3d home design

USER’S GUIDE

www.broderbund.com

380865-MAN/I031kg

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© 2001 TLC Productivity Properties LLC, and its licensors and Advanced RelationalTechnologies. A portion of texture files © 1989-01 IMAGETECTS™. All rights reserved. 3DHome Architect is a registered trademark and Broderbund and the Broderbund logo aretrademarks of TLC Productivity Properties LLC. ImageCELs® is a registered trademark ofIMAGETECTS™. Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarksof Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarksare the property of their respective owners.

In the interest of product improvement, information and specifications represented here aresubject to change without notice.

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Table of Contents (Click on a topic to go to that section)

Preface ...........................................................................................................................v

Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3D Home Architect Deluxe................................1What’s in the Box.........................................................................................................2System Requirements ...................................................................................................2Installing 3D Home Architect Deluxe............................................................................3Starting 3D Home Architect Deluxe .............................................................................3Removing 3D Home Architect Deluxe ..........................................................................4

Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe .........................................5What 3D Home Architect Deluxe Does.........................................................................6What 3D Home Architect Deluxe Doesn’t Do...............................................................6Using the Build House Wizard ......................................................................................7Getting Around 3D Home Architect Deluxe .................................................................8

Windows ..................................................................................................................8Views........................................................................................................................8Modes....................................................................................................................13Menu Commands ..................................................................................................13Toolbar...................................................................................................................14

Understanding Objects...............................................................................................15Manipulating Objects .............................................................................................15

Drawing a Plan...........................................................................................................17Adding Walls ..........................................................................................................17Adding Doors.........................................................................................................17Adding Windows....................................................................................................18Adding Cabinets.....................................................................................................18Working with Fixtures, Furniture, and Outdoor Objects .........................................18Working with Roofs ................................................................................................19Working with Electrical Outlets...............................................................................19

Understanding Default Settings..................................................................................19Dealing with Multiple Floors ......................................................................................19Understanding Text....................................................................................................19Understanding Dimensions ........................................................................................20

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Table of Contents

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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial ............................................................................21Getting Started ..........................................................................................................22

Removing All Plans from Memory ..........................................................................22Using the Default Modes........................................................................................23

Drawing Walls ............................................................................................................24Creating Dimension Lines.......................................................................................26

Naming Rooms ..........................................................................................................28Placing Doors and Windows.......................................................................................30Placing Cabinets.........................................................................................................33Placing Fixtures ..........................................................................................................35

Adding a Window Above the Sink ..........................................................................38Working in Three Dimensions.....................................................................................39

Editing in 3D Views ................................................................................................42Placing Furniture ........................................................................................................43Adding a Bathroom....................................................................................................45

Adding Bathroom Fixtures......................................................................................47Applying Materials .....................................................................................................50Adding Landscaping...................................................................................................51Adding a Roof ............................................................................................................53Adding Electrical Items ...............................................................................................57Adding Outdoor Images.............................................................................................57Checking for Design Errors .........................................................................................59Creating a Materials List .............................................................................................60

Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial ......................................................................61Planning a Project ......................................................................................................63Getting Started ..........................................................................................................63Creating the Exterior of a House ................................................................................63

Selecting Material for Exterior Walls .......................................................................66Drawing Interior Walls................................................................................................66

Using Invisible Walls to Create an Open Plan .........................................................67Using Wide Doorways to Create an Open Plan.......................................................69Naming Rooms ......................................................................................................69

Placing Doors .............................................................................................................70Creating the Front Door.........................................................................................71Creating Interior Doors...........................................................................................71

Placing Windows........................................................................................................74Using the Window Specification Dialog Box...........................................................76Using the Copy Tool to Copy the Changes ............................................................77Placing Special Windows ........................................................................................78

Cleaning Up the Display.............................................................................................80

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Placing Cabinets.........................................................................................................81Adding Cabinets.....................................................................................................83Creating Cabinet Soffits..........................................................................................84Creating an Island with Cabinets............................................................................85

Placing Fixtures ..........................................................................................................87Adding Fixed Fixtures.............................................................................................87Adding Movable Fixtures........................................................................................88

Looking at a Room.....................................................................................................89Placing Furniture ........................................................................................................94

Selecting Colors and Materials for Furniture ...........................................................94Placing Fireplaces .......................................................................................................95Building Decks and Porches........................................................................................98

Creating a Porch ..................................................................................................100Creating Stairs..........................................................................................................101

Creating an Interior Staircase ...............................................................................101Fixing Staircase Problems .....................................................................................104Creating an Exterior Staircase ...............................................................................106

Adding Additional Floors ..........................................................................................109Using Reference Plans...........................................................................................111Showing the Second Floor View of the Staircase ..................................................113

Fine-Tuning Rooms...................................................................................................114Adding Colors ......................................................................................................115

Getting Wired ..........................................................................................................116Making a List and Checking It Twice ........................................................................120

Using Plan Check .................................................................................................120Checking the Budget ...........................................................................................121Making Your Plan a Reality ...................................................................................122

Creating a 3D Walkthrough .....................................................................................122

Chapter 5: Advanced Roofing Techniques Tutorial ............................................123Hip Roof...................................................................................................................124Gable Roof ...............................................................................................................126Shed Roof ................................................................................................................127Saltbox Roof.............................................................................................................128Gambrel Roof...........................................................................................................129Gull Wing Roof.........................................................................................................130Half Hip Roof............................................................................................................131Mansard Roof...........................................................................................................132Roof Type Quick Reference.......................................................................................133Gables over Doors and Windows..............................................................................134

Placing Dormers in a Gable Roof ..........................................................................134Using the Break Wall Tool with Automatic Roof Designer .........................................139

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: Table of Contents

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Chapter 6: Reference: Toolbar Commands ..........................................................143Mode Buttons ......................................................................................................144Dialog Box Buttons ..............................................................................................144Tool Selection Buttons..........................................................................................144Tool Button Descriptions ......................................................................................144

Chapter 7: Reference: Menus .................................................................................167File Menu .............................................................................................................168Edit Menu ............................................................................................................177Build Menu ..........................................................................................................179

Wall Submenu.................................................................................................179Door Submenu ...............................................................................................188Window Submenu ..........................................................................................195New Floor Command .....................................................................................204Foundation Command....................................................................................205Roof Submenu ................................................................................................206Stairs Command .............................................................................................208Cabinet Submenu ...........................................................................................214Fireplace Command........................................................................................221Electrical Submenu..........................................................................................224Fixtures Command..........................................................................................228Furniture Command........................................................................................231Dimension Lines Submenu..............................................................................232Text Command...............................................................................................234Outdoor Objects Command ...........................................................................236Outdoor Images Command ............................................................................238Ground Covering Command ..........................................................................239Build Lot Command........................................................................................240

About Rooms .......................................................................................................241Options Menu......................................................................................................2473D Menu..............................................................................................................259Tools Menu ..........................................................................................................265Internet Menu ......................................................................................................270Window Menu .....................................................................................................270Help Menu ...........................................................................................................271

Appendix...................................................................................................................273Appendix A: Introduction to Residential Design .......................................................274Appendix B: Questions and Answers ........................................................................279

Contacting Technical Support ..............................................................................281Appendix C: Printing Blueprints ...............................................................................282

Index ..........................................................................................................................285

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Preface Congratulations on your purchase of 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4, the complete softwaresolution for easy home design. With 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, you can quickly and easilyproduce accurate and complete floor plans for a remodel, an addition, or even an entirehome. The program will handle multiple floors, check your design for obvious errors,determine the building materials you need, and let you see and work with your design inthree dimensions. The program automatically lines up walls, measures and adds dimensions,and does most of the other tedious work necessary to create building plans. It frees you todo the creative work.

About This ManualThe Getting Started chapter covers hardware and software requirements, and installation.

The Overview shows you around the program and introduces basic concepts.

The Cabin Tutorial takes you through the creation of a basic plan. You will learn to edit aplan in different views. Finally, you will see how to use special features like automaticdimensions, electrical outlet placement, Plan Check and how to create a Materials List forestimating cost.

The Basic Techniques Tutorial shows you how to create staircases, custom windows, cabinetry,decks, and multiple stories.

The Advanced Roofing Techniques Tutorial teaches you how to build eight different roofstructures. You can combine any of these styles to create your own custom roofs. Thischapter also introduces two tools that help in the roof creation process, and includes anintroduction to placing dormers in your roof.

The Reference provides an item-by-item explanation of each program feature, organized bythe toolbar and menus.

The Introduction to Residential Design provides a brief overview of the aspects of residentialbuilding design relevant to the home architect.

At the end of the manual you will find answers to common questions and information oncontacting Technical Support.

A Word about Windows®

This manual assumes you are familiar with Windows and basic Windows techniques, such asusing the mouse and menus. If you are new to computers, or unfamiliar with Windows,consult the Microsoft Windows documentation.

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Chapter 1Getting Started with 3D HomeArchitect® Deluxe 4

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This chapter walks you through setting up the program. You’ll learn:

• What’s in the box

• System requirements

• How to install the program

• How to start the program

• How to remove the program

What’s in the BoxYour 3D Home Architect ® Deluxe 4 package should include the following:

• 3D Home Architecture Deluxe 4 Program CD-ROM

• Home Styles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans

• User’s Manual

• Registration Card

System RequirementsTo install and run 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, your system must include the following:

• 100% IBM-compatible computer with a 166MHz processor or better (300MHzrecommended).

• Windows 95B/C, Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3 or higher), Windows 98, Windows2000 or Windows Me (Millennium Edition).

• 150MB free of hard-disk space.

• 32MB of RAM (64MB recommended). 64MB minimum for Windows NT.

• CD-ROM Drive.

• Two-button mouse supported by Windows.

• Color VGA, SuperVGA, or higher-resolution monitor that supports 256 colors. (We highlyrecommend a video card that supports OpenGL and hardware acceleration.)

Optional:• Printer

• 14.4 Kbps modem for Internet access*

• 19.5MB free hard-disk space for AT&T WorldNet® Service software installation

User is responsible for all Internet access fees and phone charges.

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Installing 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4These instructions assume you are at the Windows® desktop.

To install

1. Insert the CD-ROM into your CD drive.

The 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 startup window appears. If it doesn’t, use the stepsbelow these to install the program manually.

2. Click the Install button.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the program.

To install manually

If the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 startup window doesn’t appear automatically, use thesesteps to install the program manually.1. Insert the CD-ROM into your CD drive.

2. Click the Start button on the taskbar and choose Run.

3. Type D:\LAUNCHER.EXE in the line labeled Open.

If your CD drive uses a letter other than D, substitute that letter for D.

4. Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions to install 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

Starting 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 You can run 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 from its startup window or from the Start buttonon your Windows desktop.

To run 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 from its startup window

1. After successfully installing the program, insert the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 CD-ROMinto the CD drive.

2. Click the Run button on the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 startup window.

If the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 startup window does not appear, you can run theprogram from the Windows desktop.

To run 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 from the desktop

1. Insert the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 CD-ROM into the CD drive.

2. Click the Start button.

3. Point to Programs, and then to 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

4. Click the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 menu item to start the program.

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Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4


Removing 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4If you need to remove 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, begin at the Windows® desktop.

To remove 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4

1. Click the Start button on your Windows desktop.

2. Point to Programs, then to 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

3. Click Uninstall 3D Home Architect menu item to uninstall the program.

Starting Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home PlansTo Install:

1. Insert the HomeStyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans CD-ROM into your CD drive.

2. Click the Start button on the task bar and choose Run.

3. Type D:/SETUP.EXE in the line labeled Open.

If your CD drive uses a letter other than D, substitute that letter for D.

4. Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions to install Homestyles 1500 Best-SellingHome Plans.

You can run the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans from the shortcut icon on yourdesktop, or from the Windows Start button.

To start the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans from your desktop.

Note: After successfully installing the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans CD a shortcut icon will be automatically installed to your desktop.1. Insert the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling CD-ROM into the CD drive.

2. Double click the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans icon on your desktop tostart the program.

To start the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans from the Windows Start button.

1. Insert the Homestyles 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans CD-ROM into the CD drive

2. Click the Windows® Start button

3. Point to Programs, 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans, and then to 1500 Best-SellingHome Plans.

4. Click the 1500 Best-Selling Home Plans menu item to start the program.

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5

An Overview of 3D Home Architect® Deluxe

2Chapter


This chapter gives you an overview of the program. You’ll learn:

• What 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 does and doesn’t do

• How to use the Build House Wizard

• How to use the windows, views, modes, menus, and tools in the program

• How to work with 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 objects

• How to work with multiple floors

• How to use text

• How to use dimensions

What 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 Does3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 creates complete, professional-looking residential floor plans. Theprogram simplifies the task of accurately drawing plans, letting you experiment with possiblealternatives and convey your ideas to others.

Using 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, you can:

• View and edit your plan in three dimensions.

• Record and show walkthroughs (animated 3D representations) of your house.

• Add exterior landscaping objects like trees, shrubs, and flowers.

• Start your plan with an existing one, and then modify it for your needs.

• Create accurate dimensions and other details automatically.

• Create itemized lists of materials to help you estimate material costs.

• Print your plan to any scale as a floor plan, a 3D view, or an interior elevation.

• Check your plans for compliance with certain building standards and rules.

• Experiment with how you want your home to look, without agonizing over every line andmeasurement.

What 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 Doesn’t Do3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 cannot determine the building codes and practices for your area,so consult a licensed contractor to see what works and what is required.

This program assumes standard construction techniques. For designs that require specializedconstruction, like multiple-story homes on steep sites, consult professional architects andbuilders.

3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 cannot design your home for you, but it frees you to experimentwith different design ideas. You must decide room size and location, and how light, air, andpeople will move about within your home. Study different designs, try them out, and thinkabout how you and your family will really live in and use the home you design.

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Using the Build House Wizard The Build House Wizard is a shortcut to starting a new plan. When you first start 3D HomeArchitect Deluxe 4, the wizard displays:

Build House Wizard

If you don’t want the wizard to display in the future, clear the Automatically bring up thiswizard when the program launches check box. You can still run the wizard by choosingHouse Wizard on the Tools menu.

The Build House Wizard has three options:

• You can start with a sample plan and modify it for your needs.

The wizard prompts you for the style and size house you want, and then displays a list ofplans that match your criteria. You can see a preview of each sample plan and choose oneto start with. When you click Finish, the wizard displays the sample plan so you can editit.

• You can have the wizard generate rooms that you arrange to form your house.

The wizard prompts you for the number of floors you want, and whether you wantfeatures like a garage, deck, porch, or laundry room. You specify which kinds of roomsyou want on the first floor. When you click Finish, the wizard creates a box for each roomyou requested. You arrange the rooms, and then re-run the wizard from the Tools menuto specify the remaining floors.

• You can use the Wall tool to define your plan manually.

This option bypasses the wizard and lets you build a plan manually. Manual techniquesare covered in detail in the tutorials and reference chapters.

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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4


Getting Around 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 43D Home Architect Deluxe 4 uses multiple application windows to display different views ofyour plan. All the menus and commands in the program are available via the toolbar ormenu.

Windows3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 displays multiple, independent application windows, so you canhave several views of a single plan open at once (for example, Plan, Cross Section/Elevation, and Camera views), plus several versions of each view (for example, Cameraviews from two angles), and even several different plans (to compare designs).

Views Views in 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 are different ways of looking at your design: each showsa different aspect of your design, each has a different use, and each is displayed in adifferent window. You can move, resize, open, close, and print each window separately. Tomake a window active, click it. You can open a maximum of ten windows at any given time.

You can change, add objects, and change walls only in the Plan window. Once you’veadded an object, you can change it in any window but Materials. You can resize objectsonly in Cross-Section/Elevation view. All views except Materials reflect changes in otherwindows.

Views are available via the View Mode button or the commands on the 3D menu.

View Mode button

View Mode options

Plan ViewMost views are opened from Plan view, which is the view displayed when you first open a file.

Plan view shows you a two-dimensional blueprint view of your design. Here you can add,edit, and see all the elements of your plan, from walls and doors to furniture, dimensions,and labels.

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Plan View

Cross Section/Elevation ViewCross Section/Elevation view shows a cross-section view of your design, including roofs,but of the vertical plane so it shows width and height.

Although you cannot add objects or change walls in this view, you can change objects likedoors, windows, cabinets, and furniture. This view lets you line up objects precisely, becauseyou can see them straight on and view their height relative to one another.

Cross Section/Elevation View Cross Section/Elevation tool

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Camera ViewCamera view shows a three-dimensional perspective of the interior of your design. Cameraview shows you how the plan will look when finished, complete with fixtures and furniture.

Camera View Camera tool

Full OverviewFull Overview shows a bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including multiple-level designswith roofs.

Full Overview Full Overview tool

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Floor OverviewFloor Overview opens a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, includingmultiple level designs. No roofs display.

Floor Overview Floor Overview tool

Framing OverviewFraming Overview displays only the frames, studs, and walls that comprise your plan.

Framing Overview Framing Overview tool

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Final ViewFinal View is available from the 3D menu and from the toolbars in the Camera and FullOverview views. The Final View shows you the same views as the Camera view, but itsmoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planes meet (forexample, where a countertop meets the wall). You can save this view as a bitmap graphicimage.

Final View

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Materials The Materials window is available from the Options menu. The Materials window shows alist of the materials needed to construct your plan. You can also use the Materials windowto generate a cost of materials based on unit costs that you enter.

Materials Window

Modes Modes let the program create objects or carry out commands, like drawing walls, placingwindows, and changing views. You select a mode, and then you select a tool within thatmode, and then you execute a command by clicking the tool.

For instance, to build a wall, first you select Wall from the Build menu, and then you selecta type of wall (for example, Beam), and then you click and drag to create a beam in yourplan.

Menu Commands All commands in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 are available from its menus. To display amenu, click its title. For a complete discussion of the menus, see the Reference chapter.

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ToolbarThe toolbar provides shortcuts to the most commonly used commands. You can use thetoolbar for most of your work. However, there are commands and options available in themenus for which there are no toolbar equivalents.

Each toolbar button represents one command. For example, the Wall command on theBuild menu is equivalent to the Wall button.

Mode buttons are on the left side of the toolbar and tool buttons are on the right side.When you press a mode button on the left side, the tool buttons for that mode aredisplayed on the right. The first tool button is depressed by default, since it is the mostcommonly used. For example, when you click the Wall Mode button, the Wall tool isautomatically selected and you can begin to draw standard walls.

Mode Buttons Tool Buttons

Toolbar

When the pointer passes over a button, its name pops up in a small window called a tooltip.The toolbar changes as you make different windows active, reflecting what you can do ineach window.

The toolbar includes buttons for Fixtures, Furniture, Outdoor Objects, Outdoor Images,and Stairs. These tools display dialog boxes where you can choose items to place in yourplan.

The Fireplace, Text, and Stairs tools let you click in the Plan window to add a fireplace,text, or stairs.

For a full description of all toolbar options, see the Reference chapter.

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Understanding Objects Most CAD and general-purpose drawing programs create simple geometric objects like linesand arcs, and then associate these to each other to create more complex entities. Thisprogram uses objects that include information on how they are shaped, what they are, howthey relate to other objects, and what they can do.

Instead of carefully drawing lines and calling them walls, you just click and drag a wall.When you connect this wall to other walls, or add doors and windows to it, or attachcabinets, the program recognizes the objects you are using and what you are doing andresponds accordingly. Much of your drawing is done automatically; you do not have toposition and size things exactly. The program warns you when you are breaking the rules.You spend less time drawing and more time designing.

Manipulating ObjectsOnce you place an object in your plan, you click it to change it in different ways.

Using HandlesWalls, text, and outdoor images display three squares, called handles. There is one handle ateach end and one in the middle. Other objects, like cabinets and furniture, have at least twohandles: a triangle on one end and a square in the middle. Cabinets display four squares, atriangle, and an arrow. The arrow indicates which way the cabinet is facing.

Cabinet selected

To move an object

1. Click the object to select it.

2. Move the pointer over the middle or square handle to change the arrow pointer todouble-sided arrows.

3. Drag the pointer to move the object.

Objects with a square and triangle can be moved only vertically and horizontally. Tomove objects freely, hold down the Ctrl key and drag.

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To resize an object

• Drag one of the end handles in or out.

To rotate an object

1. Move the pointer over a triangle handle to change the arrow pointer to a circling arrow.

2. Drag to rotate the object.

Selecting, Copying, and Deleting ObjectsYou can select single and stacked objects, open a dialog box to change the object, and copyor delete objects.

To select an object

• Click the Select Items button on the toolbar, or Select Items on the Edit menu.

Select Items button

This switches the program to Select Items. When you select an object, as many as fourright-hand tools will appear in the toolbar, depending on the type of object selected: theNext, Open, Copy, and Delete tools.

To select a stacked object

1. Select the object.

2. Click the Next tool.

Next tool

The Next tool lets you select items that are stacked, like staircases, or incorporated intoother objects, like standard windows within bay and bow window structures.

To change an object


To select a room, click inside it anywhere except on an object; the room will then beoutlined.

2. Click the Open tool or double-click the object.

Open tool

You can open almost every item in your plan in almost every view.

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To copy an object


2. Click the Copy tool.

Copy tool

The pointer changes to a Copy pointer.

3. Click to place the copy.

To delete an object

• Use the Delete command on the Edit menu, the Delete key, or the Delete tool.

Delete tool

Drawing a PlanThere are three things to remember when drawing a plan:

• You define the rooms in your plan with walls. If a space is not completely surrounded bywalls, it is not a separate space.

• Openings in walls are best made by placing doors in the walls, and not by leaving out asection of wall.

• The program will measure and align walls for you, and will even move and resize walls tomake them connect. You can sketch out the general shape first, and fine-tune later.

Adding WallsYou create walls using the Wall mode tools in the toolbar or by selecting the Wallcommands on the Build menu. The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailedinformation about walls.

Adding DoorsDoors, like windows, are openings in walls that you create by selecting the appropriatecommand or tool, and then clicking the area of the wall where you want the opening.

Once you place the door, you can change it by moving and resizing or opening it to changeits specifications. The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailed information aboutdoors.

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Adding WindowsYou create windows using Window mode and commands. Select the kind of window youwant and click where you want it.

You can change the width of a window, and adjust its height. The tutorials and the Referencechapter provide detailed information about windows.

Adding CabinetsYou can place a cabinet anywhere in a plan where there is room for it. If you click a Cabinettool near a wall, the cabinet automatically attaches to that wall.

Cabinets are considered modules that fit together, so when you create several in a row theyseem to join into one. As modules, they are also a standard size (which you can set andchange).

The size of the cabinet, its orientation, and its type can change automatically depending onwhere you put it. For example, if you place a cabinet in a corner, it automatically becomes acorner cabinet.

The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailed information about cabinets.

Working with Fixtures, Furniture, and Outdoor ObjectsThe Library Browser lets you find and place fixtures, furniture, and outdoor objects.

Library Browser

Some fixtures, like sinks, are placed in cabinets. You can place one fixture per cabinet, andthe fixture is always placed in the middle of the cabinet. Some fixtures, like refrigerators, arefreestanding. Fixtures placed in cabinets are edited with the cabinets, while freestandingfixtures, furniture, and outdoor objects are edited individually.

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Working with RoofsCreate your roofs after you complete all other design aspects, but before you place electricalitems in the plan.

By using the appropriate roofing tools, you can add gables above doors and windows andplace dormers in the attic of your plan.

3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 uses Automatic Roof Designer to generate roof structures. Thedefault is a hip roof, but you can modify this. Go through the Advanced Roofing TechniquesTutorial to learn more about roofs.

Working with Electrical OutletsYou select and place electrical outlets (both 110V and 220V), switches, and light fixtures asyou do cabinets. You can’t see electrical items in 3D views and you can’t change theirspecifications, but they are included in the Materials List.

Understanding Default SettingsFor most object types, default settings are derived from the plan-wide defaults for thatobject type. You set defaults for different types of items on the Defaults Setup submenu ofthe Options menu.

Default values are useful because, in the case of windows, you usually want them to be thesame size. Initial values ensure that all windows are the same dimensions when first placed.You can tweak them individually.

Dealing with Multiple Floors3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 can handle up to three separate floors in a plan, plus an atticand a foundation, which is a special case.

You work on floors one at a time. However, you can superimpose one floor, called areference floor, on your current (working) floor to keep things lined up, and you can easilyswap the current and reference floors back and forth. See the section on the Tools menu inthe Reference chapter for more information.

Understanding TextText is drawn as an object, so it scales up or down as you zoom in or out of the plan. Text issized in plan inches, as in CAD programs, not in points, as in word processors.

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Understanding DimensionsDimension lines locate walls and openings in walls by showing how far one wall is fromanother, or how far an opening is down a wall. You can create interior and exteriordimension lines. Manual, interior dimension lines are built like walls.

Once created, dimension lines can be moved, but not resized. Their ends moveautomatically when the associated walls move.

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21

Cabin Design Tutorial

3Chapter


Cabin Design TutorialThis tutorial walks you through the design of a two-room cabin. You’ll learn how to:

• Draw walls

• Name rooms

• Place doors and windows

• Add fixtures and furniture

• Add a bathroom

• Apply materials to items in the plan

• Put in landscaping

• Add a roof

• Add electrical switches, outlets, and other items

• Check your plan

• Generate a materials list for the design

Getting StartedYou should start the tutorial with a blank slate.

Removing All Plans from MemoryStart the program. Make sure no plans are open.

To start 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4

1. Click the Windows® Start button.

2. Point to Programs.

3. Point to 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

4. Click the 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 menu item to start the program.

To close any open plans

1. On the File menu, click Close All.

Using the Close All command instead of Close removes all plans from memory.

2. On the File menu, click New.

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Using the Default ModesA Plan view window opens, ready for you to start drawing.

Empty Plan View window

When you start a new plan, Wall mode is the default mode, and the Wall tool is the defaulttool. This means you can start drawing standard walls immediately.

Wall Mode button

Wall tool

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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial


Drawing WallsStart by making a wall approximately 20 feet in length. Don’t worry about being exact.

To draw a wall:

1. Move the pointer to the top left of the screen.

2. Click and drag out a wall to the right.

Plan with 20-foot wall

As you drag, the status box in the toolbar indicates how long the wall is. You can drawangled walls, but the angle is restricted to increments of 15 degrees. This ensures thatparallel walls will be parallel, which is important if you export your plans to other CADprograms. Also, your builders will thank you, because simple angles are easier to build.

3. Use the same technique to drag out another 20-foot wall, perpendicular to the first one,on the right side.

You do not need to begin this wall exactly where the other wall ends—just get it close,and the new wall will automatically snap to the existing wall.

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4. When the second wall is finished, draw two more walls to make a box.

Plan with box drawn

If you make a mistake, draw over a wall again, or click the wall with the pointer, and thenpress the Delete key. To start over, select Close from the File menu and then New.

To adjust the spacing of the walls

1. Click a wall.

You will see a dimension line stretching out to the opposite wall, and three handles: onein the middle of the selected wall, and one at either end.

2. To move a wall, click the wall, and then drag its center handle outwards.

When you move a wall, the lengths of all connected walls are adjusted automatically,keeping them connected. This makes it very easy to sketch out a rough design, whichyou can adjust for precise dimensions later.

3. To resize a wall, click the wall, and then drag one of its end handles.

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Creating Dimension LinesDimension lines locate walls and openings in walls by showing how far one wall is fromanother, or how far an opening is down a wall. You can add automatic exterior dimensionlines, as well as manual interior dimension lines.

To create dimension lines

1. Click the Dimension Mode button on the toolbar.

Dimension Mode button

Two additional tools are now available on the right side of the toolbar. The first toolcreates manual dimension lines. The second tool, the Exterior Dimension tool, createsexterior dimension lines automatically.

2. Click the Exterior Dimension tool and see what happens.

Exterior Dimension tool

Plan with dimension lines

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3. For a closer view, click the Zoom Mode button.

Zoom Mode button

4. Drag a box around the area you want to see in detail. The area fills the screen.

5. To return to the original view, click the Undo Zoom button.

Undo Zoom button

6. If you can’t see all the exterior dimension lines at once, click the Fill Window button.

Fill Window button

7. Divide the room into two rooms by drawing another wall within the enclosure, using theWall tool again.

The plan should look something like this:

Plan with two rooms

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Naming RoomsRooms in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 have special qualities that are not available until theyare named.

To name your room

1. Click the Select Items button.

2. Double-click the room on the left.

The Room Specification dialog box appears.

Room Specification dialog box

3. Click the arrow next to Room Name.

4. In the list that appears, click Kitchen.

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5. Click OK to leave the dialog box and return to the Plan view.

Plan with Kitchen labeled

6. Double-click the room on the right.

7. Select Bedroom in the Room Name list.

8. Click OK.

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Plan with both rooms labeled

Placing Doors and WindowsNow you’ll add some doors and windows to the cabin.

To add a door

1. Click the Door Mode button.

Door Mode button

A number of tools appear on the right side of the toolbar. They represent different typesof door commands. By default, the active tool is the Door tool.

Door tool

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2. To put a standard door in the cabin, move the pointer to the bottom wall at themidpoint of the bedroom and click.

A doorway is placed in the wall. No door appears in the doorway until you indicatewhich way the door should open.

3. Click the doorway.

Three handles appear, just as they do when you click a wall.

4. Click an end handle, and then drag in the direction that you want the door to open.

5. Now place a doorway from the bedroom into the kitchen.

The plan should look like this:

Plan with two doorways

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To add a window

1. Click the Window Mode button to change to Window mode.

Window Mode button

As with Door mode, a number of tools appear on the right side of the toolbar that arespecific to Window mode. By default, the Window tool is active.

Window tool

The other tools let you place other types of windows, such as bay windows. You can alsouse the Window Library button, which gives you an even wider assortment.

2. To place a standard window, click the top wall at the midpoint of the bedroom.

Plan with a window in the Bedroom

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Placing CabinetsNow you’ll place some cabinets.

To add a cabinet

1. Click the Cabinet Mode button.

Cabinet Mode button

Tools specific to cabinets appear on the right-hand side of the toolbar. These tools placedifferent types of cabinets: base cabinet, wall cabinet, full height cabinet, and shelving.By default, the Base Cabinet tool is active.

Base Cabinet tool

2. Place some cabinets against the left wall in the kitchen.

3. If you put a cabinet in the wrong place, click it again to make it active and move it, ordelete it and start over.

Don’t worry about orienting the cabinets correctly. A cabinet automatically movesagainst the wall with its front facing out when you place it near a wall. Also, when youplace cabinets next to each other, they attach to form an extended cabinet, sincecabinetry in a modern kitchen is made up of modular units linked together.

The arrow on the cabinet tells you which way the cabinet is facing.

4. To rotate a cabinet, click the Select Items button, and then click the cabinet. Click thered arrow at the rear of the cabinet, and then drag in a circular motion.

5. Use the side and center handles to move and resize the cabinet.

By default, you can move a cabinet up, down, left, and right. To have unrestrictedmovement, click the cabinet, press Ctrl, and then drag the cabinet.

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Your plan should now look like this:

Plan with cabinets placed in Kitchen

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Placing FixturesYou place some objects, such as sinks and some appliances, within cabinets. Add a sink toone of your cabinets, and then add a dishwasher to a different cabinet.

