***3D Home Design Programs Reviewed
by Malisa L. Burkeen
We often get asked the question what is the best selling 3D program or
class of 3D programs? Without a doubt it is 3D Home Design programs. We
estimate that the unit quantities could be as high as 1m units/year. This
class of programs go well beyond games and are widely enjoyed by women.
At the WAVE Report we decided to look further into this 3D application.
If you have been considering some home redecorating or remodeling, there
are several 3D software programs available that could help you design all
or part of your home. All of the programs have varying degrees of 3D and
as with most products, some are better than others. Each program has its
own benefits, but all require quite a bit of time to learn, so we suggest
you schedule practice time into your remodeling schedule. Just get out
your mouse and imagination and start clicking on that new kitchen or
bathroom.
Product: FloorPlan Plus 3D
Company: IMSI
Price:$49.95
Ratings -
Instruction Manual: ***
Time to Learn: ***
Ease of Use: **
3D Graphics: **
Features: *****
Overall Rating: 3.0
FloorPlan Plus 3D is a semi-easy to use home layout program. The user can
choose to create their own layout from scratch by constructing walls,
doors and windows or begin with one of the 1,001 sample floor plans. With
the click of the mouse furniture, stairs, appliances, carpeting and
cabinets can be added from over 500 pre-drawn symbols in the library.
Accompanying the program is a helpful User's Guide which is easy to
follow and is broken up into sections so the user can find information on
a drawing , building or viewing techniques with ease. Starting the
program from scratch was not difficult with the help of the graphic
buttons on the screen. The snap to grid feature allows the user to
construct exactly to the preferred dimensions.
The best feature of the program is the Garden Designer tool which
accompanies the program. The garden encyclopedia which references up to
1500 varieties of plants and flowers is superb with very realistic
planning and growth plans. This is the most easy to use of all features
of the program. The most fun too.
The 3D Viewer allows the user to view the room as if you were standing in
it. Moving and looking around the room helps to get a real feel for your
newly created design. Unfortunately, the graphics colors are limited and
the final product is not even close to being aesthetically appealing.
www.imisoft.com
Product: Design Your Own Home 3D WalkAround
Company: Abracadata
Price:$99.95
Ratings -
Instruction Manual: *****
Time to Learn: *****
Ease of Use: ****
3D Graphics: *****
Features: ***
Overall Rating: 4.4
This is the best program we used. It took no time to learn how to create
entire rooms built to scale from scratch. The user manual provides an
excellent tutorial that enables a user to learn the ins- and - outs of
this program in less than one hour. The program includes an extensive
swatch book with floor and wall coverings, furniture, appliances, etc.
This swatch book makes it easy for the user to see what is available in
the library without having to search through the directories.
The instruction manual is short and easy to read. It provides thorough
explanations of the product and its features. The best of which is the
realism of the true life renderings and ease with which the user can
maneuver and "WalkAround" their creation. The colors, prints, patterns
and textures provided by the software truly allow the user to design a
new kitchen, den, and bath, quickly and easily.
Interesting features include the birds-eye view which provides the user
with an aerial view of their plan; the walkaround view which lets the
user walk through their design using the arrow keys, and the lighting
control feature which gives the user a realistic shaded view of their
plan. Then, if you don't like what you see on your tour, change the
carpet, floor covering, paint or wallpaper by choosing something new from
the library of objects, colors and textures.
The only complaint, if it could be called that, is that this program does
not have a lot of the "extras" that other programs such as IMSI with its
garden and landscape feature has. However, a separate suite of products
(Design Your Own Home Suite) is available which has architecture,
landscape, design estimator and other features. Overall, this program is
just plain fun.
www.abracadata.com
Product: 3D Home Architect
Company: Broderbund
Price:$69.95
Ratings -
Instruction Manual: ***
Time to Learn: ****
Ease of Use: ****
3D Graphics: ***
Features: ****
Overall Rating: 3.6
Broderbund's 3D Home Architect provides a middle of the road product. It
is relatively easy to learn and use, has mediocre images and object
libraries and basic features. Several thorough tutorials are provided in
the user's manual, although some of the instructions aren't extremely
clear, a user can get workable knowledge from completing the tutorials.
The best feature is "Smart Parts Technology" which automatically matches
walls you draw into aligned corners and prevents you from putting a
shower in a space that is too small, for example. Trying to figure
dimensions on your own as required in other programs is difficult, but
"Smart Parts Technology" takes the difficulty out by doing it for you.
3D Home Architect has a suite of pre-drawn plans which can facilitate the
designing process. Other useful tools are the automatic roof designer and
PlanCheck(tm) technology which will review the entire plan for design
errors. Once you have completed your plan, you can generate a materials
list for your new project. This list takes the form of a spreadsheet
where the user can input prices of each material to help track costs and
estimates.
www.broderbund.com
Product: Planix Home Design Suite 3D
Company: Softdesk
Price:$59.99
Ratings -
Instruction Manual: ***
Time to Learn: **
Ease of Use: **
3D Graphics: *****
Features: *****
Overall Rating: 3.4
Softdesk has developed a complete product with features that take the
decorator in you to new levels, if you can figure out how to use it. The
software comes with a getting started guide that provides a series of two
minute tutorials to help the user, however, some of the tutorials are not
well written and are difficult to complete, but can be conquered. Once
the tutorials are done, you have the basic knowledge needed to start a
plan.
The misery and difficulty you suffered through is forgotten once you get
an actual plan and begin using the virtual decorator feature. This
feature lets the user choose from more than 150 wallpaper designs, more
than 100 doors and windows, paintings, and carpeting, just to name a few.
The images and textures in this program are very good, unlike some of the
other programs.
Once your new plan is decorated, you can walk through it and create
virtual reality movie tours to get the feel of the new design. If you
can't get past the difficulty of creating your own plan, there are 500
floor plans available for you to choose from. These are helpful when
trying to see the full scope of the software's viewing and decorating
capabilities.
We found this to be one of the best programs, however difficult. When you
add Softdesk's other products such as Planix Exterior Designer, you
should have all you need to design a completely new home.
www.softdesk.com
Wave Issue 9701 1/17/96 Article 5-01