Kitchen cabinets design software.

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The information within these documents is provided in a story format. This will allow you to get the information you want quickly by reading this main index page. You may not agree with the information in these documents, they are not a guide, god, instructions, or even a rule book about the PC software industry. The only thing here is a simple short story on how and why some people might do things, that is all.

Copyright on Softwares

Please note that commercial software and some freeware which is legaly purchaced from the authentic provider provides industry product development. End Users do NOT have permission to re-sell software products. The term of Illegal software is software obtained from the open market which is used without purchace or consent of authenticated provider. To dispose of software to another person you must seek advise from terms of service - which are not transferable. The software aquirer will have to pay full cost of inclusion into package support. It is an illegal act to sell software for its retail value without the written consent of the authenticated provider of the software package or product line.

What End Users purchace in any product is a right of use as per terms of service agreeded upon at sale. Terms can and do change but as always the product remains the property of the provider and not of the End User or Buyer.

Computer Aided Design Software, Short History

The use of computer software for kitchen cabinet renovations began in the early 1980's and before. Most early applications of kitchen design technology were created for the manufacture of parts by rather large and expensive joinery shop plant equipment - CNC (Computer Numerical Control) or NC hardware. Some smaller less expensive designer softwares first began to appear on general retail systems like CADD, CAE, CAM on hardware from: IBM , ATARI , TI , AMIGA , and others.

By the late 1980's. Other applications of kitchen design technology were created for the manufacture of whole cabinets by rather large and expensive joinery shop plant equipment using todays PC technology (CNC, x86, etc). Other smaller less expensive designer softwares also began to appear on such systems like: INTEL COMPAC , NEC , AMD , and others.

To support the Personal Computers other devices were created to be compatable with IBM AT/XT systems. This expandability feature of the PC allowed other computer software and hardware manufacturers to create solutions for 3D applications, games, and work environments. Companies like SGI developed 3D software applications, and many others for wide spread deployment upon Personal Computer Systems for Industry or the Domestic Home.

In the early 1990's in Australia under Government funding software applications were created for kitchen design technology that could be marketed towards the manufactures of Kitchens, cabinets, and bathrooms for profit of rather large media corperations (many of which no longer exist today).

However, by the end of the 1990's an ideal of open-sourced software (created in 1997, etc) began to take hold and found several markets of users who required fast, state-of-the-art 3D graphics, real-time rendering, and professional CADD solutions. Some of the groups formed by Internet users are listed at OpenGL.org , OpenHSF.org , and Web3D.org just to name only a few... The ideal of open-source lowers inital deployment costs, but it can have a negitave affect in the increased requirement of trained computer operators within smaller businesses.

Currently there is kitchen cabinet design software to run on just about any operating system or most personal computer hardware currently avaiable to end users. Some Computer systems can now be built from parts obtained at PC swaps, and the computers run various combos of software that can include: APPLE , MICROSOFT , LINUX , SUN , and MANY others...

The removal of issues in regards to the support one 'brand' of computer hardware by software developers allows other developers to create software that will run with less problems. Hardware developers also benfit as their devices work on more then one computer software operating system, including commercial business and kitchen design software application packages.

Computer Aided Design Software, and Standards

Software written to work on Personal Computers should allow data to be transferable for uses on other computer systems, including CNC work environments. To achive a lower deployment cost - work environments should employ PC based technology in the office while using CNC based machines in joinery shops. Both software environments provide 'bridges' to import or export data (generally in ISO/UFT-8 ASCII TEXT format)

Many Kitchen Cabinet Design softwares come with an option of exporting data for CNC processors, data for quotations, and data for stock or material reports. Some providers supply software in seperate parts to suit a work environment and encorperate the design data for creating a overall business management solution based on the target environment uses.

Methods of various 3D software - what is inside 2D or 3D

99% of todays softwares use the Matrix Method for rendering 3d previews of kitchen layout work spaces for shop drawings to client reviews. 4 examples below; GUI or cordinate system, Maths, Line, Matrix.

Example Above: A) Cordinates - GUI, etc; B) Maths - KitCAD1, etc

Example Above: C) 3D, Ray or 2D - games, etc; D) Matrix - OpenGL, DirectX, games, etc

Graphics above may not be 100% correct, description only!

Hardware translates the various input data - and displays the result onscreen. Speed is measured in Trianges pre-second, etc. A maths based render is slower because a computer processor must calculate cursur position for software drivers. Only 2 directions may be rotated on screen sides. The Matrix method has points in space defined for software drivers and simply seeks or sets a colour state. Rotation is in 3D because scrolling is on 6 faces.

Manufacture with software - what is a database or table?

Databases play an important part in many software applications because of the Tabled data (a grid) can be used to generate results automaticly - increasing speed. A table can be described as a page within a database. Some software examples of Database packages are MSACCESS, FILEMAKER, ORICLE that can access variour data format and transfer methods like ODBC, DB, SQL, and many more... This method of automatic calaulation is sometimes refered to as nested when data is contained in more then one table, most achive this simply in creating a map to 3D interface while others use tables to store data in seperated text or binary formats to render changes instantly in 'real-time' to users.

Manufacture with software - what is CNC?

CNC formats are generally ASCII US TEXT files - The values within the files are TEXT, with numeric values for Metric or Imperial measurements, along with cutting information, etc. Values are seperated by Spaces, and Symbols. Items are seperated by carrage returns, or end of line markers, etc. The files are converted from PC format to CNC format with the use of 3rd party software. The machine operator then selects the required item programme and runs the plant equipment/s. Some CNC converters include batching programs that support tabbed or symbol seperated files, as described for CNC. Other kinds of CNC software require a mixture of Binary Image and Text content for larger machine controlers which contain very large amounts of data. Combined files of text and binary also have the ability to select tools for performing multiple operations (saw, routers, blades, edging, etc). Text only files are generally used to export date from a database or program for use with a CNC batching software program which is pre-configured to machine with a single tool (saw only, etc).

Deisgn with software - why use software?

Computer design software is used by commercial businesses through to end users on various Personal Computers. The primary reason is to show or demostrate a desired result based on the computer software operaters abilities, time restraints, and equipments. Other uses for computers in workplaces allows for the integeration of systems from Design, to billing or accounts. The inital cost of commercial design software is higher and in many cases requires less user training. Free software is cheap but in most cases requires a end user that is trained in the systems operation. In both cases - the expression of end product is quicker and cheaper using Design Software compaired when creating hand drawings, and letters.

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KitCAD allow users to combine softwares to suit their own requirements from various providers.

3D Kitchen Design related programs, see more at a

Written by Jason Robinson for the 'Kitchen Pages, computer software' Copyright 2005-2006, All rights reserved. See the 'DISCLAIMER' at www.KitchenPages.com for more information. Written for private use only!

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