To add a sink to a cabinet

1. Click the Fixtures Mode button.

Fixtures Mode button

The Library Browser appears.

Library Browser for Fixtures

2. Click the plus sign next to the item labeled Fixtures to see items in the Fixture Library.

3. Click the plus sign next to the item labeled Plumbing_3DHA

4. Click the plus sign next to the item labeled Sinks.

5. Click the plus sign next to Kitchen Sinks.

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6. Click 24" Single Kit. Sink.

Library Browser with 24" Single Kit. Sink selected

7. Double-click the picture of the sink in the bottom of the window.

The pointer is shaped like a toilet. This means you can place fixtures in the plan.

8. Click in the middle of the Kitchen, away from the cabinets.

A warning message tells you that you must place this fixture in a cabinet. The programwill not let you place the sink anywhere but in a cabinet.

9. Move the pointer over the cabinet that is closest to the center of the wall and click.

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A sink has appeared in the center of the cabinet.

Plan with 24-inch sink placed in cabinet

To add a dishwasher to a different cabinet

1. Click the Fixtures Mode button.

You must click this button each time you want to place a different fixture.

2. A dishwasher is an appliance, so open Appliance_3DHA, and then open Kitchen.

3. Click Dishwasher, and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

4. Click in the plan to place the dishwasher into a cabinet.

Make sure you don’t click the same cabinet where you placed the sink. If you do, thedishwasher will replace the sink.

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Cabinets containing fixtures must be large enough to accommodate them. Create thecabinet, adjust its size if necessary, and then place the fixture in it.

Plan with dishwasher placed in cabinet next to sink

Adding a Window Above the SinkNow that you have a sink in your kitchen, add a window above it.

To add a window over the sink

1. Click the Window Mode button, as you did earlier.

Window Mode button

By default, the standard Window tool is active.

2. Click the wall above the cabinets and sink.

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A window appears above the sink.

Plan with window placed above sink

Working in Three DimensionsTake a look at the cabin in three dimensions.

To view the plan in three dimensions

1. Click the View Mode button.

View Mode button

By default, the Camera tool is selected.

Camera tool

The pointer looks like a camera.

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2. To look through the doorway into the kitchen, click just inside the doorway and thendrag toward the kitchen about an inch on the screen.

3. Release the mouse button.

The camera can be moved and rotated like any other object in the Plan view.

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A new Camera window appears. It shows a three-dimensional view of the kitchen.

Resulting view

4. To return to the Plan View, click the Window menu, and then click the name of the file.In this case, Untitled.PL1: Plan.

A red camera appears on the plan where you clicked, pointing into the kitchen.

5. To change the view in the Camera window, make the Camera window active.

To make a window active, click its name on the Window menu, or press Ctrl+Tab tocycle through all open windows. To see all open windows at the same time, choose theTile command on the Window menu. To go back to seeing one window at a time,maximize the windows.

6. In the Camera window, click one or more of the arrow tools in the toolbar.

Each time you click a tool, the scene in the Camera window changes. If you want toclick several times before seeing the change, hold down the Shift key when you click.

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Editing in 3D ViewsYou can change some aspects of objects in all 3D windows. You can resize objects in theCross Section/Elevation 3D view only.

To change the window sash in the Camera window

1. Make the Camera window active.

2. Double-click the window sash.

The Define Material dialog box appears, allowing you to change the appearance of thewindow frame. In Plan view, you can display this dialog by choosing Define Materialsfrom the Materials submenu of the Options menu.

A material consists of a color and a texture. Once materials are defined in this dialog box,you can assign them to objects using the specification dialog boxes for each type ofobject.

Define Material dialog box

3. Click the Texture radio button, and then click the Select button.

4. Click the plus signs next to Textures, Window Trim, and Light.

5. Click the different choices and double-click one you like.

6. In the Define Material dialog box, click OK.

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Placing FurniturePlacing furniture is similar to placing fixtures.

To place furniture

1. Make the Plan window active.

2. Click the Furniture Mode button.

Furniture Mode button

The Library Browser appears. Like fixtures, furniture items are arranged in a hierarchy.

3. To place a queen-size bed in the bedroom, go to the Furniture category, then click onBedroom_3DHA.

4. Open Beds.

5. Open Traditional.

6. Click Queen Bed, and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

7. Click in the bedroom to place the bed.

Bedroom with Queen Bed

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Once you have placed an object, you can place as many objects of that type as you wantby clicking again and again in the plan.

8. To change the type of object that you are placing, click again on the depressedFurniture Mode button.

This reopens the Library Browser, and you can choose a different furniture object.

9. To delete a furniture object, click the Select Items button, click the object, and thenpress the Delete key.

Here’s an example of what your plan might look like with more furniture:

Plan view with additional furniture objects

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Adding a BathroomThere’s no bathroom in the cabin plan. If you use 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 to remodel oradd an addition to your existing home, it is best to recreate your existing floor plan in 3DHome Architect Deluxe 4 and then modify it from there. Adding a bathroom to the existingcabin is a typical example.

You’ll place a bathroom next to the bedroom. Walls are the first step in any project.

To add the walls for a new bathroom

1. Switch to the Plan window by clicking Plan on the Window menu.

2. Click the Zoom Mode button.

Zoom Mode button

3. Zoom out by clicking the Zoom Out tool.

Zoom Out tool

This gives you more room to work with.

4. Add the walls with the Wall mode tools as you did earlier.

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The plan should look like this:

Plan view with bathroom walls added

Remember that it’s easy to move walls around once you place them. When you move awall, the walls connected to either end get longer or shorter to maintain the connection.If you place cabinets against a wall and then move the wall, the cabinets move with thewall. This means you don’t have to be precise when you first add walls, because it is easyto adjust them to the dimensions you want later.

Now that you’ve added the walls, name the room.

5. Click the Select Items button, and then double-click inside the room to open the RoomSpecification dialog box.

6. Click the Room Name list box, click Bath, and then click OK to return to the plan.

7. Place a doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom.

Start by selecting the Door Mode button, as you did earlier.

8. Click the wall between the bedroom and bathroom.

9. To make the doorway into a door, click the doorway once.

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10.Click the top handle of the door, and then drag into the bathroom.

Door opening into bathroom from bedroom

Adding Bathroom FixturesNow you’ll place some bathroom fixtures. Add a toilet first, and then a sink and a shower.

To add a toilet

1. Click the Fixture tool.

2. In the Library Browser, open Fixtures, Plumbing_3DHA, and Toilets.

3. Click a toilet and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

4. In the bathroom, click the location for the toilet.

To add a sink

1. Click the depressed Fixtures Mode button.

2. In the Library Browser, open Fixtures, Plumbing_3DHA, Sinks, and Bathroom Sinks.

3. Click the Oval Free Standing bathroom sink, and then double-click its picture in thebottom of the window.

This fixture does not require a cabinet.

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4. In the bathroom, click the location for the sink.

Your plan should look something like this:

Plan with bathroom fixtures placed

To add a shower

1. Click the depressed Fixtures Mode button.

2. In the Library Browser, open Fixtures, Plumbing_3DHA, Showers, and RectangularShowers.

3. Click the 33x42" Shower.

4. Double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

5. Place the shower by clicking the bathroom in the location you want.

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Here’s how the bathroom should look:

Plan with shower placed in bathroom

You’re done with the bathroom. Since you made substantial changes to the plan, reset all3D views.

To reset the views

1. On the 3D menu, click Remove 3D to close all open 3D views.

2. To get a bird’s-eye overview of the entire plan, click the View Mode button and thenclick the Floor Overview tool in the right-hand tools.

View Mode button

Floor Overview tool

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3. To change the view angle, use the tools on the left side of the tool bar.

View Angle tools

Floor Overview of plan

4. When you’re finished experimenting with the Floor Overview window, close it byselecting Close on the File menu.

Applying MaterialsYou can add to the realistic look of your cabin by applying a material to the items in yourkitchen.

To apply a material

1. Change to a 3D view.

2. On the 3D menu, click Select Material.

3. Click an item in your kitchen.

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You can click any object, even those you can’t usually select as individual items, like thebase molding on a wall, or the frame of a window.

In the Define Materials dialog box, the Name list shows you the type of item youclicked. When you make your changes, all items of this type will use the new settings.

4. In the Group box, select the type of material you want.

5. Specify whether you want a solid color or a texture.

6. Specify whether to make the surfaces dull, normal, or shiny.

7. Click the Select button to choose a color or texture.

If you specified Texture, rather than Color, use the Library Browser to choose from ahierarchical set of textures. You can use your own images as textures—see the section onthe Define Material command on the Options menu in the Menus chapter of this book.

If you specified Color, you can choose a defined color or create a custom color.

• To choose a defined color on the left side of the dialog box, click it and click OK.

• To create a custom color, click a color in the color display that’s close to what youwant, and then use the gray slider, the Hue, Saturation, Luminosity settings, as wellas the Red, Green, and Blue settings, to adjust it to what you want.

One hundred percent each of red, green, and blue becomes white. Setting all thecolors to zero creates black. Equal values for each primary color create shades of gray.

8. To accept your changes, click OK.

Adding LandscapingYou can build the lot for your cabin and add a ground covering to the ground surroundingyour cabin.

To build the lot for your cabin

1. Change back to Plan view.

2. On the Build menu, click Build Lot.

This creates a 50x100-foot lot.

3. To see the boundaries of the lot, click the Zoom Mode button, and then click the ZoomOut tool.

4. To reset the view, click the Zoom In tool when you are finished.

5. To turn off the dimension lines, on the Options menu, click Show Items. Click the checkbox next to Automatic Dimensions to clear it. Click OK to exit the dialog box.

6. Make sure your ground covering will be visible. On the Options menu, click Show Itemsand then make sure Beam/Soffit & Groundcoverings is selected. Click OK to exit thedialog box.

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7. To place a 3x3-foot ground covering, on the Build menu, click Ground Covering, andthen click in the upper-left corner of the lot.

8. To make the ground covering larger, click the ground covering, and then click the redhandle located on its right side, and then drag to the right edge of the lot.

9. Click the ground covering again, and drag the lower red handle to the north wall of thecabin.

The ground covering should now cover a large portion of your backyard.

Plan with ground covering

To make the ground covering look like a lawn

1. Create a Camera view of the back yard.

• Click the Camera mode button.

• Click and drag in a corner of the back yard to place a camera.2. Double-click the ground cover and click the Materials tab.

3. Make your changes and click OK.

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4. Turn the Dimension marks back on.

• On the Options menu, click Show Items.

• Click the check box next to Automatic Dimensions to select it.

• Click OK to exit the dialog box.

Adding a RoofNow you’ll add a roof to the cabin.

To add a roof

1. In the Plan window, click the Roof Mode button.

Roof Mode button

The Gable Over Opening tool (the default), the Build Roof tool, and the Delete AllRoofs tool appear on the right side of the toolbar.

Roof tools

2. Click the Build Roof tool on the right side of the toolbar.

Build Roof button

The Build Roof dialog box appears.

The Automatic Roof Designer takes the information on roof pitch, overhang, and rafterthickness and translates it into a roof. For your first attempt, accept the defaults.

3. Click OK to build the roof.

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By default, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 builds a hip roof. Your plan should look somethinglike this:

Plan view of roof

To view the cabin in a three-dimensional view


View Mode button

2. Select the Full Overview tool from the right-hand tools.

Full Overview tool

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Your plan appears in the Full Overview window.

Full Overview view of roof

3. Use the tools on the left side of the toolbar to change the angle of the view.

4. When you’re done experimenting with the Full Overview window, close it by selectingClose on the File menu.

5. To view the cabin with in a Camera window, click the View Mode button. Then click theCamera tool on the right-hand side.

View Mode button

Camera tool

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6. To change the view to look toward the front door, looking at the front of the cabin, clickabout five inches outside the doorway and drag toward the door about an inch on the screen.

Your plan appears in a Camera window that looks something like this:

Camera view of roof

7. You can move around the view by using the tools available in the menu bar. Whenyou’re done experimenting, close the view by selecting Close on the File menu.

For more detailed information on creating roofs, including instructions for creating otherroof styles, placing gables over doors and windows, and placing dormers in your roof,see the Advanced Roofing Techniques tutorial.

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Adding Electrical ItemsYou’ll specify where switches, outlets, and lights are located, and how switches are wired.You’ll place some electrical outlets.

To place electrical outlets

1. In the Plan window, click the Electrical Mode button.

Electrical Mode button

2. Click the Place Outlets tool.

Place Outlets tool

3. Click each of the three rooms in the plan.

With each click, 110-volt electrical outlets appear at standard intervals in one of the rooms.Light fixtures appear over the sinks.

Adding Outdoor ImagesYou’ve completed the inside of the plan. Finish the landscaping on the outside of the houseby adding images for flowers, rockery, shrubs, and trees.

To add images to the landscaping

1. Zoom out and click the Outdoor Images button.

Outdoor Images button

2. In the Library Browser, open Images, Flowers, and Yellow.

3. Click margdisy, and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

4. In the Plan window, click outside the house next to the north wall five times.

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Your plan should look like this:

Plan with flowers

5. Click the Outdoor Images button again.

6. In the Library Browser, open Images and Large Trees.

7. Click Sweetgum, and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

8. Click above the flowers twice to place two trees.

To view the plan with outdoor images in 3D

1. Click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview button.

2. Use the right-hand tools to rotate and move the camera angle.

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Your plan should look something like this:

Full Overview of plan with flowers and trees

3. To close the Full Overview window, click the Exit button (X) in the upper-right corner ofthe window.

Checking for Design ErrorsPlan Check checks your plan for design errors. It cannot verify that the plan is up to code,because codes vary greatly depending on local ordinances. Plan Check alerts you to anyrules of thumb that you may have violated, and gives you some design tips.

To check the plan for design errors

1. Make sure the Plan window is active.

2. Click on the Zoom Window button on the tool bar, then click on Fill Window.

3. On the Tools menu, click Plan Check. The Plan Check dialog box appears.

4. Read any message that is displayed, and then click Next to see the next message.

5. When you’re finished, click the Done button.

Note: Plan Check must be run on each floor separately.

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You can now make corrections to the plan. For example, Plan Check noted that the lightabove the kitchen sink, which was placed there automatically by the Place Outlets tool,is not wired to a switch.

6. To wire the light, make sure the Electrical Mode button is selected, and then click theSwitch tool.

Switch tool

7. To place the switch, click the inner surface of a kitchen wall where the switch should be.

8. To connect the switch to the light, click the Connect Electrical tool.

Connect Electrical tool

9. Click the switch, and then drag to the light.

When you release the mouse button, a curved line appears between the switch and thelight to indicate the connection.

Creating a Materials ListTo conclude this tutorial, you’ll generate a Materials List for the cabin. You can generate aMaterials List for the whole plan, an area of the plan, or a single room. You’ll build a list forthe whole plan.

To create a Materials List for the whole plan

1. On the Options menu, choose Materials, and then Calculate From All Floors.

A window lists the major components of the plan. You can enter material costs in thePrice column. The total cost of all materials you enter appears automatically at thebottom of the spreadsheet.

To learn more about the Materials window, see Materials in the section on the Optionsmenu in the Reference chapter.

2. Close the Materials List and then the plan using the Close command on the File menu.

A dialog box appears asking if you wish to save the plan before closing.

3. Save it if you like, or click No.

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61

Basic Techniques Tutorial

4Chapter


This tutorial walks you through the design of a house. You’ll learn how to:

• Plan a project

• Create the exterior of the house

• Create the interior of the house

• Place doors and windows

• Place cabinets

• Add fixtures

• Place furniture

• Build fireplaces

• Build decks and porches

• Create stairs

• Add additional floors

• Fine-tune rooms

• Add electrical outlets and switches

• Check your plan and your budget

• Create a 3D walkthroughThe finished plan, called TUTORIAL.PL1, is located in the My Plans directory. To look atthe plan in 3D, use the Camera tool. Use the Up One Floor and Down One Floorbuttons to see the foundation and second floor.

Up One Floor button

Down One Floor button

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Planning a ProjectWhen you start drawing your plan, don’t think in terms of drawing lines. Think in terms ofbuilding things. Here is a good sequence to follow:1. Draw walls.

2. Name rooms.

3. Put in doorways and windows.

4. Place cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms.

5. Place fixtures and appliances.

6. Place furniture.

7. Build the roof.

8. Place electrical outlets, light fixtures, and switches.

9. Create a lot.

10.Place landscaping and outdoor objects.

Getting StartedYou should start the tutorial with a blank slate.

To close any open plans

1. If any plans are open, click Close All on the File menu.

2. On the File menu, click New.

Creating the Exterior of a HouseFirst you’ll draw exterior walls to completely enclose your plan. This will make it clear what isinside and what is outside.

To draw the exterior walls

1. Select Wall mode, either on the Build menu or from the toolbar.

Wall Mode button

2. Click the Wall Thickness button, at the right end of the toolbar, until it reads 6".

The default thickness for standard walls is four inches, because standard walls are interiorwalls. A four-inch wall represents two-by-four studs with a half-inch of sheetrock andplaster on each side. Exterior walls are usually thicker.

3. Use the techniques you learned in the first tutorial to drag out the exterior walls.

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Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial


Make two rooms. One will be a garage, separated from the rest of the house by exteriorwalls because the garage is usually at outside temperature.

Plan with two rooms

Once you have drawn the walls, make sure they are the right length. To do so, placeautomatic exterior dimension lines on the plan.

4. Click the Dimension Mode button, and then the Exterior Dimension tool.

Dimension Mode button

Exterior Dimension. tool

Dimension lines are drawn around the plan, locating all the walls automatically.

As you move walls, the exterior dimension lines may fail to update. Select the commandagain to redraw them.

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Because the plan is already completely enclosed, you could check each wall’s length byclicking a wall and then clicking its center handle. This would display a temporarydimension line showing the distance from one perpendicular wall to the next. Exteriordimensions let you see everything at once.

To turn off exterior dimension lines, clear the Automatic Dimensions check box in theShow Items dialog box on the Options menu.

5. If you cannot see the whole plan on screen, select Zoom mode and click either the FillWindow tool or the Zoom Out tool to increase the visible portion of the plan.

Fill Window tool

Zoom Out tool

6. Make any necessary adjustments so the dimensions match those in the illustration below.

Plan with dimensions displayed

For example, the wall across the top should be exactly 40 feet long.

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7. To adjust the length of the top and bottom walls, move either of the vertical wallsattached to their end points.

Note: The plan illustrations in this tutorial may not show all exterior dimension lines.

Selecting Material for Exterior WallsYou can specify a texture and material for an exterior wall.

To specify the texture and material for an exterior wall

1. Create a Camera view outside the house.

• Select Camera mode.

• Click anywhere outside the exterior walls and drag towards the house.

• Use the tools on the left side of the toolbar to adjust the view.2. Choose Select Material from the 3D menu.

3. Click the exterior wall.

4. In the Define Material dialog box, click the Select button.

5. Choose a color for the exterior walls.

6. Click OK two times to exit the dialog boxes and apply the material.

Drawing Interior WallsAs exterior walls define the basic shape of the house, interior walls define individual rooms.Then you can assign special properties to each room and its contents. Create these walls justlike exterior walls, but first change the wall thickness to four inches.

To create the interior walls

1. Redisplay the Plan window by choosing it from the Window menu.

2. Click the Wall Mode button.

3. Click the Thickness button until it reads 4".

4. Draw the horizontal wall below the top exterior wall of the plan.

If you draw the long horizontal wall first, it will be one wall all the way across the house.

5. Draw the remaining interior walls.

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Plan with interior walls drawn

Once you draw the first wall, you cannot draw another wall completely across it. Instead,you must draw one crossing the wall on one side, and the second on the other. Theprogram will snap the wall ends together, keeping them lined up.

6. Move and resize each interior wall until they all measure up.

Now that the exterior walls are up, every time you select and move a wall, the exteriordimension line will show what is going on, or a temporary dimension line will appear,showing how far away the wall is from the neighboring perpendicular walls. Drag yourwalls out roughly first and adjust for position and length later.

Using Invisible Walls to Create an Open PlanAlthough you drew real, standard walls to create the rooms, you can still have an open plan.These walls just define space. There are two ways to wall off rooms while keeping yourrooms and plan open. Invisible walls are not really built, but they help the program identifyrooms.

To create invisible walls

1. Open the Wall Specification dialog box for the first horizontal interior wall from the topon the left by double-clicking that wall.

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Wall Specification dialog box

2. Check the No Locate and Invisible options.

3. Click OK.

Dotted lines represent a wall that defines an area that is not really enclosed.

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Using Wide Doorways to Create an Open PlanAnother way to create an open plan is to use a real wall, but place a wide doorway in it.

To create a wide doorway

1. Change to Door mode by clicking the Door Mode tool.

The Door tool should be selected, as it is the default tool for that mode.

2. Click the first vertical interior wall on the left, in the section nearest the top exterior wall.

3. Drag the end handles to make the door 10 feet, but do not drag open a door.

Naming RoomsNow that you’ve defined rooms with walls of different kinds, give them names.

To name a room


Select Items button

2. Click anywhere inside the top-left room.

The walls defining this room are outlined.

3. Use the Open tool on the right side of the application window to display the RoomSpecification dialog box.

Open tool

You can also display the Room Specification dialog box by double-clicking the room.

4. Click the arrow next to Room Name.

5. In the list that appears, click Kitchen.

You can use this dialog box to make other changes to rooms.

6. Click the Material tab and choose Walls in the left-hand list.

7. Click Select Material and choose Color 40 as the new color for the walls in this room.

8. Click OK twice to exit the dialog boxes.

Text showing the room name (KITCHEN) and the room’s dimensions now appear in the room.

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9. Double-click and name all the rooms in the plan so that the plan looks like this:

Room-name labels are text objects that can be repositioned with the pointer, as shown here for the Hall.

10.To hide the room dimensions, on the Options menu, click Show Items, and then underRoom Labels, clear the Size option.

Placing DoorsNow you can determine how people will get from room to room in your plan.

First create the doorway…

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…then create the door by swinging out one of the end handles.

Creating the Front DoorStart by adding a front door to the bottom wall of the plan.

To create the front door

1. Click the Door Mode button.

On the right side of the toolbar, the default tool, Door, should be selected.

2. Add a new doorway to the bottom wall, centered in the entrance, with 2 feet, 9 inchesto either side.

The dimensions display while you place this doorway. The four-digit number indicatesthe width and height of the doorway. The width is automatically 3 feet and the height is6 feet, 8 inches, which is standard for an exterior doorway. The other figures locate thecenter of the doorway relative to the adjacent walls.

3. Click the doorway to make it active.

4. Click and hold on either the left or right handle and drag in the direction that the dooropens.

Exterior doors open in. Traffic patterns affect how most doors open, and to which side,but be sure to check for any regulations or standards.

Creating Interior DoorsNow that you have placed a standard door, try some special items.

To add a double-pocket door

1. Select the Pocket Door tool.

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Pocket Door tool

2. Place the door so it is centered in the wall between the dining and living rooms.

Check the locate dimensions. You will have a door when you are done, but instead of adouble-door, it is a single door.

3. To make the door a double, select it with the Pocket Door tool, click a side handle, andthen drag the doorway out to six feet.

Widening a single pocket door automatically creates a double pocket.

When you release, a double-door displays. Pocket doors cannot be pulled open, but you candetermine the side that a single door opens from by dragging that side out from the wall.

Next, add a door to the doorway between the kitchen and family room.

To add a door using the Door Specification dialog box

1. Double-click in the doorway.

Door Specification dialog box

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2. If the doorway width is not already 10 feet (120 inches), type 120 in the Width box.

3. Change the door type and style by picking bifold from the Door Type list box.

This places folding doors in the doorway, which is wide enough to need double folds.

4. Select glass from the Door Style list box.

5. Check the preview.

6. Click OK.

You can also change the style of the pocket door in the dining room to glass to provideprivacy and quiet, while keeping the kitchen and adjacent rooms full of light.

To add the remaining interior doorways and doors

1. With the Door tool, first place the doorway, and then create the door (if there is one) tolook like the plan below.

Plan with doors placed

2. Click the Garage Doors tool, and place a pair of these in the garage.

Garage Doors tool

3. To choose other door types, click the Door Mode button, and then click the Library tool.

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Library tool

4. In the Library Browser, open Doors, and then Door Library.

5. Open either 2668 or 3068 (the numbers represent the dimensions of the doors. Forexample, 2668 means two feet, six inches wide, and six feet, eight inches high.)

6. Open a category under the door size you chose, click a door name, and then double-click its picture in the bottom of the window.

7. Click in your plan to place the door.

Placing WindowsYou place windows almost the same way as you do doors.

To place windows

1. Click the Window Mode button.

Window Mode button

2. Select the Window tool.

Window tool3. Place standard windows as shown in the illustration.

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Plan with windows placed

Standard windows default to three feet wide and three feet high (shown by the four-digitnumber above the window).

4. To make the window in the study wider, select it, and then click and drag an end handleuntil the window is six feet wide.

Laundry and bathroom windows are usually shorter than standard.

5. Change window height to one foot. To do this, click on the Select Items button, thendoubleclick the window to bring up the Window Specification Dialog Box. Changewindow height then click OK

The last two digits of the displayed dimension change to indicate the varying height, topto bottom.

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Tip: Change window heights in the Camera or Cross Section/Elevation view, where it iseasier to see changes in the vertical dimension. Zoom in on the window to see itsdimensions.

Using the Window Specification Dialog BoxYou may not want the laundry and bathroom windows to be as low on the wall as others,for the sake of privacy and security. There are other changes you may want to make as well.You can use the Window Specification dialog box to adjust the windows. 1. Double-click the bathroom window to open its specification dialog box.

Window Specification dialog box

The preview shows a three-foot wide, one-foot high double-hung, wood-frame window.

2. In the Window Type list box, select left sliding.

3. Set the Floor to Top dimension to 86 inches.

The Floor to Top list box moves the entire window up, while changing the height affectsthe size of the window.

4. Click the Casing tab and set the Width to 0.

5. Click OK.

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Using the Copy Tool to Copy the ChangesTo make identical changes to the laundry room window, you could open a dialog box andrepeat these steps. Instead, you’ll use the Copy tool in Select Items.

To change the laundry room window

1. Change to Select Items by clicking Select Items on the Edit menu or by clicking theSelect Items button.

Select Items button

The selection tools appear on the right side of the application window.

Selection tools

2. Select the existing laundry room window and click the Delete tool to remove it.

Delete tool

3. Click the bathroom window you just changed, and then the Copy tool, on the right sideof the toolbar.

Copy tool

The pointer changes.

4. Position the pointer where the old window was and click.

A copy of the bathroom window now appears in the laundry room.

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Placing Special WindowsTo make the living and dining rooms more inviting, add a bay window to one and a bowwindow to the other.

To add a bay window to the dining room

1. In Window mode, select the Bay Window tool.

Bay Window tool2. Click the dining room exterior wall to place it.

3. Drag the end and center handles to resize the window until it is one foot deep and sixfeet wide at the wall.

Bay window placed in wall

4. Add a bow window to the living room in the same way that you did the bay window inthe dining room, but use the Bow Window tool.

Bow Window tool

5. Click the bottom wall of the living room to place the window.

The many numbers you see are all needed to properly dimension the bow.

6. To change to Selection mode, click the Select Items button.

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The selection tools appear on the right side of the application window.

Selection tools

7. To change the component windows, click the bow window, click the Next tool, and thenclick the Open button.

Next tool

Open button

This opens the Window Specification dialog box, which in this case applies to all thewindows in the bay window.

8. Move and resize the whole bow to make it match this depiction.

Bow window with handles and dimensions

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Cleaning Up the DisplayUpdate the exterior dimension lines and then hide them to make the drawing easier to workwith. You could delete all the lines, using the Delete Items command on the Edit menu, orby deleting each line, but instead you’ll change the display so that no dimension lines, otherthan the temporary ones, show up.

To clean up the drawing

1. Click the Dimension Mode button, and then the Exterior Dimension tool.

2. Adjust the dimensions of your plan if you like.

Plan with exterior dimension

3. On the Options menu, select the Show Items command.

4. Remove the check from the Automatic Dimensions check box and click OK.

As in the illustration below, the lines are hidden, but still accessible. To make them visibleagain, reopen the Show Items dialog box and re-check the box.

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Plan with Automatic Dimensions hidden

Placing CabinetsNow that you have all the walls, doors, and windows for this floor, you have a pretty goodidea of the basic design, and can start furnishing the rooms. To see how this is done, youwill add some kitchen cabinetry.

To add cabinets

1. Use the Zoom tool to focus in on the kitchen.

2. Click the Cabinet Mode button in the toolbar, and then the Base Cabinet tool from theright-hand tools (it is the default tool).

Cabinet Mode button

The top-left corner could be awkward once you place other cabinets, so fill thatcorner first.

3. Click along the north wall, under the window, to place a base cabinet.

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Cabinet on north wall, under window

4. Select the cabinet.

A triangle and arrow appear on the cabinet. The triangle is a rotation handle. Bydragging it, you can rotate the cabinet. The arrow indicates which way the cabinet faces.

This cabinet should face away from the wall, because if you place a cabinet close enoughto a wall the program will know which way it should go, and will even attach it to thewall, so moving the wall will also move the cabinets. You’ll push the cabinet into thecorner, so that you have a standard cabinet there instead of a corner cabinet.

5. Select the cabinet and drag.

If the windows and walls are properly sized, the standard, two-foot wide cabinet shouldjust fit.

6. Place another cabinet beside the first one, under the window. Make sure the secondcabinet is in line with the first by moving it sideways and against the wall.

When properly placed, the line dividing the two modules will disappear.

7. This cabinet should match the width of the window, so drag its side handles until it readsthree feet.

The two cabinets should look like the following illustration.

First cabinet has been moved into left corner, second cabinet widened to 3 feet.

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Note: 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 will stretch a countertop across a corner if the cabinetson either side facing in are close enough together. You could have left this corner empty, butthis blind cabinet will offer a little extra storage.

Although the two cabinets look like one, they are still separate, which you can see byclicking the cabinet under the window.

Adding CabinetsPlace similar cabinets under the other three windows.

To add the remaining cabinets

1. Copy the first cabinet, and then paste and align a copy under each of the other three windows.

The cabinets are placed differently, according to what is next to them.

2. Finish by placing two base cabinets in the two gaps on the left wall.

The result should look like the next picture. If the dividing lines still display, make sure allthe cabinets are facing the right way, and then push the one on the bottom against therest. They should fit snugly.

Kitchen with base cabinets

3. To finish off the cabinets along the walls, place a full-height cabinet along the top on theright, just as you placed the base cabinets.

Use the Full Height Cabinet tool to place this cabinet and fit it snug to the base cabineton the left.

Full Height Cabinet tool

The module line will not disappear because these are different kinds of cabinets.

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4. Choose the Wall Cabinet tool and click once in the top-left corner to place a cornercabinet.

Wall Cabinet tool

Click very close to the corner—otherwise, the cabinet will be a regular cabinet, not acorner cabinet.

The wall cabinets are shown with a dashed line.

