The listed above are a good start. I'd also recommend Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and SketchUp.

and maybe, just maybe, get some practice in with a pencil.

sharpie and trace......

never mind...

ALL 3d programs.......form z, alias, sketchup/etc

So FOG Lite....

will a pencil alone get me through school???

top thesis at my uni generally goes to someone who can effectively communicate with both. still heavily weighted to hand drawing.

if you go to notre dame, a pencil might be all you need.

they draw plans with a pencil at notre dame?

Rhinoceros

yes steve, they still draw everything by hand at ND.

check out artlantis for your renderings.. it works great with sketchup

but most importantly pen, paper, onion skin, highlighters. etc etc..

Microsoft Paint.

Artrage is great on a tablet to do conceptual sketches with all mediums

Mario Paint

powerpoint...presentation skills will be important in your professional career.

effing despise powerpoint. worst program ever.

powerpoint is the most important program an architecture student can learn! the most effective communication tool out there. learning to use it well though is an art.

puddles, it's funny how ppt made such a huge impression on our graduating class. i think the whole school has since gone back to illegible computer rendered, hand-smudged nonsense.

yeah, ja, i guess we were special.

i want mega-yacht.

You certainly could get through with just a pencil. I'd recommend chipboard and elmers glue too. You'd be a total bad ass and a lot more memorable than the rest of the kids doing photoreal renderings.

don't use powerpoint, use Open Office Impress instead.

thanks for everyone's help...

and FOG Lite... you are a giant tool box...

actually, a guy i know that did just what FOG rec'd is pimpin it w/ renzo.

I went through college using CAD, Photoshop, Sketch-up. Now I use Revit and I think it's the best architectual tool so far.

i would say become familiar with rhino, but hey, i came out of school 5 years ago, and u r just starting which means we have a 10 year gap, which means u should start with more complex stuff...

try to download whatever they give for free to students, rhino, archicad, revit, and every BIM software u can...actually master rhino in a month and then jump to solid works

the cult favorite because it is the most powerful out of the box solution and simple.

a mixture of simple and powerful seem to always be the winners

try this one. everybody's using it.

the little brother ;)

i disagree. Foglite is not a "tool box"...that's actually some pretty sage advice from him and worth considering. By and large, programs coame-and-go, but the basics of arch are astoundimgly static. even my suggestion of powerpoint should be taken with the understanding that any presentation software could be valuable...whether you use powerpoint, keynote or the open office impress suggested above...just don't negleat the presentation aspect of arcitecture. Like the oled cliche, you only get one chance at a first impression and in this biz that can be everything.

I agree with FOGlite, and no a pencil alone can't get you through school, but neither can Rhino. You get yourself through school.

You'll ultimately employ most or all of the programs listed here by the end of your education and into your career, but I personally don't think any of them should be necessary.

If you want to get a head start, I honestly think digging into arch lit. would be more useful, spend your time reading history, theory, and criticism. You'll pick up on all of these programs really quickly when you find they apply. Knowing them now may establish your tool pallet long before you know what you’re saying with those tools.

i worked w/ some german guys that couldn't use anything but a pen and pencil and a few basic programs (word, quarkxpress) and were able to produce some of the most sublime projects i've ever seen. but they collaborated and hired people who were at the top of their game.