Punch ViaCAD 2D/3D (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)ViaCAD 5 is the first release of Concepts 3D since their acquisition by Punch! software. While priced like a 2D illustration or CAD tool (TurboCAD 2D for Mac, for example), it is a 5th generation of the Concepts 3D CAD engine which has been used in their own products as well as OEM'd to firms like Ashlar Vellum and IMSI TurboCAD for Mac.
I'm a use of the Concepts Unlimited 3D version 4, a package normally selling for over $2K. The PDF available on the Punch! site highlights the differences in features, the main one no present in ViaCAD being more advanced 3D rendering capabilities with surface textures.
Folks, this package, either for Windows or the Mac, is a genuine bargain- I bought it to have a license install of the full 3D editing capabilities on a new MB Pro, while the "high end" Concepts Unlimited sits on my G5 PowerMac. This is NOT the kind of limited functionality 2D illustration program you usually wind up with for under $100- this is a full featured 3D CAD program that is quite easy to use (in part due to the user interface, including what ViaCAD now calls "Logicursor", which was/is called "Drafting Assitant" in Ashlar Vellum products. Advanced construction and snap features combined with parametric editing after the intial entry make object creation and basic drawing quite easy and fast with just a little practice.
Additionally, there are a number of UI modifications and refinements in this ViaCAD version 5 compared with Concepts 3D version 4, including how switching between 2D and 3D views is handled, rotation of view point in 3D, and some other tweaks which streamline and simplify the user interface.
Standard features include extensive Import and Export format support, including IGES, SAT, STEP, ACIS, AutoCAD, Rhino3DM, and 3D Studio.
3D support includes surface modeling and solids modeling. The solids modeling using the most current ACIS kernel is quite powerful, and supports fast editing of complex 3D objects, with an emphasis on mechanical design support needed for castable or machinable parts. Extrusions, swept solids with curves, bosses, shelling, etc, this is a real production capable tool- too many useful features to list.
Currently I'm only using this as a hobbyist, for 3D design for HT and high end loudspeakers.
Though the package has some tools making it interesting for architectural design, that's not really it's intent- furniture design, now that it would do well.
Documentation is a manual that's a standard paperback size about 7/8" thick, ~340 pages, and two double sided reference cards the same size as the page size of the manual.
Very recommended.

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Punch Professional Home Design Suite Review

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(More customer reviews)The 3d view is very limited, you can walk through but you can't tilt your viewing angle vertically. The objects are very basic and there isn't much of a selection. The "12 powerfull programs in 1" is rediculous. The plumbing "program" is just a few bathroom objects that you can place in your house. The electrical and HVAC are just like the plumbing. Autoframing is useless. If you decide to change something you can't drag a box around everything and update them all at once. Example: i wanted to change my wall hieght, i had to right click on every wall, select "wall properties" from the menu, and then highlight a box and change it. And i had to do that for every wall seperately. The lanscaping feature where it changines the plants to show how they will look in 5 years just scales up some flat images of the plants.

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12 Programs in one intuitive easy-to-use interface... POWERFUL, PROFESSIONAL TOOLS to help you design all of the critical components of your home including foundations, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, custom windows, custom roofs, and much, much more!

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Punch Professional Home Design Platinum v10 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a really fun program - if you're just playing with imaginary floorplans. However, if you're trying to work on an actual house, forget it! I've tried various amateur CAD programs over the last two decades for landscaping and renovation plans. The underlying Punch! program is decent, but this version is very buggy.
Pros
- "trace" option is nice, if you can get your compy's video card to work with the program, and if you've got the patience to do repeated iterations of the zoom feature to match the program grid to your image.
- lots of options for sizes, etc.
- no wait time for tech support
- fairly generic format; easy to learn for anyone used to CAD programs except when bizarre hiccups occur (i.e., see note below about staircase)
Cons
- it takes over 1/2 hour to load this program as there are tons of graphics of brand name items; would have preferred to have downloadable packets for items that are actually needed.
- objects don't move, even though they should be repositionable; this occurs sporadically and very unpredictably
- your entire plan disappears from the file, no clue as to why this happens, but it's gone and isn't recoverable
- third party applications (PowerTool PlugIns) aren't all compatible yet
- using the 3D feature will often crash the program
- no way to preview the print output; sometimes it prints what you want, sometimes, it doesn't
- absolutely not for newbies - steep learning curve for the uninitiated and the tutorials don't explain everything (like why your staircase, drawn as per directions, looks like an Esher nightmare)
I'm running this program on a brand new VAIO with maximum memory, graphics card memory, etc. I can't imagine what a horror this would be on an older, slower computer.
This program goes back tomorrow. I'll give it another try in 9-12 months, AFTER they've debugged.

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Punch! Professional Home Design Suite Platinum™ is a special two-for-one package loaded with incredible capabilities. You get all of the features of both industry-acclaimed Punch! Master Landscape & Home Design™ and Punch! Professional Home Design Suite™ software, and more, in this easy-to-use home and landscape design package.This updated home and landscape design software version is built on the same powerful platform as Punch! Architectural Series 4000, allowing you the flexibility to integrate Punch! PowerTools and much, much, more!Version 10 gives you even more features and enhancements:design with Decorator Palette—change your room colors with just one click! Use Accessories to easily add art and window treatments.Also includes dormer & skylight tools, supports fractions and now imports 3DS files.Room Wizard helps you get started fast—just input your room dimensions and the rooms are created for you.Keep your designs up-to-date with brand name content and Punch! Updater.Home Design Software that Lets You Design and View Your Home with Incredible 3D Home Design Realism!Our PhotoView technology lets you import real-world photos into your home and landscape designs to create a truly realistic image of your home. You can import a photo of your own home, add landscaping design or deck design, and then view your work from any angle -- with realistic, 3D perspective.

