Software : 3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9

In association with Amazon.com
  

from: Encore Software

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

List Price: $39.99
Amazon.com's Price: $27.49
You Save: $12.50 (31%)
Prices subject to change.



Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
More Information


This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: DVD-ROM
Brand: Encore
EAN: 0705381139102
Format: CD-ROM
Label: Encore Software
Manufacturer: Encore Software
Model: 13910
Publisher: Encore Software
Release Date: May 15, 2007
Sales Rank: 205
Studio: Encore Software

Features:

Accessories: Related Items:

Editorial Review:

Product Description:
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. Unlimited customization guarantees that your dream home will be perfect in every detail. 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

Amazon.com:
3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9 is the ultimate easy-to-use home and landscape design solution that will ensure your dream home becomes a reality. Powered by Punch! Software, this DVD based suite utilizes the latest design techniques and technologies to make your design experience a snap.



Modify every element of your home with ease.


Design your kitchen using a vast library of materials and textures.


Choose the roofing material to build the roof you desire.


Use the plant library to choose the best landscape planting options.


Use the Deck Tool to create the perfect deck or patio.


Take Your Home to the Next Level
Design a floor plan, remodel a room, or create a landscape masterpiece, the possibilities are endless. The new intuitive user interface will make for a quick and pleasurable design experience. You can also look through the library of ready-made plans and rooms.

A complete set of home and landscape design tools will allow you to modify every detail of your home and landscape project.

Additional Helpful Features

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!

Design Home Plans & Room Templates
Edit your design plan to your specifications using the provided structural elements.

3D Home Tour
Take a 3D tour inside of your dream home with photo-realistic visuals.

Roofing
Choose the roofing material to build the roof you desire.

Home Blueprints
Create blueprints that include every detail of your home design.

Interior Design
Every room is your canvas! Reinvent the look of your living space to match both your unique style and life. Utilize powerful yet easy-to-use tools to change every element of your room. Include paint colors, flooring, fixtures, furniture arrangements, and more.


Precision Lighting
Illuminate and create the perfect mood for your space with a variety of lighting options. Create shadows from lighting fixtures or sunlight.

Customize Every Element


Use a wide range of color palettes, finishes, and texures.


Landscape Design
Your landscape designs will be true to form with topographical options such as:

Expanded Plant Library
Use the plant library to choose the best landscape planting options based on parameters such as terrain, region, climate, and soil conditions.

Custom Outdoor Features
Design your outdoor space with every luxury in mind!

Decks & Patios
Use the Deck Tool to create a deck or patio perfect for your home and outdoor life style



Plant Growth Projection Tool
Experiment and preview different plant options until you achieve your ideal combination. view the growth pattern of your landscape over a period of time.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - 3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9
Where's the manual???? A manual is not included with this software. The help files are not helpful either. I don't even know where to begin. I'm very disappointed.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - A Blatant Ripoff
I purchased this program direct from the 3dhaonline.com website, because I had used it years before on my old PC...and it did a decent job of producing what I wanted. I was pleased to see that a Mac OS version was available (and this should have tipped me to investigate further before buying).

Well, after downloading it and stumbling through the non-intuitive activation process, I anticipated opening up my old 3DHA files. Well now, it doesn't seem to recognize the old file format, and the only Import option is for "Punch 3D" objects. Combing through the online help, I come to learn that version 9 is not compatible with anything prior! Didn't see that bullet in the features list (on later re-review, I saw that their promotional page does in fact declare incompatibility...but then what justifies revving the name?).

At that point I decided to check Amazon's reviews...and what do I see, but ten 1-star ratings out of 14 reviews with many comments reflecting exactly what I just experienced. And as further punishment, I see that the latest price is under $9.00!

I have personally confirmed each of the weaknesses mention in the other reviews, plus some:
- The editing of walls is cumbersome, as once two walls are connected, you cannot lengthen one without dragging the other along. The Wall Break tool is pointless, since the two halves are still connected.
- The dimensioning is lousy. Dragging to a desired length and then releasing the mouse button does not yield the choosen length, and requires many retries to acheive the desired measurement.
- It has no provisions for modeling porches.
- It doesn't do garage doors.
- It does not provide for pocket doors.
- There is too much emphasis on frivilous details, such as lighting.
- Roofs are not connected to walls...they are just separate objects that float above walls, with large visible gaps and no provision for adjusting their height.
- The zoom mechanism is imprecise.
- The 3D views are controlled only by the mouse, making for erratic movements and much wasted time in seeking the desired position.
- and so forth...

I am seeking a refund from the publisher. As mention by another, this is really a prime candidate for a class-action lawsuit. There is no connection between this program and the ones bearing the same name in pass iterations. If it were a decent program in its own right with backward compatability, I wouldn't mind some of the changes. But, as others pointed out, many many useful features of earlier versioned programs are no longer supported. Instant junk, and all those involved with it should be ashamed of themselves for its poor quality.


Rating: 2 out of 5 stars - Previous version files cannot be opened
If you have created files with previous versions of 3D Home Architect, you might be interested in knowing what I finally located on a support forum (http://forums.encoreusa.com/tm.asp?m=29701):

What type of files does this product open? - 1/26/2008 11:09:07 PM

There have been several different 3DHA developers. And, unfortunately, each developer created file formats that were not compatible with the products created by the other developers.

So, this is pretty much how the file format for 3DHA breaks down:

3DHA versions 5-8 cannot open any 3DHA file created with version 4 or earlier.

3DHA version 9 cannot open any 3DHA file created with any previous version of 3DHA.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - Worthless Software
Years ago, I had Broderbund's 3DHA, version 3. It worked fine. Then Broderbund had the audacity to completely revamp the software, and when version 5 came out (under the same name), it became almost useless. Now, Punch is marketing 3D Home Architect, version 9. This one is also useless. The libraries are small; e.g., only four door styles to choose from. There is no way to "cut a section" and view an elevation. The "Help" line is unresponsive; e.g., my current question has gone unanswered for 10 days. I could go on with a litany of reasons why this software is worthless, but the publisher hasn't earned my time.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - Wish I hadn't....
purchased this. Wish I had read these reviews before purchasing it (I got it at a local office supply store). I have a really old (approx 1998) version of 3D Home Architect - it lacks a lot, but is easy to use. I was hoping for some improvements on this one. I've tried many others, including Punch! and haven't liked any of them. That should've been my first clue - it's now Punch! I purchased several programs on that trip and installed them & I can't even get this thing to install! I hope I can get a refund for defective materials, but I'm not holding my breath. Hope there's something better out there - any recommendations? Waste of $40.00......ugh!

see more


More Information
Browse for similar items by category:

 

HOME

Cell Phone - Internet Advertising - Personal Loans - Credit Card - The eBay Song