There's been quite a bit of chatter about SketchUp lately.
It looks like a great design tool and if, or when, I finish
upgrading both my computer and software - and regain
my former abilities with PhotoShop 5.5, replaced by Photo
Shop Elements 6.0, and GoLive's replacement DreamWeaver
CS3 - I plan to tackle SU.
But photo editing software like PhotoShop or PhotoShop
Elements 6.0 can be pretty powerful design tools as well
- if you want to check out variations of an existing design
that you have a digital image of. PS Elements 6.0 is going
for about $90 - and you can also use it to play with snapshots
from your digital camera.
Here's an example of what you can do with just a few "tools"
(select, copy, paste, move, flip).
I've posted an example of variations of the Neehi 72 piece
that was linked to in a question here in rec.woodworking - over
in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.
The original post that linked to this piece asked how to cut
what appears to be an arch in the underside of the top.
In the original photo of the piece, the drawer in the center looked
out of place - a big box in the top center. with an arch on either
side of it. I took the image into PhotoShop and by copying areas
of the image and pasting them back in separate layers I could
futz around with moving and changing the drawer.
Just something to consider
charlie b