Four families of software
| Family | What it does well | What it usually lacks | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| General CAD | Precise 2D drawing, DWG/DXF, layers, dimensions | Measured rooms and 3D take training and extra work | Technical studios that draw |
| Home design apps | Furnish quickly, pretty images | Verifiable quantities, CAD files, revisions | Private individuals and small interior projects |
| Estimating programs | Price lists, items, totals | They start from numbers typed by hand: no model behind | Contractors and quantity surveyors |
| 2D/3D platforms with quantities | A model that is both looked at and measured; export to other systems | Photorealistic rendering, furniture catalogues | Studios, companies, software companies that integrate |
ShotPlan belongs to the last family: it starts from a DWG or DXF, builds a volumetric model in the browser and calculates floor areas, perimeters and walls from it. The functions page says what is available and what is in testing.
The criteria that matter
- Input formats. Does it read the files you really have? DWG and DXF are the native CAD formats; PDF and photos need calibration and more manual work.
- 2D and 3D on the same model. If the 3D is a separate copy, every change must be made twice. Look for one model that is both drawn and measured.
- Measurements and quantities. Floor area and perimeter per room, wall surfaces with openings subtracted, project totals. If the numbers must be copied by hand, the software only solves half of the problem.
- Export. JSON, CSV or an API let the quantities reach your estimating program or ERP. Check what the file really contains.
- Revisions. Can you go back? Do you know which version the numbers come from? For a quote that changes three times, this is essential.
- Control. Automatic recognition is useful when it works and expensive to correct when it does not. Being able to trace and correct the model yourself is a guarantee.
- Where it runs. In the browser, with no installation, or on a workstation? Who else has to open the project?
Checklist before choosing
- I tried it on one of my files, not on the demo file.
- I checked a known measurement after import.
- I know how rooms are measured (gross, net, by polygon).
- I opened the export file and found the quantities I need.
- I know what happens when I change a wall: do the numbers update?
- I know what is available today and what is still being developed.
- I know the price model: per user, per project, per plan, or pilot project.
ShotPlan answers the last point with a demo and a pilot project defined on the use case.
Free or paid?
Free tools are enough to draw a plan and furnish it for personal use. When the result must be verified, delivered to a client or integrated into another program, what counts is the cost of the error: a wrong floor area in a quote costs more than a licence. Choose by the use, not by the price.