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Table of Contents
i
Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial ............................................................................21
Getting Started ..........................................................................................................22
Removing All Plans from Memory ..........................................................................22
Using the Default Modes........................................................................................23
Drawing Walls ............................................................................................................24
Creating Dimension Lines.......................................................................................26
Naming Rooms ..........................................................................................................28
Placing Doors and Windows.......................................................................................30
Placing Cabinets.........................................................................................................33
Placing Fixtures ..........................................................................................................35
Adding a Window Above the Sink ..........................................................................38
Working in Three Dimensions.....................................................................................39
Editing in 3D Views ................................................................................................42
Placing Furniture ........................................................................................................43
Adding a Bathroom....................................................................................................45
Adding Bathroom Fixtures......................................................................................47
Applying Materials .....................................................................................................50
Adding Landscaping...................................................................................................51
Adding a Roof ............................................................................................................53
Adding Electrical Items ...............................................................................................57
Adding Outdoor Images.............................................................................................57
Checking for Design Errors .........................................................................................59
Creating a Materials List .............................................................................................60
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: Table of Contents
Placing Cabinets.........................................................................................................81
Adding Cabinets.....................................................................................................83
Creating Cabinet Soffits..........................................................................................84
Creating an Island with Cabinets............................................................................85
Placing Fixtures ..........................................................................................................87
Adding Fixed Fixtures .............................................................................................87
Adding Movable Fixtures........................................................................................88
Looking at a Room .....................................................................................................89
Placing Furniture ........................................................................................................94
Selecting Colors and Materials for Furniture ...........................................................94
Placing Fireplaces .......................................................................................................95
Building Decks and Porches........................................................................................98
Creating a Porch ..................................................................................................100
Creating Stairs..........................................................................................................101
Creating an Interior Staircase ...............................................................................101
Fixing Staircase Problems .....................................................................................104
Creating an Exterior Staircase ...............................................................................106
Adding Additional Floors ..........................................................................................109
Using Reference Plans...........................................................................................111
Showing the Second Floor View of the Staircase ..................................................113
Fine-Tuning Rooms...................................................................................................114
Adding Colors ......................................................................................................115
Getting Wired ..........................................................................................................116
Making a List and Checking It Twice ........................................................................120
Using Plan Check .................................................................................................120
Checking the Budget ...........................................................................................121
Making Your Plan a Reality ...................................................................................122
Creating a 3D Walkthrough .....................................................................................122
iii
Chapter 6: Reference: Toolbar Commands ..........................................................143
Mode Buttons ......................................................................................................144
Dialog Box Buttons ..............................................................................................144
Tool Selection Buttons ..........................................................................................144
Tool Button Descriptions ......................................................................................144
Appendix ...................................................................................................................273
Appendix A: Introduction to Residential Design .......................................................274
Appendix B: Questions and Answers ........................................................................279
Contacting Technical Support ..............................................................................281
Appendix C: Printing Blueprints ...............................................................................282
Index ..........................................................................................................................285
iv
Preface
Congratulations on your purchase of 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4, the complete software
solution for easy home design. With 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, you can quickly and easily
produce accurate and complete floor plans for a remodel, an addition, or even an entire
home. 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 in
three 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 to
do the creative work.
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Chapter
1
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
System Requirements
To install and run 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, your system must include the following:
• 100% IBM-compatible computer with a 166MHz processor or better (300MHz
recommended).
• Windows 95B/C, Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3 or higher), Windows 98, Windows
2000 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 highly
recommend 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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Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4
3
Removing 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
If 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.
4
Chapter
An Overview of 3D Home
2
Architect® Deluxe
5
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
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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
7
Getting Around 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4
3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 uses multiple application windows to display different views of
your plan. All the menus and commands in the program are available via the toolbar or
menu.
Windows
3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 displays multiple, independent application windows, so you can
have 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, Camera
views 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 shows
a different aspect of your design, each has a different use, and each is displayed in a
different window. You can move, resize, open, close, and print each window separately. To
make 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’ve
added an object, you can change it in any window but Materials. You can resize objects
only in Cross-Section/Elevation view. All views except Materials reflect changes in other
windows.
Views are available via the View Mode button or the commands on the 3D menu.
Plan View
Most 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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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
Plan View
9
Camera View
Camera view shows a three-dimensional perspective of the interior of your design. Camera
view shows you how the plan will look when finished, complete with fixtures and furniture.
Full Overview
Full Overview shows a bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including multiple-level designs
with roofs.
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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
Floor Overview
Floor Overview opens a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including
multiple level designs. No roofs display.
Framing Overview
Framing Overview displays only the frames, studs, and walls that comprise your plan.
11
Final View
Final View is available from the 3D menu and from the toolbars in the Camera and Full
Overview views. The Final View shows you the same views as the Camera view, but it
smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planes meet (for
example, where a countertop meets the wall). You can save this view as a bitmap graphic
image.
Final View
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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
Materials
The Materials window is available from the Options menu. The Materials window shows a
list of the materials needed to construct your plan. You can also use the Materials window
to 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, placing
windows, and changing views. You select a mode, and then you select a tool within that
mode, 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 select
a type of wall (for example, Beam), and then you click and drag to create a beam in your
plan.
Menu Commands
All commands in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 are available from its menus. To display a
menu, click its title. For a complete discussion of the menus, see the Reference chapter.
13
Toolbar
The toolbar provides shortcuts to the most commonly used commands. You can use the
toolbar for most of your work. However, there are commands and options available in the
menus for which there are no toolbar equivalents.
Each toolbar button represents one command. For example, the Wall command on the
Build 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 are
displayed on the right. The first tool button is depressed by default, since it is the most
commonly used. For example, when you click the Wall Mode button, the Wall tool is
automatically selected and you can begin to draw standard walls.
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 in
each 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 your
plan.
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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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
Understanding Objects
Most CAD and general-purpose drawing programs create simple geometric objects like lines
and arcs, and then associate these to each other to create more complex entities. This
program uses objects that include information on how they are shaped, what they are, how
they 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 attach
cabinets, the program recognizes the objects you are using and what you are doing and
responds accordingly. Much of your drawing is done automatically; you do not have to
position and size things exactly. The program warns you when you are breaking the rules.
You spend less time drawing and more time designing.
Manipulating Objects
Once you place an object in your plan, you click it to change it in different ways.
Using Handles
Walls, text, and outdoor images display three squares, called handles. There is one handle at
each end and one in the middle. Other objects, like cabinets and furniture, have at least two
handles: a triangle on one end and a square in the middle. Cabinets display four squares, a
triangle, 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 to
double-sided arrows.
3. Drag the pointer to move the object.
Objects with a square and triangle can be moved only vertically and horizontally. To
move objects freely, hold down the Ctrl key and drag.
15
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.
Next tool
The Next tool lets you select items that are stacked, like staircases, or incorporated into
other objects, like standard windows within bay and bow window structures.
To change an object
1. Select the object.
To select a room, click inside it anywhere except on an object; the room will then be
outlined.
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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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
To copy an object
1. Select the 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 Plan
There 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 by
walls, it is not a separate space.
• Openings in walls are best made by placing doors in the walls, and not by leaving out a
section of wall.
• The program will measure and align walls for you, and will even move and resize walls to
make them connect. You can sketch out the general shape first, and fine-tune later.
Adding Walls
You create walls using the Wall mode tools in the toolbar or by selecting the Wall
commands on the Build menu. The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailed
information about walls.
Adding Doors
Doors, like windows, are openings in walls that you create by selecting the appropriate
command 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 change
its specifications. The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailed information about
doors.
17
Adding Windows
You create windows using Window mode and commands. Select the kind of window you
want and click where you want it.
You can change the width of a window, and adjust its height. The tutorials and the Reference
chapter provide detailed information about windows.
Adding Cabinets
You can place a cabinet anywhere in a plan where there is room for it. If you click a Cabinet
tool 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 they
seem to join into one. As modules, they are also a standard size (which you can set and
change).
The size of the cabinet, its orientation, and its type can change automatically depending on
where you put it. For example, if you place a cabinet in a corner, it automatically becomes a
corner cabinet.
The tutorials and the Reference chapter provide detailed information about cabinets.