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Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Home Designer Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been playing with this product for about a week, I bought it because It looked like a major upgrade from Home Designer Suite 7, which was a little quirky but got the job done. Maybe its just my expectations but the final renderings you get with this program don't look very good, as in not close to photo-realistic. They are no better than the Suite 7, and because this really isn't intended as professional home design software, the real function of it should be great visualizations. Bottom line they look pretty cartoonish.
There are a lot of great features in this software, like being able to design in the 3D view, importing your XYZ terrain data (DTM), stair tools, plant choosing tools, a whole bunch of authentic items like windows, furniture, fixtures, floor coverings, etc (although a good bit of the extra ones you have to download, which is odd because the software only ships on DVD-ROM). You can probably design your exact house using this software and maybe even build from it (if you're an experienced builder) but you may become frustrated in the process because of 2 fundamentals of the Better Homes & Gardens line of software.
They are:
1. It is real quirky and some of the "automatic things" can ruin your design if your not careful. For example, I added an "automatic stairwell" once and as it turned out ruined my design because it created "attic walls" that were not able to be deleted. I had to go back to my last save point because was unable to undo it. The zoom & pan tools work but they are very unintuitive and nonstandard. It just isn't fun to try new things for fear of screwing something up. If you are patient and creative you can get your design done, but not without some frustration. In short, the quirks are numerous, and I've only used this software a couple of weeks.
2. The maker of this software have 2 more expensive products ($500, & $2195) that are subtly hinted can do more. This is a gateway product, teasing you enough to want just a little bit more. The renderings of the $500 product don't look any better, however.
I think bottom line, if you are determined to design your house and learning new software is fun for you, this will do nearly everything, but if you get frustrated easily and/or only like easy to use software, steer clear.
Also, if you use Vista, it turns off Aero-glass while it is running.

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Better Homes and Gardens Architectural Home Designer is an all-in-one Home Design software and provides feature rich tools for design projects including: Home Design, Remodeling, Decks & Landscaping, Interior Design, Site Planning & Estimating. Quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, and cabinets.Choose colors, place furniture, create decks and landscaping. Powerful building tools like standard CAD tools, automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing, foundations, and Plan Check make it easy.Choose from a Library of more than 7,000 items including windows, doors, lighting, furniture, interior/exterior fixtures, cabinets, and more.A Sprinkler Designer tool and full landscaping capabilities including a library of 3,200 plants are included.

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3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)From the negative reviews of the 5.0 product, I decided to do some research on another product that was recommended: Chief Architect Home Edition 5.0 (or CAHE5).
Apparently, the vendor who makes CAHE5 also made Broderbund's 3D Home Architect v4.0 product. But they did NOT make the new v5.0 software; it was sub-contracted out to another company. Probably explains the new interface and the fact that v5.0 is not compatible with v4.0 (you cannot import v4.0 designs).
CAHE5 *is* compatible with 4.0, and it will import v4.0 files. The vendor says that CAHE5 is the true update to v4.0.
FYI, The vendor also says that the next release of their software will be renamed to Better Homes and "Home Designer Suite" v6.0. It's available now, in fact.
...
NOTE: I do not work for Chief Architect, Broderbund or any other computer company. I'm just a homeowner researching for the best home design software and I believe in sharing the knowledge.
Regards,
Roland Thomas

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From your first rough sketch to the final coat of paint, 3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 helps you realize your home dreams. Based on an industry-grade computer-aided drafting (CAD) engine, the 5.0 release of 3D Home Architect Professional gives you everything you need to succeed with your design, remodeling, or addition project. Advanced 3-D editing and photo-realistic rendering bring home plans to life, while the intuitive interface is easy to master. Enjoy unlimited customization of objects, colors, and textures. View every aspect of your design details with eight vivid rendering modes. Explore the extensive library of home plans, furnishings, and more. Plus, you receive 3D Home Interiors 2.0 along with landscape and garden software.

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TurboCAD Professional v12 Review

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(More customer reviews)Turbocad has been around since 1985, consequently with this many years of development it is full featured and does 95% what Autocad does, 3D modeling is proably more advanced than Autocad.Uses the same ACIS engine that Autocad has. Version 12 Pro runs very well on Vista! The learning curve is the same as other large CAD programs. You will need the training books from IMSI and cd's as well as the training bundle from Cadcourse.com. The online CAD magazine Cadalyst gives it their highest review rating. Imports and exports just about every file format you can think of. Has a large color palette, and every imaginable drawing tool! Great for Engineering, Computerized Numerical Control and Architectual pro quality work. Also can do technical illustration. While the Pro version is full featured, the Deluxe version is pretty good except it only does basic 3d, not advanced 3d like the pro version does. Is a serious engineering cad/arch tool. Plug-ins available. Does scripts. Upgradable. Great CAD program!!

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Power, precision and performance are the hallmarks of TurboCAD Professional.With integrated 2D drafting, 3D surface and solid modeling, and photorealistic rendering, TurboCAD delivers unparalleled design productivity and dramatic visual results.Adjustable tool palettes, context sensitive tools and intuitive work flow combine to deliver time savings and increased screen space.Geometric and dimensional constraint management tools, simplified text editing, and superior file format compatibility, offer added productivity.Plus, LightWorks 7.5 and LightWorks Archives of materials and effects achieve stunning visual presentations for architectural and mechanical designs.And with additional tools such as a parametric modeling Part Tree, blend preview, and thousands of fully parametric drag-and-drop doors and windows, TurboCAD is the most advanced CAD software in its price range.

