eShop USA > Software > 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 [OLD VERSION]
3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 [OLD VERSION]
Binding: CD-ROM
Brand: Broderbund
Color: 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0
EAN: 0772040808655
Edition: Not Stated
Label: Broderbund
Manufacturer: Broderbund
Model: 380865
Platform: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 95
Publication Date: 2001
Publisher: Broderbund
Release Date: April 27, 2001
Studio: Broderbund
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Editorial Review:
Guide to the easier, most complet home design software. Tech Manual, clean tight copy.
Consumer-grade home design software is no substitute for the services of a skilled architect, but it can certainly aid in expressing your idea of the perfect home. Broderbund's 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 is a competent tool for creating sophisticated home designs.
Designing a house with 3D Home Architect is fun. Users can start from scratch or modify one of dozens of included plans into a dream house. Thanks to a snappy drawing interface, scratching out a floor plan is almost as simple as sketching a doodle in Microsoft Paint. Detail work, like laying out doors, creating complex staircases, and restructuring already plotted walls, is a little more tricky, but 3D Home Architect's friendly help system supplies thorough explanations of even the most complex features.
3D Home Architect not only helps users lay down floor plans, but it also tries to deal with the less obvious tribulations of home building. For example, it keeps a running spreadsheet listing the building materials required to construct a design, which can be edited as needed. It will look over a design for common code violations and other technical problems, but warns that it's unaware of local housing codes.
Having hashed out a basic floor plan, users can populate it with furniture, counters, plumbing fixtures, landscaping, and other household items through a cool drag-and-drop browser. It's also possible to run electric wiring and a plumbing system, although those facets aren't quite as simple.
The program becomes clumsy when you leave the 2-D floor plan module and go vertical. Some folks may wish for the simple interface of the floor plan workspace when they try to, for instance, adjust the heights of doorways, counters, and windows. And, although it allows users to see a 3-D-rendered representation of a design and create walkthroughs of a house, applying colors and textures to floors, walls, doors, furniture, and other items is tedious.
Even worse, the 3-D engine is incredibly slow, taking several seconds to render each frame--even on a fast PC. That's utterly inexcusable, considering that Broderbund could have licensed a simple 3-D game engine, or even used one of many public domain 3-D engines capable of fluidly rendering dynamic 3-D environments.
Despite its more clumsy aspects, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 makes home design easy and enjoyable with a minimal learning curve. If you're thinking of building a new home, it's worth spending some time with this program to visualize your ideas. --Joel Durham Jr.
This easy-to-use program gives you all the tools you need to design, build, remodel, and furnish your home. You can customize your home interior and exterior with over 2 million possible combinations of furnishings, appliances, colors, materials, and styles. Get started fast with step-by-step instructions, wizards, and helpful videos. Design by using the hundreds of floor plans and predesigned rooms available, or simply browse through them for inspiration. Work with a floor plan or room in 2-D and watch it build instantly in 3-D. Objects and design textures in 3-D include thousands of appliances, furnishings, paint, wood, wallpaper, and stone textures (you can also import your own). E-mail your design to your contractor, or record and play back 3-D tours for family and friends, at home or over the Internet.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good product, needs work
This program is cool to design a house with, but i found it has a lot of things u can't do, but overall it isn't bad. One of my major peeves of the program is that when u put in say a table or a piece of furniture, the main color is always a horrible woodgrain, even the cars, and sometimes it is hard to change. The terrain is another problem it is square, no hills, u are basically left to build a structure on a perfectly flat surface, which is rarely true. But the program is incredibly easy to use, ... Read More
Rating:  - This one is good!
I have used this extensively and find it intuitive with enough features to render your concept in "rough". This is NOT for a finished architectural plan. But you can bring up enough to show the concept to a professional and talk through the rest.
This is also a "fun" program to use, but it's best to read the user guide which is short and gets you through things nicely.
Don't expect the super artistic or serious CAD features of the expensive programs. Do expect this one to be ... Read More
Rating: - great program but won't run on XP
I love the 3D Home Architect 4.0 . I have purchased 2 Punch programs also, they are impossible to use. the 3D Home Architect 4.0 is simple and beautiful. the only problem I have run into is: I just purchaed a new computer with WindowsXP and the 3D Home Architect 4.0 will not install. I have heard that the upgrade to 3D Home Architect 4.0 is not good. any suggestions?
Rating: - For the money it is unbeatable
For the money this 3D Home Architect 4.0 can't be beat. You can easily build walls, install windows, cabinets, fixtures, doorways, etc. The impressive thing is that if you want to resize something, like a wall, it displays in a revolving manner the actual wall dimension. The full camera enables you to click on a spot and get a full view of what your design looks like in its completion. The amount of detail, like being able to put paintings on the wall, or custom effect painting is not an option. As you ... Read More
Rating:  - Least of all evils I guess
Has some powerful features, but not a very quality product. Don't expect the quality that is in most microsoft products we use every day. For instance:
- a help index that had all the necessary key words
- an index in the manual that is worthwhile
- Nonspecific error codes that persistently appear leaving you to guess what is causing them
- no keyboard shortcuts (esp for critical items like zoom, etc.)
- all kinds of little bugs here & there
- no implementation of mouse ... Read More
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