# Design Software



## mwemaxxowner (May 30, 2020)

Some of you guys post very nice irrigation design sheets that appear to have been drawn up on graph paper with a computer.

I have one that I have sketched out by hand, and I can take a picture and share it, or borrow a computer and scan/upload, but I'd like to be able to draw one up on a computer.

I don't have a computer and do most things on my phone, but I could borrow one. It shouldn't take long since I already have one sketched out with dimensions and heads placed.

What do you guys use to draw these up digitally?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Draftsight used to be free. I'm use solidworks at work so I'm very familiar with their layout. Any cad software should work, but there is a learning curve. FreeCad is a good 3D modeling one, but I'm not sure how easy it is to do 2D in it. SketchUp does 2D and it is free if you use their browser software (not installed on your desktop).


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## BadDogPSD (Jul 9, 2020)

It's definitely not pro-level, but I've used Excel to draw stuff up before that I wanted to look better than hand drawn. Curves can be tough, but straight lines are pretty easy.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

+1 on DraftSight. If you use a Mac, the beta version is still free I think. The Windows version is like $100/yr now.

Knowing AutoCAD commands would be helpful.


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## mwemaxxowner (May 30, 2020)

Thank y'all.

While I have your attention, if I work on this project over the winter, is it any better, or worse, for my grass to be trenched on while it's dormant?

I have Centipede, and much of our winter is 50-60 degrees, so it may not even go completely dormant.

All I have experience with until now is fescue.

I'd like to tackle this irrigation install over the fall and winter, and have things ready to run in the spring.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

I don't know about centipede, but I did my reno in the winter. I have saint augustine grass and it never actually went dormant per say, but didn't require a mow for a really long time. For that reason I think it's best to do it that way, you won't have to mow around your trenches, etc. Not an issue if the project doesn't take that long, or you work in consecutive days till it's done. I worked on the weekends mostly, and left on a 10 day vacation at one point in the middle, with a bunch of open trenches. I wasn't going to take time off work to do it, b/c that would negate the cost savings. 
Obviously everywhere I had dirt on the grass killed that portion. I overseeded with annual ryegrass when I was done, just to cover up my dirt. About the time the ryegrass started dying off, the saint augustine started spreading a little. But to be honest, the temperature alone was reason enough for me to do my project in the winter...


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## mwemaxxowner (May 30, 2020)

Awesome!

I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't going to hurt it worse while it was dormant for some reason. I think St. Aug and centipede are similar in many ways.

I hope to pull most of my laterals in with a subsoiler. Hopefully that will cut down on a lot of damage. It'll cut down on dirt piles killing my grass too.


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