Envisioneer Express Editor's Review

There are a large number of products which enable 3D architectural modelling; Envisioneer Express is just one of many. It has been available for a number of years, is mature and stable, but often does not attract the highest praise. It is written and supported by the Cadsoft Corporation, specialist in building information modelling (BIM), whose stable hosts a group of larger, more capable products, each with progressively more impressive feature lists and associated costs and so we should not be fooled by the restrictions of Envisioneer Express into thinking it is any way inferior or ineffective. In fact, not having all the functionality is a blessing for those who need to be able to finish a simpler task or who lack familiarity with the entire range of technologies available. 

So if you are in the market for a tool to help you design a building with walls, doors, windows, openings, flat floors, stairs, roofs and ceilings and view and navigate these in 3D, or if you have been sent a more complex architectural design and wish to walk through it you may save yourself some time and money as Envisioneer Express will do all these things. 

Before you begin it is worth spending some time in the Settings section, as there are dozens of impactful parameters to view and understand. The main facility – the design part is intuitive and quite exciting to use. 

Pros: Reliable and fun to use; intended for residential use.

Cons: Fairly complex configuration. Free version is without support.

Conclusion: This is an entry level product which users may grow out off in time. Coming from a large software enterprise with expertise in the industry sector there is a good deal of ‘self-help’ material to refer to if you get stuck or need assistance, and indeed an upgrade path, if you need. We think it is a great way of sketching out the house we would like to have built; a great communication tool.