Features

• Design software for re-designing your living space
• View real hints and tips from the TV series, Trading Spaces
• Choose from 1000s of fabrics, colors, furniture styles, and fixtures
• 3D virtual tour for each step of the creation
• Print out plans, materials lists, and get money-saving advice

Features

• Work with the effective Doll House view for better space-planning -- measure room size, furniture placement, and traffic flow by using a 3D overhead view with no roof
• Complete library of over 4,000 items you can add to your design, for the perfect-looking dream home
• Material Painter lets you see how granite, cherry wood and other materials look in your home -- along with every shade of paint
• Draw ideas & inspiration from over 1,500 included sample plans
• Generate realistic shadows and day/night views to get a complete look the home you've created

Reviews (2)

Suprisingly Fun
I found this game at Target and the graphics looked good and the overall plot amusing so i bought it. The mini games are well worth the money-some actually took me a fair amount of time to complete. This is an ideal game for girls from ages 6-11. Bt i'm an older teen and i still enjoyed it! The only complaint i have with this game is that it took me very little time to complete the game( but you can always go back and change some of the aspects of your wedding or start over).

Planning a wedding was never so much fun!
This is a fun and engaging program with an amazing amount of activities and mini-games that are all wedding related.Most of the stuff you have to do for a real wedding is here, but of course, a lot more fun.I'll try to explain.

You begin by choosing a bride, brides maids, and a venue for the wedding, then you play this hilarious elimination game to choose a groom, and then choose his grooms men.If you want to skip this part you can have your mother choose all this for you. You then find yourself in the mall, where you can design your dress, choose your shoes, your jewelry, design your ring, design the brides maid dresses, choose formalwear for the men, get your hair done, choose your make-up, choose your music, design your cake and your bouquet, and even make a poem to read at the ceremony.You win more choices for these activities by playing six mini-games in the mall. Most of these are quite fun, my favorite being the dice game, which is a shower game where you exchange gifts.Each game has three levels, giving you more design choices each time you win. Once all these things are done, you can decorate the scene of the wedding and get married.On every screen throughout the entire game is a camera for taking photos for the wedding album which you also get to design and decorate.

The interface is fairly straight-forward and easy to use, no instructions needed. Although the graphics are 2D, they are nicely done with lots pretty colors.The repetive narration can get annoying but it is minimal and the music is awesome.There are tons of things to do and the replay value is high.Another nice feature is that you can completely install this to your hard drive and run it without the cd.

Overall, this is a fun and creative activity program that would be a big hit with girls ages 6-12.But hey, I'm a grown-up and I love it.

... Read more

Features

• Create precise photographic renderings of your future dream gardens
• Browse through the Visual Plant Seeker tool to select flora by growth rate, size, bloom season sun and moisture tolerance
• Create your own bills of materials from grouped objects, to examine the cost of your landscape
• The powerful DeltaCad software lets you tailor your existing terrain -- edit, rotate, copy and change scale
• Draw precise plans with accurate lengths and areas, in Metric and English measurements

Amazon.com Review

Landscaping at your desktop is the name of the game in 3d Home Landscape Designer Deluxe, a package that helps you work on your yard without breaking a sweat--or risking costly mistakes. With a massive gallery of over 9,000 plants and yard features from deck chairs to playground equipment, this program gives users a chance to plan every aspect of an outdoor environment in minute detail, trying out as many different concepts as imagination and time permit.

Though 3d Home Landscape allows you to focus on the interior of a home, it puts far more energy into exterior design. Terrain modeling makes it possible to mold the land itself to any specification before features are added, with hills and even lakes adding depth to a given project. Using this feature it is possible, with practice, to closely model your own land and then to analyze its design strengths.

Once time comes to actually lay down foliage, 3d Home Landscape's Plant Encyclopedia is there to help, carrying detailed information on maintaining every plant in a garden. Your finished designs can be previewed with an eye to how the yard will appear in all four seasons.

Like most home and garden design programs, this one will let you move through the three-dimensional model of your house and yard, viewing each creation from all angles. It is a complex program that requires patience in the learning stages. Fortunately, the user's guide is thoughtfully written and easy to use, and there are first-rate animated tutorials available with the program that cover each new stage of the landscaping process.

