Rubysketch

I am a small team builder & most of our work is additions & extensions. This entails a lot of design & programming
as most clients do not want to move out work while is being carried out. With Pluspec I have been able to show client
the 2 D drawings & 3D drawings of the finished building. Pluspec has the ability to do a take of
materials quantities & pricing. Which gives the client a good idea of final cost & saves me hours of work.
With Pluspec you have the ability to use local products from there catalogue i.e. timber cladding roofing color charts.
I have found Andrew & the team so helpful over 7 years with their tutorials on you tube for all aspect of Pluspec.
Thanks again to Andrew & the Pluspec Team

PlusSpec has been the core architectural drafting tool at my practice since 2015.

What I really like about PlusSpec is that it turns the powerfiul and intuitive Sketchup into a fully equiped BIM tool, complete with acurate geometry modelling, geo-location, quantity reporting, and drafting solution.

PlusSpec within Sketchup allows me to communicate with all the stakeholders in designing buildings in such a powerful and flexible way that I have not found in other software. Clients get to see their vision come to life as we navigate in a fully virtually built model. Builders and engineers, can interogarte the structural design as if it is already built, or more importantly as if it is being built, so you can see problem areas before they arise onsite. Documentation created from the models creates beautiful and accurate plans, elevations, sections, and perspectives.

Generally a project for me starts at the geolocated conceptual massing stage, and as the design starts to take shape I introduce more and more PlusSpec generated modelling. PlusSpec has no problem with working with other design tools, or even just the generic Sketchup tools, so if I just want to draw a box quickly to represent some future object or maybe the exisitng shape of a building and test shadows, or some other aspect, I just go ahead and do it. PlusSpec doesnt care. If I want to quantify that box, well thats easy too, I can easily tell plusSpec to note that this object has such and such a cost even though i used another tool to create it.

Like most software there is always improvements to be made, which is why I appreciate that PlusSpec is not resting on its laurels, and continues to improve existing tools, and develop new functionalities in this software.

John Howland
JWHIDA design lab

My company have been using PlusSpec for 12 months. We picked up the majority of PlusSpec quickly without too much help, yet when we needed help it was there for us in various forms: One on One training, built in videos and support. Andrew and Drew is also very supportive in the sence of making requested and supportive videos specially made for problems I have had, and the do it fast. I am very pleased with PlusSpec and my business is delivering real results.

As a commercial design-builder looking to break into the residential design-build marketplace, we've been leveraging both PlusSpec and PlusDesignBuild for a few years now in our quest for a design and project management platform for residential and light-commercial construction ... They comprise a different world from commercial construction on many levels ... In our experience, PlusSpec and PlusDesignBuild seamlessly compliment and add to the power of SketchUp with the real potential for a truly BIM experience ... Yes, it takes time, effort and resources but the learning curve is nearly as intuitive as SketchUp itself ... If you can dream it, you can design-draw it, you can identify it's costs, you can manage it and you can build it!

I have been using SketchUp for a few years and had learned of PlusSpec a couple years back. I was looking for an application that would enable me to develop overview and detailed models (residential homes) obtain detailed material take-offs from that model and print 3D and 2D drawings. PlusSpec made these activities not only possible, but fun and efficient. I've been using PlusSpec for a few months and it is everything and more that I was hoping it would be. Their customer support is top notch, very helpful and friendly. Great folks with a great product!

After 10 years out of Building Design, I came back to find 3D a big part of the process. I found PlusSpec back in 2015 and loved the look of it, it seemed much simpler than Revit (which I did my Diploma on) and the price was much better too, so I gave it a go. I am a draftie from way back so I still like to use my old drawing and Autocad skills, but I find I love to import my Autocad plans to PlusSpec and then draw a quick 3D for my clients to visualise the end result. I have to say, if there were any doubts in their minds before this, they are gone once they see my 3D pictures and walk throughs. They love it and sign the dotted line very soon after. I couldn't be happier with the program and as I create each new home I am getting a little better each time.

We love using PlusSpec for our nonprofit. Sketchup is a great software for us but we find it lacking in so many ways! PlusSpec has allowed us to bridge the gap between what Sketchup can offer us and what a traditional BIM software like Revit or ArchiCad has.

RubySketch's PlusSpec application for SketchUp is a great match for those doing Architectural Design, Structural Design, and also need to quantify a project's material and costings requirements (aka BIM) using 3D software; especially for those who want to avoid software whose initial purchase and update/maintenance costs and inherently LONGER learning curves can be significant. It is a viable alternative to Revit or Archicad. It is also a super tool for creating general purpose Artwork .

PlusSpec, like other BIM products, forces a disciplined approach to 3D design/modeling. Additionally, it provides access to extensive 3D libraries of standard products from cabinetry to furniture to bathroom sinks, many of which have BIM parametric geometry and user defined costing capabilities and material libraries for providing realistic renderings. PlusSpec has a large community of construction, design, and presentation professionals.

