50 Best Apps for Architecture, Students & Designers

Technology is changing the architecture from 3D printing to touchscreen drawing boards. Innovative hardware has often made headlines in recent years, but there has also been a revolution in the way architects use software, especially software that allows them to design and manage projects on the go.

Architectural apps have grown at an extraordinary rate since the advent of smartphones, and the best ones have completely changed the way creative professionals work both in the studio and on the construction site.

There are 1.96 million apps on the app store and 3.48 million on the google play store but really you only need to know about 50 of them.

The following apps are great for increasing efficiency within a professional practice or sparking your creativity, but more importantly, they're also incredibly fun to use. Each app has a great purpose and is aimed at your work. You may not realize it, especially if you're not in the profession yet, but you'll be using all of these apps almost every day.

50 Best Apps for Architecture, Students, and Designers

1. Morpholio Trace

Morpholio Trace is a very targeted & versatile app for the architecture profession. It allows you to draw documents and just trace freely like you were with normal butter paper. So, you have the ability to start sketching out your floor plans, sections, and elevations, overlay a piece of butter paper, make some adjustments, overlay another piece of butter paper, and make some more adjustments, maybe you don't like that one turn that layer off, put another layer on and just keep going, really get your flow and understanding of the concept design out very well.

It gives you the ability to even take in some PDFs of the job that's been documented, and overlay a piece of butter paper. You can change it from yellow, light yellow to white, or transparent whatever color you want, and then start marking up your changes. For example, if you're sitting in a client meeting and you need to document the changes that the client is talking about, you're going through the drawings page by page and you can quickly start tracing over that document without ruining the PDF.

It is basically the high-tech version of tracing paper. It offers both free and paid versions. If you start using it more and more you'll probably end up getting the paid version. It costs $7.99 per year or $0.99 per month not very expensive. It gives you a lot more freedom to import more data as you need it.

2. Microsoft To Do

Microsoft to-do is a Microsoft app. It can be any to-do list you can think of but having a to-do list is essential. You're going to get bombarded with so many requests, emails, and tasks to do clients are going to give you information, you're just going to forget. Realistically, you need to be able to organize and manage your information very well.

So, having 100 emails come in a day, reading through them all and putting them on my to-do list, and get to it but continue doing my job, makes it so much easier than when you do transition to that job you just look at the to-do list, go through it one by one and just get it done. You don't have to sit there going through hundreds of emails, thinking back to all the meetings you've had, and just trying to remember all this information you have it all compacted and concise.

It reminds me to buy things at the shops, do things when I get home, reply to people that I haven't spoken to in months, and run all my businesses at the same time as working a full-time job. There are many things that you remember but there are many things you forget.

So, having it all written down and that information available anywhere because it's on the app, it's on the cloud, it can be accessed anywhere around the world. It is very important that you learn to start using these to-do lists.

3. Apple notes

Apple notes give you versatility and freedom to do whatever you want. It also gives you the freedom to file and document and order all of your jobs based on that job number. So, if you have 100 meetings with one client, you can store that all under the one client folder and then you can have all different notes for a different client or a different project. It's a digital form of note-taking and so far notes are the best form for the architecture profession.

Simply, for the fact that it allows you to be creatively free. If you have to type some notes or just scribble down some notes and take minutes, you can do that. You can sketch out a floor plan, mark up some details, or showcase an image to the client. If you need it, put up your iPad take a photo of something on-site draw it all over it, and file it in that note section. It's all stored in the cloud so it's automatically filed.

I go on about filing and documenting so much because it is a very big part of your job as well as designing and documenting buildings. This is one element of your job and it's the best part of your job but in reality, there is so much communication, teamwork, collaboration, and so much information that needs to be retained and accessible at any given time to ensure that project is mastered, and when it's built, it's absolutely perfect.

4. Scale Calc

Scale rulers which is a rudimentary tool just like the abacus. The problem with scale rulers is I often forget them at home or worse I misplaced it. My point is if you're in a bind and you don't have the scale ruler with you - this app is the solution. If you need to make a scale model with like some sort of one is 258 scale for some reason. So even if you have a scale ruler with you, I doubt that scale ruler has a 1:258 scale conversion ratio.

So with this app, you don't have to worry about that. All you got to do is open the app then type the scale you desire onto the space provided then on the space above that just type the actual measurement. Let's say about 3 meters and the app will automatically calculate how many millimeters that is.

So you could also change the input and output units of the measurement. You could choose feed, millimeters, yards, and English measurements that make zero. With this app, you can magically convert any measurement.

5. Onedrive

Onedrive is not an architect or architecture student-specific app, but seriously if you do not have a cloud system jump onto Onedrive. If you use office 365, so much word, excel all those things and it integrates really well. By having Onedrive, you have the ability to bring up any drawing, photo, or document anywhere in the world and share it with anybody.

So, the limitations of sending over 10 megabytes via email are gone. The limitations of calling up the office and going I've forgotten this drawing can you email it to me or can you bring somebody with the printed documentation are gone. You now have the ability to quickly and easily access any single file ever produced in your office.

And that makes the job so much easier. We transitioned from a server-based system a couple years ago to the cloud and the cloud system is phenomenal.

6. AutoCAD

This app allows you to view and edit your AutoCAD drawings. You can link your dropbox, google drive, and so many other programs too. So that you always have access to these drawings so you can have them consistently updated automatically. Now, this app shows you everything in detail. For example, a construction detail, you can zoom in and it's really clear and crisp and it shows you all of the details and you can even edit them.