Library Browser
Some fixtures, like sinks, are placed in cabinets. You can place one fixture per cabinet, and
the fixture is always placed in the middle of the cabinet. Some fixtures, like refrigerators, are
freestanding. Fixtures placed in cabinets are edited with the cabinets, while freestanding
fixtures, furniture, and outdoor objects are edited individually.
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Chapter 2: An Overview of 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4
Understanding Text
Text is drawn as an object, so it scales up or down as you zoom in or out of the plan. Text is
sized in plan inches, as in CAD programs, not in points, as in word processors.
19
Understanding Dimensions
Dimension lines locate walls and openings in walls by showing how far one wall is from
another, or how far an opening is down a wall. You can create interior and exterior
dimension lines. Manual, interior dimension lines are built like walls.
Once created, dimension lines can be moved, but not resized. Their ends move
automatically when the associated walls move.
20
Cabin Design Tutorial
Chapter
3
21
Cabin Design Tutorial
This 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 Started
You should start the tutorial with a blank slate.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Wall tool
23
Drawing Walls
Start 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.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
4. When the second wall is finished, draw two more walls to make a box.
25
Creating Dimension Lines
Dimension lines locate walls and openings in walls by showing how far one wall is from
another, or how far an opening is down a wall. You can add automatic exterior dimension
lines, as well as manual interior dimension lines.
To create dimension lines
1. Click the Dimension Mode button on the toolbar.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
27
Naming Rooms
Rooms in 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 have special qualities that are not available until they
are 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.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
5. Click OK to leave the dialog box and return to the Plan view.
29
Plan with both rooms labeled
Door tool
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
2. To put a standard door in the cabin, move the pointer to the bottom wall at the
midpoint of the bedroom and click.
A doorway is placed in the wall. No door appears in the doorway until you indicate
which 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:
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To add a window
1. Click the Window Mode button to change to Window mode.
Window tool
The other tools let you place other types of windows, such as bay windows. You can also
use 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.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Placing Cabinets
Now you’ll place some cabinets.
To add a cabinet
1. Click the Cabinet Mode button.
33
Your plan should now look like this:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Placing Fixtures
You place some objects, such as sinks and some appliances, within cabinets. Add a sink to
one 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.
35
6. Click 24" Single Kit. Sink.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
37
Cabinets containing fixtures must be large enough to accommodate them. Create the
cabinet, adjust its size if necessary, and then place the fixture in it.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Camera tool
The pointer looks like a camera.
39
2. To look through the doorway into the kitchen, click just inside the doorway and then
drag 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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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
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 to
cycle through all open windows. To see all open windows at the same time, choose the
Tile 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 to
click several times before seeing the change, hold down the Shift key when you click.
41
Editing in 3D Views
You can change some aspects of objects in all 3D windows. You can resize objects in the
Cross 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 the
window frame. In Plan view, you can display this dialog by choosing Define Materials
from 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 of
object.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Placing Furniture
Placing furniture is similar to placing fixtures.
To place furniture
1. Make the Plan window active.
2. Click the Furniture Mode button.
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Once you have placed an object, you can place as many objects of that type as you want
by clicking again and again in the plan.
8. To change the type of object that you are placing, click again on the depressed
Furniture 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 then
press the Delete key.
Here’s an example of what your plan might look like with more furniture:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Adding a Bathroom
There’s no bathroom in the cabin plan. If you use 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 to remodel or
add an addition to your existing home, it is best to recreate your existing floor plan in 3D
Home Architect Deluxe 4 and then modify it from there. Adding a bathroom to the existing
cabin 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.
45
The plan should look like this:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
10.Click the top handle of the door, and then drag into the bathroom.
47
4. In the bathroom, click the location for the sink.
Your plan should look something like this:
To add a shower
1. Click the depressed Fixtures Mode button.
2. In the Library Browser, open Fixtures, Plumbing_3DHA, Showers, and Rectangular
Showers.
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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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
49
3. To change the view angle, use the tools on the left side of the tool bar.
Applying Materials
You can add to the realistic look of your cabin by applying a material to the items in your
kitchen.
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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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
You can click any object, even those you can’t usually select as individual items, like the
base 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 you
clicked. 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 a
hierarchical set of textures. You can use your own images as textures—see the section on
the 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 you
want, and then use the gray slider, the Hue, Saturation, Luminosity settings, as well
as 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 the
colors to zero creates black. Equal values for each primary color create shades of gray.
8. To accept your changes, click OK.
Adding Landscaping
You can build the lot for your cabin and add a ground covering to the ground surrounding
your 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 Zoom
Out 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 check
box 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 Items
and then make sure Beam/Soffit & Groundcoverings is selected. Click OK to exit the
dialog box.
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7. To place a 3x3-foot ground covering, on the Build menu, click Ground Covering, and
then click in the upper-left corner of the lot.
8. To make the ground covering larger, click the ground covering, and then click the red
handle 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 the
cabin.
The ground covering should now cover a large portion of your backyard.
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Adding a Roof
Now you’ll add a roof to the cabin.
To add a roof
1. In the Plan window, click the Roof Mode button.
Roof tools
2. Click the Build Roof tool on the right side of the toolbar.
53
By default, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 builds a hip roof. Your plan should look something
like this:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
Camera tool
55
6. To change the view to look toward the front door, looking at the front of the cabin, click
about 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:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
57
Your plan should look like this:
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Chapter 3: Cabin Design Tutorial
59
You can now make corrections to the plan. For example, Plan Check noted that the light
above 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 the
Switch 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.
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Chapter
61
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 walkthrough
The finished plan, called TUTORIAL.PL1, is located in the My Plans directory. To look at
the plan in 3D, use the Camera tool. Use the Up One Floor and Down One Floor
buttons to see the foundation and second floor.
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Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial
Planning a Project
When you start drawing your plan, don’t think in terms of drawing lines. Think in terms of
building 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 Started
You 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.
63
Make two rooms. One will be a garage, separated from the rest of the house by exterior
walls because the garage is usually at outside temperature.
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Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial
Because the plan is already completely enclosed, you could check each wall’s length by
clicking a wall and then clicking its center handle. This would display a temporary
dimension line showing the distance from one perpendicular wall to the next. Exterior
dimensions let you see everything at once.
To turn off exterior dimension lines, clear the Automatic Dimensions check box in the
Show Items dialog box on the Options menu.
5. If you cannot see the whole plan on screen, select Zoom mode and click either the Fill
Window tool or the Zoom Out tool to increase the visible portion of the plan.
65
7. To adjust the length of the top and bottom walls, move either of the vertical walls
attached to their end points.
Note: The plan illustrations in this tutorial may not show all exterior dimension lines.
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Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial
67
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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Chapter 4: Basic Techniques Tutorial
Naming Rooms
Now that you’ve defined rooms with walls of different kinds, give them names.
To name a room
1. Click the Select Items button.
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:
Placing Doors
Now you can determine how people will get from room to room in your plan.
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…then create the door by swinging out one of the end handles.
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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 a
double-door, it is a single door.
3. To make the door a double, select it with the Pocket Door tool, click a side handle, and
then drag the doorway out to six feet.
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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 provide
privacy 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) to
look like the plan below.
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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. For
example, 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 Windows
You place windows almost the same way as you do doors.
To place windows
1. Click the Window Mode button.
Window tool
3. Place standard windows as shown in the illustration.
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The last two digits of the displayed dimension change to indicate the varying height, top
to bottom.
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Tip: Change window heights in the Camera or Cross Section/Elevation view, where it is
easier to see changes in the vertical dimension. Zoom in on the window to see its
dimensions.
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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 side
of 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 Windows
To make the living and dining rooms more inviting, add a bay window to one and a bow
window to the other.
To add a bay window to the dining room
1. In Window mode, select the Bay Window tool.
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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 then
click the Open button.
Next tool
Open button
This opens the Window Specification dialog box, which in this case applies to all the
windows in the bay window.
8. Move and resize the whole bow to make it match this depiction.
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Cleaning Up the Display
Update the exterior dimension lines and then hide them to make the drawing easier to work
with. You could delete all the lines, using the Delete Items command on the Edit menu, or
by deleting each line, but instead you’ll change the display so that no dimension lines, other
than 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.