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Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 6.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a software that would let me create a good design of my new house. I am not an architect and I am not interested in details such as plumbing, electrical, framing etc. I just wanted to create the walls, add the doors windows, furniture, stairs, roof, etc.
This software can do all of these easily, no bugs, no frustration, everything fits or can be rezized. So far I am 80% done with my house. I have had no crashes when I use it with my desktop (2.6 GHZ P4, 256 RAM, GeForce FX5200). But it crashes when I use it with my Laptop (P4 1.8 GHZ, 512RAM but a mobility ATI radeon). The error message says it crashed because of my video card and it happens when switching to 3d view.
To see the good about this software read the marketing review, I strongly agree in all of them. I'll list only my complains:
- Not 100% of the objects can be copy/paste from one plan to the other.
- When you start a design make sure you carefully select the template plan. The template plan gives properties to the objects (cabinets, tables, walls, etc). Because when you are half way in your design and realize that you want some object (ie fancy railings) that is not available in your template but it is in another, you also realize that you cannot change the template of the plan you are currently using. You can open a new plan with the correct template, add the object and do a copy and paste, but not all objects can be copy and pasted (ie. Railings).
- When you switch to 3d view it recalculates everything. This gets annoying and slow when your project is almost finished.
- So far i do not see a solution to adding new objects. For example a new door style, a new sofa style. The publisher does not have an online database where they can add new styles for users to keep their design updated.
The software is pricy but it is the best I have used. Granted that I have not used the punch software. I have wasted 15/20$ at a time buying low cost software on the software bins

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No matter your level of design expertise, Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 6.0 will get you moving toward a stunningly visulaized design of your dream home. The Getting Started Tutorial will guide you through basic design projects. Watch more than 30 videos for step-by-step instructions. Select from over 1,500 sample home plans or use the House Wizard to design your house. This isThe complete home design solution. You can create your dream home today with the look and feel before it is built with styles, colors, wallpaper, flooring, and materials. Plus, you can quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, cabinets, and architectural objects from a library of over 4,300 items to create a 3D Model in minutes. Use the Library content to size your rooms, evaluate traffic flow, and create a visual model of your design.
What's in the box: Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 6.0 on CD, with a guide to getting started.

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3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9 Review

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(More customer reviews)I liked Home Architect Version 8, but then I tried Version 9 because I thought it would be better. After 10 minutes of this program, I wanted to toss it out the door. See, this program isn't owned by the original company anymore, they're owned by Punch! Software.
- Any means to customize objects such as Counters or Appliances have been removed. You can Scale them, but you cannot increase or decrease the width.
- If you have knowledge with 3DS Max, you could create a 3D Object, but otherwise you need to use the Objects that Punch! provides. Sacrifices will be made because many vital 3D Objects won't be available.
Want to rotate your Object? No problem! Each time you want to do it, just click on Edit, click on Rotate, type in the Number of Degrees to Rotate, click on the "Degrees" button, then click Okay. In the previous version, each Object would have a Square and a Triangle. You'd just click on the Triangle on the Object, then Rotate. That's been removed.
The Generate Project has been removed. Want to know what you have used? What the project will cost? Too bad.
They removed the Design Wizard completely. The reason I liked 3D Home Architect was because it was different than AutoCAD or DeltaCAD. Those who weren't too knowledgable with those two programs could try 3D Home Architect because the Easy-to-Use Software was more driven towards people who just wanted to make up a quick Floor Plan.
It took me over an Hour just to build the Kitchen. The counters just would not align themselves properly. Objects seemed incomplete, or improperly designed.
Remember the Grid Lock, Object Lock, or Alignment Lock? They've been removed.
Getting a specific Camera View on your House no longer exists. You're just given a 3D Model of your home that you can walk around with the Mouse. You could do that in the previous version too, but they stripped out all the other Features in 3D Mode.
Sure, you can purchase this product, you could download it at their website but there's no Trial Software, No Refunds, No Exchanges... It says there's Refunds or Exchanges on the website, but they don't tell you which ones. EVEN with the Proof of Purchase, tough luck.
If the developers happen to read this, 3D Home Architect WAS a GREAT program. This is just incomplete. It's like you've released it way too early.
I have an idea... Go back to Schhol for Programming & Design because Version 9 is just a headache. It's incomplete, and much more inaccessible, difficult, and frustrating than Version 8. A Trial Version really needs to be offered, otherwise you're just conning people out of $40.00+ per product sold.
To everyone else, I've said my piece. You're welcome to purchase it, but I guarantee that once you've seen just how bad this program is, you'll want your money back.

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3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Design Suite 9 does a lot more than lay out your home and landscape designs. It gives you the ability to fine-tune every element of your home design or landscaping project. The wide range of tools & wizards will help you achieve your goals fast. Easy to use, yet powerful enough to generate buildable blueprint-style plans, it's the only design program you'll need. Accurate top-down representations of furnishings and other design elements in 2D designer's view enhance your home's interior with stylish furniture, lighting fixtures, customized cabinets, new appliances & more. Make the ideal landscape to complement your home - complete with plants and trees, slopes and grades, fencing, even gazebos & pools Includes Plant Encyclopedia - learn about plant care, growth zones, plant diseases, soil concerns and more. Take your dream home from an idea to reality when you design it using 3D Home Architect Home and Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9, the complete and premium quality design solution. Find the architect in you!