Now I don't recommend using this app to do your ideas from scratch. This is just something that if you have a quick idea and you want to edit something quick, and you don't have your laptop with you or if you're on a train journey that's a couple of hours or you have just a travel journey, you can edit your drawers and be productive just a little bit.

It's a free app available on Android and iOS. There aren't any ads so it's really good to use. It's nice and simple, you have most of the AutoCAD tools.

7. Photoshop

Photoshop is something we use on a day-to-day basis as architecture students and as architects in the pro in our profession. You don't have all of the options on photoshop and it's mainly to edit like posters, or like a greeting card, or you can do some great stuff on it.

But I wouldn't recommend again to use this for presentations, or drawings, it just booms you to its quality because again you're using like your phone resolution, and just won't be clear. You don't have all of the tools that you would have as with a normal photoshop on your computer the tools.

This photoshop app has does beat the general photo editing software on normal phones. So, it is something that's important to have so that you can always go back to it and edit your images there rather than through a gallery.

8. Floor plan creator

Floor plan creator lets you create anything from 2D and edit them and add corners and do so much and then turn it to 3D instantaneously. You can add staircases, and change the width of the staircases. You can add like a spiral staircase, courtyards, windows, glass, curtains, and walls. Now again I don't recommend you to do this for your project, but if you are for example on a train, you have some ideas in your head that you want to get out on some paper.

We don't have any pen or paper or just annoying to write. You can create small diagrams or small even concept diagrams of your ideas on this program which is really useful. Now when you open the app, you will see that there's a lot of detail on that. It's easy to edit.

You can change the numbers and it's just a really cool program to have on your phone where you can edit and create diagrams and buildings at any time. It's available on iOS and Android. It's free there are some ads but it's not something that's annoying. 

9. Magicplan

This program is actually used by contractors and other small architect companies. When you go to the app there's like a video that just explains to you how it's used and what you can do with it. You can measure room layouts and roof heights. It can draw the floor plan of your room by just using your camera and you can add a height to it and it will create a 3D model and a floor plan.

You can save multiple projects so when you go to a site visit or you just go anywhere and you want to measure a break or measure the length of a wall to get some idea of how the skill of the project. You can measure it straight away and it's really useful. It's easy to use. There's a lot of editing tools you can add including furniture, and kitchen equipment, you can add beds, doors, windows, and walls.

10. Sun locator lite

This is a great application for determining the sun path of a certain location. This app works in many ways, you could use your current location by pressing GPS or you can select a specific location using the Google Maps program embedded in the application, or if you're super extra you could type in the exact geological coordinates of your desired location.

Now that you have selected a location, you can now pick the time and date you want then just wait for the app to process. Once it's done processing, you can now see a detailed overview of important solar information regarding the date you choose like the solar azimuth and the solar transit. You could even switch to a map view and see the sun path. 

So if you need to do a site analysis. All you have to do is use this application then copy the sun path and you now have a super detailed sun path diagram with matching solar azimuth and elevation details included. So these details are super important information needed to design windows and sunshades.

11. Cam To Plan

It is an AR-based app or augmented reality-based application that uses your phone's camera Gyrometer inside your phone to estimate measurements. When you open the app, it tells you to click on the plus button. When you click that, it shows you 3 modes. 2 of which are locked behind a pay-to-access wall so the only option is horizontal cuz we ain't got no extra cash to spend.

So once you're done, satisfying the needs of the application click on ready and scan the floor around you until the app tells you that it's okay to stop scanning.

Once done, you can now use the app to measure out and plot the outline of whatever you want to measure like the outline of your room. Now, this is super useful if you need to make a rough sketch of a certain area and the app automatically creates a rough drawing of the area you just measured.

12. Microsoft Teams

Covid really changed how we practice and how the world operates in general. No longer are we isolated and stuck inside our cubicles for hours on end never speaking to anybody and we're no longer having face-to-face meetings as regularly. It is now a lot more common to have a video conference with a whole bunch of people at any time of the day or night.

People have become a lot more accepting of it and now also just learned to use the programs. Microsoft teams again are something that I recommend because it falls into that Microsoft suite so it just integrates with my workflow very well. You can use anything from zoom to skype to Webx whatever it is a very important app to have.

13. Scale Ruler

It's already in the name. It's a scale ruler app. It is a versatile and easy-to-use app for any architect. The first thing you do when you open the program is you have to calibrate it. Now you have to make sure that you do this, it does do it very accurately sometimes, but you have to just use the buttons to measure it.

If you don't have an actual ruler, it shows you what the average credit card length is, so you have to make sure that you calibrate it before you actually use it, and then it has a large range of different skills.

1 to 100, 1 to 200 anything you want, and you can measure length meters, inches and draw things to scale which is so cool. Now, this app I personally use for the rest of my life. The fact that you can turn your phone into a ruler is just amazing.

14. Concepts

Concepts is a flexible, accurate, and highly responsive digital sketching paper app. It is the best app for architects, product designers, illustrators, and visual thinkers. Concepts allow users to explore their creativity and design whatever comes to mind. All your drawings are in the gallery. You can create folders, rename your images and sort them. However, when you start a new drawing, you literally start with a blank canvas.