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Placing Cabinets
Now that you have all the walls, doors, and windows for this floor, you have a pretty good
idea of the basic design, and can start furnishing the rooms. To see how this is done, you
will 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 the
right-hand tools (it is the default tool).
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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. By
dragging 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 enough
to a wall the program will know which way it should go, and will even attach it to the
wall, so moving the wall will also move the cabinets. You’ll push the cabinet into the
corner, 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 should
just fit.
6. Place another cabinet beside the first one, under the window. Make sure the second
cabinet 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 reads
three 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 cabinets
on either side facing in are close enough together. You could have left this corner empty, but
this blind cabinet will offer a little extra storage.
Although the two cabinets look like one, they are still separate, which you can see by
clicking the cabinet under the window.
Adding Cabinets
Place 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 all
the cabinets are facing the right way, and then push the one on the bottom against the
rest. They should fit snugly.
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4. Choose the Wall Cabinet tool and click once in the top-left corner to place a corner
cabinet.
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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 wall
cabinet contains a soffit.
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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 the
island 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 wall
cabinets, 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.
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Placing Fixtures
Now that you have set up your cabinets, you need to add fixtures and appliances to make
the kitchen useful. Use the Fixture Library to find what you want and place it in the plan.
Fixtures tool
2. Open Fixtures, Plumbing, Sinks, and Kitchen Sinks by clicking the plus signs next to
each 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:
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Trash compactor placed to the left of sink
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Looking at a Room
You can see what your cabinets and fixtures look like by double-clicking each one to open a
dialog box that will let you preview or make changes.
To check the cabinet specifications
1. Double-click one of the cabinets.
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The preview shows three shelves where there was a door.
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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 box
where you can set the increments of movement and rotation, camera height, and
what will be clipped (deleted) from the field of view.
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The two views below show the kitchen from the left side of the dining room. The first
view is from a camera four feet off the floor, and the second is from six feet.
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Placing Furniture
Having seen how to place fixtures, you should already have a pretty good idea of how to
handle 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 china
cabinet, 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.
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Placing Fireplaces
Next 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 Fireplace
category. 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), or
out 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.
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5. To change the depth of the hearth, double-click the fireplace, toward the back.
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Building Decks and Porches
You’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.
Railing tool
2. Drag out the railings to form the deck. Make the deck wide, from the left wall of the
house 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 using
the Wall Specification dialog box for each wall.
3. The walls should look like the following.
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9. Click the Railing tab and experiment with different options.
Creating a Porch
Create a porch just outside the front door, running from the garage to the left edge of the
house. A porch is like a deck with a roof. As with the deck, name the new room a porch as
soon 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.
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5. To check the effect, place a camera in front of the house, looking back toward the porch.
Creating Stairs
Decks and porches are usually elevated, so you’ll need some staircases for the two outside
rooms. 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 right
amount within the horizontal distance allowed.
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To create a staircase
1. Click the Stairs Mode button.
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Moved staircase
Dragging the side handles changes the width of the stairs, while dragging the end
handles changes the length, and the number of steps.
8. Open an Elevation window by clicking with the Cross Section/Elevation tool and
dragging next to the staircase.
9. Use the Tile command in the Window menu to see the Plan and Cross
Section/Elevation views side by side.
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Fixing Staircase Problems
You 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.
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5. Look in the Cross Section/Elevation view to see how the staircase has changed.
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5. Drag the staircase back into position.
The results should look like the following illustration.
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4. Hold down the Shift key and drag out another section going down, in the same
direction as the first section.
Make sure to leave an area between the sections for the landing that will go between
them. 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.
To create landings
• Click the gaps between staircases with the Stairs tool.
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2. Click the Style tab, make sure everything except Large Stringer Base is selected, and
click OK.
3. Create a Camera view of the back steps.
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3. In the Foundation Setup dialog box, change the Min. Wall Height from 24 to 48
inches, and then click OK.
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Down One Floor button
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Fine-Tuning Rooms
You 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 Floor
to 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 Room
Specification 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 rail
because specially shaped hooks can be attached, allowing you to hang objects without
pounding 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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Adding Colors
You can color the contents of rooms differently from the rest of the plan. This makes the
elevations 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, so
you can tell walls from windows, for instance. These colors do not have anything to do with
how the objects will look when built.
To see the Plan View color scheme
• Click Set Plan Colors on the Options menu.
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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 3D
menu.
2. Click a wall in the view.
The Define Material dialog box shows the current color for the object, and a number of
controls for changing that color.
Getting Wired
You can add the electrical system any time, but it is generally a good idea to wait until after
other decisions have been made. The location of electrical items does not affect other
objects.
You can place 110-volt and 220-volt outlets, lights, switches, and special items like
telephone jacks. You can also create circuits.
The program automatically changes outlets to the proper type for a given room. For
example, waterproof and safety-grounded outlets are used for outdoor rooms and
bathrooms.
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The program locates switches and lights in the walls, floors, or ceilings, depending on
whether you place the item in a wall or in the room. There is even one command that will
place 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.
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There are also outlets in the dining room. When the program places outlets, it ignores
invisible walls because they don’t block cords.
5. To add switches and lights, click the Switches and Lights tools in the toolbar and place
some of these.
Switches tool
Lights tool
Select a tool, and then click and drag to position each item, until your plan looks like the
one below.
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Making a List and Checking It Twice
This design is far from finished: you still need to add furniture, fixtures, wiring, and special
features for each room in the two-story plan. But it is far enough along to see if the plan
works, and whether it fits within the budget.
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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 cost
estimates, you can export this worksheet data to a more powerful worksheet program
using the Export TXT command on the File menu.
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Making Your Plan a Reality
The Materials List and Plan Check provide rough estimates of your progress. Before you
can actually build anything, you will need much firmer cost estimates, and much more
thorough plan checking. Consult building officials and professionals who can help you avoid
problems 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 Walkthrough
You can record and play back a walkthrough of your plan. A walkthrough is a 3D
representation 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 (for
example, 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 the
camera as if you were walking through your plan.
Each time you move the view, the program records the new view as a frame in your
movie.
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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Advanced Roofing
Chapter
5
Techniques Tutorial
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In the basic tutorial in Chapter 3, you used Automatic Roof Designer to construct basic
roof 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 are
available. Generate a cross section of each basic roof shape and place some windows and
doors 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 Roof
The default roof constructed by Automatic Roof Designer is a hip roof. Unless you tell
Automatic 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.
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Gable Roof
To 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.
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Shed Roof
A shed roof has a sloping roof section. There are gables over the walls at the two sides of the
sloping roof section.
Before you build the shed roof, decide which walls will have gables above them and which
wall will be under the high part of the sloping section. In our example, the upper horizontal
wall is under the high part of the sloping section, and the two vertical walls have gables
over them.
To create a shed roof
1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.
2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes on
the Roof tab:
• 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 section
over this wall begins at the top plate.
• For the upper horizontal wall, clear the Full Gable Wall box and check the box for
High Shed/Gable wall.
3. Click the Build Roof tool, and then click OK in the Build Roof dialog box.
4. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview
button.
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Saltbox Roof
A saltbox is a type of gable roof with the ridge off-center because there is a different pitch
on each of the two roof sections. The smaller roof section has a steeper pitch. You’ll assign
different pitches to each of the two roof sections using the Roof Section at Wall dialog box
for the wall that supports each of the two roof sections.
To create a saltbox roof
1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.
2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes on
the Roof tab:
• 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. Change
the Pitch to 12 in 12. The roof section above this wall will be steep and will be the
smaller 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 the
two vertical walls. The different pitches for each of the two horizontal wall roof sections
create 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.
6. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview
button.
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Gambrel Roof
A gambrel roof has two pitches on each side of the ridge. The first (lower) pitch on either
side is steeper than the pitch near the ridge.
To convert the saltbox to a gambrel
1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.
2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes on
the Roof tab:
• 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 Start
Height box.
The second pitch will begin 60 inches (5 feet) above the top plate, since the top plate is
at 96 inches and 96 plus 60 =156.
3. Click the Build Roof tool to display the Build Roof dialog box.
4. Click OK to build a gambrel roof.
5. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview
button.
Gambrel roof
Experiment with alternate pitches and overhangs. Also, try varying the height at which the
second pitch comes in so that you can see the effect it has on your roof design.