5. Place two regular wall cabinets, one between the windows on the left side, and the otheron the wall section dividing the kitchen and dining room.

The results should look like the following illustration.

Wall cabinet placed in upper-left corner

Creating Cabinet SoffitsNow you’ll use the Soffit tool to create cabinet soffits. A soffit fills the void between a wallcabinet and the ceiling.

To create cabinet soffits

1. Select the Cabinet Mode button, and choose the Soffit tool from the right-hand tools.

Cabinet Mode button

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Soffit tool

2. Click this tool as if you are placing a wall cabinet, and it will place a soffit in the area you click.

The soffit extends about an inch past the wall cabinet already present.

3. Continue to place soffits above each set of wall cabinets, until the area above each wallcabinet contains a soffit.

Wall cabinets with soffits

Creating an Island with CabinetsYou can use base cabinets to create an island in the middle of the kitchen.

To create a kitchen island

1. Place a base cabinet as before, but this time place it in the middle of the room.

Since there’s nothing for the first cabinet to attach to, it will float.

2. Select the new cabinet and drag its rotation handle so the cabinet faces to the right.

3. Place another cabinet below the first one, and another below that.

All three should line up facing to the right, with the last two snapping into place.

4. Add a fourth cabinet, just to the left of the bottom one.

The program will snap the back of this cabinet to the back of the other cabinet, creatingthe reverse L you see below.

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Kitchen with L-shaped cabinet island

The exact location in the room is not crucial, but allow about three feet between theisland and other counters.

5. Use Show Items on the Options menu to turn off the room label.

6. Add a second island, suspended above the first, by creating two banks of three wallcabinets, one facing left, and one right. Center it all above the base island.

Wall cabinets that are not attached to walls float 54 inches above the floor.

Wall cabinets placed away from walls become ceiling cabinets.

7. Add soffits above the wall cabinet island to attach it to the ceiling.

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Placing FixturesNow that you have set up your cabinets, you need to add fixtures and appliances to makethe kitchen useful. Use the Fixture Library to find what you want and place it in the plan.

Adding Fixed FixturesYou’ll place a sink in the kitchen cabinet beneath the first window on the left, and then adda trash compactor and dishwasher to different cabinets.

Tip: While placing and aligning cabinets all at once makes sense, it also pays to make sureyour cabinets will hold your fixtures, because if you really want a particular fixture, and itscabinet is too small, you may have to redo all the cabinets to make things fit.

To add a sink, compactor, and dishwasher

1. Select the Fixtures tool.

Fixtures tool

2. Open Fixtures, Plumbing, Sinks, and Kitchen Sinks by clicking the plus signs next toeach of these categories.

3. Click the 32" Double Kit. Sink, and then double-click its picture at the bottom of the window.

4. Click the Fixtures tool in the cabinet beneath the first window on the left.

The counter should now look like this:

32-inch double sink placed beneath window

5. Add a trash compactor and dishwasher to other cabinets in your kitchen. They’re in theFixtures, Appliances, Kitchen category.

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Trash compactor placed to the left of sink

Adding Movable FixturesThe big gap in the top wall is for a 36-inch side-by-side refrigerator, while the nook in thecenter island is for a 36-inch professional gas range.

Place these like the other fixtures, but put them out on the floor. The center and rotationhandles can be used to move and rotate them. The kitchen should now look like this:

Kitchen with cabinets and fixtures placed

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Looking at a RoomYou can see what your cabinets and fixtures look like by double-clicking each one to open adialog box that will let you preview or make changes.

To check the cabinet specifications

1. Double-click one of the cabinets.

Cabinet Specification dialog box

Check boxes, such as for dimension and style, control individual pieces of an object,determining, for instance, size or whether a cabinet has doors or drawers.

2. Click in the middle of the wall cabinet preview.

An area is outlined in red, and Item Type reads right door.

3. Click the Delete button in the dialog box to create a blank space.

4. Click the middle of the wall cabinet preview again and select shelves in the Item Type list.

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The preview shows three shelves where there was a door.

Cabinet Specification dialog box with shelves instead of right door

5. Click OK.

6. Experiment with other options in other cabinets. For example, add cutting boards, ordrawers, or change doors to glass.

You can use the same technique to change fixtures, too.

To have freestanding fixtures display and resize like cabinets

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Plan Defaults.

2. Check the Fixture/Furniture Resize Enable option.

Plan Defaults dialog box

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To see and edit your work

1. Click the View Mode button on the toolbar, and then click the Cross Section/Elevation tool.

View Mode button

Cross Section/Elevation tool

2. In the kitchen, click near the top wall, in front of the refrigerator, and drag a line of sight.

Elevation view of a kitchen wall

As you can see, there is still plenty of work to do. You could add some wall cabinetsabove the refrigerator as described earlier. You could also clean up the window trim bydouble-clicking the window to open its specification box, clicking on the Casing tab,then changing the settings as desired.

You cannot add new objects in Cross Section/Elevation view, but you can move objectsand open specification dialog boxes for them.

3. Double-click one of the windows, click its Material tab, and experiment with changingthe color of the trim.

Changes made here are automatically reflected in Plan view and all other views.

4. Close the Cross Section/Elevation window.

5. Click the Camera tool, place the camera in the plan, and drag a line of sight.

Camera tool

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6. Adjust the camera using one of these methods:

• Move and rotate it as an object in Plan view

Camera object on plan can be moved and rotated like any other object.

• Use the camera movement tools in the Camera window.

• Double-click the camera itself in the Plan view, opening the Camera Setup dialog boxwhere you can set the increments of movement and rotation, camera height, andwhat will be clipped (deleted) from the field of view.

Camera Setup dialog box

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The two views below show the kitchen from the left side of the dining room. The firstview is from a camera four feet off the floor, and the second is from six feet.

Camera at 48-inch height

Camera at 72-inch height

7. As an experiment, open several views—for example, the two Camera views and the Planview—and choose the Tile command on the Windows menu.

You can select and edit all objects except walls in these views, so see which combinationhelps you understand your design best.

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Placing FurnitureHaving seen how to place fixtures, you should already have a pretty good idea of how tohandle furniture.

To place furniture in the dining room

1. Choose the Furniture tool.

Furniture tool

2. Use the same techniques you used for fixtures to place a dining room table, a chinacabinet, and some side chairs.

Dining room tables are in the Furniture, Tables, Dining Tables category.

China cabinets are in the Furniture, Cabinetry, China Cabinets category.

Side chairs are in the Furniture, Seating, Side Chairs category.

Press the Ctrl key while moving an object to place it inside a bay window.

Selecting Colors and Materials for FurnitureYou can apply colors and materials to furniture.

To apply a color or material


2. Click and drag to create a Camera view that includes the furniture.

3. Adjust the view after creating it, if necessary.

4. To define materials, on the 3D menu click Select material.

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5. Click each item to change and choose a color or texture for it in the Define Materialdialog box.

6. Click OK to exit the dialog box and see your applied materials.

Placing FireplacesNext you’ll place a fireplace in the living room. Fireplaces come in two types:

• Prefabricated metal fireplaces are listed in the Fixture Library in the Fireplacecategory. They are handled like freestanding fixtures except that you usually build walls to encase them.

• Masonry fireplaces can be placed in walls (where they act like doors and windows), orout in the room (where they act like cabinets).

To add a masonry fireplace

1. Switch to Plan view if you aren’t there already.

2. Select the Fireplace command on the Build menu or click the Fireplace tool on the toolbar.

Fireplace tool

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3. Click the middle of the left wall in the living room.

Click a wall with the Fireplace tool to create a wall fireplace.

4. Click the fireplace, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the fireplace back through the wallso that the edge of the fire box lines up with the inner edge of the wall.

It should look like the fireplace below.

Fireplace with fire box lined up with inner edge of wall

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5. To change the depth of the hearth, double-click the fireplace, toward the back.

Fireplace Specification dialog box

6. In the Fireplace Specification dialog box, enter 10 for the Hearth Depth option, andclick OK.

Fireplace with changed hearth depth

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Building Decks and PorchesYou’ll build a deck off the sliding door in the family room.

To create a deck

1. Click the Wall Mode button, and then select the Railing tool.

Wall Mode button

Railing tool

2. Drag out the railings to form the deck. Make the deck wide, from the left wall of thehouse up to the right side of the family room.

Another way to do this is to draw regular walls, and then change them to railings usingthe Wall Specification dialog box for each wall.

3. The walls should look like the following.

Railings dragged out to create a deck

Declare this room a deck, so the program knows this area has the properties of a deck.

4. Click the Select Items button on the toolbar.

5. Double-click within the deck to display the Room Specification dialog box.

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6. Select Deck as the Room Name and click OK.

Plan with named Deck

7. To see how it looks, place a camera outside the house looking toward the deck.

Camera view of deck

The railings are constructed of plain uprights (balusters). This is the default.

8. To set other railing styles, switch back to Plan view and double-click the railing to see aspecification dialog box.

The Wall Specification dialog box appears

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9. Click the Railing tab and experiment with different options.

Wall Specification dialog box, Railing tab

10.Switch back to the Camera view outside the deck to see your changes.

Creating a PorchCreate a porch just outside the front door, running from the garage to the left edge of thehouse. A porch is like a deck with a roof. As with the deck, name the new room a porch assoon as possible.

To create a porch

1. Use the Railing tool in Wall mode to draw the rails so they match the drawing below.

2. Double-click the room with the Select Items button and select Porch from Room Name.

Plan with named Porch

3. Double-click each railing and select the Balusters and Post to Overhead Beam options.

4. Click OK.

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5. To check the effect, place a camera in front of the house, looking back toward the porch.

Camera view of porch

There’s no way to get off the porch. You’ll need to place a doorway in the railing.

6. Select Plan view from the Window menu.

. Tip: As a shortcut, you can press Ctrl+Tab to cycle through the open windows to Plan view.

7. Create a wide standard doorway in line with the front door.

8. When you’re done, go back to Camera view (use the Window menu or Ctrl+Tab).

Posts are automatically added to frame doorways.

Creating StairsDecks and porches are usually elevated, so you’ll need some staircases for the two outsiderooms. You’ll also need one in the hallway, leading up to the second floor.

The length, height, and number of steps must be balanced so the staircase climbs the rightamount within the horizontal distance allowed.

Creating an Interior StaircaseYou’ll make the staircase long enough to contain enough steps to reach the next floor. Youcan include a landing—the platform between two staircase sections.

You can use a dialog box to specify the three factors—step number, height, and width—forthe height and length of the staircase.

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To create a staircase

1. Click the Stairs Mode button.

Stairs Mode button

2. Drag in the hall to create a short staircase with seven or so steps.

The staircase is labeled Up, in the direction of the drag.

3. Double-click the staircase to display the Staircase Specification dialog box.

Staircase Specification dialog box

Most of the settings show the calculations required to make the staircase work. You canenter numbers yourself to set the length of the section, and the width and number oftreads. These figures are interdependent—adjusting one causes the other two to change.

If the staircase is too short, a message at the top of the dialog box says that the staircasedoes not reach next floor.

4. Click the Make Reach button to make your stairs reach the next floor and adjust thestaircase length and tread dimensions automatically.

Notice the numbers changing.

5. Click OK.

6. Look at the Plan view and see how the staircase has been lengthened.

7. If the staircase is not in the right place, select it and drag it by the center handle, like acabinet. Move the staircase against the wall outside the family room, with the foot nearthe family room entrance, as shown below.

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Moved staircase

Dragging the side handles changes the width of the stairs, while dragging the endhandles changes the length, and the number of steps.

8. Open an Elevation window by clicking with the Cross Section/Elevation tool anddragging next to the staircase.

9. Use the Tile command in the Window menu to see the Plan and CrossSection/Elevation views side by side.

Cross Section/Elevation and Plan views

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Fixing Staircase ProblemsYou can see that the staircase has some problems. First, it has a wall coming down from it,covering the door to the study. Second, the staircase is too close to the door on the left.

To make the door accessible

1. Double-click the staircase in either view to open the Staircase Specification dialog box.

2. Click the Style tab.

This tab controls the appearance of the selected staircase.

Staircase Specification dialog box, Style tab

3. Check the Open Underneath option, and clear the Large Stringer Base option.

4. Click OK.

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5. Look in the Cross Section/Elevation view to see how the staircase has changed.


You can reach the door now, but the staircase foot still is too close to the door. To correctthis, you can move the staircase to the right and shorten it by removing some steps andmaking the rest higher, or you can move the door.

It’s easier to move the study door, and there is room to do so in that wall, but for the sake ofthis tutorial, you’ll change the stairs.

To change the stairs

1. Double-click the staircase.

2. In the Staircase Specification dialog box, change the Tread width setting to 8 inches.

3. Press the Tab key to see the numbers in Length change from 140 inches to 112, withtread width staying at 8 inches, and number of treads at 14.

Since the number of treads and the height of each tread are not changing, the staircasewill be as high as it was, but a little steeper.

4. To confirm this, check the Plan and Cross Section/Elevation views.

The staircase was shortened at the bottom, shifting it over.

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5. Drag the staircase back into position.

The results should look like the following illustration.


Creating an Exterior StaircaseTo see how easy building stairs can be, add two more staircases for the deck and porch.

To add a staircase off the porch

1. Close the Cross Section/Elevation view.

2. Zoom in on the front porch.

3. With the Stairs tool selected, hold down the Shift key and drag the stairs out from theopening in the porch down to the front of the garage.

4. Resize and position the stairs so they look like those in the following picture.

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Porch stairs labeled DN for down

5. Double-click the stairs to open the dialog box.

The stairs will probably not reach the next floor but that is fine, assuming a half flooronly for the foundation.

6. Click the Style tab, and make sure the Railing options are selected.

7. Click OK.

8. Place the camera to view the new porch staircase.

Camera view of porch stairs

Now you’ll create three shallow stair sections coming off the right side of the deck, withtwo landings dividing them.

To add a staircase off the back deck

1. Use the Door tool to create an opening in the deck.

2. Create a stair section at the deck opening, as you did with the porch, by dragging withthe Stairs tool while holding down the Shift key.

3. Reposition the stair section so it is snug against the deck, centered and away from theback wall.

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4. Hold down the Shift key and drag out another section going down, in the samedirection as the first section.

Make sure to leave an area between the sections for the landing that will go betweenthem. This section automatically has the same width as the last one.

5. Drag out another down section, but this time at a right angle to the first two sections.

Again, leave space for a landing. The results should look like those below.

Three stair sections with spaces for landings

To create landings

• Click the gaps between staircases with the Stairs tool.

Three stair sections with landings

To fine-tune the staircase

1. Double-click the first section of the staircase.

The Staircase Specification dialog box includes the number of sections and landings,and the tread setup for each.

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2. Click the Style tab, make sure everything except Large Stringer Base is selected, andclick OK.

3. Create a Camera view of the back steps.

Camera view of back steps

The options in the Stair Style dialog box make these stairs look like exterior stairs.

The technique above for creating multiple-section staircases works well for both Upstaircases and Down staircases. The tricks to remember are:

• Have a clear picture in your mind for the layout of the stairs.

• Drag out the stair sections first, leaving room for landings.

• Click between the sections to create the landings.

• Use the Make Reach button if you need to.

• Setting style attributes for one stair section applies to the entire staircase.

Adding Additional FloorsThe hall stairs will lead up to the second floor. You can display one floor plan on top ofanother to keep items lined up. You can also generate the basics of a new floor plan fromthe outlines of an existing one. To see how this works, you’ll create floor plan files for afoundation and the second floor.

To create a floor plan for the foundation

1. In the Plan window, on the Build menu, select Foundation.

2. If you are prompted to save your plan first, select Save As in the File menu and nameyour plan in the dialog box that appears. Name the plan MYPLAN.

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3. In the Foundation Setup dialog box, change the Min. Wall Height from 24 to 48inches, and then click OK.

Foundation Setup dialog box

4. In the New Floor dialog box that appears, click the Derive new Foundation plan fromthe first floor plan option and click OK.

New Floor dialog box

A foundation plan appears in the window, with solid lines showing the wall and dashedlines showing the footings (the wide bottoms of foundation walls).

Foundation floor plan

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To create the second floor

1. Switch to the Plan view for the first floor

2. On the Build menu, select New Floor.

3. Select the Derive new 2nd floor from the first floor plan option and click OK.

4. Click the Zoom Mode button and click Fill Window to see the exterior walls for thesecond floor, based on those for the first floor.

Second floor plan

Using Reference PlansThe new second floor is a simple tracing of the exterior walls. You can edit these walls freely,like any other plan. Before you make any changes, display the first floor as a reference planso you can keep the interior walls lined up.

To use the first floor as a Reference Plan

1. On the Tools menu, click Reference Display On.

The first floor plan displays in red on the second floor’s view. You cannot changeanything on the first floor, but you can turn the display on and off and change whichplan is working and which is referenced.

2. Use the Reference Display On and Swap Floor/Reference commands in the Toolsmenu to control the display of the reference floor and switch between the current floorand the reference floor.

You can also use the Up One Floor, Down One Floor, and Change Floor/Referencebuttons in the toolbar.

Up One Floor button

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Change Floor/Reference button

Using the first floor plan as a guide, you can create a second floor plan. 3. Drag out some walls so they look like the illustration below. The reference plan is hidden

in this example, to make the plan clearer.

Second floor plan with interior walls

You don’t have to match the walls and rooms on the second floor with the first floor wallsand rooms, but doing so can make construction easier. This is especially true for bathrooms,because it makes plumbing construction and repairs easier.

The second floor plan will contain a master bedroom in the top-right corner, with two walk-in closets to the left, and a large master bathroom above the bathroom and laundry room ofthe first floor. Other bedrooms can be added.

A finished second floor plan would include doors, windows, room names, furniture, andfixtures. You will not go through all that, since you have already learned those techniques.However, you will learn how to create the staircase that connects to the first floor.

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Showing the Second Floor View of the StaircaseSince the first floor plan shows a staircase, you need to show that same staircase on thesecond floor. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Show an area marking the stairwell and label it Open Below.

• Show a staircase labeled Down, identical to the one labeled Up from the first floor.

To create the upstairs staircase

1. Make sure the first floor is visible as a reference plan.

2. Zoom in on the staircase with the Zoom tool.

3. Wall the staircase off using Railings.

The walls can be standard walls or railings. Many contemporary homes are designed witha room on either side of the stairs. Since this plan doesn’t have that feature, add railingsfor safety.

4. Double-click the newly created room, and, in the Room Specification dialog box, selectOpen Below from the Room Name list box.

5. Click OK and the second floor plan should look like this:

Open Below room defined for staircase

Defining the Open Below room may seem like an unneeded step, but it allows you to seethe stairs coming up through the floor in a Camera or Full Overview view. The result, inCamera view, should look like the following:

Camera view of Open Below room

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Fine-Tuning RoomsYou can use the Room Specification dialog box to add special features to the rooms in your plan.

To fine-tune your rooms

1. Click the Change Floor/Reference button in the toolbar and change the Current Floorto be the first floor.

2. Create a Camera view of the living room.

3. From the Build menu, choose Select Material.

4. Adjust the camera angle so you can see the floor.

5. Click the floor.

6. Click Texture, and then click the Select button.

7. Click Select Material.

8. In the Library Browser, open the Textures, Flooring, Wood, and Light categories.

This displays your material choices. Click the one you want.

9. Double-click its picture at the bottom of the window.

10.Click OK.

To add a picture rail in the living room

1. In Plan view, double-click the living room with the Select Items tool to see the RoomSpecification dialog box.

2. Click the Molding tab.

The options on this tab control the dimensions of three types of wall molding.

• Base molding runs along the bottom of walls, and is common in most houses.

• Crown molding runs along the top of walls. Sometimes this is called a picture railbecause specially shaped hooks can be attached, allowing you to hang objects withoutpounding nails.

• Chair Rails run along the middle of the wall. 3. Create Crown Molding by setting the Height to 8.

4. Add a chair rail by setting Chair Rail Height to 4.

5. Click OK, and then place a camera in the room so you can see the results.

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Living room with base, chair rail, and crown moldings

Adding ColorsYou can color the contents of rooms differently from the rest of the plan. This makes theelevations and three-dimensional views more realistic and interesting. 3D Home Architect®

Deluxe 4 uses two color schemes.

The Set Plan Colors color scheme distinguishes different types of objects in Plan View, soyou can tell walls from windows, for instance. These colors do not have anything to do withhow the objects will look when built.

To see the Plan View color scheme

• Click Set Plan Colors on the Options menu.

Set Plan Colors dialog box

The 3D view color scheme shows how things will look when built, and is affected by roomdefinitions. You can change this color scheme. The colors in this color scheme are assignednot just to individual objects, but to whole classes of objects. That means if you select a walland change its color, all the walls in the plan will have that new color.

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To change the 3D view color scheme

1. In the Camera view open on the living room, choose Select Material from the 3Dmenu.

2. Click a wall in the view.

The Define Material dialog box shows the current color for the object, and a number ofcontrols for changing that color.


3. To change a color, click Solid Color and click Select.

4. Choose a Basic color, or define a Custom color using the controls on the right side ofthe dialog box.

To define a custom color, click a color close to it in the color display. Then use the Hue,Saturation, and Luminosity controls, as well as the Red, Green, and Blue controls, tofine-tune the color. When you like the way it looks, click Add to Custom Colors. Click OK.

5. Click OK in the Define Material dialog box.

Getting WiredYou can add the electrical system any time, but it is generally a good idea to wait until afterother decisions have been made. The location of electrical items does not affect otherobjects.

You can place 110-volt and 220-volt outlets, lights, switches, and special items liketelephone jacks. You can also create circuits.

The program automatically changes outlets to the proper type for a given room. Forexample, waterproof and safety-grounded outlets are used for outdoor rooms andbathrooms.

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The program locates switches and lights in the walls, floors, or ceilings, depending onwhether you place the item in a wall or in the room. There is even one command that willplace all the outlets in a room for you, using standard criteria.

To see all this, you will wire the kitchen.

To wire the kitchen

1. Switch to Plan view, if you’re not there already.

2. Click the Electrical Mode button.

Electrical Mode tools

3. Click the Place Outlets tool.

Place Outlets tool

4. Click the kitchen, and then take a look at the results.

Kitchen with outlets placed

All the outlets for the room are placed, with their type and location determined by theprogram. A light was added above the kitchen sink. Outlets behind counters are atcounter level, unless an appliance is present in the cabinet, in which case the outlet isdirectly behind it. Outlets in open walls are above the floor.

You cannot open specification dialog boxes for electrical items, but you can move themand delete them by selecting them with the pointer. You can’t select outlets behindcabinets without first removing the cabinet.

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There are also outlets in the dining room. When the program places outlets, it ignoresinvisible walls because they don’t block cords.

5. To add switches and lights, click the Switches and Lights tools in the toolbar and placesome of these.

Switches tool

Lights tool

Select a tool, and then click and drag to position each item, until your plan looks like theone below.

Kitchen with switches and lights placed

You’ll use the two switches to create a two-way circuit in the kitchen, so lights can beturned on and off from either the switch above the sink, or the one near the diningroom.

To create a two-way circuit

1. Select the Connect Electrical tool.


2. Click and drag from item to item to connect them, starting with one switch and endingwith the other.

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The results should resemble those below.

Kitchen with switches connected

You can add the outlets to the switch circuit, if you like. 3. To disconnect an item from the circuit, just click it with the Connect Electrical tool.

To add a smoke detector and telephone jack

1. Select the Electrical library tool.

Electrical library tool

2. Open the Electrical, Lights & Fixtures, and Other Fixtures categories to see the SmokeDetector and the Telephone Jack.

3. Place the smoke detector and telephone jack so your plan looks like the following:

Kitchen with smoke detector and telephone jacks

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Making a List and Checking It TwiceThis design is far from finished: you still need to add furniture, fixtures, wiring, and specialfeatures for each room in the two-story plan. But it is far enough along to see if the planworks, and whether it fits within the budget.

Using Plan CheckTo help you determine whether a plan meets basic building standards and practices, andcommon sense, 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 includes Plan Check. Plan Check goes throughevery room and analyzes its contents, determining whether it is big enough, has enoughwindows and doors, electrical circuits, and so on. It does this by comparing what it thinksshould be in a room of a given type with what is really there. Room names help theprogram tell what it is looking at.

Use Plan Check near the end of your design process, because otherwise it will questionthings that have not been done yet, like adding windows, fixtures, and telephone jacks. PlanCheck will also automatically correct some things that changed in your plan. For example, ifa door had a threshold because it was in an exterior wall, Plan Check will remove thethreshold if the door is now in an interior wall. Walls moved up to cabinets (instead of theother way around) will be attached.

To check your plan

1. From the Tools menu, choose Plan Check. Choose Zoom, then Fill Window to see theentire plan.

After analyzing the plan, the program displays a Plan Check dialog box, to list problemsand tips regarding the plan. The total number of issues is noted, along with the numberof the current one. The objects or areas in question are outlined in red in the plan.

2. Click the Next, Hold, and Done buttons to see the next question, place Plan Check onhold and fix a problem, or finish.

When you return to Plan Check after putting it on Hold, you see the next item on thelist. Plan Check assumes you have corrected the previous problem, and wish to see thenext.

3. If you use Hold, rerun Plan Check again to make sure all of the areas of concern haveactually been fixed.

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Checking the BudgetOnce you check your plan, you can use the Materials command to see whether you canafford it.

To check the budget

1. On the Options menu, choose Materials, and then choose Calculate From All Floors,Calculate From Area, or Calculate From Room.

2. If you choose Calculate From Room, click a room before you choose the command. Ifyou choose Calculate From Area, drag to select the area after you choose thecommand.

The Materials window shows all the required items and their units of measure andamounts.

Materials List

3. Add some typical costs in the Price column.

4. Click the row of the Total column for those items to calculate their cost.

Re-create the Materials List whenever you change your plan. For sophisticated costestimates, you can export this worksheet data to a more powerful worksheet programusing the Export TXT command on the File menu.

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Making Your Plan a RealityThe Materials List and Plan Check provide rough estimates of your progress. Before youcan actually build anything, you will need much firmer cost estimates, and much morethorough plan checking. Consult building officials and professionals who can help you avoidproblems and extra costs.

If you have to make changes, you can use a variety of commands, like Show Items,Dimension Setup, and Print, to change how your plan looks. Show these to consultants,get suggestions, look at other plans, and make all the changes you need.

Creating a 3D WalkthroughYou can record and play back a walkthrough of your plan. A walkthrough is a 3Drepresentation of what your finished house would look like if you walked around or through it.

To record a walkthrough

1. Create a Camera view of your house where you want your walkthrough to begin (forexample, out on the porch).

2. On the 3D menu, click Record Walkthrough.

3. In the Write Movie File dialog box, enter a file name for your walkthrough (for example,MYPLACE.WLK) and click Save.

4. Using the navigation tools on the toolbar or the arrow keys on your keyboard, move thecamera as if you were walking through your plan.

Each time you move the view, the program records the new view as a frame in yourmovie.

5. When you are finished, choose Stop Recording on the 3D menu.

To play a walkthrough

1. Click the 3D menu, and then click Show Walkthrough.

2. In the Open Movie File dialog box, select the file for the walkthrough to view.

All walkthrough filenames end with .WLK.

3. Click Open.

The application begins to play the walkthrough.

4. To reverse the walkthrough, click anywhere with the right mouse button.

5. To pause the walkthrough, click anywhere with the left mouse button.

6. To resume playing the walkthrough, click anywhere again with the left mouse button.

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123

Advanced Roofing Techniques Tutorial

5Chapter


In the basic tutorial in Chapter 3, you used Automatic Roof Designer to construct basicroof designs. In this tutorial, you’ll learn to create eight common roof types.

You’ll learn to build:

• A hip roof

• A gable roof

• A shed roof

• A saltbox roof

• A gambrel roof

• A gull wing roof

• A half hip roof

• A mansard roof

• Gables over doors or windows

Experiment with altering the pitch and/or overhang as you build these basic roof shapes.Also, view the model and its roof with all of the full structure camera views that areavailable. Generate a cross section of each basic roof shape and place some windows anddoors in the model if you like.

To begin

1. Choose Close All on the File menu to close any plans you’ve been working on.

2. Choose New on the File menu to begin a new plan.

3. Choose Zoom Out on the Window menu.

4. Draw a rectangular floor plan, about 34 feet by 24 feet.

You’ll use this outline to design the roof shapes.

Hip RoofThe default roof constructed by Automatic Roof Designer is a hip roof. Unless you tellAutomatic Roof Designer to add a gable, you will get a basic hip roof.

To create a hip roof

1. Click the Roof Mode button on the toolbar.

Roof Mode button

2. Select the Build Roof tool from the right-hand tools.

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Build Roof tool

The Build Roof dialog box appears.

Build Roof dialog box

Your initial roof will have a 6 in 12 Pitch and a Normal and Gable Roof Overhang of 18 inches.

3. Set Build with Trusses.

• Clear the Build with Trusses check box to create rafters with a bird’s mouth cut inthem as they come over the top plate of the wall.

• Check the Build with Trusses check box to create rafters that sit on top of the walltop plate and do not have a bird’s mouth cut.

4. Click OK.

Automatic Roof Designer takes this information and translates it into a roof.

Basic hip roof

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Chapter 5: Advanced Roofing Techniques Tutorial


Gable RoofTo create a basic gable roof, you tell Automatic Roof Designer to put gables on the walls you select.

To create a gable roof

1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.

Delete All Roofs button

2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes onthe Roof tab:

• For the lower horizontal wall, check the Full Gable Wall box.

• For the upper horizontal wall, check the Full Gable Wall box.3. Repeat these steps for the other long wall.

4. Click the Build Roof tool, and then click OK in the Build Roof dialog box.

5. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overviewbutton.

Gable roof with gables over the longer two walls

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Shed RoofA shed roof has a sloping roof section. There are gables over the walls at the two sides of thesloping roof section.

Before you build the shed roof, decide which walls will have gables above them and whichwall will be under the high part of the sloping section. In our example, the upper horizontalwall is under the high part of the sloping section, and the two vertical walls have gables over them.

To create a shed roof



• For the vertical wall on the left, check the Full Gable Wall box.

• For the vertical wall on the right, check the Full Gable Wall box.

• For the lower horizontal wall, clear the Full Gable Wall box, so a normal roof sectionover this wall begins at the top plate.

• For the upper horizontal wall, clear the Full Gable Wall box and check the box forHigh Shed/Gable wall.

3. Click the Build Roof tool, and then click OK in the Build Roof dialog box.


Basic shed roof

Since there is only one roof section, there is only one baseline. The baseline is the lowerhorizontal wall.

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Saltbox RoofA saltbox is a type of gable roof with the ridge off-center because there is a different pitchon each of the two roof sections. The smaller roof section has a steeper pitch. You’ll assigndifferent pitches to each of the two roof sections using the Roof Section at Wall dialog boxfor the wall that supports each of the two roof sections.

To create a saltbox roof



• Leave the Full Gable Wall box checked for the two vertical walls.

• For the upper horizontal wall, clear the box that says High Shed/Gable wall. Changethe Pitch to 12 in 12. The roof section above this wall will be steep and will be thesmaller of the two roof sections.