The size and concepts of the drawing are infinite. The free version starts with 10 different pens and up to 5 layers. The pens are touch-sensitive and completely free to adjust color, transparency, size, and smoothness. Layers can be set to visible and invisible. You can lock them and you can play with the transparency of each layer.

The option to choose a color in Concept is similar to what you know from Photoshop. You can also switch to a selection tool so you can select parts of your drawing to scale or delete. By default, many features can be set to different gestures. One is a 2-finger tab undo and the 3-finger tab is redo. The back of your pen is the eraser tool, but you're completely free to change it.

Concepts is available for Android, iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro, and Windows and can also be used on desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and graphics tablets. The best part is that it is 100% free but there is a Pro version or even a premium version. There is a one-time payment option available for $9.99.

15. DroneDeploy

With Drone Deploy, you can capture high-resolution 3D aerial data and use it to make informed decisions, align your team, and keep projects on track. Getting started is quick and easy. All you need is a drone and a mobile device. Select the area you want to map, then launch a fully automated flight with just one touch. A live 2D map will appear when your drone takes off. To create a higher resolution map than a 3D model, simply upload your geotagged images for drone deployment.

Add users to your account, manage permissions, and collaborate. Measure distance, area, and volume using maps available anywhere on any device. You can track changes over time, monitor plant health, view elevation data, and generate contour lines. Once you learn the basics, explore the industry's largest app marketplace.

You can integrate with tools like Autodesk, harness machine learning to count objects, or create one-click reports and streamline your drone operations. Also, join a vibrant community of users in over 160 countries and learn how drone mapping can offer new perspectives for your organization.

16. Shapr3D

Shapr3D is a 3D modeling and sketching app with an intuitive interface that allows you to quickly and easily draw sketches before turning them into 3D models, control the scene, and use a combination of thumb and stylus. It is Ideal for developing conceptual proposals on the move. The app makes switching between 2D and 3D designs an instant effort, and how-to videos demonstrate the app's ease and flexibility of use.

Shapr3D can be used with AutoCAD software. It is designed for accurate solid modeling and runs on the same engine as most desktop and desktop CADs and Parasolid. Its functional interface and user experience can make 3D sketches much faster than other 3D CAD applications. With this mobile app and its clean UX/UI, there is no need to worry before using it, unlike regular CAD software.

You can start by doing simple things. This app inaugurated a collaboration with Morpholio in 2018. Also, Architects can draft a 3D model created in Shop 3D in Morpholio. This app is a 3D CAD app for iPad and Apple Pencil and it's completely free. However, the Pro membership costs $29.99 per month and $299.99 per year.

17. Autodesk FormIt

This app gives you the ability to save designs to the cloud and share them with your friends and clients. It is an intuitive and easy-to-use app. Revit 2023 and FormIt Pro 2023 offer expanded features for interoperability, making it even easier to iterate on early-stage designs. Now, you can link FormIt AXM files directly in Revit.

When the link is reloaded or the project is reopened, the changes to the FormIt file are reflected in Revit. When working in Revit, you can now edit a linked FormIt file in just 2 clicks. First, select a FormIt link in your Revit project then click the new Edit in FormIt button on the Modify tab to open the linked model in the FormIt session. Continue to iterate on your designs using FormIt's fluid and intuitive modeling capabilities.

The 3D Sketch feature, first introduced in Revit 2022, lets you start a formlt session from Revit, translate Revit elements as reference geometry in FormIt, and import any new FormIt designs using the Send to Revit command. In Revit 2023, this FormIt geometry is brought into Revit as a linked file instead of a CAD import, which streamlines your round-trip workflow.

Enable the preview mode setting in FormIt and select the layers to be transferred into Revit. A blue frame at the edge of the scene will highlight the geometry that will be sent. Once you have verified your selections, use the send to Revit command to update the linked model in Revit or save the FormIt file and reload it in the Revit Link dialog.

18. Graphisoft BIMx

BIMx - A unique technology that integrates 2D and 3D construction project navigation. This mobile app allows architects to access their portable files and use ArchiCAD software to make measurement adjustments on site. BIMx introduces BIMx features the BIMx hyper model, a comprehensive technology that enables every design team member immediate access to detailed 2D and 3D documentation as well as combining the power of BIMx with a mobile-friendly interface.

Graphisoft BIMx puts detailed information about every building component in the palm of your hand for easy reference in the office and on the construction site. With its Hyper-Model, navigation through functions is very easy and excess is instant. This feature allows the user to navigate through floor plans and 3D building models in an integrated method.

It is also suitable for displaying information about building components. It provides extremely smooth operation and outstanding performance even for complex 3D models and extensive 2D documentation. BIMx allows project participants to access a complete package of blueprints through the tab of a finger, even on the building side. This app works for both iOS and Android. This app is free but for BIMx Pro it costs $49.99.

19. Sun Seeker

This app does not focus on the architectural domain like the other apps on this list. Still, it's a great complementary tool. The sun seeker is an invaluable tool for identifying the ideal orientation for new structures while out on site. Its intelligent solar path system allows users to find the correct sun position and path for their current location using GPS and magnetometer. For remote sites, the intelligent app can be used to view the solar path of any location on earth at any time of day sun.

Sun seeker is about to help you find the best sources of sunlight. Organize data related to the time of the solstice and both sunset and sunrise. It also uses augmented reality that helps you determine the solar pathways based on intervals every hour. This is beneficial when making any design decisions that relate to lighting for your constructions.