PlusSpec's drawing and quantification tools provide an ORGANIZED APPROACH which automatically generates appropriate SketchUp Geometry, Layers, and Scenes so that the designer/non-designer can easily share project information and visualization with clients and easily provide Take-Off reports. PlusSpec designed models which, when imported into SketchUp Pro's LAYOUT, can be used to create construction documents, marketing collateral, presentations (no need for PowerPower), and photo-realistic renderings. SketchUp models are shareable with other industry standard applications as well.

The design and documentation of a project is not a static process. PlusSpec equates to keeping "The-Cost-of-Change" down with faster turnaround times.

PlusSpec is a reliable and cost-effective alternative which can take the pain out of modeling and generating BIM data.

I would encourage reviewing the informative online videos and downloading a free trial version of PlusSpec and giving it a try. Don't miss RubySketch/PlusSpec blogs, the people manning the ship are courteous, knowledgeable and responsive to questions and suggestions. They are continuously adding features/enhancements.

I'm not at all surprised to see 5 star reviews of PlusSpec.

I've been using it since it was first released and thought at the time it had revolutionized BIM modelling with the use of a great tool like SketchUp.

Since then and with every update, new functions, a cleaner and more seamless UI and the PlusSpec teams willingness to listen to their users assure me that there is no other program that I need...

If you're not using PlusSpec, you're not getting the best out of your day.

Well done guys.

Hi there,
I've recently purchased Plus Spec after being refereed by a fellow builder. I'm amazed at how easily I picked up the parametric drawing functionality, as I'm not the most proficient with computers let alone competing BIM/3D drawing software. The Youtube tutorials have been a great resource for me to learn the program at my own pace with a fantastic support line as a fail safe if I'm stumped.

I cannot recommend Plus Spec enough, its really changed the way I operate as a builder.

Cheers
Heaton
HKW Constructions

We are a building company specialising in architecturally designed homes and renovations. We first came across a PlusSpec demonstration at a coaching seminar. We have since found the program invaluable. Not only has it made completing take-offs for tendering far more efficient, but it has also allowed us to have far more understanding in regards to what the overall project is going to look like as well as identify possible issues prior to the job commencing onsite. It also allows a more intuitive approach to explaining the project to our site foreman as well as they can see the completed project in 3D. We cannot rate this program highly enough.

After using Plusspec for a brief period of time, it is now an essential part of my business. Since its use, productivity and efficiency of my business has significantly increased. The Plusspec team actively upholds a very high level of service that is readily available when required. This makes for fast and effective learning. I've even had them call me off their own accord, to see how I was finding the product and if I had any suggestions. They are genuinely interested in what users want. This along with the continued development of the program allows for maximum productivity and efficiency of any business utilising Plusspec.

the big + in plusspec is their staff! they are always willing to help with technical and administrative issues. their free webinars are great, good topics which users get to choose with Q and A section at the end. plusspec is great affordable cad software with sound learning outcomes and excellent productive outcomes.

In Vergola New South Wales we employ Design Consultants to visit potential customers’ homes and prepare quotes. Many people find it difficult to visualise how the Vergola will look on their home. I needed a solution that gave me consistency in the execution of the plans and a way to show customers how the Vergola would actually look when completed. Of course I wanted this at an economical cost as well. Commercial CAD programs can cost $10,000 per licence. It took me two years of looking before I found the perfect solution at RubySketch. I worked with RubySketch to accurately reproduce the Vergola components (louvres, gutters etc.) from our existing 2D CAD drawings.

Feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. We have even turned around people who had decided they wouldn’t go ahead. Our sales proposals are now more professional and show the customer exactly what the Vergola will look like on their house.

This tool puts us miles ahead of our competition and has certainly improved our sales close rate. It is also what people expect in this digital and computer based age we live in.

Best piece of software to hit the market since the invention on the computer. The future is now here and we are excited with what Rubysketch can do now and in the future. Congratulations on taking what we have all wanted for years with Architecture design, 3d software and sketchup.
What you have done with manufacturer content creation and BIM and VDC will blow our minds.

I got a one-to-one online tutorial about Sketchup Dynamic Components with Ruby Sketch. They were very knowledgeable, could answer all my questions that no one else couldn't previously. I am happy :)

Fast, accurate and intuitive to use this will make any designers life a whole lot easier. Love the Plusspec tools and its schedules which generates the BOM. ALL completely customizable!

I love how it works compare to Autocad. Im still learning but getting there.

Their software is promised to be the best thing to ever happen Sketchup. Meanwhile, it has bugs and stopped working after 2 weeks. Perhaps there was a conflict with another sketchup plug-in. Either way their support was 100% non-responsive in helping me resolve the issue.