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Punch Home Design Architectural Series 4000 v10 Review

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(More customer reviews)After using this software for a week, I'm generally pleased with the results. The learning curve is not too difficult to climb; though I have some prior experience with less sophisticated versions of this type of software.
The box comes with a thick printed manual, which is nice to have for reference. The index in the manual is good but not great. Unfortunately the manual is not comprehensive. It appears to cover the core functionality but does not have any depth to its discussion of "power tools". The manual appears to be a nearly verbatim copy of the online help.
The software comes with short online instructional videos -- basically animated screen captures with voice-over commentary. The two or three videos that I've watched have filled in the gaps that the manual left open.
My pc has a 2001-era 1Ghz Celeron and 1GB of memory. It renders the 3D drawings fast enough to not be frustrating, and I have limited patience for this sort of thing. However, I have not added great amounts of detail to the plan yet -- mostly just walls, roof, electrical, and some trim. The addition of detail may slow rendering down enough to be annoying. Other reviewers have complained about performance, but the documentation has hints for speeding up if you run into problems.
While the core parts of the software are pretty good, the power tools leave a little something to be desired. This may just be a lack of education on my part, but if so then I'm going to blame the skimpy documentation. These power tools almost appear to have been developed by either different groups or by third parties. Overall they lack the polish and usability that is part of the core software. Take the "room wizard", for example. This is a slick way to put together the interior floor plan of the house. The problem is that the room wizard launches almost as a separate application, and when you're done it asks to "update the current design". When you say yes, it appears to paste the picture drawn in the room wizard back into the main application. From there, it is difficult (impossible?) to get the interior layout to overlay your foundation design.
I had difficulty with other power tools: the topo designer is clunky, the site planner has an annoying lot size limitation (no line can be more than 1000'), the estimator won't let you add additional materials (you can put in the cost of concrete for your foundation, but you can't add fill or stone for drainage; if I have to manually put this stuff into a separate spreadsheet then having a built-in estimator is pointless). And so on. Again, maybe this is a learning thing, but the rest of the software is easy to figure out -- why are these so different?
Overall, I would give the software 3.5 stars: four stars for doing the stuff it absolutely must do very well, minus one star for advertising extras that don't work so good, plus a star for good documentation on the core functionality, minus half a star for failing to document the extras. (I figure that the extra thirty to fifty bucks of cost over competing brands is due to these extras, but I haven't tried the competition.)

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Punch! Home Design Architectural Series 4000 V10 adds decorator pallets, GSP Sun angle, pool designing, and much more keeping Punch's top line product ahead of the pack.

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Punch Home Design Architectural Series 18 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used three Punch products in the past 3 years: Suite, Platinum, and AS18. They all offer similar user interfaces, although as you pay more money, you get more features. In fact, the feature list in AS18 is too large to list here. While some of the newer features work (DXF and VRML export), I was unable to figure out why anyone would want to use them. The diversity of the features (for example, "showers" can be found both in the "objects" [or "furniture"] section, and in the "plumbing" section) will strike you either as confusing, or as providing rich alternatives, depending on how you view these things.
Punch offers free updates from their web site, but if history is any indicator, you can only expect one update per product. Older products, such as Suite and Platinum, are likely to remain exactly as they are, with no further enhancements or bug fixes. I believe that an AS18 upgrade is now available for download from Punch.
Program performance ranges from intolerably slow to quite acceptable, but not in a way that is easy to fathom. Calculations that took my old Dell 933 MHz Pentium system 20 seconds, take about 11 seconds on my new AMD 1.8 MHz Athalon, but for a different kind of calculation, the numbers are 4 and 40. Yes, that's right: the newer, faster machine is 10 times slower than the older machine. When I switched video boards on the newer machine (from an ATI 8500 Radeon to an nVidia 4200 card), this number dropped to below a second, an improvement of a factor of 50 or so. Thus, predicting program performance can be difficult, since simply getting new hardware is not a panacea. Punch tech support provided essentially no help in this area. Note that 3D values are recomputed at times when they need not be, which can be especially frustrating if you have a slower system, since long (20 second) delays can occur.
Punch has designed the software so that there are times when the blueprint is repositioned without your permission. This can lead to your having to pan back to the place you were working originally, which can be pretty annoying. Why they think that they should move the diagram when you did not ask them to is beyond me.
Some features only work well when using a mouse: if you use a graphics tablet, you may be further annoyed. The zoom feature is particulary awkward to use with a tablet.
The main difference between the older Suite and Platinum products and the AS18 product is the addition of "layers". You can inspect and work on any of the layers (including the floor plan, electrical, plumbing, roof, etc) separately, while seeing the other layers as needed. This is a great improvement over the older software.
The program is feature laden, and you can actually design a house with it, but I found it to be pretty annoying at times. On the other hand, I know of no other software in this price range that offers anywhere near the features that this package does.
Annoyances not already mentioned included the following:
The hourglass cursor is rarely used when program delays occur, resulting in user confusion and erroneous multiple clicks;
Some functions appear as active menu items but in fact cannot be used at all;
Even when you click on an object, and the context menu appears, the object may not be fully selected, and operations on that object may fail without warning or explanation;
Plumbing showerheads cannot be moved to arbitrary shower walls;
36"x36" showers will not fit on a 38" wall;
Invoking some tools results in no visible change to the screen, because the tool has performed an activity at a location that the user is not currently able to see;
The program always asks you whether you want to save your design, even when you have made no changes, and even when the design is empty;
The program does not remember printing preferences at all;
Some standard objects (such as queen sized beds) are not the
correct size;
Some objects cannot be easily manipulated because they are hidden "behind" other objects, and there are no facilities for moving objects to the front or back;
Data from designs made in older versions of Punch! software can be read in newer versions, but some data can be lost without warning.

