Design Flex Reviews

I used to use this software all of the time, but have been having my team train elsewhere. Other softwares are just as robust regarding rendering and much more reliable with construction documents. Since that software does not price cabinets, I now only use 2020 only for the manufacturers we carry that still subscribe (down to 1 of 4 manufacturers).

Rendering Capabilities, Pricing of Cabinets (if manufacturer subscribes...as many are no longer subscribing)

Dimensions don't stay put, cannot use for construction docs. Inability to sign in/out for use on travelling computers (office/desktop vs client's-house/laptop) - end up having to go in as admin to release session and you only get to do this 5 times per year which is a joke. Inability to use if internet is not consistent. Crashes a lot - even with MORE than recommended requirements.

Overall this is a good program to use for showing clients what their space can look like as well as putting together good pricing quickly.

The program is intuitive to use and there are a lot of good catalogs that will help make the design look amazing.

The program will shut down a lot and begin to run slowly after some time being open.

Overpriced and lacks open functionality for catalogs. There should be a monthly subscription option as all users are not only kitchen designers and the cost is not worth if for 10 ad hoc kitchen designs per year. Unfortunately I would not use it for other areas of design due to the instability and cost.

My initial use of 2020 was impressive, but the only value that I can truly identify is that the tool allows for error and collision alerts in which is beneficial.

The tool crashes constantly and impacts the work performed. Some designs are auto saved and recovered while others are completely lost. Within the years that I have used this tool it has been the most unsatisfying tool ever. Having experienced 100 crashes and sending crash report has never prompted support to contact me. What's the point of the system asking if you want to send a crash report when sending the report generates no aid in my direct assistance. The catalog restrictions are a nuisance whereas other software does not restrict access. It doesn't make any sense that catalogs are restricted unless you're a dealer for the brand, because unless you're a dealer you can't order anyway. The tool is way overpriced for what it offers, and I would love for a new company to put 2020 to bed. Overpriced and lacks stability and functionality of open catalogs.

I am not a big fan of 2020 Design. It is user friendly as long as it does not crash or save my projects.

Initially we bought 2020 in order to design custom kitchens and bathrooms for our clients. It was easy to navigate and we could use the cabinet company we rep for.

I have had nothing but problems the entire 2 years we have had 2020 with the program crashing and losing all my work. I have contacted Tech Support many times to help me, it would work for a few days and then back to crashing all the time. I would have an entire kitchen almost completed and I would lose everything. I am looking for other programs to replace 2020.

It's a nice program to use for certain things, but in my field, this is not the only drawing program I use. I also use AutoCAD because there are just some things you cannot do efficiently/accurately in 2020. I feel like if 2020 added more features that put it more on par with CAD (certain features) I would be a lot happier with the subscription price. I'd also be a lot happier if the recovery feature worked ALL the time. I lost an entire drawing the other day and no recovery file was created. It's the first drawing I've lost in years, so it was disappointing.

Easy to use, drawings can look very nice almost realistic. I like that you've added more decorative items.

I can't stand how many times I have to force myself to logout (yes, I have the box selected to log me out upon exiting the program, but it rarely ever works as it should). I think we need more that 5 forced logouts. We need an unlimited amount of times we can have admin force us out since the issues continue to happen.

I use 3-4 different computers and I can't go from one PC to the next due to some "flexnet" errors that have been happening for the past few months. There needs to be better light fixture options within 2020 -- not on the cloud. It's not easy to modify lighting from the cloud, but the fixtures in the room furnishings catalog work fine (but they look straight out of the 90s). I've found that plumbing fixtures (Kohler/Moen) do not include a lot of their products or in the correct finishes.

I feel like the amount of money we pay for a subscription is not justified with the issues that occur and because the program isn't flexible (someday maybe we can import images and they can be sent to a diagonal without looking all weird) Also, would be nice to be able to draw shapes in elevations, copy and paste in elevations, etc. Again, it's a decent program, but for what we pay, it SHOULD be better.

Catalog manager needs to be able to install every single catalog we want, at one time. Every time I have to set up a new PC for a new employee it takes hours and hours to install all the catalogs we use. It's excessive.

I train our Showplace dealers on 2020 and recommend it over other design software all the time. I sincerely feel it is the best in it's class.

The graphics are very good and crash episodes are minimal. It's easy to maneuver and the Help section is much improved.

I use it on 2 computers--I wish it would sign out automatically, so I don't have issues when I forget. Searching the Cloud is cumbersome and I would like to see images rated on a complexity scale so I know which ones to avoid to keep from crashing.

I really like the Version 13 vs Version 9. I love the way the renderings look real, I love how the catalogs are easy to install.

How easy it is to navigate, 360 degree panorama, Countertop wizard, how you can put all the items in your design.

When you have views open it has a tendency to crash the program.

I am pleased with the overall experience of Design Live. It blows my mind how genius this program is!

It makes the rendering aspect of my job faster so we can prepare presentations quicker because time is money. I love that is so realistic looking. It impresses clients and helps us sell through the job.

I have an issue with showing scenery outside the windows. I created a wall and put on scenes and when I render they all come out dark as if the photo is taken at night so you can't see the scenery at all. I also find it a challenge when I have high contrasting cabinetry in the same room. The darks become very dark and when I lighten up the dark the light cabinets become a little washed out.

It's my main tool all day for my job, it's got good graphics to show your kitchen bath and closet projects.

I love the program. It is easy to use, fast for a basic kitchen layout. My clients love to see their kitchen and they get so excited for the new project.

