3D Home Architect Professional 5.0

by Riverdeep

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006I50O
• Item model number: 385356
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 5, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,613 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

From your first rough sketch to the final coat of paint, 3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 helps you realize your home dreams. Based on an industry-grade computer-aided drafting (CAD) engine, the 5.0 release of 3D Home Architect Professional gives you everything you need to succeed with your design, remodeling, or addition project. Advanced 3-D editing and photo-realistic rendering bring home plans to life, while the intuitive interface is easy to master. Enjoy unlimited customization of objects, colors, and textures. View every aspect of your design details with eight vivid rendering modes. Explore the extensive library of home plans, furnishings, and more. Plus, you receive 3D Home Interiors 2.0 along with landscape and garden software.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ATTENTION BRODERBUND 3D HOME ARCHITECT v4.0 OWNERS!!, August 1, 2003

By 

Roland R. Thomas "rolandthomas" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 (CD-ROM)

From the negative reviews of the 5.0 product, I decided to do some research on another product that was recommended: Chief Architect Home Edition 5.0 (or CAHE5).

Apparently, the vendor who makes CAHE5 also made Broderbund's 3D Home Architect v4.0 product. But they did NOT make the new v5.0 software; it was sub-contracted out to another company. Probably explains the new interface and the fact that v5.0 is not compatible with v4.0 (you cannot import v4.0 designs).

CAHE5 *is* compatible with 4.0, and it will import v4.0 files. The vendor says that CAHE5 is the true update to v4.0.

FYI, The vendor also says that the next release of their software will be renamed to Better Homes and "Home Designer Suite" v6.0. It's available now, in fact.

...

NOTE: I do not work for Chief Architect, Broderbund or any other computer company. I'm just a homeowner researching for the best home design software and I believe in sharing the knowledge.

Regards,
Roland Thomas

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3DHA 5 vs 4, November 9, 2002

By 

"3dha_user" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 (CD-ROM)

I'm a user of both 3DHA 4 and 5 and have read the comments here; Versions 4 and 5 are VERY different and not compatible - they were created by different companies. Having worked with both applications extensively, it is apparent (to me at least) that version 5.0 is much more powerful than 4.0:

Inserting a roof: After selecting the Roof Tool, simply right-click over the structure and choose "Auto-Insert". Now, move one of the walls - the roof automatically re-sizes. (Way cool.) Version 4.0 required a 'regeneration' of the roof which I found quite awkward.

Other examples:

* Ability to modify ANYTHING and EVERYTHING (4.0 did not allow modifications to furnishings);

* Full 3-D Editing (try that in 4.0!);

* View Modes that only professional packages have (wireframe, hidden line, shaded, etc.);

* Improved 3D Navigation - no more 'step, step, step' motion. The 'Orbit' Tool alone is a vast improvement.

* 'Pick Points' and 'Insert Mode' - these allow you to draw continuously without having to re-click a tool. For example: if you are drawing walls (thus is 'Insert Mode') your cursor can leave the workspace and change drawing options or views WHILE drawing!

* More control over appearance - they've even introduced Line Styles and Hatch Patterns. (That's right: Hatch Patterns in a retail home design application!)

* 'MS-Office' interface: they've changed the UI to be more compatible with Office applications. 5.0's interface reminds me of Visio. I prefer 5.0's interface as 4.0's was so quirky.

Every single aspect of this software has been improved and made more powerful. The quality of plans I am able to produce in a short amount of time exceeds the capabilities of 4.0 hands down.

I'll never go back to Version 4.0.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointed, October 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Home Architect Professional 5.0 (CD-ROM)

I decided to upgrade from 3D Home Architect 3.0 to 3D Home Architect 5.0 Professional. The installation on to Windows XP-Home was simple and trouble-free. This product is not an upgrade. It looks a little like 3D Acrchitect, but that is where the similarity ends. Broderbund has chosen a new software engine from another software company to supply 5.0. Plans from earlier versions of 3D Home Architect are not upwards compatable. Many of the user friendly features from earlier versions are simply gone. Not replaced by more powerful tools; just simply gone. Examples are: Copying objects is now arduous. You cannot simply modify one window and copy it to adjacent walls. You have to create windows from scratch in the "catalog", then insert them. There is no longer a tool for referencing walls from other floors (locations). You can duplicate items from one floor to the next, but if going from the basement to the 1st floor, concrete walls will need to be changed, wall by wall and property by property. You can perform a great deal of manipulations of objects (dimensions, colors, surfaces), but trying to reposition and redimension objects is too time consuming. I bought this assuming the roof tool would have been upgraded. What I found was that all the lower level tools are now at a basic level and are missing the efficiency of the previous versions of 3D Home Architect. I am now going back to 3.0 and hoping I can find a version of 4.0 collecting dust on some store's shelf. Very dissapointed.