Home Builder 5.1 Is Open Source Software for DIY Cabinet Projects

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) is a generic term and CAD software comes in many varieties tailored to specific applications. In the automotive industry, for example, Dassault’s CATIA is very popular. But Solidworks, also a Dassault product, is more popular for general purpose work. CAD for cabinetry is another category and if you do that kind of work, you’ll want to check out the free and open source Home Builder 5.1.

Andrew Peel built Home Builder 5.1 primarily for cabinet design, but it is flexible enough to be useful for many other DIY projects. And as open source software, it is completely free to use. Peel funds development by selling an Extended Asset Library that includes a lot of useful models, but you don’t have to buy that to use the software and you can model any assets you like — you simply won’t get those nice pre-modeled assets.

Home Builder 5.1 is built on Blender, which is Peel’s specialty. He also built FluidDesigner, an interior design tool, on Blender.

To use the software, you begin by creating the floorplan of a room—or entire house—you want to work on. You can do that manually or trace an existing floorplan image, which is very convenient. You can then begin adding configurable cabinets. The configurations are very comprehensive, covering all popular cabinet styles, construction methods, and hardware, while providing parameters to customize every dimension.

Home Builder 5.1 seems perfect for anyone tackling their own renovations and even professional cabinet builders. After you finish the design, you can export technical drawings for manual cutting or digital files to use with a CNC router.