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Gull Wing Roof
A 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
1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.
2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes on
the Roof tab:
• Do not change anything for either of the two vertical walls. They remain as gable
ends.
• For both the upper and lower horizontal walls, make the Lower Pitch 3 in 12. Click
the Upper check box and make the Upper Pitch 12 in 12. Set Start Height to 114
inches.
3. Click the Build Roof tool to display the Build Roof dialog box.
4. Click OK to build the gull wing roof.
5. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview
button.
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Mansard Roof
A mansard roof is a hip roof with two slopes on the roof sections above each of the four
walls. The second slope begins at the same height above each wall. Usually the lower slope
is much steeper than the upper slope, with the upper slope being quite gentle.
To convert the half hip roof to a mansard
1. In Roof mode, click the Delete All Roofs button.
2. With the Select Items tool, double-click each wall and make the following changes on
the Roof tab:
• For all walls, clear the Full Gable Wall box. Make the Lower Pitch 12 in 12. Check
Upper and make the Upper Pitch 1.5 in 12. Set Start Height to 144 inches.
3. Click the Build Roof tool to display the Build Roof dialog box.
4. Click OK to build the mansard roof.
5. To view the roof in 3D, click the View Mode button, and then click the Full Overview
button.
Mansard roof
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Gables over Doors and Windows
You 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 Over
Door/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 on
each side of the object.
3. Build the roof.
4. To remove the gable, select the object again with the Gable Over Opening tool and
clear Gable Over Door/Window in the dialog box that appears.
5. Click OK.
When you rebuild the roof, the gable will be removed.
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4. Click the Wall Mode button, and then click a point on the left wall about an eighth of
the 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 is
about 5 feet from the bottom wall.
7. Using similar steps, make another wall about an eighth of the way down from the top
wall. Make sure that both of the new interior walls are the same distance from their
respective exterior walls.
8. Click the Dimensions button and display exterior dimension lines for your plan.
Your plan should now look something like this:
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When this is finished, your plan should look something like this:
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6. With the Select Items tool, click the upper, horizontal portion of one window box, and
then press the Delete key.
7. Do the same for the other window box.
Your plan should now look something like this:
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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.
3. Click OK to build the roof.
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:
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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.
3. Click the Build Roof tool to display the Build Roof dialog box.
4. Click OK to build the roof.
Your plan should now look like this:
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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 is
what your plan should look like in Plan view, as well as in Full Overview:
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If your ridge line has a step in it, click the Select Items button and adjust each of the
wall 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 roof
sections above each given wall, using the same techniques as above.
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The toolbar runs horizontally across the top of the program window, right under the menu
bar. Toolbar buttons are shortcuts to the most commonly used menu commands. The
toolbar 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 positioned
over 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 Buttons
Some 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 side
of the toolbar. For example, click the Wall Mode button to see tools for creating walls: the
Wall, Railing, Hatch Wall, Break Wall, and Thickness tools.
Each button on the right side selects a tool or executes a command.
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Next
Next tool
Selects objects that are stacked on top of one another, like staircases or cabinets, and objects
embedded 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 its
characteristics. You can also double-click the object to open its dialog box.
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Copy
Copy tool
Copies the selected object to the Clipboard. To paste the copy, click where you want the
copy to appear.
Delete
Delete tool
Deletes the selected object. To delete more than one object at a time, use the Delete Items
command on the Edit menu.
Wall Mode
The Wall Mode button lets you create a variety of wall types using the tools on the right
side of the toolbar.
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
Break Wall
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 Mode
The Door Mode button lets you create a variety of doors using the tools on the right side of
the toolbar. Select the appropriate door tool, and then click a wall. For standard doors, you
must click the doorway to create an actual door.
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 handles
in the direction you want.
To create a double door, widen the doorway to 4 feet or greater.
Sliding Door
Pocket Door
Bifold Door
Garage Door
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Doorway Library
Window Mode
The Window Mode button displays five window tools. Within bay, bow, and box windows,
select individual windows by clicking them using the Window tool.
Window
Window tool
Creates a standard window.
Bay
Box
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Bow
Window Library
Cabinet Mode
Cabinet mode lets you place cabinets.
Base Cabinet
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Wall Cabinet
Full Height
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 shelves
or customize an enlarged cabinet.
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Fixtures
The Fixtures button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and place 3D
fixtures and appliances for indoor and outdoor use.
Fixtures button
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Furniture
The Furniture button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and place
both indoor and outdoor furniture.
Furniture button
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Outdoor Objects
The Outdoor Objects button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and
place fences, bridges, ponds, statues, mailboxes, and other objects.
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Outdoor Images
The Outdoor Images button displays the Library Browser, from which you can choose and
place outdoor trees, shrubs, flowers, statues, or rocks.
Fireplace button
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Stairs Mode
The Stairs Mode button lets you create built-in stairs and landings. Bolt-in circular staircases
are fixtures, which you place with the Fixture tool.
Roof Mode
The Roof Mode button lets you build and edit roofs.
Build Roof
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Electrical Mode
The Electrical Mode button lets you place outlets, lights, and switches. Use the Electrical
Library to place other types of electrical items. You can place, move, and rotate these items
like cabinets.
110V Outlet
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
Place Outlets
Electrical Library
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Text Mode
Click the Text Mode button and click in your plan to display the Edit Text dialog box. Enter
the text in the dialog box and click OK to place it. Text is drawn like a vector object on the
plan and is sized in plan inches, not points.
Dimension Mode
Dimension mode lets you display dimension lines on your plan in two ways.
Dimension
Dimension tool
Creates manual dimension lines between parallel walls when you click and drag. These lines
update automatically when you relocate walls and can themselves be selected and moved.
Exterior Dimension
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Down One Floor
Click this button to see the next lower floor’s plan. This button is available only when you’ve
created multiple floors.
Up One Floor
Click this button to see the next higher floor’s plan. This button is available only when
you’ve created multiple floors.
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New Floor
Displays a dialog box where you can create a new floor in your home by deriving its outline
from the current floor or by starting with a blank Plan window.
View Mode
Selecting the View Mode button lets you open different views of your plan.
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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 Camera
view 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 change
the Camera view perspective. Double-click the camera in the Plan view to change its
settings.
Tools available in the Camera window include the following:
• The Move Camera tools let you move the camera Forwards and Backwards, Left and
Right, and Up and Down.
• The Turn Camera tools let you move the camera Left and Right, Upward and
Downward.
• 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 the
sun.
• 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 as
possible. It smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planes
meet (for example, where a countertop meets the wall).
• Create Bitmap File displays a dialog box where you can name and save the current view
as 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
• 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.
• 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 the
sun.
• 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 as
possible. It smoothes out textures and makes sure they are accurate where different planes
meet (for example, where a countertop meets the wall).
• Create Bitmap File displays a dialog box where you can name and save the current view
as 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
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Framing Overview
• Select Items lets you select items to see their dimensions. Double-click an item with this
tool to see and change its specifications.
• Show Items displays a dialog box where you can hide or show various items in your plan.
• 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 mouse
button, the area within the box fills the window.
Zoom Mode
Lets you change the magnification within the active window.
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Zoom
Zoom tool
Lets you zoom in on your plan by dragging a box around an area. When you release the
mouse button, the area within the box fills the window.
Undo Zoom
Zoom Out
Fill Window
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Reference: Menus
Almost 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 submenus
with their own commands.
File Menu
Includes commands for creating, opening, closing, saving, printing, exporting plans and
finding saved plans. The list at the bottom of the File menu shows the last four plans you
used. Select one to open it.
New Command
Opens a new, untitled plan. Opening a new file does not automatically close open files. You
can 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 the
view 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. You
can change these settings in the Defaults Setup dialog box, on the Options menu.
Change Units (Metric Dimensioning) Command
Lets you set system units to imperial or metric. This command doesn’t appear on the File
menu until you close all open windows.
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Open Command
Displays 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.
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Close Command
Shuts the active window. You can close one view of a design and leave the others open. For
instance, closing a Plan window does not automatically close its open Cross
Section/Elevation window.
When you close an existing plan, you are prompted to save any changes. Click Yes to save
the changes, No to disregard them, or Cancel to leave the file open. When you choose to
save a new plan, the Save Plan File dialog box appears so you can name the plan.
