Punch! Professional Home Design

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Summary: punch professional home design
Review: I dont usually WRITE reviews, but I do find them VERY helpful when deciding to buy a product so Im trying to return the favor.
It was with some hesitation that I bought the above software- reading many positive and equally negative views for the various packages. I went with "professional" so that I could change elevations for uneven lots- very useful feature.
what I was looking for in software was something that i could easily draw my own plans for a home, add textures, furniture and be able to easily view it in 3-D to asssess for room space, design etc. I didnt expect the software to be able to generate professional, usuable plans to construct a home for (not my goal). This software does a GREAT job with my objective, and its rather easy to use.
Ive constructed a 3 level complicated outer wall home(not a simple box) without much difficulty
(Ive spent 3-4 hours, all 3 levels are essentially done, just adding a few more windows, furniture etc)...(not in the computer field, reasonably computer savy)
I must admit, when I first sat down, I wasnt impressed with the program....so I opened the manual- pleasant suprise! After I began to build the home, using the steps in the manual (very clear) it was easily accomplished.( I was afraid i would have to build a simple home to get used to the features , but it wasnt necessary)

Some VERY nice features:
1) Live view in a window- 3-D as you build it - it shows up view.
2) Importing scanned plans- that you can resize and draw on- VERY nice feature
3) walk through in 3-D- after I figured out to drag around the small arrow on the 2-D blueprint and watch the 3-d window- realized how nice this program is. you can get a really good feel for how big the home is/ rooms are- how open etc.
PROBLEMS:
I was unhappy with the textures- there was "bleeding through" of the exterior textures into the interior and vice-versa- went to the user support groups off punch website and found out the the software works better when you turn your pc graphics accelerator down(or off in my case)(renders 3-D in software- not hardware) - now the textures look really nice. they turn off while im moving through the house- and draw back on once I stop.
UNKNOWNS:
havnt used the estimator, deck builder or done much landscaping(added a few trees) so cant comment much about these- again...not my main focus for the software

BOTTOM LINE:
I think this is an INVALUABLE tool if youre planning on building a home - If you want to be able to walk through a home in 3-D, design it easily and not spend alot of time this works VERY well.
got a manufactures rebate on the box and purchased it for a very reasonable price at Bestbuy.
I would buy this again without hesitation.

Rating:
Summary: There must be something better out there...
Review: I would have to agree with the other reviewer about this software. The Punch Professional Home Design suite is one of the most frustrating software applications I have ever used. I have been using the software daily for nearly 3 months. It is difficult to do just about everything in this program. I can't brag about the technical support I've not received from Punch either. They say that it is available to registered users, but I've not received a single response to my requests for help. The program itself is quite sofisticated, and powerful. For example, the 3D rendering is awesome. Punch would do well if they would spend the time to improve upon the features the program already has instead of adding new capability. Punch needs to significantly improve this product. Until they do, I will not spend another dime on this software company.

Rating:
Summary: Read This Review
Review: Ok, I also bought both 3d home Architect that is marketed by Broderbun and Punch Pro Home Design. The Broderbun product is ok but Punch Pro is horrible. I have read the manual so that is not the problem. While the software is not intuitive, and the documentation is superficial, learning the software is not the problem. It's just plain bad. Standard features in any package like this - 2d (plan view) zooming in and out, undo, selecting a feature to modify, etc, just don't work correctly. Advanced features like moving around in the 3d view are a bad joke.

I thought maybe it was just me so I started examining the sample plans they provide. They all look like they are slight modifications of the same three or four plans, are all pretty simplistic, and most have structural problems. If all you want to do is draw a box with a roof on it this software will do it - but you'll still suffer getting it done. If you want to do anything slightly creative don't even bother.

If all this isn't bad enough they suggest that you download and install the "patches" for the program. The "patches" are over 150 megs. This size of the patches isn't that big a deal for me because I have a fast connection. After 5 days of trying I still can't download them. They tell you on their site to try at non-peak times. I've tried from early in the morning to late at night on weekends and on weekdays. I've never even got a download to commence.

My last warning - there is a reason this software does not come with a money back guarantee.

Rating:
Summary: Plant database is hard to use.
Review: One of the more frustrating parts of using Punch is plant selection. One has to select from pictures that are scrolled down the right side of the screen. Down in the lower left hand side of the screen is the name of the plant being displayed. One should be able to type in the name of the plant and have the picture displayed, rather than the other way around. The database of plants, while seemingly large, is quite sparse, and is especially weak on native plants, which are of increasing importance in contemporary landscape architecture.

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Summary: less than honest marketing/packaging
Review: Purchased Professional home design suite from Punch. Overly complex and difficult to use in general. I was fairly satisfied nonetheless until I tried to outfit kitchen and bath space. To my amazement I found out that I would have to purchase an additional program from Punch called Cabinet Wizard (and upgrade to "platinum edition" Professional home design suite for approx. $40. dollars.) That is when I decided to take advantage of the full refund offer, which I will believe when the Punch check clears my account. I have used and been very pleased with my old 3D Home Architect from Broderbund for 5 years and now will purchase a newer edition.

Rating:
Summary: Professional Home Design Suite
Review: Save your money. I have wasted three hours on a Sunday trying to figure out how to create a non-rectangular-shaped foundation with a wrap-around porch, have searched online help and the manual for "porch" with no results, and of course, tech support is only open Monday-Friday.

I consider myself a fairly savvy software user, and in fact, am in software marketing for a living. This is one of the most user-spiteful programs I have ever seen.

I wish I had my money back.