Finally, an iPad app that taps your inner woodworker

9to5 Staff | Dec 14 2011 - 7:30 am PT

The novelty of smartphone apps may have worn off since the original iPhone but every now and then an app comes along that captures our imagination. Woodcraft for iPad ($9.99 iTunes) by software artisans at Fasterre is interesting for its novel idea and professional execution. Say you’re an amateur or pro woodworker and you want to design your next deck, bench, furniture or backyard shed on your iPad.

Niche apps like that are few and far between and Woodcraft arrives to fill the gap. It’s no toy: The program features the fully automated bill of materials, seamless switches between 2D or 3D and lets you measure distances with up to 1/64th of an inch precision.

Watching their promo clip (nice editing work, BTW) makes me wanna explore my carpenter genes (my grandpa was an adept woodworker). Woodcraft is a universal binary that supports both iPad and iPhone/iPod touch and is available in exchange for ten bucks during the launch period. Release notes right after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xStZZsx6A4]

Woodcraft is designed to help professional and budding carpenters draft their next masterpiece. Combining elements of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D modeling in a delightful and intuitive package, Woodcraft can tackle any woodworking project: from decks to benches, furniture to backyard sheds. Woodcraft enables you to completely design your next project.

– Shop with confidence using the fully-automated Bill of materials.

– Design in 2D or 3D and seamlessly switch between both views. Our intuitive view navigation system solves usability problems common in similar applications.

– Align, rotate and move lumber precisely with the extensive grid settings.

– Create your own lumber types when the app doesn’t provide them by default.

– Work with rough or finished lumber.

– Measure distances and refer to the on-screen measurements when building your project. Precision can be as fine as 1/64th of an inch!

– Work in metric or imperial units.

– Use tools such as the hand saw or table saw to cut lumber graphically and precisely.

– Transfer your projects by email or iTunes between iOS devices: Woodcraft is a universal app.

– Download and share projects with the Woodcraft community in the online gallery and gain Twitter followers in the process.

– Available in English, French and Spanish.