• For the lower horizontal wall, change the Pitch to 3 in 12.Roof sections will be built over the lower and upper horizontal walls, with gables over thetwo vertical walls. The different pitches for each of the two horizontal wall roof sectionscreate a saltbox roof.

3. Click the Build Roof tool to display the Build Roof dialog box.

4. Leave the pitch set in this dialog box at 6 in 12.

The other pitches you set override the roof default pitch.

5. Click OK to build the saltbox roof.


Basic saltbox roof

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Gambrel RoofA gambrel roof has two pitches on each side of the ridge. The first (lower) pitch on eitherside is steeper than the pitch near the ridge.

To convert the saltbox to a gambrel



• Make no changes to the two vertical walls. They remain gable ends.

• For the upper and lower horizontal walls, make the Lower Pitch 12 in 12. Click the Upper check box and keep the Upper Pitch as 6 in 12. Type 156 in the StartHeight box.

The second pitch will begin 60 inches (5 feet) above the top plate, since the top plate isat 96 inches and 96 plus 60 =156.


4. Click OK to build a gambrel roof.


Gambrel roof

Experiment with alternate pitches and overhangs. Also, try varying the height at which thesecond pitch comes in so that you can see the effect it has on your roof design.

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Gull Wing RoofA gull wing roof is the reverse of a gambrel. A gull wing has two pitches on either side of the ridge, as does a gambrel, but a gull wing has the first pitch shallower than the second pitch.

To convert the gambrel roof to a gull wing



• Do not change anything for either of the two vertical walls. They remain as gableends.

• For both the upper and lower horizontal walls, make the Lower Pitch 3 in 12. Clickthe Upper check box and make the Upper Pitch 12 in 12. Set Start Height to 114inches.


4. Click OK to build the gull wing roof.


Gull wing roof

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Half Hip RoofA half hip roof has two gable ends. At the top of each gable is a hip that extends to the ridge.

To convert the gull wing roof to a half hip



• For the two horizontal walls, make the Lower Pitch 6 in 12 and clear the Uppercheck box.

• For the two vertical walls, leave the Full Gable Wall box selected. Check the Uppercheck box. Make the Upper Pitch 3 in 12 and set Start Height to 144 inches.


4. Click OK to build the half hip roof.


Half hip roof

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Mansard RoofA mansard roof is a hip roof with two slopes on the roof sections above each of the fourwalls. The second slope begins at the same height above each wall. Usually the lower slopeis much steeper than the upper slope, with the upper slope being quite gentle.

To convert the half hip roof to a mansard



• For all walls, clear the Full Gable Wall box. Make the Lower Pitch 12 in 12. CheckUpper and make the Upper Pitch 1.5 in 12. Set Start Height to 144 inches.


4. Click OK to build the mansard roof.


Mansard roof

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Roof Type Quick ReferenceThe following chart provides a quick reference for building the roof styles described in thistutorial. The chart shows which walls to change and what to change on the Roof tab of theWall Specification dialog box for each wall. These parameters are based on a 34x24-footmodel. For different size plans, adjust these numbers.

Roof Type Wall to Set as Set as High Lower Upper StartChange Full Gable Shed Gable Pitch Pitch Height

Gable Roof Vertical Wall 1

Vertical Wall 2 X

Horizontal Wall 1 X

Horizontal Wall 2

Shed Roof Vertical Wall 1 X

Vertical Wall 2 X

Horizontal Wall 1 X

Horizontal Wall 2

Salt Box Roof Vertical Wall 1 X

Vertical Wall 2 X

Horizontal Wall 1 12 in 12


Gambrel Roof Vertical Wall 1 X

Vertical Wall 2 X

Horizontal Wall 1 12 in 12 6 in 12 156


Gull Wing Roof Vertical Wall 1 X

Vertical Wall 2 X



Half Hip Roof Vertical Wall 1 X 3 in 12 144

Vertical Wall 2 X 3 in 12 144



Mansard Roof Vertical Wall 1 12 in 12 1.5 in 12 144

Vertical Wall 2 12 in 12 1.5 in 12 144

Horizontal Wall 1 12 in 12 1.5 in 12 144

Horizontal Wall 2 12 in 12 1.5 in 12 144

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Gables over Doors and WindowsYou can add a gable roof over a door or window.

To create a gable roof over a door or window

1. Select a door or window with the Gable Over Opening tool and check Gable OverDoor/Window in the dialog box that appears.

2. Click OK.

Object size does not matter. The gable will be created with an overhang of one foot oneach side of the object.

3. Build the roof.

4. To remove the gable, select the object again with the Gable Over Opening tool andclear Gable Over Door/Window in the dialog box that appears.

5. Click OK.

When you rebuild the roof, the gable will be removed.

Placing Dormers in a Gable RoofTo create dormers in an attic, you create a new floor for your plan and modify this floor withknee walls and windows to form gables. Start with a new 40x30-foot plan to learn thistechnique.

To create a new plan

1. Use Close All on the File menu to close any plans you are working on.

2. Choose New from the File menu to begin a new plan.

3. Choose Fill Window from the Window menu.

4. Draw a rectangular floor plan, about 40x30 feet.

5. Choose Save As on the File menu and name the plan DORMER.PL1.

6. Choose New Floor on the Build menu.

7. Check the Derive new 2nd floor plan from 1st floor plan option.

You have a second floor plan, which will house the dormers.

To add gables to the left and right walls

1. Double-click the left wall with the Select Items tool.

2. On the Roof tab of the Wall Specification dialog box, click the Full Gable Wall checkbox, and then click OK.

3. Do the same for the right wall.

To build a dormer, you must add two knee walls. A knee wall is a short wall on an upperfloor that is cut off by a roof section.

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4. Click the Wall Mode button, and then click a point on the left wall about an eighth ofthe way up from the bottom wall.

5. Create a new wall by dragging the pointer all the way to the right wall.

6. Click the Select Items button, and then drag the new wall you just created until it isabout 5 feet from the bottom wall.

7. Using similar steps, make another wall about an eighth of the way down from the topwall. Make sure that both of the new interior walls are the same distance from theirrespective exterior walls.

8. Click the Dimensions button and display exterior dimension lines for your plan.

Your plan should now look something like this:

Plan with dimensions displayed

To make the two new walls knee walls

1. Double-click the top interior wall and check the Knee Wall check box.

2. Click OK.

3. Do the same thing for the lower interior wall.

To build the window boxes that will become dormers

1. Click the Wall Mode button.

2. Draw two rectangular boxes on the outside of the lower interior wall.

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When this is finished, your plan should look something like this:

Plan with window boxes

3. With the Select Items tool, drag each lower wall of the window box until it is 2 feet fromthe bottom wall.

The lower walls are the walls closest to and parallel to the bottom wall.

4. Click the Wall Mode button, and then on the right-hand side of the toolbar, click theBreak Wall tool.

Break Wall tool

5. Click the lower interior wall in four places: the upper-left corner and the upper-rightcorner of each window box.

Corners after Break Wall is used

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6. With the Select Items tool, click the upper, horizontal portion of one window box, andthen press the Delete key.

7. Do the same for the other window box.

Your plan should now look something like this:

Plan with broken window boxes

To add a window to each dormer

1. Add a window to the lower wall of each window box (the wall closest to and parallel tothe bottom wall of the plan).

The program will warn you that you are adding windows to an interior wall, but overridethis.

2. Click the Roof Mode button, and choose the Gable Over Opening tool.

3. In the dialog box that appears, check Gable Over Door/Window and click OK.

4. Do the same thing for the right dormer’s window.

5. With the Select Items tool, double-click the new upper room.

6. In the Room Specification dialog box that appears, set Ceiling Height to 4 inches.

7. Using similar steps, set the ceiling height for the new lower room to 4 inches also.

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Note: Be sure to remove the D (which means default) or the height will be reset to the default.

To build the roof

1. Click the Roof Mode button, and then click the Build Roof tool.

2. In the Build Roof dialog box, change the Pitch to 12 in 12.


4. Click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview tool.

Your full overview of the gable roof with dormers should look something like this:

Full Overview of gable roof with dormers

You can move the interior walls closer to or further from the outside walls to change thedormers’ elevation. You can change the pitch for the roof to make the dormers longer.Depending on the structure, there is a limit to how low the roof pitch can be set. Generally9 in 12 is the lowest pitch that should be used.

You can create dormers in more complex plans the same way, but you will have toexperiment with wall placement and pitch to achieve the desired effect.

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Using the Break Wall Tool with Automatic RoofDesignerIf you add a full gable roof to an L-shaped home, use the Break Wall tool.

To create an L-shaped home for the exercise

1. Select Close All on the File menu.

2. Select New on the File menu.

3. Start an L-shaped house with the upper wall 45 feet long.

4. Make the left wall 30 feet, and the right wall 18 feet.

5. Select Fill Window on the Window menu.

6. Start the lower wall from the left wall, and extend it out 20 feet.

7. Draw a 12-foot section upward from the lower wall.

8. Connect the middle and right walls with a 25-foot wall.


L-shaped plan

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To add a full gable roof to the plan

1. Double-click each of the far right and left walls and choose Full Gable Wall on the Roof tab.

2. Double-click the bottom wall and choose Full Gable Wall on the Roof tab.




L-shaped plan with roof

The full gable on the left wall interferes with the full gable on the bottom wall. To correctthis, you’ll use the Break Wall tool to break the left wall into two different sections.

To use the Break Wall tool

1. Click the Wall Mode button, and then the Break Wall tool on the right-hand side.

Break Wall tool

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2. With the Break Wall tool, click the far left wall at a point even to the middle wall.

3. Double-click the lower portion of the left wall with the Select Items tool.

4. On the Roof tab, clear Full Gable Wall and click OK.

5. Click the Build Roof button, and click OK to build the roof with the default settings.

You now have two full gable roof sections meeting to form your L-shaped roof. Here iswhat your plan should look like in Plan view, as well as in Full Overview:

L-shaped plan with roof in Plan view and Full Overview

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If your ridge line has a step in it, click the Select Items button and adjust each of thewall segments on the left wall. When you are finished, rebuild the roof.

This completes the tutorial on advanced roofing techniques. For a more complex model,you can combine any or all of these styles by controlling the parameters for the roofsections above each given wall, using the same techniques as above.

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143

Reference: Toolbar Commands

6Chapter


The toolbar runs horizontally across the top of the program window, right under the menubar. Toolbar buttons are shortcuts to the most commonly used menu commands. Thetoolbar changes when you switch from Plan View to other views.

The toolbar has several parts:

• Buttons on the left

• Buttons on the right

• A brief description in a pop-up window that appears when the pointer is positionedover a button.

To select any command

• Click its button.

To turn the toolbar off and on

• Use the Hide Toolbar command on the Tools menu.

Mode ButtonsSome buttons on the left side of the toolbar select a category of tools to use (in other words,they set a mode). Click a button on the left side to see related tools on the right-hand sideof the toolbar. For example, click the Wall Mode button to see tools for creating walls: theWall, Railing, Hatch Wall, Break Wall, and Thickness tools.

Each button on the right side selects a tool or executes a command.

Dialog Box ButtonsThe Fixture, Furniture, Outdoor Objects, and Outdoor Images buttons on the left side ofthe toolbar open the Library Browser.

Tool Selection ButtonsThe Fireplace, Text and Stairs buttons let you click in the Plan window to add text, stairs,or a fireplace.

Tool Button DescriptionsThe following describes the commands available from the toolbar. Mode buttons aregrouped with their related tools. For the details on the command that a tool represents, seethe corresponding menu command later in this chapter.

Select ItemsThe first button on the left in the toolbar is the Select Items button.

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Select Items button

Select Items tools

Use the Select Items tool to click and drag objects and to move, resize, and rotate them.

Several tools become available on the right side of the toolbar when objects are selected.Not all of the tools appear for all objects. A wall, for instance, cannot be copied, so theCopy tool does not appear when walls are selected. When a room is selected, only theOpen tool appears, because rooms cannot be copied, stacked, or deleted.

You can use some drawing tools to select objects they created. For example, to move acabinet you just created, you can select it with the Cabinet tool without first clicking theSelect Items button and then clicking the cabinet.

To select furniture and fixture objects, you must first click the Select Items button and thenclick the object.

Next

Next tool

Selects objects that are stacked on top of one another, like staircases or cabinets, and objectsembedded in other objects, like the component windows of bay, box, and bow windows.

Open

Open tool

Displays a specification dialog box for the selected object, where you can set itscharacteristics. You can also double-click the object to open its dialog box.

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Chapter 6: Reference: Toolbar Commands


Copy

Copy tool

Copies the selected object to the Clipboard. To paste the copy, click where you want thecopy to appear.

Delete

Delete tool

Deletes the selected object. To delete more than one object at a time, use the Delete Itemscommand on the Edit menu.

Wall ModeThe Wall Mode button lets you create a variety of wall types using the tools on the rightside of the toolbar.

Wall Mode button Wall mode tools

Wall

Wall tool

Creates or selects standard walls.

Railing

Railing tool

Creates special low walls for setting off areas like decks, porches, and stairs.

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Hatch Wall

Hatch Wall tool

Adds hatch marks to an existing wall, to make it stand out better.

Break Wall

Break Wall tool

Divides one wall into two independent walls. A line shows where the break occurs; you canselect either of the walls.

Press Esc while the Break Wall tool is selected to go back to the previous mode.

Thickness

Thickness button

Cycles through the possible wall thickness settings (two, four, six, eight, and twelve inches).

All walls you draw after that will use the new thickness setting.

Door ModeThe Door Mode button lets you create a variety of doors using the tools on the right side ofthe toolbar. Select the appropriate door tool, and then click a wall. For standard doors, youmust click the doorway to create an actual door.

Door Mode button Door mode tools

Door

Door tool

Creates a standard doorway in a wall.

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To place a door, click the doorway.

To indicate the opening direction for the door, click the doorway and drag one of its handlesin the direction you want.

To create a double door, widen the doorway to 4 feet or greater.

Sliding Door

Sliding Door tool

Places sliding doors. These doors can be placed in both exterior and interior walls and canhave different features depending on the wall type.

You can create single or double sliding doors.

Pocket Door

Pocket Door tool

Creates pocket doors (doors that slide into a pocket in a wall). These are usually placed ininterior walls, but can be set in exterior walls.

You can create single or double pocket doors.

Bifold Door

Bifold Door tool

Creates folding doors, usually in interior walls. Depending on the width of the doorway,these will be single or double folds.

Garage Door

Garage Door tool

Places garage doors in exterior walls.

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Doorway Library

Doorway Library tool

Opens the Library Browser, where you can select shaped entryways and transoms.

Window ModeThe Window Mode button displays five window tools. Within bay, bow, and box windows,select individual windows by clicking them using the Window tool.

Window Mode button Window Mode tools

Window

Window tool

Creates a standard window.

Bay

Bay Window tool

Creates a structure composed of three standard windows: one in the center, and one oneach side. It projects out from an exterior wall, angling back toward the base wall.

Box

Box Window tool

Creates a structure composed of three standard windows: one in the center, and one oneach side. The two sides of the window projection are perpendicular to the base wall,instead of diagonal, like a bay window.

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Bow

Bow Window tool

Creates a complex window structure that bows out from the wall. Each section of the bow isa standard window.

Window Library

Window Library tool

Opens the Library Browser, where you can select specialty windows.

Cabinet ModeCabinet mode lets you place cabinets.

Cabinet Mode button Cabinet Mode tools

When you place a cabinet near a wall, it snaps to the wall and faces out from it. When youplace a cabinet away from a wall, it snaps to the floor.

A wall cabinet is placed at a default height of 54 inches.

Placing a cabinet in a corner creates a special corner cabinet with two faces. The arrow thatdisplays when a cabinet is selected shows the way it is facing.

Cabinets come in standard modules that are meant to attach to one another, so when youplace cabinets side by side, they appear to join and be one.

Base Cabinet

Base Cabinet tool

Creates a simple base cabinet. You can place cabinets along a wall, or in the middle of aroom, to make an island. Fixtures like sinks can be placed inside cabinets.

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Wall Cabinet

Wall Cabinet tool

Produces a cabinet that is usually positioned against a wall above a base cabinet, but canalso be placed away from a wall and attached to the ceiling.

Full Height

Full Height Cabinet tool

Places full-height cabinets, like those in pantries.

Soffit

Soffit tool

Produces a soffit that fills the void between a wall cabinet and the ceiling.

Shelf

Shelf tool

Adds a shelf to a closet or to an interior wall. To install multiple shelves, use furniture shelvesor customize an enlarged cabinet.

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FixturesThe Fixtures button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and place 3Dfixtures and appliances for indoor and outdoor use.

Fixtures button

Fixtures section of Library Browser

After you add one fixture, you can continue clicking to add the same type of fixture as manytimes as you want. To place a different type of fixture, though, you have to go through thelibrary again.

Some fixtures are freestanding and can be placed anywhere in a plan, while others need tobe placed in an object such as a cabinet, sink, or oven. Before you place a fixture in acabinet, make sure the cabinet is big enough to hold the fixture. The fixture will be centeredin the cabinet. You can place one fixture per cabinet, and the fixture is always placed in themiddle of the cabinet.

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FurnitureThe Furniture button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and placeboth indoor and outdoor furniture.

Furniture button

Furniture section of Library Browser

Furniture objects can be manipulated in three dimensions.

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Outdoor ObjectsThe Outdoor Objects button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose andplace fences, bridges, ponds, statues, mailboxes, and other objects.

Outdoor Objects button

Outdoor Objects section of Library Browser

Outdoor objects can be manipulated in three dimensions.

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Outdoor ImagesThe Outdoor Images button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose andplace outdoor trees, shrubs, flowers, statues, or rocks.


Outdoor Images section of Library Browser

Outdoor images appear as 2D bitmap images in the 3D views.

FireplaceClick the Fireplace button, and then click a wall or inside a room to place a masonryfireplace.

Fireplace button

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Stairs ModeThe Stairs Mode button lets you create built-in stairs and landings. Bolt-in circular staircasesare fixtures, which you place with the Fixture tool.

Stairs Mode button

Roof ModeThe Roof Mode button lets you build and edit roofs.

Roof Mode button Roof Mode tools

Gable Over Opening

Gable Over Opening tool

Displays the Roof Over Door/Window dialog box when you click a door or window withthis tool, so you can place a gable roof built over a door or window.

To place a gable over a wall, double-click the wall and click its Roof tab to make yourchanges.

Build Roof

Build Roof tool

Displays the Build Roof dialog box. You can change the default information for roofs andclick OK to create the roofs. Roof information for individual walls overrides these defaultsettings for those walls.

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Delete All Roofs

Delete All Roofs tool

Deletes all roofs but not the roof-at-wall information. The information remains until youactually change it.

Electrical ModeThe Electrical Mode button lets you place outlets, lights, and switches. Use the ElectricalLibrary to place other types of electrical items. You can place, move, and rotate these itemslike cabinets.

Electrical Mode button Electrical Mode tools

110V Outlet

110V Outlet tool

Lets you click to place 110-volt outlets on walls. To place 220-volt outlets, select them in theBuild menu.

Light

Light tool

Lets you click to place lights in walls and the ceiling.

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Switch

Switch tool

Lets you click to place switches on the walls of your plan.

Connect Electrical


Creates a circuit between the switches, lights, and outlets in your plan.

Click the switch with this tool, and then click its light or outlet.

For a two-way circuit (for turning things on and off at either switch), start with one switch,click and drag to each light or outlet, and finally drag to a second switch. This results in 3-way switches.

To disconnect items, click them again with this tool.

Place Outlets

Place Outlets tool

Places a series of 110-volt outlets at standard intervals along the walls of the selected room.Name your rooms before using this tool, because a named room lets the program place theoutlets in ways appropriate for the specific room.

Electrical Library

Electrical Library tool

Opens the Library Browser, from which you can select special electrical items, liketelephone jacks and smoke detectors.

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Text ModeClick the Text Mode button and click in your plan to display the Edit Text dialog box. Enterthe text in the dialog box and click OK to place it. Text is drawn like a vector object on theplan and is sized in plan inches, not points.

Text Mode button

Dimension ModeDimension mode lets you display dimension lines on your plan in two ways.

Dimension Mode button Dimension Mode tools

Dimension

Dimension tool

Creates manual dimension lines between parallel walls when you click and drag. These linesupdate automatically when you relocate walls and can themselves be selected and moved.

Exterior Dimension

Exterior Dimension tool

Automatically creates exterior dimension lines for your plan.

If you change the exterior dimension of the plan, exterior dimension lines updateautomatically. However, if you construct additional exterior walls, new exterior dimensionlines do not appear for those walls. Reselect the tool to redraw exterior dimension lines forall current walls.

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Down One FloorClick this button to see the next lower floor’s plan. This button is available only when you’vecreated multiple floors.


Change Floor ReferenceDisplays a dialog box where you can set the current floor and the reference floor. Areference floor is a transparent overlay that lets you see, but not edit, the layout of a floorother than the one you’re editing. This button is available only when you’ve created multiplefloors.

Change Floor Reference button

Up One FloorClick this button to see the next higher floor’s plan. This button is available only whenyou’ve created multiple floors.

Up One Floor button

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New FloorDisplays a dialog box where you can create a new floor in your home by deriving its outlinefrom the current floor or by starting with a blank Plan window.

New Floor button

Calculate From All FloorsCreates a new Materials List based on your entire plan. The Materials List displaysimmediately in its own window.

Calculate From All Floors button

View ModeSelecting the View Mode button lets you open different views of your plan.

View Mode button View Mode tools

When you open a view window, the toolbar changes to show the tools available in thatview. You can open up to ten windows at once. Each one automatically reflects changes inthe others.

To switch to a different window, click it, press Ctrl+Tab, or choose its name on the Windowmenu. A Plan view must be open before you can open another view.

The Materials List View, a spreadsheet of materials used in your plan, is available in theOptions menu.

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Camera

Camera tool

Turns the pointer into a camera pointer.

Click in your plan to place the camera, and then drag a line of sight to point it. A Cameraview opens, displaying the portion of your plan you pointed at.

The camera itself appears in Plan view; you can rotate and move it like an object to changethe Camera view perspective. Double-click the camera in the Plan view to change itssettings.

Tools available in the Camera window include the following:

• The Move Camera tools let you move the camera Forwards and Backwards, Left andRight, and Up and Down.

• The Turn Camera tools let you move the camera Left and Right, Upward andDownward.

• Show Items displays a dialog box where you can hide or show various items in your plan.

• Adjust Sunlight displays a dialog box where you can adjust the intensity and angle of thesun.

• Toggle Sunlight shows you what your plan looks like during the day and at night.

• Final View displays all the materials you’ve selected for items in the view as realistically aspossible. It smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planesmeet (for example, where a countertop meets the wall).

• Create Bitmap File displays a dialog box where you can name and save the current viewas a bitmap.

• Print Image displays the Print dialog box so you can print the current view.

• Record Walkthrough lets you create a movie of your 3D view.

• Stop Recording stops the Record Walkthrough.

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Full Overview

Full Overview tool

Provides a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of your entire multistory model, including roofs.

Tools available in Full Overview are:

• The Move Camera tools let you move the camera Forwards and Backwards.

• The Rotate Camera commands let you rotate the camera Upwards, Downwards, Left,and Right.


• Adjust Sunlight displays a dialog box where you can adjust the intensity and angle of thesun.

• Toggle Sunlight shows you what your plan looks like during the day and at night.

• Final View displays all the materials you’ve selected for items in the view as realistically aspossible. It smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planesmeet (for example, where a countertop meets the wall).

• Create Bitmap File displays a dialog box where you can name and save the current viewas a bitmap.

• Print Image displays the Print dialog box so you can print the current view.

• Record Walkthrough lets you create a movie of your 3D view.

• Stop Recording stops the Record Walkthrough.

Floor Overview

Floor Overview tool

Provides a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of your entire multistory model, without roofs.

Tools available in Floor Overview are the same as for Full Overview.

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Framing Overview

Floor Overview tool

Shows the frames, studs, and walls that comprise your entire multistory model.

Tools available in Framing Overview are the same as for Full Overview.

Cross Section/ Elevation

Cross Section/ Elevation tool

Turns the pointer into an elevation pointer.

Click in your plan and drag toward the wall whose cross section and elevation you want toview.

Tools available in Cross Section/Elevation view include the following:

• Select Items lets you select items to see their dimensions. Double-click an item with thistool to see and change its specifications.


• Color Off toggles the display between color and black and white.

• Zoom lets you drag a rectangle around an area to magnify. When you release the mousebutton, the area within the box fills the window.

Zoom ModeLets you change the magnification within the active window.

Zoom Mode button Zoom Mode tools

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Zoom

Zoom tool

Lets you zoom in on your plan by dragging a box around an area. When you release themouse button, the area within the box fills the window.

Undo Zoom

Undo Zoom tool

Reverses the last zoom operation.

Zoom Out

Zoom Out tool

Reduces the magnification of your plan by half each time you issue the command.

Fill Window

Fill Window tool

Resizes your entire plan to just fit in the active window.

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Reference: Menus

7Chapter


Reference: MenusAlmost every command is available from a drop-down menu on the menu bar.

To display a menu

• Click the menu title or

• Press the Alt key and the first letter of the menu name.

Each menu shows a list of commands, some of which bring up dialog boxes or submenuswith their own commands.

File MenuIncludes commands for creating, opening, closing, saving, printing, exporting plans andfinding saved plans. The list at the bottom of the File menu shows the last four plans youused. Select one to open it.

New CommandOpens a new, untitled plan. Opening a new file does not automatically close open files. Youcan have up to ten files open at once. You can open several copies of the same plan at once,which can be handy for detail work on different parts of your plan.

The title bar of a new plan reads Untitled.PL1: Plan, indicating the file is new, and that theview is Plan. The Plan view is always displayed for a new file.

Defaults for a new plan are loaded automatically from a special file called PROFILE.PL1. Youcan change these settings in the Defaults Setup dialog box, on the Options menu.

Change Units (Metric Dimensioning) CommandLets you set system units to imperial or metric. This command doesn’t appear on the Filemenu until you close all open windows.

Change Units dialog box

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To set system units

1. Close all open windows by selecting Close All from the File menu.

2. Choose Change Units from the File menu.

3. Choose Imperial (Feet/Inches) or Metric and click OK.

When you select New from the File menu, the new plan will use whichever units arecurrent. You cannot change the units for an existing plan.

Open CommandDisplays the Open Plan File dialog box, where you can choose a file to open. To open a file,type or select its name, and then click Open, or double-click it in the file list.

Open Plan File dialog box

The Type of Files list box lets you select the type of files displayed in the file list. 3D HomeArchitect® Deluxe 4 labels files according to function.

Plan files have the extension *.PL1.

Automatically saved files have the extension *.PAn. The program produces automaticallysaved files by constantly saving your plans as you work on them.

Back-up files have the extension *.PBn. Back-up files temporarily store the old contents ofplans that have just been saved.

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Chapter 7: Reference: Menus


Close CommandShuts the active window. You can close one view of a design and leave the others open. Forinstance, closing a Plan window does not automatically close its open CrossSection/Elevation window.

When you close an existing plan, you are prompted to save any changes. Click Yes to savethe changes, No to disregard them, or Cancel to leave the file open. When you choose tosave a new plan, the Save Plan File dialog box appears so you can name the plan.

Save Plan File dialog box

Close All CommandCloses all the open windows for all plans.

Save CommandSaves the current plan using its existing name and location. To change the name or location,use Save As. If you are saving a new, unnamed plan, the Save Plan File dialog box appearsautomatically.

To help prevent the loss of data, the program provides two kinds of backup files. The first,labeled *.PB1, is used as a buffer to store the previous contents of a file when you save anew version. A PBn file is created for each plan you create, and remains in the directory withthe original file until both are deleted. Each time you change the contents of a file and saveit, the PBn file is updated also.

The second back-up file type is Autosave, labeled *.PAn. A blank Autosave file is created eachtime you start 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4, and one such file is created for each floor youcreate for a given plan. The program automatically saves the contents of the design you areworking on to Autosave files every five minutes.

If there is a system or program failure, the program prompts you to open the Autosave filesand save their contents to new files the next time you start it. Do this right away, or theprogram may overwrite the old Autosave files.

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For example, if you changed (but didn’t save) Home.PL1 before a system failure, theprogram saves the original Home.PL1 file, plus an Autosave version called Home.PAl, whichincludes at least some of the changes. When you restart the program, you can openHome.PA1 and save its contents to a new file. If you restart the program and open only theoriginal Home.PL1, the program replaces the contents of Home.PA1 with those of the oldfile after five minutes. Your changes from the first session are lost. Autosave is used only inthe event of a system or program failure.

Save As CommandDisplays the Save Plan File dialog box, where you can enter a new file name and save thecurrent plan’s contents to a different file, or save the file to a different location.

Save Plan File dialog box

If you open an existing file, and then make changes and save the result to a new file, useSave As right after opening the existing file, to make sure you do not accidentally replacethe old file by saving over it.

Export CommandDisplays a menu from which you can export data to other programs. 3D Home Architect®

Deluxe 4 cannot import any of these file types. The export options available depend on thetype of window active: DXF files can only be created from Plan view, while only a Metafileor Bitmap can be created from 3D views, and only Materials view can create a TXT file.

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The file formats supported are:

DXF Current

Used by CAD programs. Creates a DXF file for the current floor plan view.

DXF All

Used by CAD programs. Creates a DXF file for all floors in Plan view.

Exporting all the floors of a plan creates a single DXF file. All the objects of each floor planare organized in the DXF file into layers, with a single layer for each floor and each type ofobject on that floor, labeled A-WALL-1, A-FURN-1, A-WALL-2, A-FURN-2, and so on.

The Write DXF File dialog box

The Write DXF File dialog boxes opened by these commands look like the Save Plan Filedialog box, but the file type is changed to *.DXF. Items in the plan must be turned on in theShow Items dialog box to be included in the exported file, but need not be displayed in thecurrent window.

Windows Metafile (WMF)

Used by word processing and publishing programs.

Prompts you to drag a box around the area to export. Only objects within that box areexported. After you drag a box, a Write Windows Metafile dialog box appears. Enter afilename and click Save, and then specify how big your Metafile will appear when importedinto another program.

Width defaults to six inches, regardless of how wide your box was, but you can change this.You can also change the Height and Wall Line Thickness (the default setting is 1, butsettings of 6 through 8 work well for large plans.

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Write Windows Metafile dialog box

Bitmap File

Saves images. Available in 3D views and the Final view.

Opens a Save 3D Image dialog box. Enter a file name and click OK to create a BMP file ofthe current view.

Save 3D Image dialog box

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Materials List (TXT) CommandUsed by spreadsheet and database programs; available only when a Materials List is thecurrent view.

To export a Materials List

1. Create a Materials List with one of the Materials commands on the Options menu.

2. With the Materials List window active, choose Materials List (TXT) from the File menu.

3. Enter a filename and click OK to create a TXT file containing the current Materialsspreadsheet.

The contents of the file depend on whether you created a Materials List for an area,room, or floor.

Write Materials Export File dialog box

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Import Bitmap CommandOpens a dialog box where you can import a scanned plan bitmap file to use as a basis for anew plan. If you’ve drawn a plan by hand, you can add it to 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4and then trace it using the program’s drawing tools.