The sun seeker includes a flat view compass and an augmented reality camera option for a 3D view of the Sun's path. You can also use the data from the app that contributes to emulating real-world lighting conditions in your modeling software.

20. SketchUp

SketchUp software belongs to the CAD family. It is one of the most powerful interior design tools that offer a wide range of 3D capabilities. It provides a great solution for both 2D drawings and 3D models. The flexibility of the software makes you feel like you are drawing a picture by hand. SketchUp is an online web app, so you don't need to download it. You can add objects to your own layout and customize them.

However, you have to download the objects. If you want to use it fast, a good internet connection is needed to run the app smoothly, but overall it's quite handy. Anyone can start working with it after a short time without much training. It is designed to create an interior design, furniture design, construction, or even large urban projects. It is mainly used by interior designers, architects, and landscape architects.

The software also has a number of plugins that can be downloaded and added depending on the field of view. These plugins provide many useful features for architects. It also has a powerful rendering engine that provides amazing and realistic renderings.

In addition, it offers high-quality materials, textures and lighting tools, and features. SketchUp is actually a paid software, but it has a limited free version compared to the paid ones. However, with a premium subscription, you can get additional tools.

21. ARki

The ARKI app is the must-have app for any 3D designer that allows you to visualize your 3D projects in a real way. You can use it for interactive presentations and explanations. It also allows you to import 3D models as it supports the FBX file format from software including 3dsmax, MicroStation, Blender, SketchUp, ArchiCAD, Maya, Cinema 4D, Revit, rhino, and more. You can store the models on your device to access the models later without the internet.

Additionally, you can create dynamic layers and toggles to fold into their sketches' different aspects. It works only on ios and it's free for one plan. However, you can upgrade to Arki pro for unlimited access to a huge, constantly growing collection of interactive features to experience in AR. If you're still interested in using it you have to pay $23 per month or $255 per year for the pro version after a 30-day free trial.

This allows you to cancel your subscription or free trial in iTunes settings at least 24 hours before the end of the free trial period. It provides customer support for questions about app functionality or to report bugs and request features. ARki is perfect for anyone who wants to visualize their 3D project without having to deal with the complexities of architecture software.

22. Pixlr Express

Pixlr is the best AI photo editor used by millions of users monthly. This is a great app to modify your images, manipulate your photos or create your own. Thanks to the many templates and photo collages that come with Pixlr. It also includes powerful AI tools to get the most out of your editing in the shortest amount of time, even if you're a beginner. Pixlr is available online or offline for Windows and macOS in the form of the more advanced Pixlr E and the simpler Pixlr X.

They are completely free to use but contain ads. You may need a paid plan to remove all of these. Also, you get great assets and premium templates with it. Pixlr e brings together the most advanced image editing tools with a desktop UI, even if you open it online. You can open & edit any image you want with formats like Photoshop PSD, rendered PNG, web-based WebP, and vectorized SVG.

You can also get started with pre-made templates for Instagram Stories, YouTube Thumbnails, Facebook Posts, and Pinterest Pins, and make amazing photo collages. It offers many features that are not available in standard software on most smartphones.

Masks and overlays let you add that professional touch to your architectural images, and additional options, such as color splash and focal blur, are available to stylize your photos. It's better than many of its competitors in this area.

23. Sketchbook

Autodesk SketchBook is a free and complete tool to realize amazing sketches and drawings. SketchBook collects loads of freehand and guide tools to realize all drawings and animations without any paid license. The app features intuitive tools that help architects, designers, and engineers quickly sketch their ideas, visualize them, and collaborate with others. You can create beautiful sketches and layouts that show your ideas in a variety of styles. With Autodesk SketchBook, you can share your work with others through email.

It offers numerous features including managing canvas, interface, palettes, brush tools & palette, useful shortcuts, brush & color pucks, color editor, editing & erase tools, drawing aids, guided drawing tools, special drawings, flood fill tool, selection tools, managing layers, adding text & images, transform tools, saving and exporting.

It is available for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS desktops. Despite if you use a desktop version its main features don't differ much like its mobile app. It is also suggested in case you prefer drawing with digital pens.

24. Paper

The Paper app is a digital interactive design tool loved by 25 million people who make sketches, handwritten notes, drafts, and diagrams. This is an award-winning immersive drawing app. The app can be used on a tablet or phone and allows users to sketch, collage, paint, and draw, as well as keep you in your creative flow. You can use your fingers to rotate, move, and change the shape of your design.

You can add multiple photos to a single page and cut, paste, move, and arrange them without the fuss of complicated layers. It offers mood boards to storyboards to inspire you anywhere and power your ideas. It is a free app that includes additional tools like Mixer, Color, Write, Outline, and Sketch. You can also subscribe to Paper Pro for more tools, features, and magazines. The subscription is optional and you can cancel it at any time.

25. Concept idea calculator

Concept idea calculator is a completely free app that gives architects the opportunity to create quick visualizations of their ideas.

The concept has two main components.

1. Calculator that gives designers the estimated depth of the structural system.

2. Image gallery that allows designers to see what aesthetic structural systems they have.

Obviously, this is a calculator built for architecture. It also uses industry-relevant span-to-depth ratio in its calculations. Additionally, it provides these ratios for many materials, including concrete, steel, and wood. You can use the app to quickly figure out the structural calculations for an idea. It can help you draw a basic design without using any paper.

The concept will help designers save time by allowing them to brainstorm before or even during a meeting by giving them the opportunity to view content within a system. It can give you the kind of instant feedback we're always looking for, especially in the early stages of design.

