3D Building Designer vs. Estimating Software: What's the Difference?

A 3D building designer and a production estimating system can look similar to a customer. They solve different problems. One helps people show you what they want; the other helps your team calculate a price and material quantities.

See GitEstimate on our homepage

What a design-only tool does

A website designer lets visitors select dimensions, doors, colors, and other available options, then submit the design with their contact information. It can be a useful first step in your sales process even if it doesn't calculate prices.

What an estimating system adds

Estimating software applies material, labor, and pricing rules to the selected building. A useful system also generates material lists that your team can review and revise as the design changes. The accuracy of those results depends on correct setup and ongoing price maintenance.

Example: adding a lean-to

In a design-only tool, adding a lean-to changes the 3D building and the information submitted to your team. In an estimating system, that change must also affect the appropriate posts, framing, roofing, trim, and pricing. Those are different levels of complexity.

Which do you need?

Choose a designer if your goal is to collect more detailed inquiries and your team already has a reliable way to estimate jobs.
Choose estimating software if you need the building design tied to your company's prices and material quantities.

How GitEstimate separates the two

GitEstimate offers a 3D Building Designer plan for website submissions without estimates or parts lists. The 3D + Parts & Estimating plan adds company-specific estimates and detailed parts lists, and the Builder Pro plan adds 2D construction documents.

See website designer setup or our software evaluation checklist for questions to ask before buying.

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