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For example, if you changed (but didn’t save) Home.PL1 before a system failure, the
program saves the original Home.PL1 file, plus an Autosave version called Home.PAl, which
includes at least some of the changes. When you restart the program, you can open
Home.PA1 and save its contents to a new file. If you restart the program and open only the
original Home.PL1, the program replaces the contents of Home.PA1 with those of the old
file after five minutes. Your changes from the first session are lost. Autosave is used only in
the event of a system or program failure.
Save As Command
Displays the Save Plan File dialog box, where you can enter a new file name and save the
current plan’s contents to a different file, or save the file to a different location.
Export Command
Displays 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 the
type of window active: DXF files can only be created from Plan view, while only a Metafile
or 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 plan
are organized in the DXF file into layers, with a single layer for each floor and each type of
object on that floor, labeled A-WALL-1, A-FURN-1, A-WALL-2, A-FURN-2, and so on.
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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 of
the current view.
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Materials List (TXT) Command
Used by spreadsheet and database programs; available only when a Materials List is the
current 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 Materials
spreadsheet.
The contents of the file depend on whether you created a Materials List for an area,
room, or floor.
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Print Command
Opens a dialog box where you can specify printing settings and print your plan. You can
also select a printer from here. Only items selected in the Show Items dialog box on the
Options menu will print. Depending on which window has the focus, this command will
either print a 2D view or a 3D graphical view.
The Print dialog box varies depending on the view.
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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 complete
view, as if you had chosen Fill Screen from the Window menu.
Line Weight Available only in Plan view. Specifies the line weight for all lines
defining the edges of 3D items. If you print onto paper larger than
legal size, the image appears in the upper-left corner of the page.
Exit Command
Exits the program, closing all windows and prompting you to save any files that changed.
Edit Menu
The Edit menu contains commands for modifying existing objects in your plan.
Undo Command
Reverses the previous operation.
Redo Command
Reverses the previous Undo.
Cut, Copy, and Paste Commands
Cut removes the selected item from the plan to the Clipboard. Copy copies the item to the
Clipboard. Paste places an item from the Clipboard onto a plan. You can paste cut and
copied items into a plan only in Plan view.
Delete Command
Removes a selected item without storing it on the Clipboard, like pressing the Delete key. A
deleted item cannot be pasted back into a plan. Delete can be used in all views except the
Materials List.
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Delete Items Command
Lets you delete entire categories of objects from a single room or an entire plan. Available
only in Plan view.
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Build Menu
Use this menu to create and place objects in your plan. Many of the selections in the menu
bring up submenus with further selections, because many objects have several types from
which to choose (like windows). The tools on the right side of the toolbar (the tools in a
mode) 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 to
draw a series of standard walls, for example, select Wall mode and Wall once, and then keep
dragging walls.
Wall Submenu
Lets 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, the
length of the wall will display in the toolbar’s status box. Once you finish a wall, you can
move 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 snap
to 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 dimension
lines display, locating the wall as you move it.
Drawing one wall close enough to the end of another of the same kind will cause the
program 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 old
wall may extend or contract to meet the new. The program will try to make all the joins
as smooth as possible by eliminating gaps and stubs. To do so, the program will adjust
the end of a new wall if it approaches an old wall, and will adjust the end of an old wall
if it is crossed by a new one.
Second wall at 90°, being drawn After walls have been snapped
close to first wall together and smoothed
This extending, contracting, and moving to make walls meet is called snapping, and the
distance within which it occurs is called the snapping distance. The default snapping
distance is one plan inch.
To change the snapping distance
1. On the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup, and then choose Dimension Defaults.
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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, down
the middle.
To move a wall
• Drag the center handle.
The pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, which indicates the direction you can
move the wall. While you are dragging a wall, its length displays in the status box in the
toolbar.
Walls can be moved only perpendicular to the direction in which they run; they cannot be
moved lengthwise or rotated.
You may not be able to move a wall if it is connecting and snapping to other walls that
are holding it in place. This happens when a diagonal wall connects to horizontal and
vertical walls to create a three-way corner, because with three walls connecting in one
place, the program does not know which wall to adjust. To avoid this, add diagonal walls
last, 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 the
old 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.
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3. On the Roof tab, specify the pitch and options for the portion of the roof that rests on
this wall.
4. Click the Railing tab to specify this wall as a railing and set its characteristics. For more
information, 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 the
rail, newel posts, and balusters.
6. Click OK.
Wall Command
Creates standard exterior and interior walls that define your plan by enclosing space. You
can locate them using manual and automatic dimension lines, define rooms, place windows
and 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 member
like a standard wall or railing. This lets you define a room area by double-clicking it and
naming it, without having to have the area completely walled in by physical walls. Invisible
walls act like standard walls in every other way.
Railing Command
Creates walls that remain visible and define rooms, but do not affect plan dimensions. Their
chief purpose is to define areas like balconies, porches, or decks, usually on the exterior of a
plan, so that those additions can be created without changing the program’s understanding
of the structure of the house. Railings can also be used to mark off staircases and landings,
and to divide a room.
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Railing Type Choose Balusters, Solid, Open (top rail only), or Open with
middle rail (top and middle rail).
Large Posts/ Pillars Changes the posts or pillars from standard 5-inch size to
10-inch
Post to Overhead Sets the newel posts to continue up to an overhead beam
Beam just below the ceiling.
Pillar to Changes the square newel posts to round pillars and extends
Ceiling/Beam them to the ceiling. Use this in combination with Post to
Overhead Beam to create an overhead beam.
Exterior Materials Makes the balusters the same material as the rails.
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3. Click the Railing Material tab to select materials for the rail, newel posts, and balusters.
Beam Command
Creates a wall that has no siding and does not show up in 3D views. Use beam walls in Plan
view to show where real beams are located.
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.
This wall has been broken in two, and the right wall is selected.
4. To exit Break Wall mode, press Esc.
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third wall. You will probably delete only one arm of the cross, however, since two walls of
different 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 Submenu
Lets 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. The
program will narrow a door to fit a tight space, but when the space is too tight, a warning
dialog box appears.
Although you can create doors only in Plan view, you can edit them in Cross
Section/Elevation view, where you can change width and height by dragging, and get a
sense 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 and
handles for resizing or moving the doorway.
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The size of the door opening is indicated either with four digits. For example, 2668
means 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 sure
the 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 the
door down to nothing.
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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.
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3. On the Frame & Trim tab, specify the frame style for the door.
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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.
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5. To change the color of doors or apply material to them, click the Material tab.
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 added
automatically.
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.
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Pocket Door Command
Creates doors that slide into wall pockets. These are usually placed in interior walls, but can
be set in exterior walls also. They are especially useful for creating sliding doors in spaces
narrower than four feet. Dragging an end handle determines on which side the door fits into
the wall.
Pocket doors default to 30 inches wide, but can be resized up to 72 inches. When the width
exceeds 44 inches, it becomes a double pocket door.
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Window Submenu
Lets 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 exterior
walls, and define an inside and outside, you can put windows anywhere. Once the house is
closed, placing a window in an interior wall displays a warning because interior walls do not
usually have windows. You can override this, however. No warning comes up if the
adjoining room is labeled Porch, Deck, Balcony, or Court.
3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 creates bay, box, and bow windows from standard windows
and structural members. You can buy prefabricated bays and bows with more glass
compared 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 are
built from standard materials on site. If you plan to use prefabricated windows, you can
approximate them with the Bay, Box, and Bow Window commands, or indicate the
opening using a standard window. Check with your builder and suppliers to see what will
work best.
You can also create custom windows by building them yourself from walls and standard
windows. For example, if you want a bay window with three windows across the front
instead 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 the
program allows only one window per side in a defined bay window. Use similar tricks for
creating recessed windows for herb gardens and interior courts.
You can use almost any dimensions you want for your windows. Make sure your window
designs 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 be
expensive and complicated. You would be better off with six three-foot windows, or several
sliding doors. Likewise, you can set the window separation to zero and place several
windows side-by-side, but actually building these without structural supports between them
would 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 for
resizing 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 window
surface.
The window dimension shows the changing height. The top of the window remains at
the 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 handle
perpendicular to the window changes the window’s configuration, depending on
direction and window type.
