I just started learning how to draw construction plans for residential homes and accessory structures a couple months ago. I was in the residential construction industry for 10 years and have had to make a change to a job I can primarily do from home due to medical reasons. I have tried a few different types of software so far and (Revit LT, AutoCAD, CA X10) I am kind of stuck trying to decide which one I am going to purchase.
My current thoughts on each software so far are that AutoCAD is too old school and slow for me, even though I know the software fairly well. I am also doing only new builds and not working with documents that were already generated in AutoCAD so there is no need there. I also spent about a month trying Revit LT, which once I got over some serious learning curves I was beginning to see the huge potential and time savings of the software, but I feel the learning curve is fairly difficult for someone that is learning on their own. Then I tried CA and was able to be up and running with the software much faster, it's more intuitive and easier to use.
I am having a difficult time deciding which software best suits a draftsman (that works alone) that produces residential and light commercial construction plans. In short, I need a software tool that is going to produce accurate construction plans for review by a city or county in order to get approval for building permits. 3D renderings are also a factor for me as well since I sometimes I will be working directly with clients and not through and builder. I am sure there are a few on here that have used both types of software on here and may be able to give some insight into what may suit me best for my needs.