Choose Bitmap dialog box

To use a plan you’ve hand-drawn as the basis for a new plan

1. Scan your drawing.

2. Save it as a bitmap.

3. Display a Plan view window in 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

4. Choose Import Bitmap from the File menu.

5. Specify the bitmap file containing your scanned plan.

You can trace the outline of your plan with the Wall tool. You can stretch and rotate thebitmap image like any other object.

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Print CommandOpens a dialog box where you can specify printing settings and print your plan. You canalso select a printer from here. Only items selected in the Show Items dialog box on theOptions menu will print. Depending on which window has the focus, this command willeither print a 2D view or a 3D graphical view.

The Print dialog box varies depending on the view.

Print dialog box

Printer These settings let you choose a printer and set its properties, or to printto a file instead of to a printer. If you check Print to file, a dialog boxlets you name the file.

Print range You cannot specify a page range because you cannot print multiple-floor house plans with one print command. Each floor must be printedout separately.

Scaling Full Page fits the printout to the paper. Scaling may not be accurate.

To specify an architectural scale, enter values in Inch = 1 Foot box.

Copies Specifies how many copies of the printout to print.

Shaded/ Color In 3D views, either the Shaded or Color option is available dependingon whether the printer is black and white or color. Clearing Colorprints in shades of gray. Clearing Shaded prints in black and whiteinstead of gray scale.

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Current Screen/Entire Plan Current screen prints exactly what is displayed in the current window,

including white space around the plan. Entire Plan prints the completeview, as if you had chosen Fill Screen from the Window menu.

Line Weight Available only in Plan view. Specifies the line weight for all linesdefining the edges of 3D items. If you print onto paper larger thanlegal size, the image appears in the upper-left corner of the page.

Exit CommandExits the program, closing all windows and prompting you to save any files that changed.

Edit MenuThe Edit menu contains commands for modifying existing objects in your plan.

Undo CommandReverses the previous operation.

Redo CommandReverses the previous Undo.

Cut, Copy, and Paste CommandsCut removes the selected item from the plan to the Clipboard. Copy copies the item to theClipboard. Paste places an item from the Clipboard onto a plan. You can paste cut andcopied items into a plan only in Plan view.

Delete CommandRemoves a selected item without storing it on the Clipboard, like pressing the Delete key. Adeleted item cannot be pasted back into a plan. Delete can be used in all views except theMaterials List.

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Delete Items CommandLets you delete entire categories of objects from a single room or an entire plan. Availableonly in Plan view.

Delete Items dialog box

Delete Scope Determines whether you delete objects from a specific room, or fromall rooms.

Delete Lets you specify object categories. Dimensions, Roof, and OutdoorImages are available only if Delete Scope is set to All Rooms.

Click a room to delete its objects, or click anywhere in a plan if you checked All Rooms. Thedialog box remains open, letting you go from room to room, until you click Done.

You cannot delete walls or manual dimensions through this dialog box. Delete themindividually using the Delete tool or the Delete key, or by drawing over them.

Select Items CommandLets you select individual items by clicking them. In most cases, you can also select objectsby clicking them with the tools used to create them. This does not work for furniture,fixtures, outdoor images or outdoor objects—select these with Select Items.

Open Item CommandLets you change otherwise unavailable aspects of a selected object by opening itsspecification dialog box. You can also double-click an object to see its specification dialogbox. The command applies to all objects, including walls, rooms, and cameras, and works inall views.

The options in the dialog box depend on the type of object, but all have basic dimensionand style information, and most have a preview of the selected object. An explanation of thespecification dialog box for each type of object is included with the description for creatingthat object.

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Move Area CommandMoves an area and all objects within it at once.

To move an area

1. Select Move Area from the Edit menu.

2. Drag a box around the area to move.

3. Drag the area to its new location.

Reverse Plan CommandFlips your plan over left to right, so what was on one side is now on the other. Top andbottom are unaffected.

Build MenuUse this menu to create and place objects in your plan. Many of the selections in the menubring up submenus with further selections, because many objects have several types fromwhich to choose (like windows). The tools on the right side of the toolbar (the tools in amode) and the selections in Build submenus work the same way.

Most mode and drawing tools remain selected until you select another mode or tool, so todraw a series of standard walls, for example, select Wall mode and Wall once, and then keepdragging walls.

Wall SubmenuLets you create and edit various kinds of walls. You can draw walls vertically or horizontally,or at any 15-degree angle. The end of the wall where you began the drag will remain fixed,while the other end will move about until you finish dragging. While you are drawing, thelength of the wall will display in the toolbar’s status box. Once you finish a wall, you canmove and resize it by selecting it, which will display its three handles.

To draw a wall

1. Choose Wall from the Build menu.

2. Click the type of wall to create.

3. Click and drag the wall.

Draw straight through a doorway, window, or other opening. Put the opening in later.

To draw a wall at an angle, move the pointer in a circle as you drag—the wall will snapto 15-degree increments.

The length of new walls appears in the status box in the toolbar as you draw them.When you move walls connected perpendicularly to other walls, temporary dimensionlines display, locating the wall as you move it.

Drawing one wall close enough to the end of another of the same kind will cause theprogram to join the two (different kinds of walls will line up, but not connect).Connected walls will seem to be one piece, but you can still select the individual walls.

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The new wall may extend, contract, or move to meet the old wall accurately, and the oldwall may extend or contract to meet the new. The program will try to make all the joinsas smooth as possible by eliminating gaps and stubs. To do so, the program will adjustthe end of a new wall if it approaches an old wall, and will adjust the end of an old wallif it is crossed by a new one.

Second wall at 90°, being drawn After walls have been snappedclose to first wall together and smoothed

This extending, contracting, and moving to make walls meet is called snapping, and thedistance within which it occurs is called the snapping distance. The default snappingdistance is one plan inch.

To change the snapping distance

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup, and then choose Dimension Defaults.

Dimension Setup dialog box

2. Change the Wall & Opening Snap Unit setting.

Unrestricted allows movement increments of 1/16th of an inch without snapping.

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To select a wall

• Click the wall’s central area, which is everything not within six plan inches of an end.

The center, by which walls connect and are measured, runs the length of the wall, downthe middle.

Selected wall showing handles

Once a wall is connected to other walls, moving it extends or contracts the connectingwalls to keep them joined, if possible.

Basic four wall enclosure with dividing wall selected

To move a wall

• Drag the center handle.

The pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, which indicates the direction you canmove the wall. While you are dragging a wall, its length displays in the status box in thetoolbar.

Walls can be moved only perpendicular to the direction in which they run; they cannot bemoved lengthwise or rotated.

You may not be able to move a wall if it is connecting and snapping to other walls thatare holding it in place. This happens when a diagonal wall connects to horizontal andvertical walls to create a three-way corner, because with three walls connecting in oneplace, the program does not know which wall to adjust. To avoid this, add diagonal wallslast, or temporarily shorten one of the walls to break the three-way connection.

To extend a wall

• Select it and drag an end handle or drag a new wall near the end so it is in line with theold wall.

To shorten a wall, perform these steps in reverse.

To delete a wall

• Draw over it completely or

• Select it and pull one end to the other (essentially resizing it to nothing) or

• Use the Delete key, Delete tool, or Delete command.

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To view and change the characteristics of a wall

1. Double-click a wall to open its Wall Specification dialog box.

Wall Specification dialog box, General tab

2. On the General tab, specify the thickness and options for the wall.

Thickness Choose 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 inches as the thickness.

Railing Produces a special kind of low-height wall.

Invisible Specifies that the wall cannot be seen in 3D views, but can define rooms and align other walls.

No Room Def. Specifies that the wall does not define a room.

No Locate Specifies that dimension lines will not locate these walls, as long as the wall is not the endpoint for the dimension line.

Beam Marks the wall as being a beam, but will not show in a 3D view.

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3. On the Roof tab, specify the pitch and options for the portion of the roof that rests onthis wall.

Wall Specification dialog box, Roof tab

Full Gable Wall Creates a gable end over the wall.

High Shed/ Gable Wall Models the high end of a shed roof.

Knee Wall Defines this wall as a knee wall. The wall must be an interiorwall to use this setting. A knee wall’s height is defined bythe roof plane, not by the ceiling height.

Extend Slope Downward Continues the roof down over a bumpout in an exteriorwall.

Downward Pitch Lets you define the pitch of the roof plane over this wall.

4. Click the Railing tab to specify this wall as a railing and set its characteristics. For moreinformation, see the Wall command, Railing option later in this section.

5. If you made this wall a railing, click the Railing Material tab to select materials for therail, newel posts, and balusters.

6. Click OK.

Wall Command

Creates standard exterior and interior walls that define your plan by enclosing space. Youcan locate them using manual and automatic dimension lines, define rooms, place windowsand doors in them, and cross-hatch them.

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Invisible Wall Command

Creates walls that define rooms, but are invisible and not located by dimension lines.

Invisible walls divide larger spaces into individual rooms, without using a physical memberlike a standard wall or railing. This lets you define a room area by double-clicking it andnaming it, without having to have the area completely walled in by physical walls. Invisiblewalls act like standard walls in every other way.

Invisible wall used to separate Living and Dining rooms

Railing Command

Creates walls that remain visible and define rooms, but do not affect plan dimensions. Theirchief purpose is to define areas like balconies, porches, or decks, usually on the exterior of aplan, so that those additions can be created without changing the program’s understandingof the structure of the house. Railings can also be used to mark off staircases and landings,and to divide a room.

3D interior railing defining a stairwell

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To change the appearance of railings

1. Double-click the wall.

2. Click the Railing tab to specify this wall as a railing and set its characteristics.

Wall Specification dialog box, Railing tab

Makes the balusters the same material as the rails. Exterior Materials

Changes the square newel posts to round pillars and extendsthem to the ceiling. Use this in combination with Post toOverhead Beam to create an overhead beam.

Pillar toCeiling/Beam

Sets the newel posts to continue up to an overhead beamjust below the ceiling.

Post to OverheadBeam

Changes the posts or pillars from standard 5-inch size to 10-inch

Large Posts/ Pillars

Choose Balusters, Solid, Open (top rail only), or Open withmiddle rail (top and middle rail).

Railing Type

Makes this wall a railing.Specify Railing

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3. Click the Railing Material tab to select materials for the rail, newel posts, and balusters.

Wall Specification dialog box, Railing Material tab

4. Click OK.

Beam Command

Creates a wall that has no siding and does not show up in 3D views. Use beam walls in Planview to show where real beams are located.

Hatch Wall Command

Marks an existing wall with hatching, diagonal lines to make walls stand out better,particularly their thickness. Use wall hatching to mark a wall for a special purpose, forexample, for removal in a remodel.

Hatched wall

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To hatch a wall

1. On the Build menu, click Wall and then click Hatch Wall.

2. Click a wall.

The entire wall fills with cross-hatching, but is affected in no other way.

Break Wall Command

Breaks one wall section into two. They remain connected until you move or delete one ofthem. Do not use this command to create a doorway—place a door in a wall instead.

To break a wall

1. On the Build menu, click Wall and then click Break Wall.

2. Click a wall.

A thin line indicates the break.

3. Click either side with the pointer to display the resulting wall on that side.

This wall has been broken in two, and the right wall is selected.

4. To exit Break Wall mode, press Esc.

Wall Thickness Settings

You can set the thickness of a wall to 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 Inches. You can apply any of thesethicknesses to any type of wall.

To specify the thickness of a wall

• Choose Build, and then click Wall and choose one of these submenu selections or

• Use the Thickness button in the toolbar or

• Change the thickness for an existing wall in the Wall Specification dialog box.

Walls of different thicknesses can be joined together. If they are running in the samedirection, a step is created on either side, as the thinner wall meets the thicker. This isbecause all walls are joined at their center lines. Moving one wall sideways to align it flushwith the other wall on one side will have no effect, because the join will always snap back tothe center.

To make the two walls flush on one side, intersect them with a third wall, making a cross.This frees the two wall ends to slide along the third wall, preventing them from snapping toeach other’s center. Once the walls are flush on one side, you can delete part or all of the

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third wall. You will probably delete only one arm of the cross, however, since two walls ofdifferent thicknesses seldom meet without a third intersecting them.

To join two walls of different thicknesses evenly, use a third wall. After the walls are joined,you can then delete the third wall (in this case, the 4-inch wall).

Door SubmenuLets you create and edit various kinds of doors.

A door’s initial size is determined by the default for that type, and the room available. Theprogram will narrow a door to fit a tight space, but when the space is too tight, a warningdialog box appears.

Although you can create doors only in Plan view, you can edit them in CrossSection/Elevation view, where you can change width and height by dragging, and get asense of how your doors fit with your windows and cabinets.

To create a door

1. Create a wall to place the door in.

2. Choose Door from the Build menu, and then choose the type of door you want.

3. Click the wall where you want the door.

A doorway appears, centered where you clicked.

4. Click the doorway you just created to select the doorway and display dimensions andhandles for resizing or moving the doorway.

Door placed in wall with 4 digit dimensions showing door to be 2 feet, 6 inches wide by 6 feet, 8 inches high

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The size of the door opening is indicated either with four digits. For example, 2668means two feet, six inches wide, and six feet, eight inches high.

5. To resize the door, drag its end handles.

Both ends move, to keep the door centered. The movement is constrained, to make surethe door uses a standard size.

6. To move the door, drag the center handle.

You can move a door only sideways in a wall.

7. To delete a door, select it and press the Delete key or click the Delete tool, or resize thedoor down to nothing.

The numbers change as the door is widened.

8. To eliminate the door (but not the doorway), pull the door shut, back into the wall.

To create double doors

1. Place a standard door.

2. Widen it.

3. Drag the center handle out to place and open the door.

A doorway appears in your plan as an opening in the walls, while a door appears as a lineand arc swinging out from the doorway.

To determine how a door will open

• Click one of the three handles and mimic how the door should open by dragging thehandle.

Until you do this, or change the door specification, standard doors are doorways.Dragging a handle creates a door and pulls it open. A doorway four feet or widerautomatically becomes a double door.

The rotation handle is used to set the angle of the open door.

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To adjust the angle of the open door

1. Make the door active.

2. Position the pointer over the triangular rotation handle at the edge of the door.

3. When the pointer changes to a circular arrow, adjust the angle of the door swing.

To choose a door style

1. Double-click a door to see the Door Specification dialog box.

Door Specification dialog box, General tab

You can set characteristics of the door, such as style, type, and size (height, width, andthickness), trim, and frame dimensions.

2. On the General tab, specify the style and type of door you want.

Door Style Your choices are default, slab, glass, and panel. Default is the same as slab.

Door Type Your choices are doorway, hinged, slider, pocket, bifold, and garage. Click the Library button to see other styles of doors.

Specifications Set the width, height, and thickness of the door.

Draw closed If this box is checked, the door appears closed in 3D views.

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3. On the Frame & Trim tab, specify the frame style for the door.

Door Specification dialog box, Frame & Trim tab

Frame Specify the width for the frame and its bottom rail.

Interior/ Exterior If you change the door type from Interior to Exterior (or vice versa) the values for the other settings may change.

Casing Defines the width for any custom molding, as well as flat casings. Changing the casing here will change it for all casings you define from now on.

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4. If you chose a glass door, click the Lites tab to choose the number of lites (glass panes)in the door.

Door Specification dialog box, Lites tab

Lites Across Choose the number of horizontal divisions (1 to 8) for the glass. Normally, the panes of glass are evenly spaced.

Lites Vertical Choose the number of vertical divisions (1 to 8) for the glass. Normally, the panes of glass are evenly spaced.

Special Type Choose a style for the divided lites. Your choices are Normal, Diamond, Prairie, and Craftsman. Use the preview to see the differences between the styles.

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5. To change the color of doors or apply material to them, click the Material tab.

Door Specification dialog box, Material tab

Choose the item to change (Door Surface or Trim/Moldings), and then click SelectMaterial to choose the material.

6. Click OK.

Door Command

Creates single doors and double doors. Standard exterior doors are usually 36 inches wide,while interior doors are 30 inches wide. Doors in exterior walls have sills addedautomatically.

Standard doors are empty doorways until you select a handle and drag it from the wall,mimicking how the door should open. This makes a door appear, opening in that direction.

Sliding Door Command

Creates exterior and interior sliding doors. They are placed and edited like standard doors.Sliding doors default to a width of five feet and must be at least four feet, but otherwise canbe resized.

To determine which of the two parts slide and in what track it sits

• Drag the end handle on that side in the appropriate direction.

For example, dragging the right handle down makes the right half of the door themoving part, and places it in the lower track.

Exterior sliding doors always have the moving part on the inside.

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Pocket Door Command

Creates doors that slide into wall pockets. These are usually placed in interior walls, but canbe set in exterior walls also. They are especially useful for creating sliding doors in spacesnarrower than four feet. Dragging an end handle determines on which side the door fits intothe wall.

Pocket doors default to 30 inches wide, but can be resized up to 72 inches. When the widthexceeds 44 inches, it becomes a double pocket door.

Bifold Door Command

Creates folding doors, usually in interior walls, and usually for closets.

Drag a side handle out to determine which way the fold faces, and from what side the dooropens.

The default size for a bifold door is 30 inches. Widening it beyond 32 inches makes it adouble door.

Garage Door Command

Places garage doors in exterior walls. The default width is eight feet. Garage doors cannot benarrower than six feet.

Door Library Command

Lets you select different styles of doors.

Library Browser, Doors section

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Doorway Library Command

Lets you select shaped entryways and transoms.

Library Browser, Doorways section

Window SubmenuLets you create and edit various kinds of windows.

You can create windows only in Plan view, but you can edit them in other views.Draw all your walls before placing windows. Until you enclose your house with exteriorwalls, and define an inside and outside, you can put windows anywhere. Once the house isclosed, placing a window in an interior wall displays a warning because interior walls do notusually have windows. You can override this, however. No warning comes up if theadjoining room is labeled Porch, Deck, Balcony, or Court.

3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 creates bay, box, and bow windows from standard windowsand structural members. You can buy prefabricated bays and bows with more glasscompared to frame, and more elaborate frames and trim. Structural bays, boxes, and bows,however, allow for floor-to-ceiling openings and built-in seating, are easier to repair, and arebuilt from standard materials on site. If you plan to use prefabricated windows, you canapproximate them with the Bay, Box, and Bow Window commands, or indicate theopening using a standard window. Check with your builder and suppliers to see what willwork best.

You can also create custom windows by building them yourself from walls and standardwindows. For example, if you want a bay window with three windows across the frontinstead of just one, you can create the wall structure then add the five component windows.

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You cannot place a standard bay window structure and add extra windows because theprogram allows only one window per side in a defined bay window. Use similar tricks forcreating recessed windows for herb gardens and interior courts.

You can use almost any dimensions you want for your windows. Make sure your windowdesigns are practical. For example, you can draw a single twenty-foot wide picture window,but a single piece of glass that big, and the wall construction it would require, would beexpensive and complicated. You would be better off with six three-foot windows, or severalsliding doors. Likewise, you can set the window separation to zero and place severalwindows side-by-side, but actually building these without structural supports between themwould be difficult.

To create a window

1. Create a wall to place the window in.

2. Choose Window from the Build menu, and then choose the type of window you want.

3. Click the wall where you want the window.

A window appears, centered where you clicked.

4. Click the window you just created to select it and display dimensions and handles forresizing or moving the window.

The size of the window is indicated with four digits. For example, 2668 means two feet,six inches wide, and six feet, eight inches high.

5. To resize the window, drag its center handle in or out, perpendicular to the windowsurface.

The window dimension shows the changing height. The top of the window remains atthe same height; the bottom moves up and down, like a window shade.

6. To move the window, drag the center handle.

You can move a window only sideways in a wall. Moving the center handleperpendicular to the window changes the window’s configuration, depending ondirection and window type.

7. To delete a window, select it and press the Delete key or click the Delete tool, or resizethe window down to nothing.

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To choose a window style

1. Double-click a window to see the Window Specification dialog box.

Window Specification dialog box, General tab

2. On the General tab, specify the type and size of window you want.

Width and Height include the frame.

Floor to Top specifies the header height of thewindow measured from the finished floor.

Movable Size defines the size of the movableportion of the window. Enter 0 to default themovable size to whatever is normal for thecurrent type of window.

Specifications

Your choices are default, fixed glass, singlehung, double hung, single casement, doublecasement, triple casement, left siding, rightsiding, triple siding, awning, double awning,triple awning, hopper, double hopper, triplehopper, and louvered.

Window Type

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3. On the Sash tab, specify the dimensions of the window sash.

Window Specification dialog box, Sash tab

Sash Width Specify the width for all four sides of the window sash. Increasing thesize of the sash automatically decreases the size of the glass.

Sash Depth Specify the thickness of the sash stock measured from the exterior tothe interior.

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4. On the Casing tab, specify the casing width.

Window Specification dialog box, Casing tab

Interior/Exterior Specify whether you’re defining the inside or the outside of thewindow. The preview changes to show you the side you chose.

Casing Width This setting affects both sides and the bottom and top.

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5. Click the Lites tab to specify the lites (glass panes) in the window.

Window Specification dialog box, Lites tab

Lites Across Choose the number of horizontal divisions (1 to 8) in each sash.

Lites Vertical Choose the number of vertical divisions (1 to 8) in each sash.

Lites in fixed Specifies divided lites in the fixed sash.

Lites in movable Specifies divided lites in the movable sash.

Type Choose a style for the window. Your choices are Normal,Diamond, Prairie, and Craftsman. Use the preview to see thedifferences between the styles.

Shutters Adds working shutters to the exterior of the window. Each shutteris half the window width, not including the casing. If one sidedoesn’t have room for a shutter because it is too close to awindow or a corner, that side won’t have a shutter. Shutters resizewith the window unless you specify a width for them.

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6. To change the color of windows or apply material to them, click the Material tab.

Window Specification dialog box, Material tab

Choose the item to change (Window Sash, Trim/Moldings, or Shutters), and then clickSelect Material to choose the material.

7. Click OK.

Window Command

Creates a window that uses the specifications in the Window Defaults dialog box on theOptions menu. You can place, move, resize, and delete standard windows.

The program defaults for standard windows are:

Window Type Single casement

Width 36 inches

Height 36 inches

Floor to Top 80 inches

Sash 1-1/2 inches all around

Minimum separation 2 inchesbetween windows

Casing 3-1/2 inches

Lites 1

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Bay Window Command

Creates a bay window out of three standard windows, with one at the front parallel to thewall and two on either side at angles. By default, bay windows are 1 foot deep, 2 feet 2inches wide at front, and 4 feet 2 inches at the wall, with the center window 1 foot 6 incheswide and the side windows 10 inches.

To create a bay window

1. On the Build menu, choose Window, and then choose Bay Window.

2. Click a wall.

3. Move and resize the resulting window like a standard window.

You’ll see three dimensions: the width of the bay at the wall, the width at the frontwindow, and the depth from front to wall. If Opening Size is checked in the ShowItems dialog box, you’ll also see the width of all three windows.

Bay window selected to show dimensions and handles

The center handle of a bay window is in the front window.

4. Drag the center handle side to side to move the bay along the wall.

5. Drag the center handle in and out, within limits, to decrease or increase the depth of the bay.

When you change the window depth, you also change the width of the three windows,so they resize with the bay.

6. To treat the individual windows separately, click each one in Window mode.

After you resize a component window this way, it stays that size regardless of how youchange the bay, except to become smaller to fit a smaller bay.

7. To make the component resize automatically again, recreate the bay.

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Box Window Command

Creates a special version of a bay window, with the front window parallel to the wall and thetwo sides perpendicular. To make a dormer window, create a box window and delete thetwo side component windows.

Box windows default to 4 feet 2 inches wide, 1 foot 6 inches deep, with a 3-foot widecenter window and 8-inch wide side windows.

Bow Window Command

Creates a series of identical standard windows arranged in an arc. A five-section bowwindow defaults to 5 feet, 10 inches wide, with a 4 foot, 10 inch radius, 3 feet, 9 inchesfrom the bow center to the wall, with windows 3 feet high and 10 inches wide.

Bow windows usually have an odd number of sections (component standard windows) sothat there will be a window, rather than a divider, in the center. All the bow windows arealike. Only the number of sections changes.

Bow window selected to show dimensions and handles

Bow windows have four dimensions:

• The width along the original wall

• The distance from the center of the bow to the outer edge of the wall

• The distance the bow projects from the outer edge of the wall

• The distance (radius) from the center of the bow to an outer corner.

All four dimensions are needed. While the middle two dimensions add up to the lastdimension for a bow with an even number of sections, they do not add up for a bow withan odd number. The depth of the bow is measured to the flat center of a window, while theradius extends all the way to a corner.

Window opening dimensions are given for only one component, because all are the same ina bow. You cannot selectively change the components individually, as you can with baywindows. Changing the specifications of a single component window changes all othercomponents within that bay window.

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Window Library Command

Lets you select specialty windows, including round and oval windows.

Library Browser, Windows section

New Floor CommandStarts a plan for the next floor in your home. You can derive the plan from the first floor orcreate a blank plan.

New Floor dialog box

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Foundation CommandLets you specify your foundation. Foundations are based on the layout of walls in the firstfloor plan. Discuss the type of foundation for your project with a licensed contractor.

Foundation Setup dialog box

Footings/ Footings creates a foundation with a stem wall centered on a spreadMonolithic Slab footing. Footings automatically center below the stem wall. If you

choose Footings, you can set the Wall Thickness and Min. WallHeight.

Monolithic Slab creates a slab foundation with a perimeter footing.This becomes the floor platform for the first floor. It is visible in thefoundation plan.

Wall Thickness You can set this only if you are using Footings. Defines the thicknessof the foundation walls.

Min. Wall Height You can set this only if you are using Footings. Defines the height ofthe foundation wall.

For foundations using footings, a wide, shallow trench is dug, into which concrete is poured,leaving a flat surface upon which the structure rests. The load is spread out over a widersurface. Square posts are used to augment this type of foundation.

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Roof SubmenuLets you create and edit various kinds of roofs.

Build Roof Command

Displays Automatic Roof Designer, which designs your roof based on the values youprovide.

To create a roof

1. On the Build menu, choose Roof and then choose Build Roof.

2. On the Build tab, specify the settings for the roof.

Build Roof dialog box, Build tab

Build with Trusses Raises the roof so the rafter (the bottom edge of the truss’ topchord) is flush with the top of the wall. No bird’s mouth is cut.

If you clear this check box, rafters will have a bird’s mouth cut inthem as they come over the top plate of the wall.

Pitch Describes the roof pitch in a ratio over 12. This affects new roofplanes, but not existing ones.

Roof Overhang The overhang is measured from the exterior main layer surface tothe end of the top of the rafter in a horizontal line. It does notinclude fascia thickness, gutters, sheathing, or siding.

Min. Alcove Any alcove smaller than the specified width and in an exterior wallis treated as though the exterior wall went straight across. Alcoveswider than this width cause a change in roof planes.

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3. To change the color of doors or apply material to them, click the Material tab.

Build Roof dialog box, Material tab

Choose the item to change (Roof, Fascia, or Ceiling), and then click Select Material tochoose the material.

4. Click OK.

Gable Over Opening Command

Places a gable over a door or window.

To add a gable over an opening

1. On the Build menu, choose Roof, and then choose Gable Over Opening.

2. Click a door or window opening.

3. Check Gable Over Door/Window in the dialog box that appears.

Gable Over Door/Window dialog box

4. Click OK.

5. On the Build menu, choose Roof, and then choose Build Roof.

6. Click OK.

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To remove the gable

1. On the Build menu, choose Roof, and then choose Gable Over Opening.

2. Click the door or window opening you want to remove the gable from.

3. Clear Gable Over Door/Window in the dialog box that appears.

4. Click OK.

5. On the Build menu, choose Roof, and then choose Build Roof.

6. Click OK.

Delete Roof CommandRemoves the current roof from your plan, but leaves any settings you have made intact.

Stairs CommandCreates built-in stairs. You can create straight stairs, or stairs that curve to the left or right.See the Fixtures command, later in this chapter, for instructions on placing prefabricatedstairs, like circular staircases.

Built-in staircases can be placed inside or outside of a home, can be set to go up or downfrom the current floor, and can have several sections, even connected by landings. Stairs donot attach to walls and cannot be rotated.

Although you cannot add staircases or edit them by dragging when in views other thanPlan, the Camera and Cross Section/Elevation windows show how your stairs look, andhow to make them.

To create a single-section staircase

1. Select Stairs, and then choose Straight Stairs, Curve to Left, or Curve to Right.

2. Click and drag the staircase, starting where the bottom will be and dragging up to thetop of the stairs.

To make a staircase that goes down from the current floor rather than up, hold the Shiftkey while dragging. In general, create an up staircase, unless you are building a staircasefrom a deck or porch. See About Down Staircases, later in this section.

The program uses default settings for the dimensions of the staircase components. Howhigh and long the staircase will be, and whether it reaches the next floor, depend onhow far you drag.

3. To move a staircase, drag its center handles.

4. To change the length (and therefore, height) of a staircase, drag its side handles.

5. Double-click a staircase to see its specification dialog box.

6. To delete a staircase, resize it to nothing, or use the Delete commands.

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To make a multiple-section staircase with landings between staircases

1. Drag out the stair sections, leaving space for where the landing(s) should be.

2. Make sure that the stair sections are oriented such that the arrows on the stair sectionsindicate the proper path up the stairs.

3. Click, while in Stairs mode, between the stair sections.

A landing sufficient to link the two is created. You can create a staircase with a maximumof four stair sections only. The sections can point in different directions, as in the examplebelow. Multiple-section staircases move as one piece, but the individual sections can beselected and edited independently.

4. Place stair sections first, and then click between sections to create a landing.

In the above example, the first stair section was dragged out, and then the second stairsection was dragged out, leaving space for the landing. The beginning of the secondsection is near the end of the first section, and the arrows indicate a logical path up thestairs. This is the way you want to orient the stair sections. Imagine yourself going up thestairs, and position and drag out the sections in the order that you would climb them.

5. Once the sections are dragged out, click the space that you left for a landing and alanding will be created between the stair sections, linking the sections and creating thestaircase.

Landings are custom treads that the program shapes and sizes automatically. Oncecreated, they can be resized independently of the stair sections by clicking and draggingtheir handles. This allows you to extend a landing into a small balcony or mezzanine.

To be effective and safe, staircase design must balance three factors: the height of theindividual stairs (the risers), their width (tread width), and their number. When you dragout a staircase, you are telling the program how many steps to use. It will use defaultsettings for the width and height of each stair, so your staircase may not reach the nextfloor. This happens because the program cannot tell whether you are trying to build asingle- or multiple-section staircase. Once you have set the length, indicated in the statusbox, the program adjusts the risers and treads to fit the length as well as possible.

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To change the staircase

1. Double-click a staircase to see the Staircase Specification dialog box.

Staircase Specification dialog box

2. On the General tab, check the current dimensions for the staircase.

The first line tells you if the staircase reaches the next floor; if it does not, click MakeReach to calculate stair dimensions and number.