7. To delete a window, select it and press the Delete key or click the Delete tool, or resize
the window down to nothing.
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3. On the Sash tab, specify the dimensions of the window sash.
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5. Click the Lites tab to specify the lites (glass panes) in the window.
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6. To change the color of windows or apply material to them, click the Material tab.
Window Command
Creates a window that uses the specifications in the Window Defaults dialog box on the
Options menu. You can place, move, resize, and delete standard windows.
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Bay Window Command
Creates a bay window out of three standard windows, with one at the front parallel to the
wall and two on either side at angles. By default, bay windows are 1 foot deep, 2 feet 2
inches wide at front, and 4 feet 2 inches at the wall, with the center window 1 foot 6 inches
wide 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 front
window, and the depth from front to wall. If Opening Size is checked in the Show
Items dialog box, you’ll also see the width of all three windows.
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Window Library Command
Lets you select specialty windows, including round and oval windows.
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Foundation Command
Lets you specify your foundation. Foundations are based on the layout of walls in the first
floor plan. Discuss the type of foundation for your project with a licensed contractor.
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Roof Submenu
Lets you create and edit various kinds of roofs.
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3. To change the color of doors or apply material to them, click the Material tab.
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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.
Stairs Command
Creates 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 prefabricated
stairs, like circular staircases.
Built-in staircases can be placed inside or outside of a home, can be set to go up or down
from the current floor, and can have several sections, even connected by landings. Stairs do
not attach to walls and cannot be rotated.
Although you cannot add staircases or edit them by dragging when in views other than
Plan, the Camera and Cross Section/Elevation windows show how your stairs look, and
how 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 the
top of the stairs.
To make a staircase that goes down from the current floor rather than up, hold the Shift
key while dragging. In general, create an up staircase, unless you are building a staircase
from a deck or porch. See About Down Staircases, later in this section.
The program uses default settings for the dimensions of the staircase components. How
high and long the staircase will be, and whether it reaches the next floor, depend on
how 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 change the staircase
1. Double-click a staircase to see the Staircase Specification dialog box.
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5. To change the color of stairs or apply material to them, click the Material tab.
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Stairwell has to be declared Open Below to show stairs coming up through the floor.
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Cabinet Submenu
Creates cabinets.
Cabinets are not part of the structure of a plan. They can be placed and moved freely, and
do not affect the basic plan. Cabinets attach to walls.
Cabinets are modular—cabinets of the same type are often placed together to form a single
unit, like a set of cabinets in a kitchen forming an island. The program reflects this
modularity by snapping cabinets together into constructions that display like a single piece.
Because cabinets have distinct fronts and backs, they have a direction. The program
indicates direction with an arrow, and will only attach cabinets by their backs and sides to
each other and walls, and will only attach cabinets that face the same direction.
You can create custom cabinet configurations by changing individual cabinets and by
arranging cabinets in special groups. One such grouping is a kitchen island, which comprises
a number of carefully aligned base cabinets. To create an island, create a series of cabinets
attached side by side (and facing one direction), and then create another series facing the
other 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 island
should display as a single piece. If lines still show between cabinets, even when the Module
option in the Show Items dialog box is off, the cabinets are not attached properly and need
adjusting. Use the same technique to create a group of wall cabinets hanging from the
ceiling above the island.
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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 a
type of cabinet, just a regular cabinet that faces two directions. If you want a regular cabinet
in 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 width
allowed.
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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 cabinet
above it, and vice versa.
When you select a cabinet, its outline, width, direction arrow, and handles display. A
cabinet 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 the
Ctrl 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 is
checked in the Show Items dialog box, in which case the boundaries and directions of all
cabinets appear. You can select an individual cabinet, even if it’s attached to others. You can
move 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.
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3. On the Cabinet Front tab, specify the features of the cabinet face.
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Soffit Command
Fills in the area between a wall cabinet and the ceiling. Soffits move and resize like wall
cabinets. The soffit default depth is one inch greater than the default depth for wall
cabinets.
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 using
base cabinets that contain shelves.
Fireplace Command
Creates fireplaces.
You can create two kinds of fireplaces with this command. Both kinds are built-in masonry
fireplaces, but those placed in walls act like doors and windows, while those placed in the
middle of a room act like cabinets.
You can place and edit freestanding fireplaces as you do cabinets. To move one, drag its
center handle. To resize it, drag its side and front handles. To rotate it, drag its rotate
handle. To deepen it, drag its front handle. Unlike wall fireplaces, freestanding fireplaces
cannot be fully set into a wall, but can be placed against one. They will not attach. Most
residential houses use wall fireplaces.
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You can also place prefabricated fireplaces using the Fixture Library. These are treated like
fixtures because, unlike masonry fireplaces, they are not built on site, but prefabricated and
then built into the structure. See Fixture, later in this section.
All masonry fireplaces have three components: the hearth, which projects out from the rest
of the fireplace, the fire box, and the surrounding walls. You can set the height, width, and
depth 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 interior
wall, 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 use
standard delete commands.
A wall fireplace can be set in so the box is flush with the wall, or pulled out so that the
back 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 the
fireplace further into the wall, so that the chimney is external and runs up the outside of
the structure.
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To change a fireplace
1. Double-click the fireplace to open its Fireplace Specification dialog box.
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4. To change the color of the fireplace or apply material to it, click the Material tab.
Electrical Submenu
Places electrical items.
You can select an electrical item with the Select Items tool to move and rotate it like a
fixture. 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 is
largely prescribed by building code regulations. It is usually best to wait until the rest of your
plan is finished before placing electrical items. The program automates much of the
placement process. For instance, when you place plain 110-volt outlets, the program
determines, based on location within rooms and circuits, whether an outlet should be
waterproof (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 from
the floor, wall switches are 48 inches, wall lights are 72 inches, and ceiling fans and lights
are the ceiling height. Outlets above a cabinet are six inches up, unless the cabinet contains
a sink, in which case the outlet is placed behind the cabinet. The difference may not be
immediately 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 the
Plan Check command is used.
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Light Command
Lets you place lights in your plan. Clicking near a wall will place the light in the wall, and
clicking away from a wall and toward the middle of the room will place the light in the
ceiling.
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.
Electrical library
2. Locate the item you want.
Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to display
several 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 S
in 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 as
needed.
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A basic circuit
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Fixtures Command
Displays the Library Browser, where you can choose fixtures.
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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 handle
and a rotating one. Some freestanding fixtures attach themselves to walls, and moving the
wall 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, along
with 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 are
treated like fixtures because unlike the staircases above, they are not built on site, but are
prefabricated, and then placed in your design.
To place a circular staircase
1. Choose Furniture, and then Interior Decoration_3DHA, and then Circular Stairs, and
the size you want.
2. Click where you want the staircase.
Prefabricated staircases display central and rotation handles and show width when
selected.
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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 to
frame them in. Everything needed is included with the staircase.
Prefabricated Fireplaces
Prefabricated metal fireplaces are not meant to be freestanding, but built into special wall
designs.
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4. Drag the side walls against the fireplace, and then push it forward by dragging the back
wall to which it is attached forward.
This makes the fireplace punch through the wall, assuming it is a four-inch wall. If the wall
is thicker, replace the wall section in front of the fireplace with a 4-inch-thick section
using the Break Wall command.
Prefabricated fireplaces display movement and rotation handles and width when
selected.
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 for
Fixture/Furniture, because prefabricated fireplaces are considered fixtures.
Furniture Command
Opens the Library Browser, where you can choose furniture items.
To place furniture
1. On the Build menu, choose Furniture.
2. Locate the item you want.
Click a plus sign (+) next to any entry to see its subentries. You may need to display
several levels before you find actual furniture items.
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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 the
Furniture 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 multiple
times.
Furniture can be placed anywhere in a plan big enough to hold it, and then can be
moved and rotated.
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(four eighths equal half an inch). The size of the numbers themselves is fixed, to make sure
you 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 a
facing wall.
You can also drag a line to or from an opening, by starting or ending your drag close
enough 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 the
General tab), your dimension lines will locate the wall, but only if there is no more than
one normal wall. If the dimension lines locate two or more normal walls, any No Locate
walls are ignored.