And once mastered, 3d Home Landscape can help you work out every imaginable garden design, no matter how wild or daring. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not User Friendly
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.

Read the Reviews FIRST - ZERO Stars
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!

Actually 0 Stars DON'T DO IT!!!!
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.

Buggy, difficult to use, not-intuitive
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.

Frustrating
I am about to uninstall, both my wife and myself gve this a try. My lot size is not one of the given ones. Setting up a lot (a 90x180 foot rectangle) is impossible. Did not bother going any further, with it. There is a couple of hours wasted I will never see again..... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Buyer Beware
I researched various design software prior to purcahsing Punch AS3000 and thought I did a good job of doing so...I was wrong. I have been in construction related fields for over 20 years, and feel as though given some instruction, guidleines, etc I can learn almost anything! Purchasing this software proved me to be wrong. Upon making my purchase I learned that there were no "demos" available, this should be warning #1! I pursued it. I was told that I would have 90 day support via phone tech support, which I did, however, when I did call I was treated as though i was truly "bothering" the receiver of my call, and then treated as though they could not believe that I did not know how to do waht I was asking. The manual is basically useless as it does not walk the user through applications in any sort of logical format. The tech support is not helpful, the so called tutorials are also useless. I strongly reccomend that you do not waste your money on this program. My only wish is that I could provide an alternative solution at this time. Each task is cumbersome and most require "custom 3D sorkshop" design which if you have the patience and "creativity" to figure out how to use still do not accomplish the task.

Determine Your Patience Level Before You Buy
EXPERIENCE:
I suppose knowing my experience may help to gauge my ability to use the program and help you to decide what you are capable of doing if you purchase this program. I have worked with computers for nearly 20 years. I am a professional graphic designer and web developer. So, I suppose my experience with software would be in the advanced category. However I have never used this program prior to my purchase, but have used other home design and 3D software in my past.

PROS:
Great 3-D walk-through. Fairly descent selection of colors, materials, indoor, and outdoor furniture and landscape design elements. Fun to use if you don't need any custom items that are not in their library. I liked the ability to design more then just the floor plan, such as lighting, deck, plumbing, etc.

CONS:
3D tools seemed to be difficult for the average user. My expectations were not set high, as this is supposed to be a consumer-based product, thus it should be fairly easy to use with direction from the manual. However it lost me! It was several days getting the hang of using it and I still couldn't get basic items designed properly. For example, I needed to create an L-shaped island with sink for the kitchen. It just was not an easy thing to do. Because they did not have such things in their library, I was forced to use the 3D tools (designing from scratch). When creating the object dimensions, it is not easy placing the shape in it's proper location, and it was difficult to get the elevations correct as well. Try putting one of their sinks in your own 3D designed countertop, it just doesn't work well at all! It was truly more work then it should have taken for such a common task. Same thing when applying materials such as wood choices to furniture (albeit furniture was not real important for me) it took much more work then what should be considered a basic task (too many pieces to color within one furniture element). The roof never got quite finished either. I could not get the walls to fit within the dimensions of the roof (or visa-versa) on a 2nd story. I tried so hard, but not being an architect or engineer, I would say that this task requires you to really know what you are doing. It was not discussed well in the manual either. So, was it me, or was it the software with the limitations, I really couldn't tell you.

Needless to say, I got a bit frustrated, and hopefully without sounding like a know-it-all, frustration just doesn't happen to me very often when it comes to design programs. Don't get me wrong, I had those days back when I was learning to use design software, but using a consumer-based program such as this should have been simple for someone with my design background. I don't believe though, that it had to do with being easy or difficult, as much as it had to do with the limitations of the program in my circumstance. But for the newbie, I believe it would be considered a difficult program to use.

MY ADVICE:
If you really need something that covers a lot of ground, but doesn't require a complex design, or complex elements, then this should be fine. However if you don't have the patience or time, and you want to add more custom features to your project, I believe this program is overpriced for your needs, as it will prove to be more work then you bargained for. In fact, although I'm sure they put a lot of money into developing this program, I think it is overpriced for the average consumer trying to design their new home or remodel.