26. iRhino 3D

IRhino 3D has become one of the best digital design software for architects. The software is based on neural geometry, which means that it uses non-uniform rational basis splines. Rhino is multitasking software. It was created by Robert McNair in 1990 in Barcelona, ​​​​a software sales and support marketing company in Europe and the Middle East. It uses the mathematical model of the nerve, its own 3dm file format is also a very useful point if you want to exchange the NURBS geometry.

You can also have an openNURBS3dm file to be able to share this type of file and geometry. It can be used in jewelry and object design, engineering, automobile design, prototyping, and even graphic design. It allows the creation of detailed designs and can generate recent photorealistic renders. Architects have had to show these realistic renderings to clients using the software.

IRhino 3D software is still in a reasonably simple state. However, it does not allow you to view any 3dm models created in Rhino 3D software on your mobile device. It does not allow editing, but this feature may come in a later version of the app. It is only available on iOS and costs $3.99.

27. Penultimate

It is one of the most straightforward digital handwriting mobile app available for iPhone and iPad. It is incredibly functional and can replace your notebook and sketchbook with its clear, natural handwriting. You can use it to organize your ideas effectively, take class or meeting notes, and journal your thoughts. You can choose from a number of paper styles, or import an image to create a custom paper.

You can save and browse your work in Notebook and insert, delete, duplicate, and rearrange pages as you like. Penultimate is free to download and use. You can also sync it with other apps. You can pair it with Evernote Premium or Evernote Plus for larger uploads and many other great features.

It offers two subscription options. $7.99 per month or $69.99 per year for the Evernote Premium version and $3.99 per month or $34.99 per year for Evernote Plus. This allows you to cancel your subscription or free trial in iTunes settings at least 24 hours before the end of the free trial period.

28. Houzz

Houzz has over 20 million high-resolution photos of home interiors and exteriors. You can choose by style, location, or room, like kitchen or bathroom. Each image is accompanied by information about its location and the designer responsible and how users can ask questions about particular elements of each photo. You can save and share photos of home designs with friends, family, and home professionals.

Using Houzz you can connect with over 2.5 million active home improvement professionals in your area ad you can save images or products to their personal idea books. You can shop from over 10 million interior and exterior design products and materials, including vanities, cabinets, lighting, furniture, tile, and more.

A discussion forum allows users to ask design questions to other home users. Houzz helps you find products you might see in magazines or on Pinterest and you're trying to redesign your home or whatever, it's a great platform for that. Houzz is completely free to download and you can buy stuff from here. So technically like in-app purchases, but it's like shopping on Amazon or something.

The Houzz app ranked in the New York Times list of the best home improvement apps. The Washington Post cites Houzz as the best source of finding inspiration. CNN named it Wikipedia for interior and exterior design. Whether you're looking to remodel or redecorate, or just enjoy good design, Houzz is a fun and useful app to have on hand. The app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

29. Adobe capture

You can turn your images, photos, and the camera captures into a beautiful color palette, pattern, vectors, or fonts. It's one of the best color picker apps available and it's made by adobe itself and it's free. So when it opens, you can sign in with different social platforms. This app has a lot of features but the one is the adobe palette. To take a photo, swipe right and click the camera icon.

So you can move the little circles around and choose the color that you want to include in the palette shown above and then right-click and get the hex code that you can save or change and then you can save the palette. If you take a lot of photos and you want to know the colors or you see a lot of different colors on the streets and you want to take a photo and find the code you can use this up and it's made.

Plus, you can seamlessly sync creative elements, capture light, and color, generate 3D textures, create intricate patterns, create beautiful digital brushes, color themes and gradients, and find your perfect font using Adobe Capture.

It offers a free basic creative cloud subscription that includes 2 GB of free storage for file syncing and sharing. But you can purchase an additional 20GB of creative cloud file storage for $1.99 US dollars per month.

30. ArchiSnapper

Drafting a field report during or after a site visit is often a tedious and time-consuming process. Fortunately, ArchiSnapper is a mobile app that helps over 10,000 architects, engineers, and contractors save time by managing field reports and to-do lists on the go. Archisnapper and the smart field reporting tool are designed to save you time and hopefully a bit of discretion.

With this app, you can conduct walkthroughs and inspections more efficiently. With ArchiSnapper, architects can photograph and write text to record any observations or issues, draw, sketch, annotate, and comment directly on a smartphone or tablet, and the app will generate a site report for you with just one click.

It takes care of digitizing, organizing, and classifying your data and even syncs with the cloud. It generates clean, professional PDF reports in seconds that you can send to the project team.

31. Polycam

Polycam is an iphone and iPad app that allows you to create and edit 3d models from an object from photos. Originally, it was only compatible with devices that had the LiDAR sensor on it. So the iphone 12 series and the last 2 iPad pros but the new photo mode is compatible with any iphone or iPad that's newer than 2015. Polycam was originally created as a LiDAR scanning app but has since expanded to include a photogrammetry mode that they call photo mode that's compatible with most modern phones.

If you are someone looking for sub-millimeter precision and advanced mesh heading capabilities and want this free, polycam is probably not going to be a great fit. However, if you want a simple easy-to-use app on your phone that doesn't require any mesh editing and can produce watertight meshes with colorful textures and you're comfortable paying under $10 a month for 100 scans then polycam is probably going to be a good fit for you. 