A dimension line that extends past several interior walls or openings will locate all of
them 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 three
handles and can be moved sideways by dragging the center one, and resized by
dragging the ends in and out. Dragging an end handle is difficult because it cannot be
selected if a wall is present. This is because the ends will move automatically as the items
they locate move.
Although dimension lines expand and contract automatically, they do not move sideways
to accommodate changes. For this reason, place them only after you have arranged your
walls and openings. Although dimension lines and numbers will automatically adjust to
changes, diagonal walls can cause slight errors in measurement. If you made changes
after 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 editing
them, individual sections can later be deleted by drawing over them. Adjacent sections
are not affected.
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Exterior Dimension Command
Creates a comprehensive set of exterior dimension lines all around your plan. These lines will
locate all exterior walls and openings, interior walls (unless you set the No Locate attribute
for a wall). They end on an exterior wall. Exterior dimensions can be placed only if your plan
has an exterior, and for this the plan must be completely enclosed in walls.
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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.
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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 displayed
in 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 label
from 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.
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Outdoor Images Command
Places outdoor images such as plants, trees, and rocks in your plan.
Unlike three-dimensional objects such as fixtures and furniture, outdoor images are bitmap
representations that can be changed in only two dimensions (height and width). When you
change the height, the width changes proportionally, and vice versa.
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3. Click OK.
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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 you
clicked. When you make your changes, all items of this type will use the new settings. In
Plan view, you can display this dialog by choosing Define Materials from the Materials
submenu of the Options menu. Once materials are defined in this dialog box, you can
assign them to objects using the specification dialog boxes for each type of object.
2. In the Group box, select the type of material you want.
3. Specify whether you want a solid color or a texture.
4. Specify whether to make the surfaces dull, normal, or shiny.
5. Click the Select button to choose a color or texture.
If you specified Texture, rather than Color, a library window lets you choose from a
hierarchical set of textures. You can use your own image files to create textures—see the
section on the Define Material command on the Options menu in the Reference chapter
of this book.
If you specified Color, you can choose a defined color or create a custom color.
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 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 the colors
to 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.
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About Rooms
Rooms are not listed on the Build menu, and there is no tool to create them. Rooms are not
objects, but collections of objects. Like a floor plan, a room defines a space by surrounding it
with 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 can
be considered apart from the rest of the rooms, and treated as such. Rooms let you divide
your plan into separate areas, and treat each area separately, so what you do in one area
does not affect the other areas.
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Subdivide your plan with walls of any type to create rooms. If the wall is a standard wall
or railing, place a door in it. Beams and invisible walls define a room, but do not close it
off in any way, leaving the room open. Many dining rooms, for example, are not
completely enclosed by walls. You can also create a real wall but place a large doorway in
it, which creates a kind of arch to divide the rooms.
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Room information does not always update automatically. To make sure all room information
is up to date, run Plan Check.
You cannot delete a room. You can delete its contents using the Delete Items command on
the Edit menu.
To change a room
1. Double-click in a blank area of the room to see its Room Specification dialog box.
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3. On the Molding tab, specify the room’s moldings.
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If both boxes are checked, the room will have a roof with a flat ceiling. If neither box is
checked, 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.
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Options Menu
Most of the commands in this menu determine how objects display and behave in your plan
while you are drawing.
Show Items Command
Determines which objects display in your plan.
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Set Plan Colors Command
Controls the colors used for objects in Plan view.
Materials List
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The Materials List is a spreadsheet listing each kind of material item needed to build your
plan. All objects in the selected area, whether displayed or not, are included in the Materials
List. Electrical items are described, so you can check the exact characteristics of outlets and
switches. You enter your own cost in the price column, and then a cost for that item will
automatically appear in the Tot. Cost column.
You can export an open Materials List using the TXT command in the Export submenu on
the 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 the
frames. 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, and
gutters.
• Cubic yards of cement needed for the foundation wall and concrete footing. Drilled
pier holes and concrete support posts are also listed.
• Carpeting and other flooring materials as defined in the Room Specification dialog
box for a particular room.
• Interior wall material as defined in the Room Specification dialog box for a particular
room.
• 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, such
as 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 and
floors, you need to budget to fudge it. You always need a little bit more material than is
theoretically 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 Price
columns. If you want to use 2x12-inch joists instead of 2x10-inch joists, specify this change
in the appropriate box in the Comment column, instead of the Size column. The idea here
is to get a list of materials that you can take to your local supplier and get an estimate of
how much the materials alone will cost you.
Disclaimer: The Learning Company makes no guarantees regarding the completeness of the
Materials 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. To
change the default for future plans, click the Options menu, choose Defaults Setup, and
choose 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.
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 based
on 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 it
and choosing Copy.
2. In the Program Files\Broderbund\3D Home Architect\Textures folder, right-click the My
Textures folder and choose Paste.
3. In 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4, on the Options menu, choose Materials and then
choose Define Materials.
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Plan Defaults Command
Controls how the program works for your plan file.
Ignore Casing for Casing is the trim that surrounds a door or window. When you
Opening Resize resize a door or window, the sides of these openings are kept
away from an intersecting wall by the width of the trim or
casing. Check this option if you want the casing to be ignored
so you can move or resize a door or window flush against an
intersecting wall.
Restrict Camera to Lets you restrict camera view to one room only. This speeds up
Room redrawing.
Unconnected Wall Sets the length of the smallest wall you can draw. The default
Min. Length is 18 inches, which keeps you from drawing little stubs by
accident.
Inches Scrolled by Determines how far your plan will scroll in its window when
Arrow Key you press an arrow key. The default is 12 inches.
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Wall Cabinet Defaults
Determines the default characteristics of base cabinets. The settings are the same as those
on the Wall Cabinet Specification dialog box.
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Specification On an upper floor, Floor Height changes the ceiling height for the
current floor and the floor below it. You cannot change this setting
for the first floor.
Ceiling Height controls the height of your walls in the room. It is
relative to the room’s floor height.
Floor Above Height specifies the height of the floor above this
one.
Use Above Floor’s Sets the ceiling height at the bottom of the floor joists.
Platform for Ceiling
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Base, chair rail, and crown moldings
4. To apply material to the floor, click the Material tab.
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Locate Interior Wall Determines whether walls are measured from their centers,
Dimensions At which is the default, or from their outer surfaces. (Exterior walls
are always measured from their outer surfaces.)
Number Height Determines how big dimensions appear, in scale inches. Unlike
text, dimensions display at this size at any magnification level,
so you can read them.
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Wall & Opening Determines the minimum movement for walls and openings
Snap Unit snapping to another wall, or to a standard, even opening size.
With a default 1-inch snap, walls are never resized less than an
inch, while openings do not resize less than an inch on each
side, which keeps the opening centered and to a standard, 2-
inch increment.
Select Unrestricted to allow a snap of any length, even
fractions of an inch.
3. Click OK.
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3D Menu
The 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 clicking
the 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 available
only for the appropriate views.
When 3D views are created, the program calculates the floor and ceiling areas, which results
in the creation of an attic.
Camera Command
Lets you locate a camera in your three-dimensional plan. Camera view shows you how your
plan 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 sure
surfaces 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-dimensional
display of the view you selected. The lines angling out from the camera show how far left
and right you will be able to see.
Camera tool
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5. Double-click a camera to open a Camera Setup dialog box to set the following:
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Floor Overview Command
Opens a three-dimensional, bird’s-eye view of the entire plan, including multiple level
designs. No roofs display. Selecting the command displays the overview immediately.
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In the Define Materials dialog box, the Name list shows you the type of item you
clicked. When you make your changes, all items of this type will use the new settings.
Remove 3D Command
Closes the three-dimensional and elevation views while you are in Plan view. This neatens up
the workspace and speeds up the program.
Show Walkthrough Command
Shows a 3D walkthrough of a plan. A walkthrough is a 3D representation of what your
finished house would look like if you walked around or through it. Click this command, and
then open a walkthrough file (for example, MYPLACE.WLK). The application plays the
walkthrough.
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Tools Menu
The Tools menu lets you check your plan, create a new one with the House Wizard, control
reference floors, show or hide the toolbar, and use the Library Browser.
Plan Check Command
Checks your plan for compliance with standard building practices by going through every
room and determining whether there are adequate windows, doors, electrical systems, and
so on.
