Second time this week, I see mention of 3ds here in this sort of context.
I wish for Many things for SU...to be faster, more stable, and better at putting out basic architectural stuff it was designed for. But there does seem to be a line to draw. SU isn't ever going to be 3ds. and that's a good thing. It's simple and fast (not in the CPU sense), and often the shortest way between two points. But to do the fancy stuff, sometimes you just need fancy, expensive, and time-consuming (if you have to learn it first) software.
I hope to see what solution you find though. π