Also, its subscription costs $39.99 per year, but for that cost, you get unlimited scans and unlimited export of your models on your computer or wherever you want. It is a more powerful program but it is more expensive and has a much steeper learning curve.

32. Procreate

Procreate is a creative app used to create digital paintings and drawings for iPhone and iPad. It's an intuitive and easy-to-use drawing and design app, but most creators use the original iPad program, thanks to Apple Pencil. Amateur and professional artists can get an authentic pencil on the paper field.

You can customize how the app responds to your touches, pinches, and swipes from any number of fingers. You will also be able to create unique brushes to use in your current and future projects. For most creatives, while using ProCreate is a no-brainer, using your Envato Elements subscription to download ProCreate brushes is also clearly a good idea.

You get unlimited access to premium brushes that can fit your next digital painting. A solid set of brushes can add a lot of character to your work. Artists of all skill levels should know about Procreate,  it's a great app for digital painting. You can download these and other brushes directly from Envato Elements.

33. PlanGrid

Blueprints are never up to date and also cumbersome. That's why PlanGrid construction management software was designed. It is a complete platform for construction, with powerful and easy-to-use software that requires no training. The app helps the entire team collaborate on the most important building information & the construction plans.

Update your drawings once and everyone sees it reflected on the master set and blueprints load quickly. PlanGrid is the only software that automatically reads your sheet names and descriptions, and links to your detailed annotations so you can focus on your real work. Also, it automatically backs up all data to the cloud securely.

PlanGrid also makes it easy to take progress photos. All photos taken by the team are seamlessly combined and shared into a single photo collection for the project. With PlanGrid, you can easily share all of your latest plans and annotations with the entire project team, no matter where you are.

34. RoomScan Pro

RoomScan Pro is powered by Locometric, which allows you to accurately scan floors and add walls in seconds. You can also scan building exteriors, patios, and gardens with the Exterior Scan and PlotScan features. This is an easy-to-use app. As of now, all you need to mock up a floor plan is your phone. RoomScan Pro lets you use a smartphone to generate floor plans for an entire room in less than a minute.

Just tap your phone on each adjacent wall and seemingly by magic, the app will automatically generate a floor plan once you've walked through the room. Updates to the app include new features that allow you to measure and draw stairs and scan and draw building exteriors as well as patios and gardens.

In addition, the application can measure and draw facades, stairs, green areas, spaces, and much more. This app only works for iOS. It was priced at $4.99. The Pro version of the app is now free to download for iPad and iPhone on the App Store.

35. SketchUp Viewer

This is an essential viewing application for any regular Trimble SketchUp user. It's a viewer, but it also has some amazing features. The latest version of SketchUp Mobile Viewer includes a tape measure tool and added support for viewing dimensions, section plans, text, and visual animations. you can download Models directly to your mobile from SketchUp's extensive 3D warehouse.

The SketchUp mobile viewer connects Dropbox and touchscreen controls make orbiting panning and zooming more intuitive than ever. Whether it's Dropbox or Google Drive, this app allows you to select files between different platforms. Switch from the orthographic view to the perspective view to hide the layers.

You can play around with the colors and textures of the actual material. You can zoom indoors and outdoors. You can play a lot with it. So if you're doing homework, college, or wherever, and want to show your co-workers, friends, and teachers what you've been up to, this app is amazing.

36. My Measures

Making paper sketches of objects can be a daunting task. You have to draw objects, add dimensions, and make sure other people understand what you have, and often they don't. Have you ever visited a hardware store to buy equipment and discovered that you forgot your measurement sketch or you just are renovating your house and buying new furniture, but how can you know that sofa will fit into your life?

Finding the best contractor can also be a daunting task. Send the same measurement sketch to several contractors and save money by choosing the best offer. Selling stuff online, a image with dimensions can speed things up quite a bit. Meet My Measures, A powerful app for storing and sharing dimensions of objects.

All you have to do is take a photo of the object you want to store dimensions, then add dimensions, angles, arrows, details, and equip them with text comments for easier understanding. Now your measurements are stored and you can view and share them anytime, anywhere.

It's real easy. My measures is an essential tool for real estate agents, engineers, architects, carpenters, auctioneers, and construction workers. Forgotten measurements and misunderstood paper sketches are a thing of the past. Download my measures from the App Store or Google Play Store.

37. Arrette Scale

This app is ideal for collaborative work as it allows you to create scale drawings that you can share with colleagues or co-workers. The base app mimics the graph paper many architects use, meaning you can save a ton of paper by using the app instead of creating physical drawings. It connects to the cloud and then allows easy sharing with other people involved in the project.

Plus, it integrates with several other iOS apps, including Apple's Photos and Maps apps. You can use these applications to create even more detailed and precise sketches. This app only works on iOS and costs $8.99.

38. Cedreo

Cedreo is an online 3D design/home design software for construction and remodeling professionals. You can easily draft home plan proposals in minutes and drive more sales using stunning 3D renderings. Remote last & interior designers to create 2D and 3D4 plans, including interior and exterior rendering. The software is intuitive and easy to use and helps users quickly create photorealistic interior designs using a library of over 7,000 customizable 3D furniture, material and décor pieces.

You can quickly show prospective clients what their finished project will look like and, as a result, close more design deals in less time. Cedrio Platform is cloud-based so you can meet with clients and edit designs and proposals on the go.

How does it actually work?