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From layout to landscaping, Home Design Architectural Series 18 from Punch! Software delivers a complete home-design solution. Flexible and easy to use, this software integrates 18 programs and adds more than 60 new features and enhancements. Explore easy-to-use wall tools, robust text and dimension tools, additional 2-D geometric creation tools, photo-realistic lighting, enhanced framing and estimating, and much more. Help text and video clips explain and demonstrate how each tool is used. Plus, you can join the Punch! Developers Network, download the free developer's kit, and get started customizing your own PowerTools plug-ins.

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Punch Professional Home Design Review

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(More customer reviews)I dont usually WRITE reviews, but I do find them VERY helpful when deciding to buy a product so Im trying to return the favor.
It was with some hesitation that I bought the above software- reading many positive and equally negative views for the various packages. I went with "professional" so that I could change elevations for uneven lots- very useful feature.
what I was looking for in software was something that i could easily draw my own plans for a home, add textures, furniture and be able to easily view it in 3-D to asssess for room space, design etc. I didnt expect the software to be able to generate professional, usuable plans to construct a home for (not my goal). This software does a GREAT job with my objective, and its rather easy to use.
Ive constructed a 3 level complicated outer wall home(not a simple box) without much difficulty
(Ive spent 3-4 hours, all 3 levels are essentially done, just adding a few more windows, furniture etc)...(not in the computer field, reasonably computer savy)
I must admit, when I first sat down, I wasnt impressed with the program....so I opened the manual- pleasant suprise! After I began to build the home, using the steps in the manual (very clear) it was easily accomplished.( I was afraid i would have to build a simple home to get used to the features , but it wasnt necessary)
Some VERY nice features:
1) Live view in a window- 3-D as you build it - it shows up view.
2) Importing scanned plans- that you can resize and draw on- VERY nice feature
3) walk through in 3-D- after I figured out to drag around the small arrow on the 2-D blueprint and watch the 3-d window- realized how nice this program is. you can get a really good feel for how big the home is/ rooms are- how open etc.
PROBLEMS:
I was unhappy with the textures- there was "bleeding through" of the exterior textures into the interior and vice-versa- went to the user support groups off punch website and found out the the software works better when you turn your pc graphics accelerator down(or off in my case)(renders 3-D in software- not hardware) - now the textures look really nice. they turn off while im moving through the house- and draw back on once I stop.
UNKNOWNS:
havnt used the estimator, deck builder or done much landscaping(added a few trees) so cant comment much about these- again...not my main focus for the software
BOTTOM LINE:
I think this is an INVALUABLE tool if youre planning on building a home - If you want to be able to walk through a home in 3-D, design it easily and not spend alot of time this works VERY well.
got a manufactures rebate on the box and purchased it for a very reasonable price at Bestbuy.
I would buy this again without hesitation.

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Professional Home Design offers 12 programs on one easy-to-use interface to help you design all of the critical components of your home, including foundations, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, custom windows, custom roofs, and much more. This package includes 3D Home Exterior & Interior Design, 3D Landscape, and Ultimate Deck, plus a 3-D scale model creator and an autoframing feature with a cost estimator.
Use the 3D Home Exterior & Interior Design program to view your home in thousands of subtle paint color choices, or design walk-out basements and split-level designs with the slope tool. The ClearView tool renders your design with a glass-house effect, giving you a wire-frame perspective of your topography without your landscape plantings. A user-definable database helps you find the right plantings for your planting zone based on your search criteria. More than 2,000 selections of flowers, shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, ground cover, and more are featured. As you design, the Landscape Estimator compiles planting information, producing a report in an editable, printable, exportable spreadsheet format.
Design the perfect deck for your home plan with Ultimate Deck. Multilevel or multistory decks with 3-D photorealistic textures, stairs, railings, object placement, and color capabilities give you the ability to design exactly the deck you want. Deck Wizards walk you through railings, baluster options, and more. And make sure everything is planned to perfection with tools for foundation, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing planners.

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Punch Architectural Series 5000 V12 Review