DO NOT BUY
I just recently purchased this software and was completely NOT satisfied! This is a very basic program that simply is overpriced. The box looks nice...and it appears that you just purchased something professional...but please believe when I say this is FAR from the truth. They claim to have all these so called wizards, that basically let you change the size of an existing object and a material from a very small list of materials and thats it! For instance I wanted to see how my kitchen would look...well I jumped into the cabinet wizard to find I had only two door styles to choose from...and much worse I could not add molding, millwork, or handles. Sure, if I want to spend hours creating these things in their cubersome and ackward 3D workshop, then I can add them. This is just ONE of many examples. I tried to email my concerns, but four days later I got a reply that they believed their product was highend software. I wanted my money back but they refused and said I should have spent more time researching their product...how is that for customer service? They went on to say this product does not need a guarantee or even a demo version for you to try out...even though they offer a 90 day money back guarantee with all their other products. Save your money or spend a little more and purchase Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Pro 6...it is far superior in every aspect. AS3000 may claim to have all these features...but let me tell you they all are very basic and limited. This is NOT a professional program...it is a professional scam and waste of your hard earned money! DO NOT BUY! ... Read more

Features

• 18 powerful programs with one, easy-to-use interface
• For landscaping, home designing, remodeling, interior decorating
• Video ToolTips tutorials for beginners; complex features for the pros
• Create complex objects from simple ones; change the design in 3D
• Simple drag-and-drop functions; presentation tools for final prints

Features

• PlantFinder sortable database with over 2,000 landscape plants
• Deck, home exterior, topography, and other options add realism
• Integrate real-world photos of your home; design beautiful landscaping
• PhotoView technology; walk or fly through your creation in 3D
• 9 programs in 1 intuitive, easy-to-use interface

Features

• Use with any printer-compatible stationery, including folded cards, envelopes and place cards.
• Easily layout your stationery, add graphics, photos and text, includes 12 original fonts.
• Keep track of RSVP count, guest list, gifts, even thank-you notes.
• Store all your contact names and addresses in the built-in address book.
• Use again and again after the wedding for all your parties and events.

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on professional-grade CAD software, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 5.0 makes it easy to create contractor-ready plans. Start your plans from scratch, use a sample plan, or re-create your home to begin your building, remodeling, or addition project. Choose from six rendering modes and a wide selection of floor plans. Integrated 2-D and 3-D editing tools let you make changes with ease, while fluid navigation capabilities let you view your project from every angle. A fully customizable library of more than 500 doors, windows, furnishings, and appliances helps you envision your final project. Built-in budgeting tools and materials lists let you cost out every facet of your project with confidence. Plus, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 5.0 also comes with 3D Home Interiors 2.0 software and 50 bonus 3-D objects. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Corner cabinets, how to make?
Having trouble figuring out how to make a corner cabinet for sinks. Any help will be appreciated. Krohr

Broderhund?... never again!!
I'm glad I only invested less than 30 dollars for this. It is so frustrating, the least user-friendly program I've ever seen. It's less than intuitive, you cannot select any object easily, any command needs either more than three clicks or a subtle combination of selection/right click/selection/enter. That is true even if you just want to move or rotate any object.
Building the walls already took me a couple of hours. Some default features forbid you to personalize some shapes such as stairs.

Furniture management goes from way too much details for dozens of cabinets to totally inexisting type of furniture (I couldn't find the rugs for example). And it's not possible to create your own, personalized shapes.
I may have missed something and certainly didn't go through boring tutorials but I expect such software to be intuitive to the common, particularly if they are supposed to simplify access to CAD.

3D Home Architect 5.0 is really awful, sorry to say.
I lost my copy of 3DHA 3, so some time ago I purchased the 5.0, and it's awful! It's baffling that a newer version could be so much worse that a previous one. It's very difficult to use... you try to draw a wall one way and it appears in the wrong direction! The graphics are poor... you try to add a floor or carpet and it disappears. Don't waste your time! Sorry Broderbund. I'm hoping that the version 6.0 is better. I liked the 3DHA3 a lot.