The next section indicates how many sections and landings are in the whole staircase,how many risers are in the current section, and the height of the risers and the best valuefor the tread. (Building codes do not permit risers to vary by more than an eighth of aninch, so the program keeps them all the same.)

On the right-hand side of this section, you’ll see the number of risers of a recommendedheight to reach the next floor.

3. Change any dimensions you want.

These settings are interdependent, so altering one alters the others. If you change yourmind after you change them, click Revert. You can change one staircase section at atime.

Length Defines the horizontal length of this staircase section as seen in Planview.

Length is calculated automatically by multiplying the number of treadsby the tread width. If you change the length, the top of the staircasesection remains fixed and the bottom (and all sections connected to thebottom) move.

Tread Width Specifies the width of each tread in this section.

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# Treads Specifies the number of treads in this section.

Sec Width Specifies the overall width of this section.

Rise Angle Specifies the steepness of this section. The maximum angle is 42 degrees.

4. Click the Style tab to set options that determine the appearance of your staircase.


Open Underneath Removes the wall beneath a staircase.

Open Risers Eliminates the risers (the vertical part of a step), leaving each steplying on an open pair of stringers (the side pieces of a staircasethat stretch diagonally and support the individual steps).

Large Stringer Base Makes the first step a bit larger.

Use Exterior Applies these to your staircaseMaterials .

Railing Adds two- or four-inch left and/or right rails to your stairs.

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5. To change the color of stairs or apply material to them, click the Material tab.


Choose the item to change (Tread, Riser Trim, Support Wall, Railing, Newels, orBaluster), and then click Select Material to choose the material.

6. Click OK.

About Down Staircases

Always try to use up staircases if possible in your plan. There are certain times, though, whena down staircase is preferable. These are staircases that go down from a deck or porch. Anexample of how to create those types of stairs can be found in the Basic Techniques Tutorial.

You can create a down staircase in an interior room to see how it will look in one of the 3Dwindows (Camera or Full Overview).

To create an interior down staircase

1. Drag out railings to define the stairwell.

If the staircase is against a wall, drag out three railings, because the room wall properacts as the fourth wall and completes the enclosure. Use railings instead of regular wallsbecause that is the way most staircases are built; a safety railing surrounds the opening inthe floor.

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This creates a room that has railings for walls.

Railings used to create a stairwell against wall

2. Double-click the little room you created and click the Style tab in the RoomSpecification dialog box.

3. Select Open Below for the Room Name.

This defines the hole in the floor through which the down staircase passes from below.When you view from the upper floor, the staircase will be labeled Down, although it isstill the Up staircase from the lower floor.

Stairwell has to be declared Open Below to show stairs coming up through the floor.

Down staircase in a Camera view

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Cabinet SubmenuCreates cabinets.

Cabinets are not part of the structure of a plan. They can be placed and moved freely, anddo not affect the basic plan. Cabinets attach to walls.

Cabinets are modular—cabinets of the same type are often placed together to form a singleunit, like a set of cabinets in a kitchen forming an island. The program reflects thismodularity by snapping cabinets together into constructions that display like a single piece.

Because cabinets have distinct fronts and backs, they have a direction. The programindicates direction with an arrow, and will only attach cabinets by their backs and sides toeach other and walls, and will only attach cabinets that face the same direction.

You can create custom cabinet configurations by changing individual cabinets and byarranging cabinets in special groups. One such grouping is a kitchen island, which comprisesa number of carefully aligned base cabinets. To create an island, create a series of cabinetsattached side by side (and facing one direction), and then create another series facing theother way. The program should determine which way each cabinet should face, but if not,just rotate each until it faces the right way and attaches. When completed, your islandshould display as a single piece. If lines still show between cabinets, even when the Moduleoption in the Show Items dialog box is off, the cabinets are not attached properly and needadjusting. Use the same technique to create a group of wall cabinets hanging from theceiling above the island.

Two rows of four cabinets facing opposite directions

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Rows brought together to form a cabinet island

Another special cabinet configuration is used for designs with inside corners, like a U or L, toallow a continuous countertop along the shape of the cabinet configuration. The easiest wayto build such a shape is to put together a line of cabinets down one side, and then place acorner cabinet, and finish with another line. This will result in what looks like a single,continuous piece. If the corner is away from a wall, so a corner cabinet cannot be used, theprogram will allow a blind cabinet, or even create a filler space in the inside corner, so longas the two neighboring cabinets are within nine inches. A continuous top can only bestretched across an inside corner, that is, where the cabinets are facing one another acrossthe gap. If the cabinets on either side of the corner are facing apart, they will not attach, sothe top will not stretch.

To create a cabinet

1. On the Build menu, click Cabinet, and then click the type of cabinet you want.

2. Click your plan.

If you place a cabinet with its back or side to a wall, the cabinet snaps to the wall. If youclick close enough to a wall, the program turns the cabinet to face the proper direction.Moving a wall near the cabinets does not attach them, but if you run Plan Check, it willattach the cabinets to the wall, to keep things tidy.

If you place a new cabinet next to an existing one of the same type, the two to snaptogether.

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Row of cabinets forming single module against wall

If you click a corner, the program creates a special corner cabinet. A corner cabinet is not atype of cabinet, just a regular cabinet that faces two directions. If you want a regular cabinetin a corner, place it elsewhere, and then drag it into the corner.

Corner cabinet

Cabinets contract automatically to fit a constricted space, down to the minimum widthallowed.

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To select a cabinet

• Click it with any cabinet tool, or with the Select Items tool.

Be careful—clicking a base cabinet with the Wall Cabinet tool creates a wall cabinetabove it, and vice versa.

When you select a cabinet, its outline, width, direction arrow, and handles display. Acabinet has three side handles, a center handle, and one triangular rotation handle.

To move a cabinet

• Drag its center handle.

You can move the cabinet horizontally or vertically. To move the cabinet freely, hold theCtrl key down while you drag it.

To resize a cabinet

• Drag its side handles.

Widened cabinet

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To rotate a cabinet

• Drag the triangular rotation handle.

The pointer is a circular arrow.

Rotated cabinet

To delete a cabinet

• Use the Delete tool or Delete key, or resize it to zero.

Cabinets attached to one another display as a single piece unless the Module option ischecked in the Show Items dialog box, in which case the boundaries and directions of allcabinets appear. You can select an individual cabinet, even if it’s attached to others. You canmove attached cabinets sideways at once by pushing with the cabinet at the end. Likewise,cabinets attached to a wall will move with the wall.

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To change a cabinet

1. Double-click the cabinet to open its Cabinet Specification dialog box.

Cabinet Specification dialog box

2. On the General tab, specify the style of cabinet you want.

Door Style Your choices are plain and framed doors. Door style does not affectdrawers.

Specifications Height measures from the bottom of the cabinet to the top. For BaseCabinets, this includes the counter thickness.

Width measures across the cabinet as you view it in elevation. It doesnot include the counter top overhang. Fractional cabinet widths aresupported to 1/16th of an inch.

Depth measures front to back. This does not include the 3/4 inchthickness for overlay doors or the counter top overhang.

For base and full height cabinets, specify a Floor to Bottom distance of 0.

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3. On the Cabinet Front tab, specify the features of the cabinet face.

Cabinet Specification dialog box, Cabinet Front tab

Items Click the preview on the part of the cabinet front to change. The ItemType and Item Height values show what you clicked.

When you change an item’s height, the height of the lowest cabinetface item changes to make up the difference. If you change the lowestitem, the item directly above it changes.

To add a new cabinet face item, select the face item above where youwant the new one, and then click Add New. If nothing is selectedwhen you click Add New, the new item is added at the bottom of thecabinet face. The lowest item on the cabinet face shrinks to make roomfor the new item.

To delete a face item, select it and click Delete. The height of thelowest face item increases to make up the difference, or the face areachanges to a blank area.

Options Available options may change as you change the cabinet specification.For example, you can add glass doors to any cabinet, but you can addroll-out shelves only to base and full height cabinets.

4. To change the color of cabinets or apply material to them, click the Material tab.

Choose the item to change (these change, depending on the type of cabinet youselected), and then click Select Material to choose the material.

5. Click OK.

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Base Cabinet Command

Creates cabinets that sit on the floor, and are usually set against walls. Fixtures like sinks andovens can be placed in them. The cabinet must be big enough to accommodate the fixture.Default dimensions for base cabinets are 36 inches high, 24 inches wide and deep, and aminimum width of 9 inches and width increment of 3 inches.

Wall Cabinet Command

Produces wall cabinets, which can be positioned on a wall, or hung from the ceiling. Usuallythey are set above base cabinets.

Wall cabinets default to 24 inches wide, 12 inches deep, 30 inches high, and 54 inches fromthe floor to the bottom of the cabinet. Minimum width and increments are 9 inches and 3inches.

Full Height Cabinet Command

Places full height cabinets, like those used for pantries. Full-height cabinets are 84 incheshigh and 24 inches wide and deep by default. Minimum width and increments are 9 inchesand 3 inches.

Soffit Command

Fills in the area between a wall cabinet and the ceiling. Soffits move and resize like wallcabinets. The soffit default depth is one inch greater than the default depth for wallcabinets.

Shelf Command

Places a single shelf. Shelving is treated and displayed like cabinetry in Plan view.

Shelves are 12 inches deep, 24 inches wide, and 69-1/4 inches from the floor by default.Several furniture items in the Furniture Library feature shelving. For custom shelves, try usingbase cabinets that contain shelves.

Fireplace CommandCreates fireplaces.

You can create two kinds of fireplaces with this command. Both kinds are built-in masonryfireplaces, but those placed in walls act like doors and windows, while those placed in themiddle of a room act like cabinets.

You can place and edit freestanding fireplaces as you do cabinets. To move one, drag itscenter handle. To resize it, drag its side and front handles. To rotate it, drag its rotatehandle. To deepen it, drag its front handle. Unlike wall fireplaces, freestanding fireplacescannot be fully set into a wall, but can be placed against one. They will not attach. Mostresidential houses use wall fireplaces.

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You can also place prefabricated fireplaces using the Fixture Library. These are treated likefixtures because, unlike masonry fireplaces, they are not built on site, but prefabricated andthen built into the structure. See Fixture, later in this section.

All masonry fireplaces have three components: the hearth, which projects out from the restof the fireplace, the fire box, and the surrounding walls. You can set the height, width, anddepth of the fireplace and fire box, as well as the depth of the hearth.

To create a fireplace

1. Select the Fireplace command.

2. Click a wall for the fireplace.

If it is an exterior wall, the new fireplace will automatically face inwards. If it is an interiorwall, click the side of the wall in the room into which you want the fireplace to face.

3. Widen the wall fireplace by dragging the side handles.

4. Move the wall fireplace by dragging the center handle along the wall.

Drag the center handle perpendicular to the wall to move the fireplace in and out.

5. Delete the wall fireplace by dragging the side handles inward toward the center, or usestandard delete commands.

A wall fireplace can be set in so the box is flush with the wall, or pulled out so that theback is flush with the back of the wall. For example, for fireplaces on exterior walls,dragging the center handle of the fireplace out and away from the house will move thefireplace further into the wall, so that the chimney is external and runs up the outside ofthe structure.

Exterior wall fireplace with chimney outside wall

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To change a fireplace

1. Double-click the fireplace to open its Fireplace Specification dialog box.

Fireplace Specification dialog box

2. On the General tab, specify the size of the fireplace components.

Specifications Height specifies the height of the fireplace. The default is 48 inches.

Width specifies the width of the fireplace. The default is 48 inches.

Depth specifies the depth of the fireplace. The default is 31 inches.

Hearth Depth specifies from the front of the fireplace into the room.To eliminate the hearth, enter a zero for this value.

3. On the Fire Box tab, specify the size and offset of the fire box.

Fireplace Specification dialog box, Fire Box tab

Size Specifies the height, width, and depth of the fire box. The defaults are25, 24, and 18 inches respectively.

Offset Enter the number of inches to offset the fire box from the center, thenclick To Left or To Right to specify the direction of the offset from thecenter. Enter 0 to center the fire box in the fireplace.

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4. To change the color of the fireplace or apply material to it, click the Material tab.

Fireplace Specification dialog box, Fire Box tab

Choose the item to change (only Fireplace is available), and then click Select Materialto choose the material.

5. Click OK.

Electrical SubmenuPlaces electrical items.

You can select an electrical item with the Select Items tool to move and rotate it like afixture. Delete electrical items using the Delete commands.

Electrical items do not have specification dialog boxes.

Electrical items are not structurally important to your plans, and their use and location islargely prescribed by building code regulations. It is usually best to wait until the rest of yourplan is finished before placing electrical items. The program automates much of theplacement process. For instance, when you place plain 110-volt outlets, the programdetermines, based on location within rooms and circuits, whether an outlet should bewaterproof (exterior), or ground-fault interrupt (bathroom), or more than one-way.

The program uses standard heights to place electrical items: wall outlets are 12 inches fromthe floor, wall switches are 48 inches, wall lights are 72 inches, and ceiling fans and lightsare the ceiling height. Outlets above a cabinet are six inches up, unless the cabinet containsa sink, in which case the outlet is placed behind the cabinet. The difference may not beimmediately apparent because only waterproof and interrupt outlets are labeled in the plan(as WP and GFI, respectively), and the program may not update electrical items until thePlan Check command is used.

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To place an electrical item

1. On the Build menu, choose Electrical and then choose the type of item you want.

Use the Electrical Library to select electrical items other than outlets, lights, andswitches.

2. Click where you want the item.

Clicking near a wall places items in it. Clicking away from a wall places light fixtures inthe ceiling. Switches can be placed only on walls.

3. To move any electrical item, click and drag it.

4. To show which light fixtures and outlets are controlled by which switches, click the Buildmenu, choose Electrical, and then choose Connect Electrical. Starting with the firstswitch and ending with any additional switches, drag a line to each item on the circuit.


5. To disconnect items, click them.

110V Outlets Command

Adds 110-volt outlets wherever you click in your plan. Clicking near a wall places the outletin it.

220V Outlets Command

Produces 220 volt outlets in a wall.

Light Command

Lets you place lights in your plan. Clicking near a wall will place the light in the wall, andclicking away from a wall and toward the middle of the room will place the light in theceiling.

Switch Command

Places switches in your plan. They are allowed only in the walls.

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Electrical Library Command

Opens a library window, from which you pick electrical items like telephone and television jacks.

Library Browser, Electrical section

To select and place electrical items

1. On the Build menu, choose Electrical and then choose Electrical Library. Double clickon the symbol category in the Library Browser, then click on Electrical_3DHA.

Electrical library

2. Locate the item you want.

Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to displayseveral levels before you find actual electrical items.

3. Double-click the item and then click in your plan where you want it.

When an item is loaded and ready for placement in the plan, the pointer changes to an Sin a circle to remind you that you are placing symbols for electrical items.

You can place multiple copies of the same item by clicking the plan as many times asneeded.

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Place Outlets Command

Automatically places outlets, according to standard practice. Select the command, and thenclick a room. To employ this command most efficiently, use it after you have finished the restof your plan and named your rooms.

Plan Check (on the Tools menu) re-designates existing outlets to fit the rooms they are in,and prompts you to add special items required by standard practice, such as telephone andtelevision jacks, fans, and smoke alarms.

Although the Place Outlets and Plan Check commands will handle much of your electricalsystem design, you must decide where to place switches and lights, what special features toinclude, and how to connect them.

Connect Electrical Command

Creates circuits between switches and other electrical items. For multiple-switch systems,start with one switch, drag to the items, and then end with the other switches. Todisconnect an item from the circuit, click it.

A basic circuit

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Fixtures CommandDisplays the Library Browser, where you can choose fixtures.

Library Browser, Fixtures section

Some fixtures, like toilets, water heaters, and prefabricated fireplaces and stairs, can beplaced anywhere in a room (they are freestanding). Others, like kitchen sinks and ovens,must be placed on or in a cabinet. You can place one fixture per cabinet, and the fixture isalways placed in the middle of the cabinet.

To place fixtures

1. If you are placing a fixture in a cabinet, first create a cabinet big enough for the fixture.

2. On the Build menu, choose Fixtures.


Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to displayseveral levels before you find actual fixture items.


When an item is loaded and ready for placement in the plan, the pointer changes to theFixture pointer (a toilet) to remind you that you are placing a fixture.

You can place multiple copies of the same fixture by clicking the plan as many times asneeded.

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Fixtures Within Cabinets

If you placed the fixture in a cabinet, it moves with the cabinet. You cannot edit it by itself.To change the fixture to another, click the existing fixture/cabinet with the Fixture tool withthe new fixture loaded. The new fixture replaces the current fixture in the cabinet. Since thefixture and cabinet behave like a single object in the plan, you delete both the fixture andthe cabinet together. Create a new cabinet to replace the old one.

Placing a cabinet fixture into an existing cabinet fixture replaces the fixture.

Freestanding Fixtures

When you select a freestanding fixture, the fixture’s width will display, plus a center handleand a rotating one. Some freestanding fixtures attach themselves to walls, and moving thewall moves the fixture.

To change a freestanding fixture

1. Double-click the fixture to open its Fixture/Furniture Specification dialog box.

2. The dialog box shows the item’s height, width, depth, and distance to the floor, alongwith a preview.

3. To change dimensions, enter new values.

4. To return to the first version, click Reset.

5. To change the color of the fixture or apply material to it, click the Material tab.

Choose the item to change (Main color, Trim or second, Accent or hdwr, or Glass),and then click Select Material to choose the material.

6. Click OK.

Circular Staircases

Prefabricated, metal circular staircases are available in the Furniture Library. These aretreated like fixtures because unlike the staircases above, they are not built on site, but areprefabricated, and then placed in your design.

To place a circular staircase

1. Choose Furniture, and then Interior Decoration_3DHA, and then Circular Stairs, andthe size you want.

2. Click where you want the staircase.

Prefabricated staircases display central and rotation handles and show width whenselected.

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3. Drag the handles to move or rotate the staircase.

4. To delete a circular staircase, use the Delete key and commands.

5. To edit the staircase, double-click it.

The staircase’s height, width, and depth, plus a preview will be shown.

Unlike prefabricated fireplaces, there is no need to build walls around these staircases toframe them in. Everything needed is included with the staircase.

Prefabricated Fireplaces

Prefabricated metal fireplaces are not meant to be freestanding, but built into special walldesigns.

Metal fireplace boxed in by walls, placed against back wall

Masonry fireplaces in walls act like openings, so they make their own space. Prefabricatedfireplaces are fixtures, and cannot be placed in a wall; instead, they are walled into their ownroom. But for the fireplace to show in the next room, a hole needs to be opened in the wallbetween. To project a prefabricated fireplace into a room, you must draw its own roombehind the larger room.

To place a prefabricated fireplace

1. Create a three-wall niche behind the wall into which the fireplace will be placed.

Make sure the niche is larger than the fireplace.

2. Choose Fixture, and then Fireplaces_3DHA, and the type of fireplace you want.

3. Click the back wall of the niche.

This attaches the fireplace to the wall, like a cabinet, so that moving the wall moves thefireplace.

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4. Drag the side walls against the fireplace, and then push it forward by dragging the backwall to which it is attached forward.

This makes the fireplace punch through the wall, assuming it is a four-inch wall. If the wallis thicker, replace the wall section in front of the fireplace with a 4-inch-thick sectionusing the Break Wall command.

Prefabricated fireplaces display movement and rotation handles and width whenselected.

5. Drag the handles to move or rotate the fireplace.

6. To delete a prefabricated fireplace, use the Delete key and commands.

If you double-click a prefabricated fireplace, the specification dialog box is forFixture/Furniture, because prefabricated fireplaces are considered fixtures.

Furniture CommandOpens the Library Browser, where you can choose furniture items.

Library Browser, Furniture section

To place furniture

1. On the Build menu, choose Furniture.


Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to displayseveral levels before you find actual furniture items.

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When an item is loaded and ready for placement in the plan, the pointer changes to theFurniture pointer (a chair) to remind you that you are placing furniture.

You can place multiple copies of the same furniture item in the plan by clicking multipletimes.

Furniture can be placed anywhere in a plan big enough to hold it, and then can bemoved and rotated.

Dimension Lines SubmenuCreates dimension lines in a plan.

Dimension line between walls

Dimension lines on a bow window

Dimension lines locate walls and openings in walls by showing how far one wall is fromanother, or how far an opening is down a wall. Temporary dimension lines display forspecific, selected objects, like openings, fixtures, and furniture, in all views in which theobjects can be selected.

Dimension lines are treated like objects in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4, but do not have anyphysical existence, so they can be created and moved mostly like walls. They display only inPlan view.

Dimension lines are always drawn perpendicular to the walls they are locating. Like walls,dimension lines can be drawn at any angle, in 15- degree increments. For openings in walls,dimension lines can be parallel to these and still locate them. To do so, a line is extended tothe center of the opening from the dimension line. This is called reaching. The line is called amark. The same dimension line may locate several walls and openings, with marks extendingto each item. In this case, the portion of the entire dimension line between marks is called asection.

The numbers in a dimension line show length in feet, inches, and eighths of an inch. A 12-foot distance is shown as 12’, 12 feet 4 inches as 12’4, and 12 feet 4-1/2 inches as 12’4"4

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(four eighths equal half an inch). The size of the numbers themselves is fixed, to make sureyou can always read them.

To set defaults for dimensions

• On the Options menu choose Defaults Setup, and then choose Dimension Defaults.

Dimension Command

Lets you create manual dimension lines.

To create interior dimension lines

1. On the Build menu, choose Dimension Lines, and then choose Dimension.

2. Click and drag in your plan, starting at a wall and dragging a line perpendicular to it to afacing wall.

You can also drag a line to or from an opening, by starting or ending your drag closeenough to the center of it. You can drag a line between two openings.

If you set the No Locate attribute for a wall (in the Wall Specification dialog box, on theGeneral tab), your dimension lines will locate the wall, but only if there is no more thanone normal wall. If the dimension lines locate two or more normal walls, any No Locatewalls are ignored.

A dimension line that extends past several interior walls or openings will locate all ofthem by using a mark for each item, and so creating a series of sections.

Once placed, dimension lines can be selected and moved like walls. They display threehandles and can be moved sideways by dragging the center one, and resized bydragging the ends in and out. Dragging an end handle is difficult because it cannot beselected if a wall is present. This is because the ends will move automatically as the itemsthey locate move.

Although dimension lines expand and contract automatically, they do not move sidewaysto accommodate changes. For this reason, place them only after you have arranged yourwalls and openings. Although dimension lines and numbers will automatically adjust tochanges, diagonal walls can cause slight errors in measurement. If you made changesafter placing dimensions for diagonal walls, select each possibly affected line to update it.

While all the sections of a dimension line are treated as one when creating and editingthem, individual sections can later be deleted by drawing over them. Adjacent sectionsare not affected.

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Exterior Dimension Command

Creates a comprehensive set of exterior dimension lines all around your plan. These lines willlocate all exterior walls and openings, interior walls (unless you set the No Locate attributefor a wall). They end on an exterior wall. Exterior dimensions can be placed only if your planhas an exterior, and for this the plan must be completely enclosed in walls.

Basic enclosure with exterior dimension lines

To create exterior dimension lines

• Choose Dimension Lines on the Build menu, and then click Exterior Dimension

Executing this command will always create at least four lines, one for locating the exteriorwalls of each side of a plan. You can create up to three separate dimension lines. The first,closest to the plan, locates openings and interior walls; the second locates just interiorwalls; the third locates just exterior walls.

Exterior dimensions do not always update completely when you change your plan.Reissue the command if changes occur, to completely redraw the exterior dimension lines.To neaten things up, move your manual dimension lines each time you refresh yourautomatic lines.

Once created, automatic dimension lines are treated just like manual ones, but theprogram remembers which is which.

Text CommandLets you enter text to create labels and comments for your plan.

Text label with arrow

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To add text

1. Choose the Text command on the Build menu.

Text tool

2. Click the location in your plan where you want the text.

A dialog box appears.

Edit Text dialog box

3. Type the text in the dialog box.

You can type normally, but do not press the Enter key. (Press Ctrl+Enter to go to thenext line.)

4. Set text size with the Character Height edit box, and make this size the default byclicking the Make Default check box.

Character Height is expressed in inches. Unlike dimension numbers, text may beillegible on screen because it is too small to read. The important thing is that it be legiblewhen printed. Usually, five plan inches at quarter scale (a quarter of an inch equals onefoot) will work well. For other scales, you will have to experiment.

5. Select the Include Arrow check box to attach an arrow to your text object, which youcan then drag to point to the object to be labeled.

Arrows can have one bend, and will always join to the associated label. Arrows cannot beedited separately from their text.

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6. To place the text object in your plan, click OK.

Text labels can be seen in only Plan view. While they have size, in that they are displayedin scale, they do not occupy space. You can place text on top of other objects.

To change a text label

1. Select the text object with the Select Items tool.

Three handles appear.

2. To move the label, drag the center handle

3. To change the line length, drag the side handles.

4. To change the size of the text, double-click the label and use the Edit Text dialog box.

It is best to place labels only when your plan is finished.

You can create text automatically, by double-clicking a room and selecting a room labelfrom the Room Specification dialog box. Plan Check also labels rooms automatically,based on their contents and configuration. You can edit both types of automatic labels.

Outdoor Objects CommandPlaces three-dimensional outdoor objects in your plan. The objects include fences, bridges,ponds, and other outdoor items that are not considered furniture or fixtures.

Library Browser, Outdoor Objects section

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To add outdoor objects

1. On the Build menu, choose Outdoor Objects, then choose Outdoor_3DHA in theLibrary Browser.


Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to displayseveral levels before you find actual items.


When an item is loaded and ready for placement in the plan, the pointer changes to achair.

You can place multiple copies of the same item in the plan by clicking multiple times.

Outdoor objects can be viewed and changed in three-dimensions.

To change an outdoor object


2. Click the object.

3. To change the object’s size, click one of the red squares on its outer edge, and then dragto resize.

4. To move the object, click the red square in the object’s center, and then drag to thelocation you want.

5. To change the properties for the object, double-click it to see its Furniture/FixtureSpecification dialog box.

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Outdoor Images CommandPlaces outdoor images such as plants, trees, and rocks in your plan.

Unlike three-dimensional objects such as fixtures and furniture, outdoor images are bitmaprepresentations that can be changed in only two dimensions (height and width). When youchange the height, the width changes proportionally, and vice versa.

Library Browser, Outdoor Images section

To select and place an outdoor image

1. Choose Outdoor Images from the Build menu, then choose Images from the LibraryBrowser.



Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to displayseveral levels before you find actual items.


When an item is loaded and ready for placement in the plan, the pointer changes to theOutdoor Image pointer (a tree) to remind you that you are placing outdoor images.

You can place multiple copies of the same item in the plan by clicking multiple times.

Outdoor images are visible in 3D views.

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To change an outdoor image

1. Double-click an image to open its Image Specification dialog box.

2. Change any of the following.

Image File The pathname of the selected image.

Block for Plan Plan view. If you choose a CAD block, it overrides the PictureSymbol defined below.

Picture Symbol Choose the most appropriate symbol from the list.

Height/Width You can change the height of the image, which automaticallychanges its width proportionally. You cannot change the widthmanually.

Transparent Color The transparent color can be either black or white. The programchooses the default based on items behind this one. Change this ifpart of the image appears to disintegrate due to the color of thesurface behind it. If you choose black as the transparent color,every black pixel of the image becomes transparent. If you choosewhite, white pixels are transparent.

Select Image Click this button to replace the current image with a different one.

3. Click OK.

Ground Covering CommandApplies a covering such as grass, cement, gravel, or stone to a section of the ground outsideyour plan.

To apply ground covering

1. On the Build menu, click Build Lot to place a 50x100-foot lot.

2. Display the Plan window, if you’re not already there.

3. On the Options menu, click Show Items, and then click Beam/Soffit &Groundcoverings if it’s not already selected. Click OK.

4. On the Build menu, click Ground covering.

5. In your plan, click the desired location to add the ground covering.

It has a default size of 3 feet by 3 feet.

6. To resize the ground covering, select it, click one of the red handles on the boundary ofthe ground covering, and then drag to resize.

7. To move the ground covering, click the center red square, and then drag to the locationyou want.

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To change the ground covering

1. With the Select Items button selected, double-click the ground covering.

In the Define Materials dialog box, the Name list shows you the type of item youclicked. When you make your changes, all items of this type will use the new settings. InPlan view, you can display this dialog by choosing Define Materials from the Materialssubmenu of the Options menu. Once materials are defined in this dialog box, you canassign them to objects using the specification dialog boxes for each type of object.





If you specified Texture, rather than Color, a library window lets you choose from ahierarchical set of textures. You can use your own image files to create textures—see thesection on the Define Material command on the Options menu in the Reference chapterof this book.


6. To choose a defined color on the left side of the dialog box, click it and click OK.

7. To create a custom color, click a color in the color display that’s close to what you want,and then use the gray slider, the Hue, Saturation, Luminosity settings, as well as theRed, Green, and Blue settings, to adjust it to what you want.

One hundred percent each of red, green, and blue becomes white. Setting all the colorsto zero creates black. Equal values for each primary color create shades of gray.

8. To accept your changes, click OK.

You can view the results in a 3D view.

Build Lot CommandAdds boundary lines to the property your plan is on. You can move those boundary lines ifdesired.

To change the size of the lot

1. On the Build menu, click Build Lot.

To view the boundary lines of the lot, change to Plan view and click the Zoom Modebutton, and then click the Zoom Out tool until the lines become visible.

2. Click one of the boundary lines.

3. Drag one of the red handles to resize the boundary.

4. To move the lot, click and drag the centered red square.

5. Double-click a boundary line to change its properties.

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Lot Perimeter dialog box

Lot Height Specifies the elevation of the lot, relative to sea level.

The program always defines the first floor elevation at 0 feet, 0 inches,but building pads are rarely at sea level. Enter a realistic value. Forexample, if your home is in the middle of an area that slopes evenlyfrom 100 feet to 112 feet, enter a value of 106 feet to make thestructure appear correct in all 3D views.

Skirt Thickness Defines the thickness of the skirt that gives you a sense of depth whenyou view the lot.

About RoomsRooms are not listed on the Build menu, and there is no tool to create them. Rooms are notobjects, but collections of objects. Like a floor plan, a room defines a space by surrounding itwith walls so that you can tell what is inside and what is out.

You define a room as you do a house, by enclosing it in walls. Once enclosed, the room canbe considered apart from the rest of the rooms, and treated as such. Rooms let you divideyour plan into separate areas, and treat each area separately, so what you do in one areadoes not affect the other areas.

Four-wall enclosure defined as a bedroom

To create a room in your plan

• Wall off an area so it is completely separate from the rest of the plan.

Click within a room (but not on any of its objects) to outline it, so you can see if you havea room or not.

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Subdivide your plan with walls of any type to create rooms. If the wall is a standard wallor railing, place a door in it. Beams and invisible walls define a room, but do not close itoff in any way, leaving the room open. Many dining rooms, for example, are notcompletely enclosed by walls. You can also create a real wall but place a large doorway init, which creates a kind of arch to divide the rooms.

Archways are created using wide doorways.