First, draw your floor plan working intuitively then add the roof. Furnish the home, decorate the interior and exterior of the house and customize the wall and floor coverings to give 3D House your own personal atmosphere. It only takes three clicks to generate your photorealistic 3D rendering. Your projects are archived and can be shared with your team.

Ready to reuse to save your time. Cedreo allows you to take on more housing projects faster and with better conversion rates. With Cedreo, you increase your sales, optimize the way you work and improve your brand image.

39. Architect's formulator

Formulas turned out to be a problem area for many students and new architects. But you can solve this problem with The Architect's Formulator. It contains many formulas related to the structural examination. It also houses formulae for all the different fields related to architecture, including acoustics, plumbing, and carpentry.

Plus, it has over 400 formulas for concrete and steel design, parking area and sidewalk design, and even swimming pool design, wind loads, wind reversal forces, wall loads, and beam loads. It also includes concrete and excavation formulas, which calculate the soil to be excavated or filled, the concrete needed for the work, and the bricks needed for the wall.

You can also change the formulas to use non-standard units. You can also save the formulas you use and the app pulls up a list of recently used formulas whenever you want. It only works on iOS with a price of $9.99.

40. AutoCAD 360

AutoCAD 360 is a lifesaver app from AutoDesk. Autocad 360 was updated last month. It is one of the best tools for architects on the go and allows you to access your AutoCAD and Revit files. Also, it allows you to measure during assembly annotated 2D drawings with comments and images and share them with other members of the design team directly from your mobile device. Also, this app has multiple layers to see more details and contextual information than paper drawings.

Autocad 360 remains an invaluable tool for architects on the go. The Pro version costs 4.99 per month and $50 per year and provides users with a lot of additional features, including many editing capabilities. The ultimate version costs $15 per month and $100 per year. It works on both iOS and Android.

41. Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home Design 3D software allows you to render in both 2D and 3D. You can make use of a large number of items in the app library to help you better simulate the interior of the house and also get feedback from your designs. Simply drag and drop the items you want and you're ready to go. There is also freedom in determining the flow plan of the house and the layout of irregular wall shapes. No practical design skills or knowledge is required, you can master the software faster in less time.

To start with, you can choose an available layout design first to build your confidence similar to 3D planner then start building the walls. Otherwise, you can opt to design, the layout from scratch too. Then you can drag and drop objects such as doors, furniture, and windows so literally anything you just have to drag and place it wherever you want. Additionally, you can also edit the colors and sizes of objects.

The strange thing about this software is that you can draw walls in a 2D medium, but the simulated 3D will appear when you draw the wall in real-time. Once you're happy with the design you've created, you can take a 3D virtual tour to get a better look at every neck and cranny of the aperture interior. If you also convert them into photos or videos.

You can also easily import and modify objects to give it a true 3D view and the best part is that it is available in multiple languages ​​including English, Portuguese, German, Greek, Italian, Russian and more.

42. Planner 5D

Planner 5D is another virtual room designer that not only allows you to design interiors but also allows you to explore your virtual house as if you are on a floor plan. It also includes drag and drop functionality. You can easily create and move your walls, add HD elements, and choose building materials, colors, and sizes of those elements. To smooth out your design process, you can also switch between 2D and 3D modes based on your preference.

This way, if you don't have a lot of time, you can plan your interior design on the go. Planner 5D is one of the best-looking and easiest 3D design programs to use. Once you're done, you can save and share the rendered photos of your interior. 

The only downside to this app is that if you want to save photorealistic rendered photos of your designs, you'll have to pay a fair amount. However, unless you're a professional, most people won't need this feature, as you can still save regularly rendered photos. You can use it on both iOS and Android devices.

43. RoomScan LiDAR

RoomScan LiDAR allows users to scan homes & creating floor plans. It has sensors to automatically create accurate floor plans. Using RoomScan LiDAR, you to create an accurate 3D model in minutes. The app also even scans curved walls and gives you accurate floor plans in any building. You can annotate your plans with Apple Pencil and you'll have plans, notes, measurements, scheduled notes, and photos in one place.

It also offers a wide range of export options including PNG, PDF, DXF (for CAD), DAE (for Sketchup), PLY, XYZ, Metromix, RapidSketch, and many more. RoomScan is designed to be quick and easy to use, without any calibration required. You can use this app on your iPhone 12/13 Pro & new iPad Pro.

44. Home Design 3D

Home Design 3D app helps you in designing and remodeling your house in 3D. It is compatible with iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 or newer. The app is used for interior design by more than 80 million users worldwide. It is the perfect app to decorate, design, or create the house of your dreams. You can design your floorplan, and draw your plot, rooms, and dividers in 2D and 3D.

You can design and decorate both the interior and exterior of your home. You can choose from thousands of pieces of furniture and accessories, customize your decoration and express your style from the most classic to the most modern, and edit any object on the walls by changing its size, color, position, and height. It also provides undo/redo at any time if you want to go back. It lets you import images as textures and apply them everywhere.

You can share your designs & projects with your friends and family via email, Dropbox, OneDrive, and many other file hosting services. It allows you to share your best creations with the Home Design 3D community within the app at www.homedesign3d.net.

45. Interior Design for iPad

It is the number 1 best-selling interior design app for iPad in the US, UK, Canada, and 14 other countries. You can render photorealistic images on your iPad. This easy-to-use app is perfect for anyone who is interested in interior design and decoration or in creating any floor plan quickly and easily. You can drag and drop objects within your layout and move walls, floors, and other materials, alter the shape of rooms or add to your layout simply by tapping the screen and other materials in real-time and instantly see a 3D image of the changes in your layout.

