vinkadog's Full Review: Chief Architect Better Homes and Gardens Interior ...
I bought this software to help in redesigning my kitchen prior to remodeling. There were quite a few choices out there, and I picked this one based on the ease of use as described by amazon.com users. I wasn't looking for a detailed, accurate depiction of every color and appliance choice for my new kitchen--I just wanted a tool to play around with overall layout. This is definitely the tool for that, and for $40 (after rebate) you can't beat the price.
The box holds two CD's and a User's Guide. Disk 1 is the Program itself, and disk 2 is the Tutorial. This program is so easy to use that I didn't even open the tutorial.
What's Good
The User's Guide does a good job of getting you started. You begin by drawing exterior walls, then adding interior walls, and finally dropping in plumbing fixtures, furniture, stairs, etc. It is intuitive enough that within one hour I had a complete diagram of my kitchen including all cabinets, appliances, and new walls.
The coolest feature is the multiple views. You draw your layout using the Floor Plan view, which is the overhead view most people associate with architectural plans. Once you've dropped in your fixtures, you can switch to 3D view which shows you a computer rendering of how your cabinets look. You can swing the camera around as you look at different walls and "walk" through your new room. There are two more views: glass house view, which shows the appliances and walls with black outlines only; and dollhouse view. I haven't used either for this project.
The library of cabinets, appliances, and fixtures is adequate. Once you select an item that's close to what you want you can customize by adjusting the dimensions or color as needed.
The library even includes electrical outlets and other details, and the ability to measure dimensions in your plans. A neighbor who is also remodeling commented that the dimensions and electrical features mean that she can use this software to generate a plan to submit to the city for her building permit.
What Could Use Some Work
The User's Guide and Help/Search feature are a little lacking. They're good to get you started, but not so good for specific questions. For instance, I wanted to know how to adjust the ceiling height, and a search on "ceiling" yielded nothing. I eventually figured it out on my own, so I know it's possible to change.
In 3D view the perspective gets distorted depending on the angle you're using. For instance, if you're "standing" next to a door and look into the room, the door will stretch out. It's not a big deal but definitely something to be aware of.
Some amazon users complained about the limited choice of furniture. I didn't even look at the furniture selection since I'm using this for a kitchen, but from what I've seen you can find something close enough and adjust its dimensions. You may not get an exact view of what your room will look like, but you'll at least be able to tell if everything will fit the way you want.
The Bottom Line
This is the software for you if you want to play around with a room's overall layout, or if you need a simple diagram to submit to your city for a building permit. If you want exact renderings of your rooms with exact details of your new wallpaper/furniture, then this probably will disappoint.
Powerful, easy-to-use interior home design software Includes interior design, remodeling, decorating, and floor/space planning Quickly place and arran...More at Amazon Marketplace
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