You can also run Plan Check. 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 uses room definitions, based onthe contents of rooms and names you give them, to determine which rooms are which, andwhat should be in each. Based on its understanding of what rooms should contain, theprogram assigns names to rooms it understands, and asks you to define the rest.

For example, if you create a two-room plan, and one room has a kitchen sink, when you runPlan Check the program will automatically label the room with the sink Kitchen and willprompt you to name the other room. Plan Check uses the names you give to rooms todetermine what they should have. For instance a good-sized room without windows willcause Plan Check to advise you to add windows, unless you have named the room Closet.

This study’s left wall is an Invisible wall.

To display room names and area sizes automatically, check those options in the Show Itemsdialog box (on the Options menu). Names are those assigned in the Room Specificationdialog box; manual text labels are ignored.

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Room information does not always update automatically. To make sure all room informationis up to date, run Plan Check.

You cannot delete a room. You can delete its contents using the Delete Items command onthe Edit menu.

To change a room

1. Double-click in a blank area of the room to see its Room Specification dialog box.


2. On the General tab, change the room’s name and specifications.

Room Name Tells the program what kind of room the space is. Open Belowindicates an opening in the floor for a down staircase.

Specification Floor Height specifies the ground level of the floor. This is useful indesigning split-level homes. Floor Height defaults to 0, but you canspecify a negative number to make the floor lower in one room thananother. When you set this value, the Ceiling Height valueautomatically updates to keep the ceiling level across the plan. If youwant the ceiling to be 96 inches, but the floor to begin at –36 inches,reset the ceiling height to 96 inches. You can use stairs to join the twodifferent levels.

Ceiling Height controls the height of your walls in the room. It isrelative to the room’s floor height.

Lowered Ceiling specifies the height off the floor of a lowered ceiling.

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3. On the Molding tab, specify the room’s moldings.


Crown Molding Sets the height and the distance top to bottom and floor tobottom, of strips of molding that run around the wall/ceilingjunction.

Chair Rail Molding Sets the height and the distance top to bottom and floor tobottom, of strips of molding that run around the walls.

Base Molding Sets the height and the distance above the floor of the moldingaround the floor.

Base, chair rail, and crown moldings

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4. On the Structure tab, specify a ceiling or roof.

Room Specification dialog box, Structure tab

Ceiling over this room Specifies that the room will have a flat ceiling. If this box iscleared, the ceiling follows the underside of roof or ceilingplanes.

Roof over this room Generates a roof over this room.

If both boxes are checked, the room will have a roof with a flat ceiling. If neither box ischecked, the room will not have a roof or ceiling. You cannot check only the ceiling box.You must have a roof in order to have a ceiling.

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5. To apply material to the room, click the Material tab.

Room Specification dialog box, Material tab

Choose the material to change and then choose one of the options in the scrolling list.

6. Click OK.

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Options MenuMost of the commands in this menu determine how objects display and behave in your planwhile you are drawing.

Show Items CommandDetermines which objects display in your plan.

Show Items dialog box

Objects can be added to the plan even if their display is turned off, but they will not bevisible. All objects, regardless of whether or not they are displayed, are saved and included inthe Materials List, but only displayed items are included in DXF and WMF files created usingthe Export command on the File menu, or printed using the Print command on the Filemenu.

To show or hide items

1. On the Options menu, choose Show Items.

2. Select or clear any of the options.

Opening Size determines the width of doors and windows. When selected, a figureappears in each opening, giving its width in feet and inches. The exact format of thenumber depends on settings in the Dimension Defaults dialog box.

The Area and Size check boxes under Room Labels determine what numbers areattached to room labels. Checking the first displays the area in square feet, while thesecond displays the room’s overall width and length.

The Modules check box under the Cabinets option shows the individual cabinetmodules of a cabinet structure by drawing lines between them. You can also see theseparate cabinets by selecting them. The Modules option does not affect the editing ofcabinets, just their display.

Walls cannot be hidden, but beams and walls defined as invisible in their WallSpecification dialog boxes can be. If their display is not turned off, these special wallswill display with dashed lines.

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Set Plan Colors CommandControls the colors used for objects in Plan view.

Set Plan Colors dialog box

These colors are not used in 3D views—just in Plan view. They make objects easier to see.Keep your scheme simple, to avoid a cluttered and confusing display. The dialog boxdefaults use black for all structural objects, muted colors for labels and furniture, fixtures,and cabinets, and vivid red for electrical items.

Materials SubmenuBuilds a Materials List.

Materials List

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The Materials List is a spreadsheet listing each kind of material item needed to build yourplan. All objects in the selected area, whether displayed or not, are included in the MaterialsList. Electrical items are described, so you can check the exact characteristics of outlets andswitches. You enter your own cost in the price column, and then a cost for that item willautomatically appear in the Tot. Cost column.

You can export an open Materials List using the TXT command in the Export submenu onthe File menu.

The Materials List includes the following:

• Cabinets, fixtures, and furniture objects.

• Electrical fixtures, outlets, and switches. Electrical wiring is not included.

• Wall framing with studs at 16-inch intervals, and double plating on the top of theframes. Also, square footage of wallboard required. Decks are constructed with 2x6-inch redwood decking planks unless another material is selected.

• Flooring is constructed with 2x10-inch joists set at 16-inch intervals.

• Roofing materials including roof sheathing, rafters, gable fascia, eave fascia, andgutters.

• Cubic yards of cement needed for the foundation wall and concrete footing. Drilledpier holes and concrete support posts are also listed.

• Carpeting and other flooring materials as defined in the Room Specification dialogbox for a particular room.

• Interior wall material as defined in the Room Specification dialog box for a particularroom.

• Exterior wall material as defined for the exterior walls.

• Roof materials as defined in the Build Roof dialog box.

• Ground covering in square footage.

• Landscaping items from the Outdoor Image Library.

The Materials List does not include the materials needed to connect these components, suchas nails, staples, etc., or the labor required to put it all together.

The Materials List calculates the exact amount of materials needed. Especially for walls andfloors, you need to budget to fudge it. You always need a little bit more material than istheoretically required. Adjust the figures for base materials (like studs, joists, wall board,carpet, etc.) upward by 10%. You can make substitutions in the Quantity, Unit, and Pricecolumns. If you want to use 2x12-inch joists instead of 2x10-inch joists, specify this changein the appropriate box in the Comment column, instead of the Size column. The idea hereis to get a list of materials that you can take to your local supplier and get an estimate ofhow much the materials alone will cost you.

Disclaimer: The Learning Company makes no guarantees regarding the completeness of theMaterials List, since additional materials may be required for your plan.

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Define Materials Command

Changes the definition of materials used throughout your plan, but not for future plans. Tochange the default for future plans, click the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup, andchoose Materials Defaults.

A material consists of a color and a texture. Once materials are defined in this dialog box,you can assign them to objects using the specification dialog boxes for each type of object.

You can use your own bitmap or JPEG files as textures for a particular material.

Define Materials dialog box

To define materials

3. On the Options menu, choose Materials and then choose Define Materials.

4. Choose the set of materials to define.

5. Click one of the materials items in the scrolling list.

6. Click Edit to change the selected materials item.

7. Click Delete to delete the selected item. You cannot delete items you are using in your plan.

8. Click New to define a new material, or click Copy to create a material definition basedon the selected one.

9. Click OK.

To use your own bitmap or JPEG file as a texture

1. In Windows Explorer, copy your bitmap or JPEG file to the Clipboard by right-clicking itand choosing Copy.

2. In the Program Files\Broderbund\3D Home Architect\Textures folder, right-click the MyTextures folder and choose Paste.

3. In 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, on the Options menu, choose Materials and thenchoose Define Materials.

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4. Choose the set of materials to define.

For example, to create wallpaper that uses your image, choose Wallpaper from thedrop-down list at the upper left corner of the dialog box.

5. Click New.

6. Type a name for your new texture, then click the Texture radio button.

7. For Width, specify how wide each repetition of the image should be.

For example, if you are creating wallpaper with an image file that contains a picture of arose, you can specify a width of 3 to have wallpaper with repeating, 3-inch roses.

8. Click Select.

9. Click the plus sign next to My Textures, choose your image file, and double-click thepicture in the bottom of the window.

10. In the Define Material dialog box, check the preview and adjust the Width if necessary.Then click OK twice to exit all the dialog boxes.

To use the new wallpaper

1. Use the Select Items tool to double-click inside any room to see its Room Specificationdialog box.

2. Click the Material tab, choose Walls, and click Select Material.

3. Choose Wallpaper from the drop-down list.

4. Choose your image in the list below and click OK twice to exit the dialog boxes.

Calculate From All Floors Command

Creates a Materials List for the whole floor plan.

Calculate From Area Command

Lets you drag out a box on the plan to create a Materials List for all objects fully enclosedwithin the box.

Calculate From Room Command

Creates a Materials List for the room you clicked before choosing the command.

Defaults Setup SubmenuLets you change the default values for various elements of the program.

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Plan Defaults Command

Controls how the program works for your plan file.

Plan Defaults dialog box

To change the plan defaults

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Plan Defaults.

2. Change any of the following:

Determines how far your plan will scroll in its window whenyou press an arrow key. The default is 12 inches.

Inches Scrolled byArrow Key

Sets the length of the smallest wall you can draw. The defaultis 18 inches, which keeps you from drawing little stubs byaccident.

Unconnected WallMin. Length

Lets you restrict camera view to one room only. This speeds upredrawing.

Restrict Camera toRoom

Casing is the trim that surrounds a door or window. When youresize a door or window, the sides of these openings are keptaway from an intersecting wall by the width of the trim orcasing. Check this option if you want the casing to be ignoredso you can move or resize a door or window flush against anintersecting wall.

Ignore Casing forOpening Resize

Displays fixtures and furniture with side handles, so you canresize them like cabinets. Your changes are not reflected in theMaterials List, because the Materials List refers to items by theirlabels, not by their physical dimensions. Once you resizeobjects, the correlation between the object label and its actualphysical dimensions is no longer accurate.

Clear this option to display fixtures and furniture with only acenter handle for moving and a rotation handle for turning.

Fixture/ FurnitureResize Enable

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Window Defaults Command

Determines the default characteristics of standard windows. The settings are the same asthose on the Window Specification dialog box.

Cabinet Defaults Command

Determines the default characteristics of different types of cabinets.

Cabinet Defaults dialog box

General Cabinet Defaults

Lets you set the default minimum cabinet width and width increment for all new cabinets.Width Increment controls the width that cabinets snap to when dragged with the mouse.You can set these values specifically for a particular manufacturer. This helps you quicklyplace and resize cabinets with your mouse.

General Cabinet Defaults dialog box

Base Cabinet Defaults

Determines the default characteristics of base cabinets. The settings are the same as thoseon the Base Cabinet Specification dialog box.

Full Height Cabinet Defaults

Determines the default characteristics of base cabinets. The settings are the same as thoseon the Full Height Cabinet Specification dialog box.

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Wall Cabinet Defaults

Determines the default characteristics of base cabinets. The settings are the same as thoseon the Wall Cabinet Specification dialog box.

Floor Defaults Command

Determines the default characteristics of the current floor. This information is used to createthe 3D models. Changes to these settings affect every room in the current floor as soon asyou exit the dialog box.

To change the floor defaults

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Floor Defaults.

2. On the General tab, change the specifications for floors, ceilings, and walls.

Floor Defaults dialog box, General tab

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Specification On an upper floor, Floor Height changes the ceiling height for thecurrent floor and the floor below it. You cannot change this settingfor the first floor.

Ceiling Height controls the height of your walls in the room. It isrelative to the room’s floor height.

Floor Above Height specifies the height of the floor above thisone.

Use Above Floor’s Sets the ceiling height at the bottom of the floor joists.Platform for Ceiling

3. On the Molding tab, specify the room’s moldings.

Floor Defaults dialog box, Molding tab

Crown Molding Sets the height and the distance top to bottom and floor tobottom, of strips of molding that run around the wall/ceilingjunction.

Chair Rail Sets the height and the distance top to bottom and floor tobottom, of strips of molding that run around the walls.

Base Molding Sets the height and the distance above the floor of the moldingaround the floor.

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Base, chair rail, and crown moldings

4. To apply material to the floor, click the Material tab.

Floor Defaults dialog box, Material tab

Choose the item to change and then click Select Material and choose a material.

5. Click OK.

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Dimension Defaults Command

Determines how dimensions are displayed.

Dimension Setup dialog box

To change dimension defaults

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Dimension Defaults.

2. On the Setup tab, change the dimension defaults.

Determines how big dimensions appear, in scale inches. Unliketext, dimensions display at this size at any magnification level,so you can read them.

Number Height

Determines whether walls are measured from their centers,which is the default, or from their outer surfaces. (Exterior wallsare always measured from their outer surfaces.)

Locate Interior Wall Dimensions At

Allows eighth-inch fractions to display rather than beingrounded off.

Allow Dimensions in Eighth Inches

Places numbers above, rather than on, dimension lines.Place Numbers Above Lines

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3. Click OK.

Material Defaults Command

Sets the default materials for various items in your plan.

To change the default for a material

4. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Material Defaults.

Default Materials dialog box

5. Select an item in the scrolling list

6. Click the Select Materials button and choose a material.

7. Click OK.

Camera Defaults Command

Sets the default characteristics for camera views.

To change the default for cameras

1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup and then choose Camera Defaults.

The settings are the same as those for the Camera Setup dialog box displayed when youdouble-click a camera object in Plan view.

Determines the minimum movement for walls and openingssnapping to another wall, or to a standard, even opening size.

With a default 1-inch snap, walls are never resized less than aninch, while openings do not resize less than an inch on eachside, which keeps the opening centered and to a standard, 2-inch increment.

Select Unrestricted to allow a snap of any length, evenfractions of an inch.

Wall & Opening Snap Unit

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2. On the Default tab, change the camera specifications.

Inches Each Move Controls how many inches the camera moves each time youdirect it to move right, left, forwards, or backwards. For interiorviews a small number is good. For exterior, set a largerincrement.

Degrees Each Defines how many degrees the camera rotates each time youdirect it to. A setting of 90 rotates to each wall in a room withfour rotations.

Height Above Defines the camera’s height above floor level for the current floor.

Clip Surfaces Within Tells the camera not to display items within this distance.Measured as a radius from the camera position.

Remove Wall WithinRemoves the view of walls within this distance of the camera.Measured as a radius from the camera position.

3. Click OK.

Color On/Off CommandToggles the display of colors on and off.

3D MenuThe 3D menu commands open different views of your plan.

You can open several views in the same plan at once, and switch back and forth by clickingthe view you want active, or by pressing Ctrl+Tab to cycle through the views.

You can display multiple views of the same kind. The commands that open new views,Camera, Full Overview, Floor Overview, Framing view, and Cross Section/Elevation,must all be selected with the Plan view active. Other commands in the menu are availableonly for the appropriate views.

When 3D views are created, the program calculates the floor and ceiling areas, which resultsin the creation of an attic.

Camera CommandLets you locate a camera in your three-dimensional plan. Camera view shows you how yourplan will look when finished. It can display a perspective view of an entire multistory model,including the roof, when the camera is positioned outside. The Final view makes suresurfaces are smoothed out and are accurate where different planes meet (for example,where a countertop meets the wall).

To create a Camera view

1. Choose Camera from the 3D menu.

2. Click to place the camera.

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After you release the mouse button, a Camera view opens, showing a three-dimensionaldisplay of the view you selected. The lines angling out from the camera show how far leftand right you will be able to see.

Camera tool

Camera object in the Plan Window

The toolbar changes to include ten arrows

Toolbar in Camera view

3. Click the arrows to change the position of the camera. This alters your perspective.

The arrows do the following:

• Move the camera forward and back, changing the camera position but keeping thesame angle (dollying in or out).

• Move the camera position left and right while keeping it pointed straight ahead(tracking left and tracking right).

• Move the camera up and down.

• Turn the camera left and right, changing its angle without changing its position (alsocalled panning).

• Tilt the camera up or down.4. Reposition the camera in Plan view to see the entire plan.

When you place a camera in your plan, it displays like a fixture rather than a pointer. Ithas two handles, with which you can move and rotate it.

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5. Double-click a camera to open a Camera Setup dialog box to set the following:

Camera Setup dialog box

• Positioning determines how many inches and degrees the camera moves when youclick its positioning arrows, how high it is above the floor, and its tilt angle.

• Clip Surfaces determines whether object surfaces within the specified distance showin the Camera view. The default is 24 inches.

• Remove Wall determines whether walls within the specified distance show in theCamera view. The default is 48 inches.

• To change the defaults for all cameras in this plan, click the Defaults tab and makeyour changes there.

Full Overview CommandOpens a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including multiple leveldesigns with roofs. While you can edit objects in this view too, the angles usually make itless easy than in other views. Selecting the command displays the overview immediately.

The toolbar changes to include ten arrows.

Toolbar in Full Overview

The toolbar in the Full Overview view lets you do the following:


• Rotate the camera upward, downward, left, or right,

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Floor Overview CommandOpens a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including multiple leveldesigns. No roofs display. Selecting the command displays the overview immediately.

Toolbar in Floor Overview

The toolbar in the Floor Overview view lets you do the following:



Framing Overview CommandDisplays only the frames, studs, and walls that comprise your plan. Selecting the commanddisplays the overview immediately.

Toolbar in Framing Overview

The toolbar in the Framing Overview view lets you do the following:



Cross Section/Elevation CommandProvides a three-dimensional view including roofs, but of the vertical plane so width andheight can be inspected. To open this view, select the command and click and drag towardthe wall you want to see. Use this view to line things up precisely, because you see themstraight on and compare their relative heights.

Toolbar in Cross Section/Elevation Overview

Because elevation shows only width and height, no view controls are featured other than theZoom command and horizontal and vertical window scroll bars.

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Final View CommandLets you view your home in three dimensions with applied materials, shading, backdrops,and images. It smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where differentplanes meet (for example, where a countertop meets the wall). This command is availableonly from a Camera or Full Overview view.

To save the view, on the File menu, point to Export, and then click Bitmap file. To print theview, on the File menu, click Print.

Adjust Sunlight CommandLets you see what your home will look like under different lighting conditions.

Sunlight Specification dialog box

You can adjust the intensity, tilt angle, and direction angle of the sunlight. This command isnot available in Plan or Cross Section/Elevation views.

Select Material CommandLets you choose the color, texture, type of material, and the shininess of the materials thatcomprise any element of your plan. The result is used in all 3D views.

To select materials

1. Change to a 3D view.

2. On the 3D menu, click Select Material.

3. Click an item in your plan.

You can click any object, even those you can’t usually select as individual items, like thebase molding on a wall, or the frame of a window.

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In the Define Materials dialog box, the Name list shows you the type of item youclicked. When you make your changes, all items of this type will use the new settings.

Define Materials dialog box





If you specified Texture, rather than Color, a library window lets you choose from ahierarchical set of textures.


8. To choose a defined color on the left side of the dialog box, click it and click OK.

9. To create a custom color, click a color in the color display that’s close to what you want,and then use the gray slider, the Hue, Saturation, Luminosity settings, as well as theRed, Green, and Blue settings, to adjust it to what you want.

One hundred percent each of red, green, and blue becomes white. Setting all the colorsto zero creates black. Equal values for each primary color create shades of gray.

10.To accept your changes, click OK.

Remove 3D CommandCloses the three-dimensional and elevation views while you are in Plan view. This neatens upthe workspace and speeds up the program.

Show Walkthrough CommandShows a 3D walkthrough of a plan. A walkthrough is a 3D representation of what yourfinished house would look like if you walked around or through it. Click this command, andthen open a walkthrough file (for example, MYPLACE.WLK). The application plays thewalkthrough.

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Record Walkthrough CommandRecords 3D walkthroughs of your plan. You record your walkthrough much as you wouldfilm your house, moving from area to area to show different perspectives. You save thewalkthroughs as files that you can show later.

Stop Recording CommandEnds a recording session that you started by clicking Record Walkthrough.

3D Background CommandLets you choose a picture or a solid color as the background for 3D views.

3D Background dialog box

If you specify Picture, click Select to choose a picture from a hierarchical library of images.

If you specify Color, click Select to choose or create a color in the Color dialog box.

Tools MenuThe Tools menu lets you check your plan, create a new one with the House Wizard, controlreference floors, show or hide the toolbar, and use the Library Browser.

Plan Check CommandChecks your plan for compliance with standard building practices by going through everyroom and determining whether there are adequate windows, doors, electrical systems, andso on.

You can review all the problems and fix them at the same time, or place Plan Check on holdwhile you fix each problem, working your way through the list one at a time.

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To use Plan Check

1. On the Tools menu, choose Plan Check.

When the analysis is complete, the Plan Check dialog box displays the total number ofquestionable items, the number of the current item, and a message area explaining it.

Plan Check dialog box

2. Click Hold to return to the plan, so you can fix the problem (it’s a good idea to have thewhole plan visible on screen).

After fixing the problem, if you select the Plan Check command again, the dialog boxshows you the next problem.

3. To skip a problem that Plan Check reports, click Next.

4. To exit Plan Check, click Done.

Plan Check will fix some things automatically.

• Rooms without names will be assigned them if the program can ascertain what they are.For example, if an unnamed room has a toilet in it, Plan Check will label the roomBathroom. You can assign names yourself by double-clicking the room and choosing aname in the Room Specification dialog box. Room names are important for Plan Checkbecause it looks for different things in different rooms. For example, a small room labeledCloset will not need windows, but a bedroom will.

• Cabinets that have been detached from walls during editing will be reattached.

• Doorways that were changed from exterior to interior will have their exterior thresholdsremoved.

You do not have to do everything Plan Check says you should. For example, Plan Checkmay suggest that the inside door to your garage is too narrow. You may decide to leave it asis to accommodate your kitchen design, but you should realize that too narrow a door couldbe a nuisance when carrying groceries and laundry back and forth from your car.

Plan Check is not a legal or adequate check of your plans. Just because the plan passes PlanCheck does not mean it will pass an official inspection, qualify for a building permit, or bebuildable. Consult local builders and officials before you begin designing, and throughoutdesign and construction. Find out from people who know what is required and what worksbest in your area.

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Reference Display On CommandDisplays one plan as a reference, superimposed over the current floor plan. You cannot editthe contents of the reference plan, but you can use them to line up walls, stairs, and otheritems in your plan. You must first create a second floor, before you can use the first one as areference. You can specify which plan to use as the reference and which one to use as thecurrent floor using the Change Floor/Reference command, below.

Swap Floor/Reference CommandWorks with Reference Display On to simultaneously change the working plan into thereference plan, and the reference plan into the working plan.

Change Floor/Reference Command Specifies which floor plan is used as the current plan and which one is the reference plan.

Change Floor/Reference dialog box

These settings are used by the Reference Display On and Swap Floor/Referencecommands.

Show/Hide Toolbars CommandToggles the display of the toolbar. The toolbar can be turned on and off, but not moved.

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Library Browser CommandDisplays the hierarchical list of all libraries.

Library Browser

To use the library

1. Change to Plan view, if you aren’t already in it.

2. Choose Library Browser from the Tools menu.

3. Click a plus sign to see the contents of any category.

Click its minus sign to close it back up again.

4. Double-click an item in the window at the bottom of the library to place it in your plan.

The Plan window appears and you can click to place as many copies of the item as youwant.

House Wizard SubmenuLets you automate the creation of your plan, and then modify it to your needs.

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Start House Wizard Command

Opens the same dialog box that is displayed when you first start 3D Home Architect.

Build House Wizard

The Build House Wizard has three options:

• You can start with a sample plan and modify it for your needs.

The wizard prompts you for the style and size house you want, and then displays a list ofplans that match your criteria. You can see a preview of each sample plan and choose one to start with. When you click Finish, the wizard displays the sample plan so you canedit it.

• You can have the wizard generate rooms that you arrange to form your house.

The wizard prompts you for the number of floors you want, and whether you wantfeatures like a garage, deck, porch, or laundry room. You specify which kinds of roomsyou want on the first floor. When you click Finish, the wizard creates a room box for eachroom you requested. You arrange the rooms, and then re-run the wizard from the Toolsmenu to specify the remaining floors.

• You can use the Wall tool to define your plan manually.

This option bypasses the wizard and lets you build a plan by drawing the walls andfeatures manually. This technique is covered in detail in the tutorials and referencechapters.

Build House Command

Creates a plan, based on the items you selected.

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Show Room Boxes Command

Redisplays room boxes hidden by the House Wizard after you use the Build Housecommand. Room boxes display rooms as objects that you can resize and rotate.

Hide Room Boxes Command

Turns off the display of room boxes created by the House Wizard.

Internet MenuThe Internet menu connects you to a technical support web site or lets you upgrade toChief Architect, a more sophisticated version of the program.

The first time you use a command on the Internet menu, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 mayask you to configure your Web browser for use with the application. Follow the on-screeninstructions.

Visit 3D Home Architect Web Site CommandThe 3D Home Architect web site provides answers to many technical support questions.

To use the 3D Home Web Site

1. Connect to the Internet using your usual connection method.

2. Click the Internet menu, and then click Visit 3D Home Web Site.

You must have a Web browser (such as Netscape® Communicator® or Microsoft®Internet Explorer®) installed and have Internet access from your computer.

3. Use the options on the web site to get technical support.

Upgrade to Chief Architect CommandChief Architect is a sophisticated application designed to allow builders, architects, and otherprofessionals in the building and interior design trades to design and produce plans. ChiefArchitect can open and edit 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 plans.

To upgrade to Chief Architect

1. Connect to the Internet using your usual connection method.

2. Click the Internet menu, and then click Upgrade to Chief Architect.

3. On the Chief Architect site, follow onscreen instructions to order the new application.

Window MenuThe Window menu controls the size, magnification, arrangement, and features of windows.

The commands affect only the display of your plan; the plan itself remains at the scale atwhich you created it. Most of the commands work in all views.

The final item in the Window menu lists the windows open in the program and lets youchange the active window by selecting it.

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Fill Window CommandResizes the display of your plan so that the entire plan, regardless of scale or size, fits in thewindow. Some decks and balconies may be cut off, because they may not be counted asexterior dimensions.

Zoom CommandLets you zoom in on part of your plan by selecting the command, and then dragging a boxaround an area. The program changes the magnification so the selected area fills the screen.You can continue zooming until you select another command.

Zoom Out CommandReduces the current view by half, showing twice as much of your plan.

Undo Zoom CommandReverses the last zoom, but not other Window operations.

Tile Command Arranges the windows side-by-side.

Cascade Command Staggers windows one on top of the other.

Arrange Icons Command Straightens out minimized 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 windows.

Help MenuThe Help menu lets you use the online Help system. The Help system uses its own windowsthat can be moved, resized, and minimized and maximized like any other, so you can view ahelp topic while working on your plan.

3D Home Architect Help CommandLets you see the topics covered and select ones to read in more detail.

Using Help CommandExplains how to use the online Help system.

View Manual CommandDisplays this printed User Manual as a PDF file.

About CommandDisplays version information for the product.

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Appendix


Appendix A: Introduction to Residential DesignThis chapter looks at each step you encounter as you design your home or addition. You will learn:• Why you need a floor plan

• Who else needs your plans

• How to best use your building site

• How costs can affect house size

• How to arrange rooms

• How to create special rooms

• What rules your plan should follow

Many books are available that cover the basics of building a home. Try to get one thatfocuses on your locality, since building practices and local ordinances vary. Your best sourceof information is your architect or builder, if you hire one. If you are going to do it yourself,find others who have recently completed a similar project. Many areas have owner-builderassociations or programs through local junior colleges.

Why Do You Need a Floor Plan?A floor plan is the most basic part of the design of a new home or new part of a remodeledhome. You have desires and hopes for your home that, while they mean a great deal to you,can easily be misunderstood by someone else. You may want a spacious master bath withplenty of counter space around the sinks. The floor plan will show the builder of the homeexactly what you mean by spacious and plenty, as well as how your bedroom, closets, andother rooms relate to the size of your master bath.

When you put your ideas for a room into a floor plan they become very specific. You andothers can see how much they will cost, how much space they require, and whether theyreally fit in with the rest of the house and the building site.

Think about the details that will make up your home or addition. It can be overwhelming tothink of all these things at once, but you can learn how to work with them one at a time.Each step can be interesting and enjoyable.

Perhaps you have always wanted a large, impressive living room with a two-story glass walland a balcony. However, you also know that the best times you have had with friends andyour family have been in more intimate rooms that were cozy rather than impressive. TheFiloli mansion in San Francisco is a large and beautiful house with magnificent rooms. Wheredid the family that built this house put up their Christmas tree and spend most of theirtime? In a small study, where they were comfortable.

This is your chance to organize the thoughts and desires you may have had for many yearsso they can become really clear. Find out which ones are important (and possible), andwhich ones are not.

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Who Else Needs Your Plans?Your local planning department or building inspector will require one or more copies of yourplans before you can begin construction. Your lending institution requires them beforeapproving a construction loan. Your builder needs several sets of your plans: one to refer toat the office, one at the job site, and one for each of the electrical, plumbing, and othersubcontractors. Before submitting your plans to these agencies, find out which format theplans must conform to. It may be that the plans you print out from 3D Home Architect®

Deluxe 4 look beautiful but do not conform to the requirements of a specific agency. Forexample, special paper or printing processes may be required.

Using Your Building SiteYour first consideration is the building site. If you are building an addition, this includes yourexisting structure. Your home must fit on the site, and satisfy any setbacks required by yourcity or county building department. For example, common suburban setbacks allow thefront of the house to be no closer than 20 feet to the front or back property line and nocloser than 5 feet to a side property line. On a corner lot, you must determine whichproperty line is considered front and which is considered side. Setbacks vary from place toplace. Make sure you or your builder knows and has satisfied the requirements for yourlocality. Don’t start building until you are absolutely certain! If your house will come close toa setback and you are not sure exactly where it is, hire a surveyor and find out. The expenseof the surveyor is nothing compared to tearing out your favorite sunroom because it is sixinches too close to the property line.

Once you have satisfied the legal requirements, think about the orientation of your home onits site. Walks and driveways must meet their destinations in some reasonable way. If you areon a busy street, you may want a turnaround space in the driveway to avoid backing outdirectly onto the street. There may be one place that is particularly suited for a garden. Howshould the house relate to this?

Often a house will be directed toward one part of the site more than others. If your sideyards are narrow, you will want to orient your rooms and views toward the front and back ofthe building site. A large front yard facing a tree-lined street is an invitation to place theliving room in the front of the house. If the front area is occupied by the garage and itsdriveway, perhaps the living room should face a garden area in the back.

Perhaps one side of your house can be made to face toward the south or nearly so. Thissouthern exposure can be useful. Many homes have large windows protected by anoverhanging roof on their south wall. In addition, deciduous trees are placed to the south ofthe house. In the summer when the sun is high, the roof overhang will block much of itfrom entering the windows. The tree leaves can filter most of the rest of it, leaving apleasant house with light from the outdoors, but less heat from direct sunlight. In winter,the lower sun passes beneath the overhang and the leaves are off the trees, so the suncomes through and warms the house. However, it can also fade your furniture. You mustdecide what you want.

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Determining House Size How large should your home be? Many factors influence this, but your budget places anupper limit on it.