It's a little slow when you want to do a more impressive render. But most of the time you don't need that. I love it.

Easy to use software at an exorbitant price. I could get by with less features, I would really prefer a basic cabinet design software.

Relatively easy to use, plenty of catalog options. It is an easy system to learn and there are plenty of resources to help further your knowledge.

Amazingly overpriced. I hate paying my renewal for this software almost as much as I hate paying taxes. An absolute ripoff in terms of value for dollars spent.

2020 Design Live is a great program and we will continue using it. Excited to see what the future updates will bring us!

High quality renderings, ability to incorporate exact appliances/cabinets/finishes that clients will be using, the look on clients faces when they see the 320 renderings.

Designs crash more often than we would like if there are a lot of decorative items/customizations in them. The BAK files come in handy for this though. Pricing is ok, but we are only able to use it with one of our cabinet lines.

I would have liked to had more training to effectively use the program to its fullest. I was able to do preliminary drawings and evaluate layouts.

I was able to draw up a few things with the program, however, I had no idea how to order and draw in a timely manner.

I tried to sign up for a couple of the live schools, but, they were filled up every time they came to my area.

In general, it runs faster and I am able to complete my designs more quickly. The rendering images are far more realistic.

As a cabinet designer, I use 2020 Live every day. It flows much better than the old version that used the key. You are able to run a rending and see the layout at the same time. I love the ability to alter the rendering easier. It also functions much better with the cloud browser. In the past, I had a lot of problems with the program shutting down, and that does not seem to be an issue anymore.

I have not come across anything I don't like yet.

Overall I am very happy with the program and the ease of use it provides in both designing the projects the company I work for takes on, and the support that the 2020 company provides to it's users. I don't have the experience of using other design software's to compare 2020 against, but I would highly recommend it to anyone I know looking to work with a design program that is easy to learn how to use, and has a support team to back it up...

With every latest update the program becomes a little easier to navigate and makes the quality of the design renderings that much better. The auto lighting feature is great when it's working correctly. The customer service and tech support are top notch, and I always get what I call in for taken care of to 100% satisfaction. They are a very knowledgeable team and always a pleasure to work with...

I wish the 2020 program had more general item options that you didn't have to create a separate account to download items from outside the 2020 program created by other 2020 users. The program tends to run slow or crash if you use too many outside items in your design, which can be very frustrating when you are trying to give a client a more detailed and realistic design renderings. The auto lighting feature doesn't always work, and can cause unwanted shading in parts of the design that you can't do anything to fix, to my knowledge. The other lighting options in the rendering settings don't seem to actually work anymore in the latest versions of 2020, which is frustrating. Sometimes calling into 2020 tech support takes a really long time to get someone on the phone to help you with the issue you're calling in for. Even though that has seemed to get a little better lately, but still a long wait at times...

Not happy with the program overall.

It has the basics but thats about it and the price is completely outrageous for a program like this. They get away with charging it because they have a monopoly on this industry.

It has the basic options needed to do a bathroom or kitchen design.

The black and white pictures under presentation are pretty decent.

Freezes and shuts down in the middle of a design.
Takes way too long to open when you first start.
The pictures under presentation come out too dark and the light feature doesn't work.
Too many extra unneeded dimensions show and you have to take the time to delete them.
The appliance options are very limited and many are very outdated - looks like appliances from maybe the 70s era?
way too expensive for the quality you're getting.

I've been using this program since 2003. It's a bad program. It's Frustrating. How many hours of work have I lost because it crashes? It must be somewhere around a day's work at the end of the work. -Usually when you're in the middle of a complicated custom project! If your internet skips a beat the program crashes. They say it will run two days without wifi. The actual length of time is minutes. Not days

Many cabinet companies program 2020 with their prices, although the prices are not to be considered accurate.

It's slow, crashes frequently, with poor quality renderings considering today's tech. It's loaded down with tons of stuff a kitchen designer will never use, but has far too little of what we do need for the typical design....
The only reason they stay in business is to be certified" by NKBA means you need to pass their test, which basically tests the skill of using 2020 not your skill as a designer.
And you have to BUY IT EVERY YEAR and EVERY YEAR IT GOES UP IN PRICE. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!

It is easy to use and great command options. I would recommend to anyone looking for a design program.

Being Live has been faster and much more efficient when placing specific products in the layouts. It's great!

Not all products are available and the search has to be too specific.

We would recommend it compared to anything on the market. We have used most of them. Early on it was difficult, but they have made great improvements.

It is the best Kitchen and Bath design tool in the industry
It gives you the flexibility to do any style or layout.

Expensive. That is the only real complaint I have.

Great convenience in designing and pricing cabinetry products. 2020 has many great features to aid in the design process, but it is important to be aware of its capabilities and not expect too much further from it.

Convenience of directly dragging and dropping cabinetry products, the ease of editing them, and exporting pricing all from one program cannot be done in other programs.

Cannot copy and paste items within an elevation view. When creating tagged/numbered notes in multiple elevation views, the tags become incorrect often and out of order. Calculations of moldings often do not add up and price correctly. Program will crash often without a warning. The symbol, countertop, appliance, and other buttons within the ITEMS category are practically useless since they pause the entire program for minutes each time they are clicked, sometimes causing it to crash entirely. The cloud browser is not set up in a convenient searching manner and could be improved greatly.

Overall it's a good enough design program

I like the cloud configurations and the ease with which to use.

The program after using it for a while starts to lag and then you will lose your work.