3d HOME ARCHITECT 5 MISSED THE BOAT
This product doesn,t support Windows 98
unless you have Windows 98 SE
I have never bought a product that supports
only 98Se and newer operating systems.
I guess Broderbund wants to be on the bandwagon
when 98 goes away but that will be a long long time
since about 90 percent of the world is still using win98.

Leaves much to be desired
A few years ago, when designing 2 rooms at my office, I became fluent in most of the off-the-shelf, under $100 design programs. I recall switching between 2 applications that each had great features, and would have made a perfect product if merged. One was 3D Home Architect 3, the other (which I can't recall the name) had some similarities to Home Designer 6. Having just tried 3D Home Architect 5 & Home Designer 6, I still have the same feeling: each has very strong & very weak points.

Having now sampled both applications, I can't seem to figure how so many people posted hate for 3DHA. I think it's a tie between the two.

My big criticism w/ HD6 is that you cannot manually change wall dimensions. It was incredibly tedious to recreate rooms based on the dimensions I had. Apparently, the pro version ($500) allows this function, but I wasn't going to pay that for my little project. When you click a wall you've created in 3DHA, it displays measurements to every other nearby wall. You then can click any of those measurements to resize it manually. This is the absolute most logical way to get exact measurements.

In HD6, the library of items is pretty skimpy compared to 3DHA. 3DHA easily allows custom items to show in the 'library' so it's easy to reuse them.

As for the 3D rendering, 3DHA really sucks. It is incredibly difficult to get the camera view into custom positions. This is where HD6 is best. You can arrange multiple cameras in your layout, each corresponding to another rendered window. You can also double-click the camera in the layout & it brings up other view settings such as height & field of vision angle.

As for working w/ your layout, 3DHA allows you to drag a selection tool over multiple items, creating a multiple selection. You can then move all of those items at once, or select their properties. For changing the color of multiple items, this is great. HD6 does not allow you to select multiple items & then change characteristics of them. Imagine having a room you want to change the color of all of the cabinets. According to my findings, in HD6 you'd have to change each cabinet one by one. In 3DHA you would just hold the shift key & select all of the cabinets, then make your changes.

Maybe I'm asking for too much from <$100 programs, but it sure seems both programs make it much harder to do things then they have to. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Home renovation software takes a big leap forward with 5in 1 Home Design from Punch!, a package that lets you draw an imagined future home or work on altering the one you have--without investing in buildingmaterials or architects up front! Divided into a series of specializedapplications, this program makes it simple to hone room layouts, designdecks, fine-tune furnishing designs, and landscape any size or shape ofbuilding lot. And when the individual pieces are polished, 5 in 1 HomeDesign pulls everything together into the big picture of your dreams.

Unlike many comparable packages, this package provides a fast andstreamlined process for drawing floor plans from scratch. Movingwall by wall rather than room by room, a user can lay out everything indetail. Whether you are reconstructing an existing house or dreaming big,the program's learning process is swift. It is still possibleto end up struggling to convince the package that an interior room isindeed inside the house (and thus deserving of carpet rather than lawn),but these glitches are rare and relatively easy to amend. Anyone interestedin having a basic plan done both painlessly and fast will love theinterface this program offers.

Other tools in 5 in 1 Home Design allow you to walk through thethree-dimensional model of your house, print out pieces of a model so youcan build it yourself, and fit the home inside and out with furnishingsand finishes. You can switch to these tools without ever shutting off thecore floor plan, moving to an overhead view of the house and back, thenbreezing into a furniture-building application. To minimize headaches, allthe data on each house is kept in a single file.

In short, Punch! 5 in 1 Home Design will help you put together homesjust as you imagine them. The power so handily available in this designprogram makes it an obvious first choice for those new to home designsoftware and a real boon for anyone looking to brainstorm ideas forconstructing, decorating, or renovating a house. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Punch, Indeed!
This product ensures that I will not purchase any other Punch product. Can't even remove partial walls, a basic requirement to drawing anything but a square or rectangular outside wall. Didn't even get as far as the home interior, due to problems with the exterior. Thought having home design and landscape together would be a great idea. I thought wrong. My old Sierra Custom Home worked far better, "help" was more helpful, and I will look for similar again.

