Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #766 in Software
• Brand: Avanquest Software
• Released on: 2008-08-08
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows XP

Manufacturer's Description

Be Your Own Home Designer!

The complete, easy-to-use home design solution.

Whether you're starting a serious building project, or experimenting with home design ideas, Ideal Home 3D Home Design is the perfect solution. Simple and easy-to-use, start by selecting one of the professionally-designed floor plans, or create your own from scratch, then start experimenting with colours and textures, add furnishings, appliances, fixtures and fittings from a library of over 1,000 objects. Sophisticated 3D viewing options let you take a virtual tour of your new home, so you can visualise the end result - all before you've had to spend anything on materials!

New Features:
Real-time lighting - insert and move lights and see the results instantly
Print at any scale, on any paper size or across pages
Object wizard - import files for use in your project, offering you unlimited content
Plus! 3000+ extra symbols included

Powerful Design Tools
Copy designs to multiple floors or type in precise measurements and coordinates
Change colours and finishes with the "point and click" materials paintbrush
Plan the location of every electrical outlet, vent and drain
Create a room and the program automatically builds a floor and ceiling
Dynamic Dimension editing lets you change the measurements of any wall - the surrounding walls, doors, roof and windows will then automatically adjust to fit

Easy-to-use
Sample floor plans for design inspiration
Project-based tutorials, "how to's" and advanced features
Get started quickly with easy, project specific wizards
Scan in a layout, a sketch or plan from another program and trace over it to create scalable, editable plans

Professional Viewing
"Walk through" your finished home with 3D RealView - the next best thing to being there
Create side-on elevation views or "slice" your design to create a section view

Detailed Editing
Design and edit in both 2D and 3D modes
Transform basic doors, windows and staircases into custom-crafted designs
Unlimited undo and redo, so you can experiment to your hearts content.

Comprehensive Object Library
Kitchen appliances, tables and chairs, sofas and beds
Windows and doors, roofs and skylights
Fireplaces, lighting, stairs and railings

Budgeting Help
Calculate square footage
Determine material requirements
Track project costs

Extensive Customisation
Easily add objects and architectural features to your designs
Craft your own doors, unusual windows and eye-catching rooflines
Custom design your own décor
Insert your own background image e.g. your garden
Customise surfaces, paint colours and mouldings
Define the size, scale, rotation and position of any material

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Just Started
I must admit to being very impressed with this.I have spent some cosiderable time working out a basic layout and dimensions using Excel of all things, it did give me a starting point though.However, if I had started by using the Ideal Homes package I'd be much further down the line. It is very user friendly and relatively straightforward to use, drag and drop walls, furniture, windows, doors, everything - then change individual items to your spec, even down to the colour of the glazing bars in individual windows. I still have a way to go before finalising the design and will get more familiar with the package as I go along but it really is excellent, and walking around the project in 3D is great. I'm not dissapointed with anything so far, only wish I'd purchased this earlier on.

Disappointed
On paper, this software looks pretty good, but I have had nothing but trouble with it. I have a desktop running XP Pro and a netbook running XP Home. The installer crashed three times on the desktop before finally working and then running sluggishly and causing the dreaded 'blue screen of death' - twice.
It installed on the netbook okay. And I spent an hour using the admittedly very user-friendly interface to create a full layout of the house and start organising furniture. Upon closing the application however, the laptop just switched off and rebooted having "recovered from a serious error." Now, the file I saved cannot be opened because I "don't have administrator rights" - which is nonsense!

Another major gripe for me is the registration process. Once you install the software with the provided licence key, you then have to register online for an activation code so that the software works for more than a 30 day trial period. The required fields include a daytime telephone number. I have no other software which REQUIRES you to give the publishers your phone number, and I find this a terrible invasion of privacy.

Overall, I'm very disappointed.

Ideal American Home
At first I was really pleased with this, for doing basic floor layouts it is very good. Took some time measuring my own house but once that was done it was easy to play around with it. Had some trouble with ceilings and had gaps that showed the sky through them!

A 'group objects' feature would be nice so you can move things together.

My main complaint is that the appliances and furniture are based on American designs. There is no sideboard for instance, and the washing machines are top loaders so you can't put work surfaces over them.

I'd buy it for floor layouts but don't expect too much.