The app includes over 3,300 free objects and materials to customize every surface or piece of furniture in your design. The app also has the ability to share your completed designs with your friends, family, or co-workers by exporting them via email, photo albums, Dropbox, or through your favorite social networking sites.

The app is completely free, but it also offers an auto-renewing subscription. A subscription is required to access some of the professional features, such as 4K rendering, photorealistic, panoramic rendering, and custom logo. It offers 4 types of subscriptions including Standard ($3.99/mo), Enthusiast ($8.99/mo), Advanced ($17.99/mo), and Professional ($25.99/mo).

46. uMake

uMake was awarded best iPad Pro App of the Year 2015, best app store app 2015, and editors' choice app. uMAKE is a 3D CAD modeling appl that allows user to create their own 3D designs from scratch. It is easy to use and has many video tutorials and demos of each tool or setting to help the user. If you have any difficulties, you can ask questions on their user forums. Users can choose from many different starter templates, images, floor plans, interiors, graphic design, and compositions to design whatever they want.

Also, lets you drag and drop 3D models for every field, including architecture, interior design, and graphic design. Works with your favorite design apps including SketchUp, Procreate, Rhino 3D, Concepts, Shapr3D, Paper, Morpholio, Alias, Blender, Fusion 360, TinkerCAD, SolidWorks, Nomad Sculpt,  PTC OnShape, Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Catia, Solid Edge, 3DS Max, Maya, MeshMixer, Netfabb, Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, Inkscape, and many more!

It also offers a uMake+ subscription option to download premium content. This app is great for architecture, interior design, fashion, graphic design, industrial design, product design, UX design, fine arts, and stage design.

47. ActCad

ActCAD is professional-grade 3D modeling and 2D drafting CAD software used by architects, engineers, and designers. ActCAD has a very popular UI with similar commands, icons, and shortcuts and has the Intelligence Technology Consortium that provides the best features to its users. It supports DXF and DWG file formats and creates or edits them without the need for any conversion. You can easily open and edit PDF files with ActCAD. You can also install plugins that can really help you improve your skills and abilities.

The software has a block library feature that you can also use in MEP and civil engineering architecture. It also has various converters like unit converters and batch file converters. It is a very light software, so you can use it on a low-end computer, even if it is a very professional program. 

It is becoming cheaper than other BIM software for all business or personal CAD users with licenses valid across the Globe and valid for lifetime. It offers standard and professional versions that you can choose based on your exact need. ActCAD supports multiple languages ​​including English, French, and German.

48. Autodesk Revit

Revit is a well-known program with a market share of 4.48%. It is a BIM software for architects, engineers, and designers. It helps designers to simulate and visualize. It is widely used in the architecture and design industry to produce intuitive designs quickly. Its parametric components help you save a lot of time and effort. With Ravit, you can share files with other members to increase collaboration and also promote great communication.

This software allows you to analyze and optimize the performance of your building and get the plan's elevations, sections, and 3D with one click. For those looking for rich libraries, it's great to have components like walls, windows, and doors, which can be adjusted to your project needs. Revit has great potential as it allows you to do 2D and 3D at the same time. You can also specify the level of detail that you need to present in your project.

It also allows you to work on structural, electrical, and mechanical drawings. Revit gives you price directly on its website at 3,410 Australian dollars per user per year. That's a pretty high price to pay for a 3D modeling program, but while it's one of the best, they have a reason to justify it if you want everything included in the Revit suite that includes all their engineering platforms.

49. Vectorworks

Vectorworks Architect belongs to the BIM software family with 3% of the market. It is a 3D modeling, drawing, and documentation software. VectorWorks helps architects transform complex ideas from start to finish in 2D and 3D with refined construction details and high-quality rendering.

It can also provide all the supporting documents related to the project and offers many features related to the construction and design field. For example, it has handy tools for 3D modeling, construction detailing, presentation and graphics, and landscape modeling. You can also enter the geographic location of your project using the Geographic Information System (GIS).

Also, the software has a lot of control when it comes to project details and graphical displays. It also helps users get a smoother workflow with faster file and tool navigation. Vectorworks is actually a paid software, but it also has a free version with limited features compared to the paid ones. The software supports multiple languages ​​including English, French, and Spanish.

50. ArchiCAD

Since its first release, ArchiCAD has been all about BIM - "Building Information Modeling". It is considered professional software and is used by the most renowned design firms, architects, designers, engineers, and builders to professionally design, document, and collaborate on construction projects. When it comes to the ArchiCAD interface, it's straightforward, simple, and fun to use. ArchiCAD has the most natural and intuitive working environment that will positively affect your workflow.

The software can help you deliver accurate building models, manage your ideas, data, and information, and generate automated documentation related to your project that enables you to improve collaboration between architects, designers, and everyone working on the same project. You can achieve exceptional performance with 64-bit ArchiCAD on Windows and Mac operating systems.

ArchiCAD isn't that easy to use and doesn't give you their prices upfront and it is just a little bit less than Revit. If you're looking to start on the ArchiCAD license and start setting up a new platform, it'll probably cost you a bit more. Currently, a one-year subscription to ArchiCAD costs 2,400 without plugins. The problem is that ArchiCAD requires some plugins.