Great response, thanks. Looks like I need to spend a little more time with Sketchup. I can see how Sketchup would work great for timber frames, but what about 2D drawings of the project or home, elevations, floor plans, etc... What's most commonly used? What's your opion? To be more specific, I'm most interested in residential design.

The person that drew up my house plans used Autdesk Architecture. He didn't have the timber framing knowledge so I had to coach him and it was difficult. Not everything worked out, as I expected, but I made it work in the end.