5in1=waste of money
This product does not only fail to meet the minimum expectations, it is deceptive in its advertising. For example, the programs of this type I've owned in the past all had a photo import feature so you didn't have to spend hours drawing something you could have a digital picture of. Secondly, the landscape section is extremely limited. I would never recommend this product.

Punch compared to 3d architect
As an occasisonal user with little experience, Punch is much more difficult than 3d home. The walls dont self square, window and door choices are extremely ,limited and you have very few closet door choices. I gave up and went to a new version of 3d home. 3d is much more intuitive and a heck of lot faster. I can see why Punch was discontinued. ... Read more

Features

• Massive, extensive home and landscape design software package
• Check it all out before you get started
• Pro-level design with easy-to-use wizards
• From foundation to plumbing to electrical systems, plus landscaping
• Easily calculate costs in time and money

Product Description

Features 8 titles that will turn your exterior into a showcase! Includes: LandDesigner 3D, 3D Deck, Photo Garden Designer, Ortho Problem Solver, Personal Garden Planner, Encyclopedia, and Design Guide. ... Read more

Features

• Total home design software package
• Check it all out before you get started
• Pro-level design with easy-to-use wizards
• From foundation to plumbing to electrical systems
• Easily calculate costs in time and money

Reviews (3)

Not ready for prime-time
Very, very limited. Decides arbitrarily to link walls together so that an interior wall becomes an exterior wall, and changing the interior back changes all the walls in the group. No way to break a wall once you've put a window or door in it unless you first remove the window or door. Selection of textures is very, very limited and there is no documented way to import more. Selection of objects the same--the 3d designer does allow new objects to be defined but compared to any kind of real 3-d CAD program, including the freeware version of Intellicad (no longer available alas), it's horribly weak, and no way to import from a real CAD program unless maybe you spring for one of the more expensive versions. No doorknobs. No way to specify where lights are located, at least none that I can find--there are lamp objects but they don't provide light, they just sit there.

It's a cheap program that acts like a cheap program.

Not what I expected
This program is difficult to understand. It is not easy to use. If you make a mistake it is not easy to correct it. I did not like it at all and am taking it back to Office Depot. I should have read other reviews before I got it.

You'd be better off with a box of crayons
The 3d view is very limited, you can walk through but you can't tilt your viewing angle vertically. The objects are very basic and there isn't much of a selection. The "12 powerfull programs in 1" is rediculous. The plumbing "program" is just a few bathroom objects that you can place in your house. The electrical and HVAC are just like the plumbing. Autoframing is useless. If you decide to change something you can't drag a box around everything and update them all at once. Example: i wanted to change my wall hieght, i had to right click on every wall, select "wall properties" from the menu, and then highlight a box and change it. And i had to do that for every wall seperately. The lanscaping feature where it changines the plants to show how they will look in 5 years just scales up some flat images of the plants. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Super Home Suite combines seven programs for interior and exterior home and landscape design in one package. Super Home Suite includes 3D Home Design, 3D Landscaping, Estimating, AutoFraming, FloorPlan Trace, 3D Furniture Design, and RealModel.

Use 3D Home Exterior & Interior Design to view your home in thousands of subtle paint color choices, or design walk-out basements and split-level designs with the slope tool. When you're ready to landscape your home design, just add your plantings to your existing file. The software lets you landscape without redrawing your house plan. Your results are rendered in high-resolution 3-D, complete with shadows just like a photograph.

Design the perfect deck for your home plan with Ultimate Deck. Multilevel or multistory decks with 3-D photorealistic textures, stairs, railings, object placement, and color capabilities give you the ability to design exactly the deck you want. Deck Wizards walk you through railings, baluster options, and more. And create objects from scratch or modify furniture from the included library. Change colors, fabrics, patterns, textures, and more, then use your creations to furnish your home plan. And get an idea of what your finished home will look like with the AutoFraming and RealModel software. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