Even if you do all of the planning and design yourself, you may need an architect or civilengineer to help you with your foundation or to ensure that your home’s supportingstructure is adequate. Many localities require the signature and stamp of an architect orengineer to approve foundations and large supporting beams. Be prepared for higherengineering costs if you are building on a steep hillside.

You may need a construction loan while the house is being built. If possible, get the kindthat can be easily converted to a standard mortgage when construction is complete.

There will be fees for building permits, sewer hookups, and perhaps hooking up to otherutilities. Check with your town or county building department for more information onthese. While you are there, find out any other information you can about building andbuilding costs in your area. Some building departments, especially in smaller towns, can bevery helpful.

Site preparation can include surveying, grading, excavating for a basement, and runningelectricity, sewer, water, and other utilities from the street. If you don’t already own yourbuilding site, remember to add in that cost!

Landscaping can be put off until the money is available, but you may still want to get anidea of what you will eventually spend on this. Check with your local government. You maybe required to do a certain amount of landscaping before you can move in.

The largest single cost will be building the house itself. To estimate this cost, multiply thetotal number of square feet in all the living areas by a cost per square foot number. Thisnumber depends on where you build and the types of materials you use. For example,ceramic-tile countertops, brass fixtures, and hardwood floors cost more than plasticlaminate, standard fixtures, and vinyl floor covering. The amount of work you do yourself,and the difficulty of a particular building site also can change this cost factor.

When you have estimated the cost per square foot, divide it into your budget to get an ideaof the overall size of your house.

Arranging the RoomsLaying out a good floor plan from scratch can be difficult, even for an experienced designer.It is not as simple as it looks. It is easier to start from a design you like and modify it to fityour needs. The House Wizard feature includes 150 sample plans for you to start with.Additionally, books of house plans can be found in any bookstore. You might get ideas foryour master bedroom from one plan, the entry and main stairway from another, and so on.

In addition to the room locations, think about how you will get from one room to another.Ideally you should be able to walk from the front door to any main room in the housewithout passing through any other room. (A main room would include a living room,kitchen, bedroom, or a bathroom meant for use by anyone; it would not include a

276


bathroom or closet meant for use only by the occupants of a particular bedroom.) Toaccomplish this, the front door in your plan should open into an entry hall, and this or aconnected hallway should connect the other rooms. While this ideal is not practical for avery small house or a guest cottage, it is the standard way to plan a larger home. Of coursethere will be exceptions to this rule, but the larger the home, the more strictly it should befollowed.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you lay out your plan. First, don’t consider hallways aswasted space, so that you make them as narrow as possible, using the space you saveelsewhere. This makes them cramped and unpleasant. Hallways are living areas too, andyou’ll be in them more often than you think. The features you design into a room will givethat room its character and appeal. The features you design in your hallways add characterand appeal to your home as a whole. In a two-story plan, try to combine an upstairs hallwaywith the stairway so they share a larger open area. Widen the hallway a little, raise theceiling and place a skylight or chandelier over this area.

Creating Special Rooms A room needs more than four walls, a door, and a few windows to be special. A dormerwindow projecting from a sloping wall in an upstairs bedroom adds interest. Put in awindow seat and you have something special. Richly finished bookcases on either side of thefireplace may make the difference in providing a cozy end of a living or family room.

If you are fortunate enough to have exterior walls on two sides of your breakfast nook, fillthem with windows and plant a garden outside. If not, perhaps you can extend the nookoutward from the house and put windows on three sides.

If you have a wide opening to a dining room with additional wall space on either side, adddouble doors. Since you did not really need doors in the first place, you can keep themcompletely open, against the walls on either side. A rich finish and brass hardware on thedoors will add interest, but the real gain is a change in the character of the dining room.The wide open doors are inviting—a signal to people that they are welcome to come in.This type of ambience makes a room special, which is more meaningful than making itimpressive, or even beautiful.

Instead of a window over the kitchen sink looking out on the backyard, put windows abovethe countertop across that entire wall. Replace the lost wall cabinet space with a pantrycloset. If you have a cooktop or range against that wall, get one with a built-in exhaust.Don’t place curtains above a cooktop! Use Venetian blinds or something that you know isnonflammable.

Rules Your Plan Must FollowWhile building codes and building inspectors can restrict your creative license, their primarypurpose is to ensure that the house will last for many years in good condition, haveadequate services for modern living, and be a community asset.

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Appendix


Certain notations may be required on your plan before it is approved. For example, a noteabout the size and location of crawl space vents around the house perimeter may berequired. A door between a garage and the rest of the house may have to be designated assolid core (for fire protection). Study a set of plans that has already been approved to findout about these things. After that, simply submit your plans. When you get them back theywill either be approved or you will know what has to be done.

Be sure to find out how long it takes for the building department to review your plans. Allowtime to resubmit your corrected plans once or twice. The building inspectors are there foryour benefit. They will protect you from bad construction caused by your own mistakes orby the shoddy workmanship of others. One owner-builder working on his first house hired asubcontractor to install all the wallboard. The job did not appear to be done well, but hesaid nothing because he wasn’t an expert. The building inspector came in while thesubcontractor was there and pointed out all the areas the owner had secretly questioned.The subcontractor had to redo some areas and fix others, until the job was done right,much to the relief of the owner.

Make a list of what the building inspector will inspect, and then make sure nothing preventsthese inspections. Do not cover this work until it has been inspected! If the nailing of thesubfloor to the joists must be inspected, don’t install the hardwood floors before theinspection. You may have to take them back up.

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Appendix B: Questions and AnswersRead through these questions and answers before contacting technical support to see if theyaddress your problem. Q. I created a two-story house with a fireplace, but when I view the house in 3D view, the

fireplace does not extend above the first floor. How can I fix this?

A. In Plan view, select the fireplace and move it into the wall by clicking the center of thefireplace and holding the Ctrl key down. Position the fireplace so the edge of the fire boxlines up with the wall, leaving only the hearth protruding from the wall. Then double-click the fireplace to see the Fireplace Specification dialog box. Change the height of thefireplace so that it extends past the highest point of your roof.

Q. How do I insert a shelf between two drawers in a cabinet?

A. Double-click the cabinet to see the Cabinet Specification dialog box. On the CabinetFront tab, click between the two drawers. Click the Add New button and specify theItem Type and Height. The lower item is bumped downward, and the new item isinserted. If there is not enough room, you will get a warning and will have to deletesomething from the cabinet to make room for the new item.

Q. Why aren’t room labels centered in some rooms?

A. The room label is centered in the bounding rectangle of the room. For some rooms, likeL-shaped rooms, the room label may not appear in the best place. To reposition thelabel, click and drag it with the Select Items tool.

Q. I added a bay window, and I want to place some furniture inside the window alcove, but theprogram won’t let me. How do I do this?

A. The alcove of a bay, box, or bow window is technically not in the room, and theprogram wants to keep the objects in the room. Click the room with the Select Itemstool to see an outline along the wall of the room. Whatever is contained within theoutline is in the room; note that an alcove is not. To place furniture objects within thealcove, hold down the Ctrl key while you do so. You can construct large bay or boxwindows with standard walls and windows so the resulting alcoves will be within theroom.

Q. I added a down staircase going down to a lower level, and the stairs are going straight intothe floor.

A. You probably didn’t create an opening in the floor through which the stairs could pass.See the Stairs section of the Reference chapter for information on how to create astairwell by creating an Open Below room with railings.

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Appendix


Q. I want to create a cabinet island in the middle of the kitchen with overhead cabinets hangingfrom the ceiling. How do I create ceiling cabinets?

A. Use wall cabinets, placed away from walls in Plan view. When placed near a wall, the wallcabinets will attach to the wall, but if they are placed away from the wall, they attach tothe ceiling and become ceiling cabinets.

Q. What font does the program use for text objects?

A. The program uses Arial, which is included with Windows. If you have removed Arial fromyour system, reinstall it.

Q. I placed a masonry fireplace in my living room, but I can’t get it to go through the wall so thechimney is outside. What’s the trick?

A. In Plan view, select the fireplace and move it into the wall by clicking the center of thefireplace while holding the Ctrl key down. Position the fireplace so the edge of the firebox lines up with the wall, leaving only the hearth protruding from the wall.

Q. There is no shuffleboard table in the Furniture Library. Can I create my own?

A. Yes. You can use cabinets to create a realistic shuffleboard table, and many other types ofobjects. Place a base cabinet, and then click the cabinet and use its handles to stretch itto the desired length. Double-click the cabinet to see the Cabinet Specification dialogbox, and remove the doors and drawers. This will give you a long, flat surface, withsmooth sides. For more detail, you could add cabinets of the same length to the sides,and make them thin. By making these side cabinets a little higher than the main table,you can create a rink. You’ll be surprised by the kind of things you can do with cabinets;you just need to use your imagination!

Q. Can I edit a walkthrough after I have recorded it?

A. No. If you want something different, you must record another walkthrough.

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Contacting Technical SupportIf you have worked through these troubleshooting suggestions and still need assistance, youcan contact The Learning Company Technical Support.

The Learning Company Technical Support cannot answer specific questions about yourbuilding project, only questions related to the features of 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4.

When you contact technical support, be prepared to provide information about yourcomputer make and model, and the brand names of the video card and sound card you areusing. If possible, sit at your computer with the program running when you call. Beprepared to provide a detailed description of what happens when you try to run theprogram.

You can contact Technical Support in any of the following ways:• Internet – The web site features technical help and the latest information about 3D

Home Architect® Deluxe 4. For fast service twenty-four hours a day, choose Visit 3DHome Web Site from the Internet menu or visit the web site athttp://support.learningco.com.

• Email – Send any questions to [email protected].

• Mail – Send your questions to The Learning Company Technical Support, OneMartha’s Way, Box 100-TS, Hiawatha, IA 52233, Attn: 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.

• Fax – Fax questions to (319) 395-9600.

• Phone – Call us at (319) 247-3333 from Monday through Friday between the hours of9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Eastern Time, except Wednesday. (Wednesday hours are10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.).

For more information on 3D Home Architect, visit our web site athttp://3Dhomearchitect.learningco.com 261268

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Appendix C: Printing BlueprintsYou’ve finished your home design, and would like to start taking steps toward the estimatingand construction process. You can have a national home planning and computer draftingcompany professionally complete your drawings at affordable prices.

HomeStyles Modifications offers three levels of service to 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 users.

Plot a Floor PlanHomeStyles Modifications will plot your 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 plan design file on full-size blueprint paper to 1/4 or 1/8th inch scale. Then you can measure rooms, drop in scaledfurniture and give the floor plans to a builder for a rough cost estimate.

To order the basic level prints, email your file, along with your name, address, telephone andfax numbers, to: [email protected].

HomeStyles Modifications will contact you for credit card information by phone, or you cansend a check or money order with a disk of your design along with your name, address, andtelephone and fax numbers to:

HomeStyles Modifications213 East 4th StreetSt. Paul, MN 55101

Basic level prints cost $39.95 plus $14.95 shipping and handling. Allow five to sevenworking days for delivery. Prices are subject to change.

Modify an Existing Floor PlanHomeStyles Modifications starts with a mail-order home plan that most closely resemblesyour dream home and adds your desired modifications. 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 includeshundreds of pre-drawn home designs that have complete blueprints available for purchaseand have been drafted according to national building codes. They typically include afoundation plan, all four elevations, roof diagram, building section, electrical plan andapplicable details, and cabinet elevations. The changes you designed in 3D Home ArchitectDeluxe 4 are incorporated into the original architect’s blueprints.

Call 1-888-720-8345 for an exact quote and for information on where to email your DXF fileor mail your disk.

Average prices for these services are $400-$600 for reproducible copies of an originaldrawing plus $600-$1200 for modifying the plan to your local standards with your desiredchanges so you can get an exact construction bid from your contractor or subcontractors.

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Custom Draft Your Floor PlanHomeStyles Modifications will draft your plan according to national building codes includingfoundation plan, all four elevations, roof diagram, building section, electrical plan andapplicable details, and cabinet elevations. HomeStyles Modifications can incorporate thechanges you have designed in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 into the original architect’sblueprints. HomeStyles Modifications can also work with you to help satisfy unique localrequirements.

Call 1-888-720-8345 for an exact quote. Average prices for these services are $.75 to $1.25per square foot to professionally computer draft your design concept. (Prices subject tochange.)

HomeStyles Modifications will add appropriate plan information to your floor plan conceptso you can get an exact construction bid from your contractor or subcontractors. Yourdesign concept saves you thousands of dollars in architectural design fees.

Call today for exact pricing and information on where to email your DXF file or mail yourdisk.

HomeStyles Modifications is an independent entity, not affiliated with The LearningCompany.

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Appendix


284


285

Index


286

Index

1-2-3110V Outlet tool, 157110V Outlets, 225220V Outlets, 2253D Background command, 2653D Home Architect

changing default values, 251exiting, 177features, 6installing, 3modes, 13objects, 15overview, 8removing, 4requirements for, 2starting, 3uninstalling, 4upgrading to Chief Architect, 270version information, 271web site, 270

3D Home Architect Help command, 2713D menu, 259

3D Background, 265Adjust Sunlight, 263Camera, 259Cross Section/Elevation, 262Final View, 263Floor Overview, 262Framing Overview, 262Full Overview, 261Record Walkthrough, 265Remove 3D, 264Select Material, 263Show Walkthrough, 264Stop Recording, 265

AAbout command, 271Adjust Sunlight command, 263application windows

aligning when minimized, 271arranging side by side, 271staggering, 271

Arrange Icons command, 271Automatic Roof Designer, 206automatic save files, 169, 170

Bbackup files, 169, 170Base Cabinet, 221Base Cabinet Defaults, 253Base Cabinet tool, 150base cabinets

creating, 150base molding

for rooms, 244bathroom

adding (tutorial), 45Bay Window tool, 149bay windows, 202

creating, 149placing furniture within, 279

beam walls, 186Bifold Door tool, 148bifold doors, 194

creating, 148Bitmap Files

saving 3D views as, 173bitmaps

using as textures, 250blueprints

printing professionally, 282boundary lines

showing for plan, 240Bow Window tool, 150bow windows, 203


Box Window tool, 149box windows, 203


Break Wall tool, 147and roofs, 139

breaking walls, 147, 187budget

checking, 121Build House, 269Build House Wizard, 7, 268, 270


287

hiding at program launch, 7Build Lot command, 240Build menu, 179

Build Lot, 240Cabinet submenu, 214Dimension Lines, 232Door, 188Electrical, 224Fireplace, 221Fixtures, 228Foundation, 205Furniture, 231Ground Covering, 239New Floor, 204Outdoor Images, 238Outdoor Objects, 236Roof submenu, 206Stairs, 208Text, 234Wall, 179Window, 195

Build Roof, 206Build Roof tool, 156building codes, 277building inspectors, 277building site

using effectively, 275built-in staircases

placing, 156built-in stairs

creating, 208

CCabinet Defaults, 253Cabinet Mode button, 150Cabinet Specification dialog box, 219Cabinet submenu, 214cabinets

adding shelves, 151adding shelves or drawers, 220base, 150, 221base cabinet defaults, 253changing, 219creating, 150custom configurations, 214deleting, 218

displaying as modules, 218displaying as single units, 218for pantries, 221full height, 151, 221full height cabinet defaults, 253moving, 217placing, 215resizing, 217rotating, 218selecting, 217shelves, 221soffits, 151, 221using to create kitchen island, 85wall, 151, 221wall cabinet defaults, 254

Calculate From All Floors, 251Calculate From All Floors button, 161Calculate From Area, 251Calculate From Room, 251Camera

restricting to a single room, 252Camera button, 162Camera command, 259Camera Defaults, 258Camera Setup dialog box, 261Camera view

toolbar for, 260Camera views

creating, 259positioning the camera, 260settings for, 261

camerassetting up, 91

Cascade command, 271chair rail molding

for rooms, 244Change Floor Reference button, 160Change Floor/Reference command, 267Change Units command, 168changing

cabinets, 219doors, 190fireplaces, 223ground covering, 240objects, 16, 178outdoor images, 239

Index


288

outdoor objects, 237rooms, 243stairs, 210text, 236walls, 182

characteristicschanging for objects, 145for cabinets, 219for doors, 190for fireplaces, 223for railings, 185for rooms, 243for stairs, 210for walls, 182for windows, 197

Chief Architectupgrading to, 270

circuitscreating, 158, 227

circular staircases, 229Clipboard

copying objects to, 146, 177cutting objects to, 177pasting objects from, 177

Close All command, 170Close command, 170Color On/Off command, 259colors

for plan, 248comments

adding to plans, 234compliance

checking for plans, 265Connect Electrical, 227Connect Electrical tool, 158Copy button, 146Copy command, 177copying

design elements, 77objects, 17

creatingCamera views, 259

Cross Section/Elevation button, 164Cross Section/Elevation command, 262Cross Section/Elevation view

toolbar for, 262

crown moldingfor rooms, 244

current floordefaults, 254

Cut command, 177

Ddecks

building, 98default settings

about, 19defaults

for base cabinets, 253for cabinets, 253for camera views, 258for current floor, 254for dimension lines, 257for entire plan, 252for full height cabinets, 253for object materials, 258for standard windows, 253for wall cabinets, 254

Defaults Setup command, 251Define Materials, 250Define Materials dialog box, 264Delete All Roofs tool, 157Delete button, 146Delete command, 177Delete Items command, 178Delete Roof, 208deleting

cabinets, 218doors, 189doorways, 189objects, 17walls, 181windows, 196

deleting categories of objects, 178deleting objects, 177Dimension

and No Locate setting, 233Dimension button, 159Dimension Defaults, 257dimension lines

adding, 159defaults, 257


289

exterior, 159, 234manual, 159

Dimension Lines command, 232Dimension Mode button, 159dimensions

setting defaults for, 233display

cleaning up, 80Door command, 188door library, 194Door Mode button, 147Door Specification dialog box, 190Door tool, 147doors

adjusting angle, 190bifold, 148, 194changing, 190creating, 147, 188deleting, 189double, 189folding, 148, 194gables over, 156garage, 148, 194moving, 189placing gables over, 207pocket, 148, 194resizing, 189sliding, 148, 193specifying glass panes for, 192specifying opening direction, 189standard, 147, 193

doorway library, 195Doorway Library tool, 149doorways

deleting, 189library, 149

dormersin gable roofs, 134

double doors, 189Down One Floor button, 160down staircases

creating, 212drawing a plan

overview, 17DXF files

creating, 172

EEdit menu, 177

Copy, 177Cut, 177Delete, 177Delete Items, 178Move Area, 179Open Item, 178Paste, 177Redo, 177Reverse Plan, 179Select Items, 178Undo, 177

Edit Text dialog box, 235electrical circuits

creating, 158Electrical command, 224electrical items, 224

adding, 57library, 158outlets, 157, 158placing, 225tutorial, 116

Electrical Library, 226Electrical Library tool, 158Electrical Mode button, 157Exit command, 177exiting the program, 177Export command, 171

and Show Items, 247exporting

Materials list as TXT, 174objects as WMF, 172plans as DXF, 172views as BMP, 173

extendingwalls, 181

Exterior Dimen., 234Exterior Dimen. button, 159exterior walls

drawing, 63

Ffeatures

3D Home Architect, 6File menu, 168

Index


290

Change Units command, 168Close All command, 170Close command, 170Exit, 177Export command, 171Import Bitmap, 175Materials List (TXT), 174New command, 168Open command, 169Print, 176Save As command, 171Save command, 170

Fill Window button, 165Fill Window command, 271Final View command, 263Fireplace button, 155Fireplace command, 221Fireplace Specification dialog box, 223fireplaces

adding masonry, 95built-in, 221changing, 223creating, 222for two-story homes, 279freestanding, 221placing, 155positioning, 222prefabricated, 230

fixturesadding to cabinets, 87freestanding, 229movable, 88placing, 152, 228placing in cabinets, 35within cabinets, 229

Fixtures button, 152Fixtures command, 228flipping

plans, 179Floor command, 204Floor Defaults, 254Floor Defaults dialog box, 254Floor Overview

toolbar for, 262Floor Overview button, 163Floor Overview command, 262

floorschanging reference, 160creating, 161, 204viewing lower, 160viewing upper, 160

folding doors, 194creating, 148

fontfor plan text, 280

Footings foundations, 205foundation

creating plan for, 109Foundation command, 205foundations

creating, 205Framing Overview

toolbar for, 262Framing Overview button, 164Framing Overview command, 262freestanding fireplaces, 221frequently-asked questions, 279Full Height Cabinet, 221Full Height Cabinet Defaults, 253Full Height Cabinet tool, 151full height cabinets

creating, 151Full Overview

toolbar for, 261Full Overview button, 163Full Overview command, 261furniture

applying colors and materials, 94creating custom, 280placing, 43, 153

Furniture button, 153Furniture command, 231Furniture/Fixture Specification dialog box, 237

GGable Over Opening, 207Gable Over Opening tool, 156gable roof

for L-shaped house, 139tutorial, 126

gable roof over door or window, 134gable roofs


291

dormers in, 134gables over openings

creating, 156gambrel roof

tutorial, 129Garage Door tool, 148garage doors, 194

creating, 148General Cabinet Defaults, 253ground covering

adding, 239changing, 240

Ground Covering command, 239gull wing roof

tutorial, 130

Hhalf hip roof

tutorial, 131handles

on objects, 15Hatch Wall too, 147hatched walls, 186hatching

walls, 147Help menu, 271

3D Home Architect Help, 271About, 271Using Help, 271View Manual, 271

help topics, using, 271help topics, viewing, 271Hide Room Boxes, 270hierarchical libraries, 268hip roof

tutorial, 124HomeStyles Modifications, 282house size

determining, 276House Wizard command, 268

IImage Specification dialog box, 239imperial units, 168Import Bitmap command, 175importing

bitmap files to create plans, 175installing

3D Home Architect, 3interior walls

drawing, 66Internet menu, 270

Upgrade to Chief Architect, 270Visit 3D Home Web Site, 270

invisible walls, 184drawing, 67

J-KJPEG files

using as textures, 250kitchen island

creating with cabinets, 85

Llabels

adding, 159adding to plans, 234

landscapingadding, 51adding images to, 57

landscaping imagesplacing, 155

library browserfor doors, 194for doorways, 195for electrical items, 226for fixtures, 228for furniture, 231for outdoor images, 238for outdoor objects, 236for windows, 204

Library Browser command, 268Light, 225lighting conditions

adjusting, 263lot

showing boundary lines, 240Lot Perimeter dialog box, 240L-shaped houses

roofs for, 139

Index


Mmagnification

changing, 164mansard roof

tutorial, 132manual dimension lines

creating, 233masonry fireplaces

placing, 155Material Defaults, 258materials

applying, 50assigning to object types, 263defining with your own images, 250

Materials command, 248materials for objects, 250Materials List

creating for entire plan, 161for entire plan, 251for room, 251for specified area, 251

Materials List (TXT) command, 174measurement units

changing, 168menus

displaying, 168metric units, 168mirroring

plans, 179modes

3D Home Architect, 13molding

for rooms, 244Monolithic Slab foundations, 205Move Area command, 179moving

cabinets, 217doors, 189objects, 15, 179walls, 181windows, 196

multiple floorsabout, 19

multiple-section staircasecreating, 209

NNew command, 168New Floor button, 161Next button, 145

Oobject materials

defaults, 258objects

3D Home Architect, 15changing, 16, 178copying, 17, 146deleting, 17, 146hiding or displaying, 247moving, 15, 179resizing, 16rotating, 16selecting, 16, 178selecting, 144selecting when stacked, 16, 145setting characteristics, 145

Open button, 145Open command, 169Open Item command, 178Options menu, 247

Color On/Off, 259Defaults Setup, 251Materials, 248Set Plan Colors, 248Show Items, 247

outdoor imagesadding, 57, 238changing, 239placing, 155

Outdoor Images button, 155Outdoor Images command, 238outdoor objects

adding, 237changing, 237placing, 154

Outdoor Objects button, 154Outdoor Objects command, 236outlets

placing for a room, 227placing for entire room, 158placing one at a time, 157

292


overview3D Home Architect, 8

Ppantry cabinets, 221Paste command, 177Place Outlets, 227Place Outlets tool, 158Plan Check

using (tutorial), 59Plan Check command, 265Plan Defaults, 252plans

automating the creation of, 268, 269changing reference floors, 267closing, 170closing all, 170creating, 168deleting items from, 178exporting, 171flipping, 179importance of, 274magnifying, 271mirroring, 179opening, 169printing, 176reducing, 271resizing to fit in window, 271reversing, 179saving, 170saving to a new location, 171sequence for, 63using reference floors, 267

Pocket Door tool, 148pocket doors, 194

creating, 148placing, 71

porchesbuilding, 100

prefabricated fireplaces, 230prefabricated staircases, 229Print command, 176printing plans, 176projects

planning, 63

Qquitting the program, 177

RRailing tool, 146railing walls, 184

creating, 146railings

specifying, 185Record Walkthrough command, 265Redo command, 177Reference Display On command, 267reference floor

changing, 160reference floors

changing, 267swapping, 267

reference plansusing, 111

Remove 3D command, 264removing

3D Home Architect, 4requirements

for program, 2residential design

overview, 274resizing

cabinets, 217doors, 189objects, 16option for door and window casings, 252option for furniture and fixtures, 252windows, 196

Reverse Plan command, 179reversing operations, 177reversing Undo operations, 177Roof Mode button, 156Roof submenu, 206roofs

building, 156deleting, 157dormers in gable roofs, 134gable over door or window, 134gable roof, 126gambrel roof, 129gull wing roof, 130

293

Index


half hip roof, 131hip roof, 124L-shaped, 139mansard roof, 132quick reference, 133saltbox roof, 128shed roof, 127specifying, 206specifying for walls, 183techniques, 124

Room Specification dialog box, 243rooms

about, 241arranging, 276building, 241ceilings for, 245centering labels, 279changing, 243creating, 241deleting items from, 178naming, 28, 243roofs for, 245specifying ceiling height, 243specifying floor height, 243specifying molding, 244

rotatingcabinets, 218objects, 16

Ssaltbox roof

tutorial, 128Save 3D Image dialog box, 173Save As command, 171Save command, 170scrolling

distance for arrow keys, 252second floor

and staircases, 113creating plan for, 111

Select Items button, 144Select Items command, 178Select Material command, 263selecting

cabinets, 217objects, 16, 178

objects when stacked, 16walls, 180

Set Plan Colors command, 248shed roof

tutorial, 127Shelf, 221Shelf tool, 151shelves

creating, 151Show Items command, 247Show Room Boxes, 270Show Walkthrough command, 264Show/Hide Toolbars command, 267single-section staircase

creating, 208Sliding Door tool, 148sliding doors, 193

creating, 148smoke detectors

adding, 158snapping distance

for walls, 180Soffit, 221Soffit tool, 151soffits

creating, 151spreadsheet of materials and costs, 248, 251stacked objects

selecting, 145Staircase Specification dialog box, 210staircases

circular, 229freestanding, 229placing, 156

stairschanging, 210exterior, 106tutorial, 101

Stairs command, 208Stairs Mode button, 156standard doors, 193

creating, 147standard walls, 183

creating, 146standard windows, 201

creating, 149

294


defaults, 253program defaults, 201

Start House Wizard, 269starting

3D Home Architect, 3Stop Recording command, 265submenus

Cabinet, 214Dimension Lines, 232Electrical, 224Roof, 206Wall, 179

Swap Floor/Reference command, 267Switch, 225switches

connecting to lights and outlets, 158, 227disconnecting from lights and outlets, 158

system requirements, 2

TTechnical Support, 281telephone jacks

adding, 158text

adding, 159, 235adding automatically, 236changing, 236font used, 280

Text command, 234Text Mode button, 159textures

creating, 250The Learning Company Technical Support, 281thickness settings

for walls, 147thickness settings for walls, 187Thickness too, 147three-dimensional views

backgrounds for, 265closing, 264creating, 161recording, 265showing recordings, 264

Tile command, 271toolbar, 144

Cabinet Mode button, 150

Copy button, 146Delete button, 146Dimension Mode button, 159Door Mode button, 147Electrical Mode button, 157Fireplace button, 155Fixtures button, 152Furniture button, 153hiding and showing, 144mode buttons, 144Next button, 145Open button, 145Outdoor Images button, 155Outdoor Objects button, 154Roof Mode button, 156Select Items button, 144selecting commands, 144Stairs Mode button, 156Text Mode button, 159View Mode button, 161Wall Mode button, 146Window Mode button, 149Zoom Mode button, 164

toolbarsshowing or hiding, 267

Tools menu, 265Change Floor/Reference, 267House Wizard, 268Library Browser, 268Plan Check, 265Reference Display On, 267Show/Hide Toolbars, 267Swap Floor/Reference, 267

troubleshooting, 281tutorial

basic techniques, 62two-room cabin, 22

two-way circuitscreating, 158

UUndo command, 177Undo Zoom button, 165Undo Zoom command, 271uninstalling

3D Home Architect, 4

295

Index


296

Up One Floor button, 160Upgrade to Chief Architect command, 270Using Help command, 271

VView Manual command, 271View Mode button, 161viewing

in three dimensions, 39views

Camera, 162, 259camera defaults, 258closing, 170closing all, 170Cross Section/Elevation, 164, 262Final, 263fitting within the window, 165Floor Overview, 163, 262Framing Overview, 164, 262Full Overview, 163, 261magnifying, 165reducing, 165

Visit 3D Home Web Site command, 270

Wwalkthrough

creating, 122walkthroughs

ending, 265recording, 265showing, 264

Wall Cabinet, 221Wall Cabinet Defaults, 254Wall Cabinet tool, 151wall cabinets

creating, 151soffits for, 151

Wall command, 179Wall Mode button, 146Wall Specification dialog box, 182Wall tool, 146wallpaper

creating your own, 250walls

adding shelves to, 151beams, 186

breaking, 147, 187changing, 182creating, 146deleting, 181drawing, 179drawing at angles, 179extending, 181exterior, 63hatching, 147, 186interior, 66invisible, 67, 184joining two thicknesses, 187moving, 181railing, 146, 184selecting, 180setting minimum length, 252setting thickness, 147, 187snapping, 179specifying, 182standard, 146, 183

Window command, 195Window Defaults, 253Window Library, 204Window Library tool, 150Window menu, 270

Arrange Icons, 271Cascade, 271Fill Window, 271Tile, 271Undo Zoom, 271Zoom, 271Zoom Out, 271

Window Mode button, 149Window Specification dialog box, 197Window tool, 149windows

adding, 195bay, 149, 202bow, 150bowx, 203box, 149, 203changing, 197closing, 170closing all, 170creating, 149creating custom, 195


297

deleting, 196gables over, 156library, 150moving, 196placing gables over, 207resizing, 196specifying glass panes in, 200standard, 149, 201

Windows Metafilescreating, 172

WMF filescreating, 172

Write DXF File dialog box, 172Write Windows Metafile dialog box, 172

X-Zzoom

undoing, 165Zoom button, 165Zoom command, 271zoom commands

reversing, 271Zoom Mode button, 164Zoom Out button, 165Zoom Out command, 271

Index


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