A powerful yet easy to use mobile app that allows you to design anything from a room to an entire house and even estimate how to charge accordingly.<\/b>
\nDesigning rooms or entire buildings is what you\u2019d expect to do on a computer, but sometimes, you need to do things on the go. Better yet, you need to focus on the plan and make alterations, where you\u2019ll be doing the actual physical work. This is where MagicPlan comes in. This service is designed to work of a phone or tablet running iOS or Android. The app itself is free, and you can try out the service without paying a thing, but if you\u2019re going to be using it regularly, you\u2019ll have to grab yourself a subscription (more on that later). Having installed the app, you then need to create an account, and you\u2019re good to go. Creating a new project is simple: just tap on the large blue \u2018+\u2019. You have the option of naming your project and even add the address of where the work will be undertaken, but all of that is optional. Tap on the other blue tick to start designing. This is where you\u2019ll see one of MagicPlan\u2019s cool features: \u2018Scan with Camera\u2019. If you\u2019re in the room you\u2019ll be working on, you can use AR (augmented reality) to let the app scan and measure the room for you. It worked okay, although we suspect this would function a lot better in an unfurnished room. Whichever option you choose (AR assisted or manual), you start by describing the room\u2019s location: which floor is it on, and what type of space is it. There\u2019s a wealth of options to choose from, be it a commercial or residential location (private office, cafeteria, hall, study, living room, cellar, but name but a few). You\u2019re then thrust into design mode. The creation process is pretty simple. If you\u2019ve selected a square room, you\u2019re presented with four walls. Tap on one of them to select it, and then drag it in our out to resize the room. Tap on a corner to alter that space from that point instead. You can also split a wall to create irregular shaped areas. As you do so, you MagicPlan displays all the measurements you need to make sure your design remains accurate (by default our app showed measurements in feet and inches – if you need to change that, this can be done from your account\u2019s \u2018Settings\u2019 tab). Adding windows, doors, or any type of furniture is done by tapping on the \u2018Add Object\u2019 button. Everything is broken down by category, but if you know what you\u2019re looking for, type it into the search field, and all available options will be revealed. If you can\u2019t find what you\u2019re looking for, tap on \u2018more\u2019 to reveal \u2018hidden\u2019 objects – essentially less commonly used items which are nevertheless still part and parcel of the app, such as furniture specific for schools, security systems, and even medical equipment. Anything you add to your plan can be further customised: double tap on it to reveal its dimensions which are fully editable. This is also the place to leave notes or include photos of real world objects you might have in mind. We quite liked the feature (also present when altering walls) of the arrow used to manipulate and rotate an object turning green when it\u2019s at a right angle. This makes it very easy to alter your environment while remaining precise. Your project is not limited to a single room: using this method you can add additional spaces and end up creating an entire residence. There are some useful time saving options here, like being able to quickly merge rooms together, or split them again should you change your mind (there\u2019s also a handy undo options you can tap on at any time – there\u2019s no redo though). What good is a designing software if you can\u2019t play around in 3D, and here again, MagicPlan does not disappoint. With it activated, you can zoom in, rotate, pan in or out (the walls becoming opaque or transparent depending on your viewing angle), it\u2019s all very immersive. You can also share any angle you like by framing your plan as desired, and tapping on the Share button (top right) – or just taking a screenshot. Most this is nothing you can\u2019t already do in other systems be they desktop software or online services. Portability is a great factor, don\u2019t get me wrong, and the AR option (when it works) can be a good time saver, but perhaps the most interesting aspect of this app is its Estimates function. Having built up you plan, you then tap on the \u2018Start the estimate for this project!\u2019 menu. This is where monetary value is placed on the proposed labour. Scroll through your options such as Painting, Flooring and Electrical, and select from the various suggestions (paint doors, paint ceilings, install sink, tiles, apply grout, etc.). Each has a base value leading to a full estimate of the labour cost for the needed works. This could be a very useful way to quickly get an idea of how much to charge a client, for instance, or perhaps how much to expect a builder to charge you! In make full and regular use of this app, you have three monthly subscriptions available to you. The first one is Sketch at $9.99 (\u00a39.99) per month. With this you get to work on an unlimited number of projects, measure and sketch a room, export 2D and 3D designs, and collaborate with others. Report ($29.99 (\u00a329.99) a month) includes being able to work with photos and 360\u02da images. You can also include notes and markups – ideal when working with a team – and have access to custom forms and objects. Estimate ( $89.99 (\u00a389.99) a month) allows you to produce custom price lists, cost estimates, and gives you access to phone support. Any plan can also be paid yearly, and you get two free months should you choose to do so. Even better, should you wish to try out the service, the MagicPlan app lets you work on two projects for free. As long as you delete them once you\u2019re done, you\u2019ll be able to test the service for pretty much ever. MagicPlan is an original designer program. It\u2019s a mobile app (although you can also access some features via a web browser), with easy to use features, an interesting AR option and an original way of generating estimates for work needed to be done. The monthly subscriptions could pay for themselves if designing if your business, and it also offers you two free projects for casual users to explore as well. It\u2019s definitely worth a look. Need help on your next creative project around your home? Check out our roundups of the best home interior design software and the best architecture software<\/p>\n