easy to use, and competent too
First off...this is a design program like Sierra, Floorplan, etc. and works well with the average person who wishes to create an "idealized home design" both inside and out. It is NOT a full CAD program to do every space and angle. None of the under $ programs will produce a "plan" to give to a contractor to take-off and build a home, no matter what they promise. That is left to the $++ professional architectural programs! That said, this is a super "design" program that has a simple, accurate instruction manual, and lots of Web downloadable features like "dormers" and tons of "objects" like dishwashers,chairs,etc etc. The mini-CAD feature called "3Dfurniture workshop" lets you create custom arched walls, tables, rugs all with neat textures.The great feature of this product is the ability to create a "cut out" MODEL of your finished home {to various scales! } that you print and assemble complete with colors and textures(like bricks and slate roofing). All the design programs I have tried{Sierra, Floorplan, Punch) are far from perfect and often require a TRICK to get it to do something that you feel should happen with a single menu icon; but Punch is a little better then the rest with fewer work-arounds than usual. BUT they are still present, and almost all programs have a tough time with todays complex roof and ceiling designs! No "design" program is as simple and complete as the sales hype promises, but the Punch program was the least so far to get me angry.

too hard!
ok i totally want to be a home desinger/architect when i grow up. So i asked my brother for design stuff and he gave me this. I thought it was easy at first with the walls, windows and doors. But the flooring thing never works and staring at the 12 chapter "help" booklet doesnt "help" very much. they tell you what to do but not how. I'm sure this isnt a kids game but my dad is a genius and he tried it an he cant even figure it out. I wouldnt tell other people to buy it.

Frustrating, Simplistic, and Annoying
This is a click and drag program which can be manipulated fairly easily, but it is highly limited. The only good thing about this product is that it lets you input dimensions of your own yard, room, etc. However, it assumed all yards are grass, and all hills are round, all fences are wooden stakes.
It does let you change window and door dimensions, configurations, etc., as long as all you want is rectangular. (No oval windows, etc.)
As far as being able to design furniture, which is why we purchased it, it works if all you want to design is gigantic, blocky slabs with NO MEASUREMENTS. Nothing in here is as described on the package. The directions are too simplistic and much is left to learn the hard way. Even then, when you think you've accomplished some design on a floor plan, and turn it to 3-D mode, what you've really designed is a rakish spline hanging in the sky.
The floor plan item works all right, which is the only reason I grudgingly gave it one star. If all you need is a floor plan, however, there are cheaper ways to do it. I HIGHLY recommend a pencil and the back of a paper bag as superior to this program. Save your money. Or, heck, if you really want to try it, buy mine.

Walls and Roofs very limited ... got my money back!
I bought this hoping to do some remodeling renderings of my house. My house has all vaulted ceilings. There is not one roof in this program that would work on any part of my house. All of the roof lines are A-frame. There is no way to have a wall that is not a perfect rectangle. Almost all walls in my home are not. So this program was completely useless.

Look at all the example plans in the program. None of them have any out of the ordinary roofs or walls.

The update on the website has one roof that is called a 'shed'. It was a joke. No help at all. If are going to create a design that has anything that is unique or out of the ordinary, skip this program.

Okay for the basics, but lots of limitations
Got Super Home Suite version 3.5.2 to replace Broderbund's 3D Home Architect 5.0, about which I cannot say enough bad things (it's wildly unstable and very difficult to use even when it doesn't crash, which it does on a regular basis).

SHS is definitely easier to use. For designing basic floor plans, it's very straightforward. Walls and windows are easy to move; roofs are easy to put on. The packaging oversells the 3D viewing capabilities - it's pretty basic. And if there's a way to create elevations of your work, I haven't seen them.

The biggest drawback is the limitations in cabinetry, fixtures, furniture and so on. For example, there are no bi-fold doors available in the pallette. There's no way to indicate foundation walls. Broderbund's package had generous 'catalogs' with a wide array of items, identified by list (nice idea if that POS actually worked). In contrast, SHS relies on a graphically narrow palette of icons on the right side of the screen. It's hard to determine exactly what each item is (nor is there any key or mouseover identification). So you've sorta got to guess what each item is.

Another problem: roofs are very limited. For example, there's no way to create a saltbox-style roof.

I got acceptable results with the app vis-a-vis floor plans, but that's about it. This app could be lots better. ... Read more