Domain Name Com's Software Punch 5 In 1 Home Design

Software Punch 5 In 1 Home Design

Domain Name Com's - Software : Punch 5 In 1 Home Design

- Caveot Emptor - Best of a Bad Lot
If you are going to attempt to do any designs that are not rectangular, having regular roof shapes - be prepared to tear your hair out with all of these consumer products. The best of this sorry lot is Punch Professional. I know, I spent 20 years in the CAD business and I've tried them all. Regrettably, you'll have to spend [$$$] if you are at all serious about your design. In other words at [$] bucks you get what you pay for - which is a bug filled - square box building toy.

Here are some things which will drive you mad in Punch:

1) Try to do a curved wall built out of straight segments at an angle. First it nearly impossible to get the segments the same length, let alone at the same angle.

2) Try and put a segmented roof over that curved wall. Forget it - you'll never get the elevations or roof segments to line up. Also when you connect roof types (like a hip and gable) Punch doesn't join them - it just slaps them together - so there is no continuity between the segments. Forget about matching their pitches so that they flow together.

3) Try to take out an exterior wall, then put in a bay window projection (or some other change like that). Chances are, when you delete a segment, it will turn all the other segments inside out - forcing you to re-apply siding and interior textures one by one to each surface - a particularly nasty bug and HUGE waste of time.

4) The Window tool has a similarly nasty bug. Even though you type different settings, more often than not it ignores them and tries to insert windows with default settings. This will drive you insane, and screw-up other things (see below).

5) If you try to insert a window into a wall where it should fit (but it doesn't for some inexplicable reason) the program will wipe out other windows/doors on that wall. That will really tick you off, espeicially if you're building up a complex wall of windows. Yes, you get an annoying error message, but you cannot back-out of the action - nor does Punch give you a choice of fixing the problem before the program does its damage.

6) You cannot specify more than 5 vertical or horizontal lites on a window. That's stupid.

7) Stacking windows is nearly impossible (like putting a transom window over a double-hung). Try doing this on a segmented wall and you can kiss your afternoon goodbye (working around their bugs).

8) There is only one level of undo - so forget about "what-ifs". You'll have to save multiple versions.

9) No way to selectively print out house sections/rooms. Totally brain-dead in this regard. Also, rendered images have to be exported as BMP. No way to directly print / save them.

I'd go on, but you get the idea. Be prepared to waste a lot of time working around their ... bugs ... And this is the best of them!!!!

Rating:

- Disappointing
I used an older version of Sierra before we built our addition and loved it. Lost my cd & couldn't find another so I bought this. Maybe some features are better but many are disappointing.
The accessories selection is poor and the "walk-thru" feature much less flexible and difficult to use.

Rating:

- Good, but must try harder!
I've read all of the previous reviews and there is a lot I have to agree with.
Firstly, the walls do move about of their own accord (occasionally). I have found the best way to make them behave is to design each wall individually, rather than use a pre-formatted room shape.
I have several years experience using CAD and 3D design software, and have to say the rendering has to be the most painfully slow that I can remember. That said, the final result is quite good. Moving around in the 3D viewing window is also extremely slow, especially if your design is quite detailed and "busy".
The 3D viewing angle is rather inflexible, not being able to tilt and look down. I know there is the "helicopter" mode, but this is of limited use internally.
The lighting/shadow effect is also very basic.
The 3D furniture workshop package is supposed to allow you to design anything from scratch. Well, I suppose so, if you have unlimited time at your disposal. I found it very clunky and quirky.
I would also like to have more flexibility in importing and editing textures.
The range of included furniture and other objects is quite limited.
One thing I would have liked would have been a time-limited demo of the program before I shelled out. If I had, I would probably have waited for the next version.

Rating:

- Punch 5 in 1 Home Design
This is software that you have to spend some time with to understand. But if you spend the time, the software delivers and leaves the competitors behind. Most of the negative reviews I have read point out shortcomings that really don't exist if you understand how the software works.

I initially thought that the program lacked certain features or had some of the same shortcomings mentioned in other reviews. A few minutes on the phone with their Tech Support people to supplement the manual and the help feature and I was pointed in the right direction. In most cases the software could do what I was trying to accomplish, the problem was that I was not far enough up the experience curve. One thing I did do was upgrade to the Professional Home Design for another $20 dollars. It is worth it. My overall experience with home design software is that you have to be patient as it is not simple or intuitive as gaming software.
Two shortcomings - No strong undo feature so you need to save before you try something new. Also, there is a limit to 3 floors, so if you have a finished basement, a finished attic and two floors, you can only show 3 of the 4 floors; although you can complete the remaining floor in another file.

Rating:

- Reviews reviewed !! Punch products - best of the lots !
I've been using Punch Products for about two years now. Prior to that I tried many others without sucessfully completing a home design secondary to being too difficult, not having the tools needed for certain functions, and poor, slow, cartoonish renderings. Punch! was the first program that allowed me to complete a Home!

I've read the reviews and some of what was said related to 5 in 1 is partially incorrect. Walls that move in even numbers is related to the default when the 'snap to grid is on'. All one needs to do is shut the 'snap' off. All doors and windows are customizable to any size, height, width, and trim. All roofs are customizable to pitches other than 12:12. None of the walls shrink when moved separately or as a whole. I've used this particular program for 6 months before ugrading, and 90% of what I've read in these reviews in incorrect secondary to a person's lack of knowledge and inability to make use of tools available in the program.

This program is a great starter program if you're looking to buy anything for less than $50. Since then I've advanced to Punch! Super and then to Punch!Pro, which is only $25 more than '5 in 1'. As mentioned I've tried all sorts of programs over the years, and none of them contain all that one needs to design their home, however, Punch!'s products are the closest yet in focussing on people's requests and producing quality 3D views. In addition, the 3D furniture workshop is a bonus in itself where alterations, and creativity can be performed to create stunning objects for the home, and alter any that require adjustments for better fit. What more can I say? Punch! is far superior in comparison to other programs of the same cost!

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