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(More customer reviews)The main difference between AS 5000 and its predecessor AS 4000 is the incorporation of 3D Custom Workshop Pro, which is a restricted/modified version of Punch's basic ViaCAD 2D/3D application. Overall, this is a positive change as Custom Workshop Pro allows importing designs from other software into Punch's 3D Object Library, including those that are widely available as Google Sketchup files. However, the implementation of Custom Workshop Pro is flawed. The program is unstable and crashes even with some of Punch's own objects and does not render imported object textures properly.
Otherwise, AS 5000 offers little additional features and remains problematic and seriously flawed, especially when designing any even slightly non-traditional constructions. Despite the wide array of poorly documented features and peculiar behaviors, you will be forced into making design compromises, even if you critically comb through all available instruction materials such as printed manuals, the program's electronic help and tutorial videos, and internet resources including the heavily advertised Punch University online video courses. I cannot recommend this software to any user. Entry level users are better served using any of the widely available cheap, low-end products to decide if house design/CAD is for them or not. Once you have made the decision to proceed with your own design and creation (and I would bet any money that this would only be the case for a small minority), Punch AS 5000 will quickly show its limitations to you, especially when any non-conventional designs are concerned. If you are planning a conventional design, then why purchase a high-end architectural CAD product in the first place?
Having used the features of Punch AS 5000 extensively for real projects, and now comparing it to the trial version of Chief Architect X1, I came to the conclusion that the higher priced Chief Architect X1 is well worth every penny that you would spend on it (not to mention the available support options), provided you are REALLY SERIOUS AND COMMITTED about using it. I am in no way affiliated with Chief Architect and I really wish their product was more affordable, and did not have a USB locking device, etc. However, even if your time would be worth minimum wage, Chief Architect would be worth its high price economically. Remember that no software will allow you to develop new ideas, or implement them with a few mouse clicks. In my case, I was able implement my plan using Chief Architect literally in a matter of hours, which was a task that had proven itself impossible while using Punch AS 5000 for several weeks.
Designing a house plan is a long and arduous process, requiring far more time, patience, and perseverance than you would expect, as well as innumerable visits to libraries and other sources for reference. As always, the Devil is in the details, and this is precisely where AS 5000 falls short. The user will be forced to compromise for example on floor plan/wall layout in order to create a desired roof. These compromises not only cost you time and force you to troubleshoot after minor adjustments, but they also make the difference between a spectacular versus mediocre-at-best end-result.
Unless you are a qualified professional, you will also need to have your plans reviewed, approved and signed off by a qualified professional. In this context, I have not come across any professionals who either use or recommend using Punch's line of house design products for obvious reasons. They all use products of AutoCAD's and Chief Architect's caliber and reputation. And speaking of low-end products, why use Punch's if they all culminate in AS 5000, when Chief Architect also provides low-end, affordable consumer products that would offer a more convenient transition to Chief Architect?
The bottom line is that Punch has put out the same interface and underlying design year-after-year. The limitations of the program's current implementation undermine the user's creativity and impair the overall work flow. The incorporation of additional features and wizards do not save the flawed overall program design, even if any of the included wizards/components/features would shine individually. Punch should finally start listening to its more knowledgeable consumers and should also try to offer its services to professionals whose feedback could in turn improve its overall product line. I would have considered a higher rating as appropriate if the program was being sold as something for entertainment rather than for such a serious undertaking as designing a house. Support options are inadequate. For example, you cannot expect any support if you happen to use even a high-end laptop PC. The questions on their user forums are of the variety of "how do I register my program" or "how do I return my software" and there is an inadequate number of entries that offer any complicated help or advice.


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Punch! Architectural Series 5000 provides you with out matched performance and realism for all your Home, Landscape, and Design needs.Commanding power, versatility and our trademark LogiCursor technology, a patent pending technology, that predicts your next move and thinks as you draw, makes this new software solution, a must have, for anyone thinking about building a home, remodeling a home, refreshing a bathroom, redesigning a kitchen, and even your landscaping! These features along with exceptional Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools and several various 3D capabilities make this a comprehensive all inclusive software package that can save you time and money that might otherwise be paid to architects and design professionals.Take the guess work out of leaving your design ideas to others, show your style and save time and money! You can even print blue prints or make a model with our patented Real Model 3D Modeling tool! Think you can't start fast enough? Our Quick-start tools get your started fast, with integrated videos and players let you watch or repeat Tool Tips whenever you like!

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3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Design Suite V8 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have long been a fan of 3D Home Architect and have used my old version to design a dozen units of housing, usually on my own but with a professional architect's assistance on a few.
This month I sat down to redesign my kitchen and, seeing that the copyright date on my old software (version 3) was 1999, was inspired to try out the newly released 3D HDS8. My experience with the new product has been frustrating, disappointing, and time-consuming.
I feel sympathy for the software developers: they have clearly worked very hard to add a lot of features, and have increased the "power" of this tool to enable the user to make it "do what I mean". To their credit, the limitations of version 3 have pretty much been eliminated: if you have the patience you can model virtually any 3D object within the design space. However, their marketing bosses have castrated the end result: sure it's fun to play with a eunuch, but what's the point if it can't generate offspring?
It seems that this product has been demoted from top-of-the-line to a second tier. It seems that if you want the fully-enabled progeny of this software development team, you will have to fork over $600 for a big-brother product that is marketed through different channels under a different name. My sympathy for the developers: their reputation will be dependent on consumer reaction to this mainstream product.
The good news: what you get with this product is essentially a designer's "video game" that allows you to create beautiful on-screen images. There are a number of ways to render your product on screen, most of which were present in version 3 but there are some extensions to these features that make version 8 superior.
The bad news: once you've taken the time to create a perfect on-screen rendition of your project (a major time sink, it's as addicting as a video game--with every feature including the kitchen sink thrown in, the temptation to add detail is irresistable), there is no way to "create blueprint-style plans to print or email" as promised on the product's box. Also, code bloat has slowed everything down: version 3 worked well on a Pentium 600MHz with 256Mb, version 8 requires a computer that hasn't been invented yet.
Two of my favorite features of version 3 have been ripped out: the ability to darken wall lines when printing, and the ability to view horizontal cross sections in 3D view (the latter is replaced by a whiz-bang but useless 2D vertical section view). This product gives you no printing options whatsoever; all you can do is print whatever's on the screen in 150, 300 or 600 dpi.
Without the ability to print, I can't use this product to communicate anything other than fancy 3D pictures of the interior.
Unfortunately, I can't revert to version 3 either: there is no import/export utility for data files. So I will have to find another program for future products, this one isn't what I was hoping for.
Developers, take note: in version 9, PLEASE add real blueprint printing capability. I need to take these drawings down to the city building department once in a while. The ones I got in version 3 were amateurish but serviceable. Version 8 cannot be used to generate drawings, period.

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Create your dream home plans. Based on a powerful CAD engine, 3D Home ArchitectHome and Landscape Design Suite Version 8 puts you in control of every detail. Plan the layout, place the furnishings - even tweak the lighting - it's all within reach! Whether you're embarking on a serious building project or simply experimenting with home design ideas, find everything you need in 3D Home Architect Home and Landscape Design Suite Version 8. Convenient wizards and tutorials help you create basic plans fast, while unlimited customization guarantees a flawless finished project. Powerful enough to generate buildable blueprint-style plans, 3D Home Architect Home and Landscape Design Suite Version 8 is the only design program you need.

