Recommended "home architect" software programs? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Reckelhoff]

Has anyone used any of the home design software programs available to design their theater? Any recommendations for any of these programs? The affordable ones I've seen include several versions from Broderbund, Punch, and Sierra.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[Tom Boucher]

I have an old version of Broderbund's Home Architect 3D.

It works, though I haven't designed my home theater with it.

My parents used it to re-design a remodel job for their house. They measured the whole thing out, put it in, exported it to DWF (Autocad I think) and took it to a contracter. He asked them what company did their plans cuz it looked so good, they told him they did it and he freaked out.

I'm sure the latter part was attention to detail as well as the software, but they thought it was pretty funny.

Tom

 

[Bob Hill]

I use Visio Technical for all my design stuff. The main reasons I use it is because of all the different file formats it can use or convert to and its seamless integration with Adobe Illustrator and AutoCad. The only real drawback to using it is that it doesn't have any 3D. Hope this helps out some.

Why make it ugly just because you can?

 

[Kurt B]

I've thought of visio myself, but, will it do a good job showing layouts for lights on ceilings, walls, and so on?

 

[Patricia Nelson]

I have used Broderbund Home Architect3D Deluxe a lot for visusualizing designs. It is inexpensive and easy to learn, but becomes limited for detailed design. It produces nice basic plans and has very few bugs. I tried Softcad2D but it was not as slick as HA3D and requires a hardware key on the printer port. Its more for producing construction drawings. KeyCad is a very stipped down "teaser" program that requires an upgrade to be a basic cad tool. I have found HA3D a great help for new home construction decisions. I have not tried the competing products for HA3D.

 

[Chip_Slattery]

Kevin,
I'll echo what Patricia said regarding Home Architect 3D. It's relatively simple to learn and you can throw a plan together quickly. I actually used it to model a home we recently built and the renderings are surprisingly close to the finished product. Take a look at my construction website to see what's possible.
I'm currently using Punch! Software's "Professional Home Design - Platinum" to design my HT. It has a somewhat steeper learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it offers a lot more flexibility than HA3D. You can follow the link in my sig below to view renderings of my HT design.
You really can't go wrong with either program, and unless you're willing to make a giant leap to professional home design software (think $500+) these two programs are, dollar-for-dollar, the best available.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I used Design Workshop Lite, a shareware program from http://www.artifice.com. It's originally built for use on a Mac.. and it's a little clunky as far as use goes. But it works... and it's free.
I did Link Removed with it.

 

[Shawn Shultzaberger]

I too am using Punch "Professional Home Design Suite". Nice 3D wire frames. Not so good 3D final renderings but that is ok. I just need it for dimensions and that 3D wire frame walk through. I'm still learning. It offers a lot but takes quite some time to master.