Format:CD-ROM Platforms:Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 95 Media:CD-ROM Operating System:Windows 95 Shipping Weight (lbs):1.1 Dimensions (in):9.6 x 8.2 x 2.2
Product Description Better Homes & Gardens Home Designer makes it easy to concieve and design the dream home you've always wanted. Powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, stairs, decks, framing, CAD, dimensioning, realistic 3D models, and Plan Check makes it easy for anyone. Now you can handle all your remodeling, building and decorating and needs from one simple program. Materials List for project cost estimating Plan Check tool validates the design against standard building principles
Amazon.com Home Designer is the best home-design software tool for your home remodeling, design, landscaping, and decking projects. Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer combines the leading-edge home design software from Chief Architect with the number-one home and garden publisher Better Homes and Gardens. All products are fully compatible with 3D Home Architect version 4.0 and earlier as well as the Chief Architect professional product line.
With Home Designer you can add as much or as little detail to the design as you want--it's fun and easy.
Home Designer makes it easy to create your dream home:
* Get started quickly and easily: 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.
* All-in-one home-design solution: create your dream home today with the look and feel before it is built with styles, colors, wallpaper, flooring, and materials.
* Create your dream home: Design your dream home today with Home Designer. Quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, cabinets, choose colors, place furniture, create decks, and landscaping. Design and visualize your home with 3D models and virtual tours--it's easy, it's fun!
* Choose from design templates: begin your design by choosing from one of six Better Homes and Gardens home-style templates that range from traditional to contemporary, complete with colors, cabinets, and moldings.
* Powerful home-design software: Enjoy the same building and design tools the professionals use--Home Designer is made for the home enthusiasts. Powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, stairs, decks, framing, CAD, dimensioning, realistic 3D models, and Plan Check makes it easy for anyone.
* Create floor plans: Select from over 1,500 sample home plans or use the House Wizard to design your house. Open sample plans and customize to your specific needs.
* Customize designs from the library: 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.
* Design tools: Inspire and enhance your designs with the Better Homes and Gardens Design Planning Center. Use Material Painter to create a virtual look and feel of the design before it is built with actual colors, wallpaper, flooring, furniture, windows, and window treatments.
* Building tools: Complete automatic building tools for roof generation, framing, dimensioning, foundations, and more. Automatically generate a materials list for project-cost estimating. Includes a complete set of CAD (Computer Aided Design) tools to detail designs and Plan Check--automatically validates the design against standard building principles.
Finally!March 26, 2005 K. Michael Kuebler(Cedar Falls, IA) 61 out of 62 found this review helpful
I've tried many home design programs over the last couple of years and have always been disappointed. I've downloaded many free trial versions and purchased a couple. My latest, Punch Super Home Suite, was OK for 2D stuff but the 3D was impossible and frustrating. I took advantage of their money back guarantee!
I just purchased Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer for $39.00 from a local retailer last week. While I still have lots to learn I love it! I'm amazed at the sophistication for the price. I was VERY leery of buying this based on only one 5 star rating but I did. Well now there are two 5 star ratings so hopefully this will help others.
There are still some things that are "tricky" to construct but I haven't found anything I couldn't create yet and I discover more useful features every time I use it. The training videos are a great way to learn the software quickly and it comes with a hard copy manual, which is getting less common these days. If you are looking for an inexpensive but powerful design program definitely try this one!
AWESOME! FANTASTIC PROGRAM.......December 6, 2004 R. Barber(Sacramento, Ca) 33 out of 38 found this review helpful
Chief Architect tops them all! This program is great. It has a easy userface like 3D Home Architect version 4.0! This program is definitely worth the $ 59.00 I paid for it. Eventually I will upgrade to the next version. This version also offers designing tutorials. And the backdrops are really nice. BUY IT!!!! I have tried soooo many Home design programs and this is the BEST!!! I WOULD GIVE IT 10 STARS BUT THEY ONLY ALLOW UP TO 5!!!
Limited Capability-Not for remodelingJune 8, 2005 Joe B.(Oakdale, NY United States) 37 out of 40 found this review helpful
When I read the other reviews on this product, I was a bit surprised at their very positive nature. Then I remembered how I felt when I first tried this program and it all made sense. My guess is that the folks who wrote the positive reviews probably haven't worked with the program for very long or tried to create anything but the most elementary structures. I know I was very impressed at first. That is until I tried to re-create my own home as the starting point for a remodeling project.
This program is very intuitive and easy to learn, the problem is that it is also very limited. After you get past the ease of creating floor plans, the next obvious progression is to see the building in 3D. That's where the problems begin. The roof planes are nearly impossible to control. If you are creating anything other than a simple cape or ranch, you will quickly see how un-nerving this program can be.
Since most homes are comprised of several sections, controlling how the roof planes associated with those sections are generated is critical if you are to be able to create an end product that resembles what you had in mind. This program takes almost all of the roof plane control away from the user. The program generates the roof planes based on a few user defined parameters. This results in 3D images that almost never match what I had in mind.
Just for the record, I'm not technologically impaired. I am an engineer by trade. If I can't get it to work, then the average user is likely going to have even more trouble. In the end, if you can't get an accurate 3D model from this program that resembles what you are trying to create, then why spend the money or the time on this program. Just get a $10 floor plan program or jump up to the $500 version of this Chief Architect program which, as I've been told (haven't used it myself) , is very capable.
You get what you pay for!June 14, 2006 Meg(Salt Lake City, Utah USA) 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The good news is if you are wanting to design basic ranch type homes or simple two stories with no interior balconies, then this program is for you. It's pretty easy to use if you are patient enough to listen to the tutorials. It gave me a good idea of what my ranch home is going to look like inside.
But it definitely has it's drawbacks. The color palette and furniture is very limited, so don't think you are going to be doing a lot of decorating. The "3-D" views are impossible to control and often give a distorted view of the home. Recording a 3-D walkthrough was a joke. It won't even go through doorways or turn corners without distorting the look of the home. Furthermore, there is not a lot of advice from the help section on this subject. You can't do vaulted ceilings or two story homes with the upstairs looking down over a balcony to the floor below.
The landscaping component of the program is severely limited. There are less than 500 plants to choose from, mostly from the East and mid-West. You cannot customize plant beds, but have to choose from their oval or kidney shaped templates. The fences have no gates and there is no way to create curved walkways.
The exterior of the home looks nothing like what I was trying to achieve. It won't do wainscoating brick or stone and it was hard to create covered porches or decks. The roof is auto generated and does not allow room for modifications.
But the program is only 40 bucks, so you can't really complain too much. If it was a really powerful program, I suspect it would cost a lot more. Bottom line: it's great for simple projects, a good value for the money and it's pretty easy to use. Just don't expect too much out of it.
Better than the last Designer packageFebruary 23, 2006 Tom C.(New Mexico) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Colors are not very faithful when painted on walls and have a rather limited palette. I could never find bookcases or adequate fireplaces. The roof is automatically generated so you can't really replicate your own roof,if you are doing a remodel,(unless it's really simple). Viewing tools are ok, measurement tools lack versatility. You can get a floor layout and view the 3D construction rapidly, but it really wasn't adequate to model my rather simple house. It's a good package if you only need to run some simulations to get rough ideas of what things might look like after a remodel.
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
This is an Amazon storefront - the products referenced on this site are manufactured and sold by parties other than HomeDesignSoftwareStore.com. HomeDesignSoftwareStore.com makes no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products. Any questions, complaints, or claims regarding the products must be directed to the appropriate manufacturer, vendor or to HomeDesignSoftwareStore.com.