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Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)i've owned this program for one week. i was initially concerned, as it did not come with a manual. well, after a week, i've found that a paper manual is not necessary to fully operate this program. i can not claim that i'm an expert after one week, but, i do re-assure you that this program is quite simple to operate, it offers possibilities that i never before imagined in my previous architecture program. this program is challenging, in that it offers so many options that i can spend hours looking through all of them. while $99 isn't cheap, especially compared to some of the other programs, i assure you that it is leaps ahead of my 3 year old 3D program. i haven't purchased other programs to know how it compares to other more recent products. i can say that it is phenomenal in comparison to three year old programs. i am very glad that i made this purchase and i would do it again, knowing what i know now, i might even pay more for it. it is likely to become one of my favorite toys. [after i've owned this program for a month or two, i'll submit an addendum so that you can read more of my findings.]

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Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0 is powerful software for any home design project.With over 5,000 integrated tools it is perfect for home design, remodeling, interior design, landscaping, decks, cost estimation, and site planning. Design in 2D and 3D simultaneously; even do a virtual walk-through.Choose from over 6,000 library items or download free bonus items.Create base, wall, full height, curved, corner cabinets and more for your new kitchen or bath.Choose from over 1,500 popular plants and get detailed information including Hardiness Zone Maps.Import custom colors or materials.Track costs for materials, quantities, unit costs and more.

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Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 7.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently had the onerous job of drawing several plans for an addition to my home. I had the option of hiring an architect ($$$), or doing the drawings myself--and I selected this software to do the later.
First of all, I was successful drawing 5 or 6 floor plans for my existing home and the addition. However there were some "hiccups" and problems along the way. Here is what I found:
- I gave up trying to create a roof that would look anything like what I needed to draw. This was true for my existing home as well as the roof for the addition. This was by far the biggest problem with this software--I watched various on-line "videos," looked for help in forums, etc. but I was unable to render it correctly. Big problem because I was unable to get a good 3D or elevation drawing and actually was forced to draw these views by hand (well, a ruler and pencil). The auto-generated roof function is totally useless unless you have a very simple roof structure.
- My home has walls of various thicknesses--while the software provides preselected wall types, it doesn't allow you to customize the thickness (which was a problem). So I had to use a "canned" masonry type wall (12" thick I recall) to represent a wall I have that's not masonry and about 18" thick (don't ask!). If you have a newer home with "standard" walls, then you probably won't have this problem. In my case, I don't think I have any "standard" walls (home is relatively old).
- Button layout is confusing--they would be better off following typical "Windows" layout. Easy to forget what the icons represent.
- I tried to use this software to lay out a garden--however I literally couldn't find any of the plants I'm growing in their library. I understand there's an optional product can purchase (which I didn't), but they really should provide a better "basic" choice of plants.
- Very difficult to add dimension lines--it's difficult to explain unless you try to use it. For example, you "drag" across an area you want to add a dimension line...it invariably sets one of the points to the middle of a wall--which isn't what you want if you want the interior dimension of a room. They don't provide a simple way to click on two "spots" and produce a dimension line. If a dimension line sits inside of a wall, it's very difficult to select it...on several occasions I was forced to delete the wall because I couldn't select and move the dimension line out of the way. There's an alt-click (I recall) method to select overlapping objects, but it sometimes just doesn't work.
- Sometimes, no matter what I did, I could not get a precisely sized object (like a wall's length). They have a "nudge" tool for precise sizing that doesn't work on all objects. Software has a propensity to "snap" to grids or other objects which can be really annoying. You can disable it, but it's hidden in some menu somewhere.
And so on-- there were many other minor irritations that I worked through. The bottom line (sic) is that I was able to get most of the layouts done (except anything that would show a roof)--but I had to "fight" the software in order to do it.

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Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 7.0 is software developed by Chief Architect for home enthusiast remodeling and home design projects. This software helps you design the home of your dreams with 3D models, virtual tours, even more library items, easy to use building templates, a new Plant Encyclopedia and landscaping features with over 1,000 plant terrain and outdoor items.Combining the leading-edge home design software with the consumer design editorial expertise of Better Homes and Gardens, we have produced the best software tool for home and remodeling design.

