Customer Reviews

3D Home Landscape Designer Deluxe 5

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I just installed this software thinking that for $19.99 (a $10 discount) it is worth the risk even given the bad reviews. Unfortunately, this software is not worth 19 cents. The program crashed 4 times with runtime errors just trying to do a simple thing like change the dimensions of a site boundary. Save yourself the frustration, and save your money.

There is no way to lay out a landscape design because you can't put in your house dimensions without buying and installing the 3D Architect package.

This software is miserable. The sample house included is a one story box. There are no additional designs. Changing the dimentions on this house is difficult - no instructions included.

Find a copy of version 4. It's the same price and much more accessible.

I just tried to design a garden for our new house using "3D Landscaping". Despite what the box says, the software contains no templates of gardens that you can modify, just shapes (circles, rectangles, squares) with pre-programmed lot sizes (such as 40' x 110'). I tried to edit the dimensions of the 40' x 110' rectangle to mimic our new lot. Forget it. You cannot edit the sizes even if you follow the steps in the manual.

So, I tried to create a new lot from scratch. Instead of a flat plane to show our new lawn, the program created a cylinder. The cylinder could not be modified no matter how I tried.

I finally decided to accept the incorrect dimensions of the rectangular plot (40 x 110) and just insert sample plants (trees, climbers, etc) from the toolbar, to get an idea of what would look good next to what. The program crashed. When it did allow me to add the plants in outline view, they did not show up in 3D view, which means you can't see what they will look like in your garden (the whole point of the program!) The program crashed again when I toggled from 3D view to outline view. (My system surpasses the system requirements, so that was not the problem).

I am not a software neophyte, and I followed both the manual and the tutorials step-by-step to create a diagram, but the software did not work. I don't believe Broderbund tests this before releasing it to the public.

If anyone has found a quality landscape design software program, please tell me. Right now, I'm ready to turn to Powerpoint.

I have had Broderbund Home Designer 5.0 for about 4 months now. Three years ago I used 3D Architect Vers. 1.0 to remodel my kitchen and it was great. So, I decided to buy 3D Architect Professional 5.0 to design my Master Suite (converting two BRs and a bath to do it) and remodel my back yard and pool....completely. To begin, all Broderbund architectural products' names are similarly named. I thought the "professional" 5.0 included (and was led to believe by skimming the info on it) the landscape design program. You can even switch to landscape mode but NOTHING happens! After calls to tech support and customer service asking why I can't get to the landscape portion, I (not they) realized I had to buy 3D Home Landscape. So I went to buy it, installed it and went to use the program and still no landscape mode. Long story short...after many frustrating calls and e-mails, I (again me, not they) discovered how the two programs merge together to form one program (if installed in a certain method and order) named yet another program name...3d Home Designer 5.0. Unbelievable!

Again, long story short...after limping through a multitude of crashes, letters to tech support and getting answers back e.g., "I don't know, I don't use the program" and countless other frustrating and irritating things, today was the last straw. I opened the program and four months of re-creating my four bedroom tri-level home and yard are gone to waste. As soon as I open the program to do anything, it crashes. I have re-installed and to no avail.

BY ALL MEANS, save yourself the frustration and look for another package. I used to work in the computer industry up until '98 and Broderbund typifies the reason I got out...mediocrity!!

If you are doing a very simple two room house, want to WOW your friends or clients twirling the house around, do walk thrus (on the computer, can't make a separate walk thru file and send to someone), or you want your three-year old to be an architect and start them off early...buy it! Otherwise...go back to the ole drafting board....which is what Broderbund ought to do.

My husband and I are both college educated (my husband is an electrical engineer for a high tech company) and we are struggling to use this product. It takes a lot of work to get a landscape set up and seems more appropriate for landscape professionals. The plant encyclopedia pictures are not very clear and there does not appear to be a search mechanism within the encyclopedia. We consider the cost a waste of money and are disappointed that we can't return the product. We will be designing our yard with pen, paper and plant encyclopedias easily found on the internet.

I am very computer literate, I run a sophisticated accounting package and a customer management database program at work, along with the usuals Microsoft Excel, Word, Access. And alot more. But THIS software is just too much. I bagged it once i realized that just learning how to use it could take up a whole weekend.... I had the same problem with 3D Home Architect 5.0... I loved version 3.0, it took awhile to learn 4.0 but so worth it... and I can't make heads or tails of version 5.0. Bruderbund people! Why are you forsaking us?

I just now read the reviews of this product; unfortunately, I did not read them before I purchased this pathetic program. Basically - false advertising. Does not include anywhere near the number of items indicated on the box and queries to Broderbund indicate the items are no longer available. Save your money - get some crayons!

This software gives you seemingly endless options, which is both good and bad. Good because you can micromanage down to the texture of the bricks in the pathway of your garden, but bad because these powerful tools only get a few lines of explaination in the user's manual. I consider myself to be fairly computer savvy, but the program makes it difficult for you even to join fences to the house properly or add slope to your terrain. I'll spend several more hours trying to see if I can make any progress in learning this program, but I don't think you should have to have a CAD degree just to design some landscape on a computer.

I wanted very Simple, not 35 steps to something, wanted to replace a pad and paper, but can do it in 5 minute, worked with this a hour and still at a loss

I really enjoyed using this software. I just picked trees put them in the drawing space and could even see it in different seasons. I found myself playing with it just so I could read up on all of the different plant materials it contains. Each plant has a helpful description letting you know how it grows best and the expected heights. I was fascinated by all of the information it contained. I was really impressed with how thorough this software was, I have tried others and none have as much real landscaping tools and information as this one.