characterize the calculations and reports of the application. In particular, using adjusted prices for furniture parts and materials, it is possible to calculate the final cost of the finished project, as well as the total costs of individual components.
Pro 100 also allows you to create and edit materials with greater convenience. A photograph, drawing or scan of the target material will be processed using the program, and the user will only need to indicate the actual dimensions.
Furniture project in Pro100 program Disadvantages of the Pro100 program
The main disadvantage is the rather high cost of the software, which, in principle, is lower than that of competing products, but not by much. You can download it for free and try the demo version of the program to see if it’s right for your job or not.
At the same time, the decision to save money by using the demo version will be overshadowed by the inability to print or export your project. The demo version does not even allow you to simply save the developed project.
If a specialist is seriously involved in furniture design, then Pro100 is worth the money. This easy-to-learn program allows designers to fully realize their creative potential.
bCAD software product
Software for furniture professionals and semi-professionals. Using separate modules, you can not only create a detailed design of a future piece of furniture, cut and cut it, but also calculate its cost and prepare a package of official reporting documents.
A huge advantage of a standard package installation will be the volume base finished projects and editable blanks. bCAD furniture maker and bCAD designer – the minimum required set of modules for implementation full cycle manufacturing of cabinet furniture.