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Punch Professional Home Design Platinum 8.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, I'll start by saying I have been researching the home designer software titles for months. After exhaustively comparing specs, professional and consumer reviews, I finally landed with Punch!'s new Home Design Platinum 8.0. Platinum 8.0 is newly released, this version only has one upgrade - that's the highest end Punch! product, AS4000. See, the NEW Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum 8.0 is built on the same platform as AS4000 - very impressive to say the least.
Make no mistake, Punch! Platinum 8.0 is very high-end and makes a complete joke out of Better Homes and Gardens home design software...well, the affordable version anyway. If you compare the specs on Better Homes and Gardens 6.0 vs. Punch! Platinum 8.0 you will scratch your head in disbelief at the higher price point on Better Homes and Gardens 6.0! [...]
There is little you cannot do with Punch! Platinum 8.0. The item library is limited, but there are Punch! sites where you can download free user-made 3D objects (very well done I might add). Or, use the built-in CAD creation tool and create them yourself! Or, import a photo of an item. Something I found exceptionally useful. Most if not all the name-brand appliance and home furnishing outlets are online. Well, they normally have pictures of their products. With Punch! Platinum 8.0, you can copy the product picture and import it into your floor plan. How is this useful? Think about this...you design a door, but it doesn't look exactly like the manufacturer's door. Create the door using Punch! Platinum 8.0, then import the picture of the REAL door into the floor plan and place it over your created door!!! Now your looking at a door that looks REAL and will give you a better idea how the door will look with your house! Do the same for cabinets, appliances, and other furnishings!
The design tools are relatively easy to use, and the video tutorials help get your through many functions. Just don't expect to be a pro overnight. I suggest spending only a few hours on it initially, otherwise you can become overwhelmed with frustration. Try building a small house initially with just the foundation, exterior and interior walls. Get an idea of how it works. Then get into designing your house or home addition. When you run into problems, there is a whole network of experts on the Punch! Forums.
One major complaint...and I'm not alone on this one. LiveView isn't all that great. It will take you hours to get used to it's controls. Worse yet, you cannot change the viewing angle when using walk-through mode. That's absurd! In other words, if you wanted to look down a staircase, look up at your wonderful cathedral ceiling, you can't. Hopefully, Punch! will release an update to fix this...it's a common complaint.
Well, this is already to long for anyone to read, but I'll end by saying that Punch! Platinum 8.0 is definitely worth every penny! Better yet, they give you a FREE 90-Day Satisfaction Return Guarantee!

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With Punch! Professional Home Design Suite Platinum 8.0 you get the power of professional home design software (Punch! Professional Home Design Suite), plus fully-integrated landscape software (Punch! Master Landscape). This easy-to-use home and landscape design package will have you planning the home of your dreams in minutes.

Punch! Professional Home Design Suite lets you design and view all of your home's rooms in photo-realistic 3D. Punch!'s PhotoView technology lets you import real-world photos into your home and landscape designs to create a truly realistic image of your home.

You can import a photo of your own home, add landscaping design or deck design, and then view your work from any angle -- all in realistic, 3D perspective. What's more, the software's LiveView window continually updates your home designs, in real-time and in 3D, as you draw. Meanwhile, interior and exterior 2D elevations are available with a single mouse click and the exclusive ClearView tool renders your design with a "glass house" effect, allowing you to see through walls to maximize your design space. The powerful 3D graphics engine also lets you create real-time walk or fly-throughs of your designs.

Creating wonderful new spaces outside your home is just as easy as creating the interiors. The garden and landscape design tools allow you to create multi-level or multi-story decks with 3D photo-realistic textures, stairs, railings, object placement, and color capabilities. Helpful deck design wizards walk you through railing, baluster options, and more. Choose a basic shape or create one from scratch and watch the program draft a beautiful 3D rendering of your new deck design. Your deck and landscaping designs come to life with photo-realistic 3D -- complete with shadows -- giving you a stunning, true-to-life representation of your home design. Plus, the integrated PlantFinder provides extensive information for a wide variety of plant species including botanical name, soil and moisture requirements, mature height and other facts so you choose exactly what you want for your garden and landscape design. Tap into information for over 2,000 selections of flowers, shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, ground cover, and more.

Other features built into the Home Design Suite are designed to give you incredibly detailed control over your design decisions. Features like Cabinet Wizard for your kitchen designs, as well as modules for plumbing HVAC, electrical wiring, and even your house foundation are included. There's even a Home Estimator module for estimating your construction costs.

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BOB VILLA HOME DESIGN (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)BOB VILA'S HOME DESIGN - CD
Conceptualize, Plan and Build the Home of Your Dreams
2001 Broderbund Properties, LLC.
Compton's Home Library, Windows Version 1.0
DESCRIPTION:
Design your dream home today with Bob Vila as your guide. Bob Vila's Home Design brings success and style to every home design project.
Easy enough for the weekend hobbyist yet advanced enough for the experienced builder, Bob Vila's Home Design helps you transform all your brilliant ideas into brilliant 3D color plans and more!
Design a Unique Floor Plan
Build your own floor plan with amazing accuracy and detail with a suite of easy-to-use CAD tools.
Choose from Today's Finest Homes.
View these spectacular homes through animated home tours, detailed floor plans, and color images of interior and exterior layouts. View from any Angle. Create and visualize your dream home or floor plan in both 2D and 3D views.
Design Like a Pro
Start your next home design project or remodel with Bob Vila's Home Design. Whether you're a novice or a pro, you'll be designing your plan with walls, doors, windows, plumbing, wiring and more in no time! The suite of powerful yet easy-to-use CAD tools includes an extensive selection of 3D symbols for easy layout of cabinets, carpeting, furniture, fixtures, decks, hot tubs and landscaping. You can even create your own 3D objects.
Choose from Professional Plans
Browse through the HomeStyles Interactive encyclopedia of 1001 professionally designed home plans and find the perfect floor plan for you. Many include 3D views, animated home tours, and color images. More than 100 plans are fully modifiable, so you can adapt them to fit your specific needs.
Or Start from Scratch
Design and produce your own floor plan from the ground up with up to 20 floor levels, appliances, furnishings, wall coverings, and more. Top off your dream home or addition with a variety of roof shapes and styles, complete with dormers, chimneys, skylights and even complicated roof lines. All with the click of a button!
Get Expert Answers from Bob Vila
Gain valuable information from Bob Vila's video tips, which cover a range of topics from selecting the perfect home site, to hiring an architect, to decorating the interior of your dream home.
Walk Through Your Creation In 3D
Transform your 2D plans into 3D renderings with amazing ease. Choose any angle for viewing and take a tour through your very own dream home or project for the first time!
System Requirements: Windows 95/98 - Pentium 2 or faster - 16MB RAM - 2X CD-ROM or faster.

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