You can review all the problems and fix them at the same time, or place Plan Check on hold
while 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 of
questionable items, the number of the current item, and a message area explaining it.
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267
Library Browser Command
Displays the hierarchical list of all libraries.
Library Browser
268
Chapter 7: Reference: Menus
269
Show Room Boxes Command
Redisplays room boxes hidden by the House Wizard after you use the Build House
command. Room boxes display rooms as objects that you can resize and rotate.
Internet Menu
The Internet menu connects you to a technical support web site or lets you upgrade to
Chief Architect, a more sophisticated version of the program.
The first time you use a command on the Internet menu, 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4 may
ask you to configure your Web browser for use with the application. Follow the on-screen
instructions.
Visit 3D Home Architect Web Site Command
The 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.
Window Menu
The 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 at
which 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 you
change the active window by selecting it.
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Chapter 7: Reference: Menus
Help Menu
The Help menu lets you use the online Help system. The Help system uses its own windows
that can be moved, resized, and minimized and maximized like any other, so you can view a
help topic while working on your plan.
3D Home Architect Help Command
Lets you see the topics covered and select ones to read in more detail.
Using Help Command
Explains how to use the online Help system.
View Manual Command
Displays this printed User Manual as a PDF file.
About Command
Displays version information for the product.
271
272
Appendix
273
Appendix A: Introduction to Residential Design
This 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 that
focuses on your locality, since building practices and local ordinances vary. Your best source
of 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-builder
associations or programs through local junior colleges.
274
Appendix
275
Determining House Size
How large should your home be? Many factors influence this, but your budget places an
upper limit on it.
Even if you do all of the planning and design yourself, you may need an architect or civil
engineer to help you with your foundation or to ensure that your home’s supporting
structure is adequate. Many localities require the signature and stamp of an architect or
engineer to approve foundations and large supporting beams. Be prepared for higher
engineering 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 kind
that 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 other
utilities. Check with your town or county building department for more information on
these. While you are there, find out any other information you can about building and
building costs in your area. Some building departments, especially in smaller towns, can be
very helpful.
Site preparation can include surveying, grading, excavating for a basement, and running
electricity, sewer, water, and other utilities from the street. If you don’t already own your
building site, remember to add in that cost!
Landscaping can be put off until the money is available, but you may still want to get an
idea of what you will eventually spend on this. Check with your local government. You may
be 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 the
total number of square feet in all the living areas by a cost per square foot number. This
number 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 plastic
laminate, 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 idea
of the overall size of your house.
276
Appendix
bathroom or closet meant for use only by the occupants of a particular bedroom.) To
accomplish this, the front door in your plan should open into an entry hall, and this or a
connected hallway should connect the other rooms. While this ideal is not practical for a
very small house or a guest cottage, it is the standard way to plan a larger home. Of course
there will be exceptions to this rule, but the larger the home, the more strictly it should be
followed.
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you lay out your plan. First, don’t consider hallways as
wasted space, so that you make them as narrow as possible, using the space you save
elsewhere. This makes them cramped and unpleasant. Hallways are living areas too, and
you’ll be in them more often than you think. The features you design into a room will give
that room its character and appeal. The features you design in your hallways add character
and appeal to your home as a whole. In a two-story plan, try to combine an upstairs hallway
with the stairway so they share a larger open area. Widen the hallway a little, raise the
ceiling and place a skylight or chandelier over this area.
277
Certain notations may be required on your plan before it is approved. For example, a note
about the size and location of crawl space vents around the house perimeter may be
required. A door between a garage and the rest of the house may have to be designated as
solid core (for fire protection). Study a set of plans that has already been approved to find
out about these things. After that, simply submit your plans. When you get them back they
will 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. Allow
time to resubmit your corrected plans once or twice. The building inspectors are there for
your benefit. They will protect you from bad construction caused by your own mistakes or
by the shoddy workmanship of others. One owner-builder working on his first house hired a
subcontractor to install all the wallboard. The job did not appear to be done well, but he
said nothing because he wasn’t an expert. The building inspector came in while the
subcontractor 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 prevents
these inspections. Do not cover this work until it has been inspected! If the nailing of the
subfloor to the joists must be inspected, don’t install the hardwood floors before the
inspection. You may have to take them back up.
278
Appendix
Q. I added a bay window, and I want to place some furniture inside the window alcove, but the
program 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 the
program wants to keep the objects in the room. Click the room with the Select Items
tool to see an outline along the wall of the room. Whatever is contained within the
outline is in the room; note that an alcove is not. To place furniture objects within the
alcove, hold down the Ctrl key while you do so. You can construct large bay or box
windows with standard walls and windows so the resulting alcoves will be within the
room.
Q. I added a down staircase going down to a lower level, and the stairs are going straight into
the 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 a
stairwell by creating an Open Below room with railings.
279
Q. I want to create a cabinet island in the middle of the kitchen with overhead cabinets hanging
from 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 wall
cabinets will attach to the wall, but if they are placed away from the wall, they attach to
the ceiling and become ceiling cabinets.
Q. I placed a masonry fireplace in my living room, but I can’t get it to go through the wall so the
chimney is outside. What’s the trick?
A. In Plan view, select the fireplace and move it into the wall by clicking the center of the
fireplace while holding the Ctrl key down. Position the fireplace so the edge of the fire
box lines up with the wall, leaving only the hearth protruding from the wall.
280
Appendix
281
Appendix C: Printing Blueprints
You’ve finished your home design, and would like to start taking steps toward the estimating
and construction process. You can have a national home planning and computer drafting
company professionally complete your drawings at affordable prices.
HomeStyles Modifications offers three levels of service to 3D Home Architect® Deluxe 4 users.
282
Appendix
283
284
Index
285
Index Arrange Icons command, 271
Automatic Roof Designer, 206
automatic save files, 169, 170
1-2-3
110V Outlet tool, 157 B
110V Outlets, 225 backup files, 169, 170
220V Outlets, 225 Base Cabinet, 221
3D Background command, 265 Base Cabinet Defaults, 253
3D Home Architect Base Cabinet tool, 150
changing default values, 251 base cabinets
exiting, 177 creating, 150
features, 6 base molding
installing, 3 for rooms, 244
modes, 13 bathroom
objects, 15 adding (tutorial), 45
overview, 8 Bay Window tool, 149
removing, 4 bay windows, 202
requirements for, 2 creating, 149
starting, 3 placing furniture within, 279
uninstalling, 4 beam walls, 186
upgrading to Chief Architect, 270 Bifold Door tool, 148
version information, 271 bifold doors, 194
web site, 270 creating, 148
3D Home Architect Help command, 271 Bitmap Files
3D menu, 259 saving 3D views as, 173
3D Background, 265 bitmaps
Adjust Sunlight, 263 using as textures, 250
Camera, 259 blueprints
Cross Section/Elevation, 262 printing professionally, 282
Final View, 263 boundary lines
Floor Overview, 262 showing for plan, 240
Framing Overview, 262 Bow Window tool, 150
Full Overview, 261 bow windows, 203
Record Walkthrough, 265 creating, 150
Remove 3D, 264 placing furniture within, 279
Select Material, 263 Box Window tool, 149
Show Walkthrough, 264 box windows, 203
Stop Recording, 265 creating, 149
placing furniture within, 279
A Break Wall tool, 147
About command, 271 and roofs, 139
Adjust Sunlight command, 263 breaking walls, 147, 187
application windows budget
aligning when minimized, 271 checking, 121
arranging side by side, 271 Build House, 269
staggering, 271 Build House Wizard, 7, 268, 270
286
Index
287
outdoor objects, 237 crown molding
rooms, 243 for rooms, 244
stairs, 210 current floor
text, 236 defaults, 254
walls, 182 Cut command, 177
characteristics
changing for objects, 145 D
for cabinets, 219 decks
for doors, 190 building, 98
for fireplaces, 223 default settings
for railings, 185 about, 19
for rooms, 243 defaults
for stairs, 210 for base cabinets, 253
for walls, 182 for cabinets, 253
for windows, 197 for camera views, 258
Chief Architect for current floor, 254
upgrading to, 270 for dimension lines, 257
circuits for entire plan, 252
creating, 158, 227 for full height cabinets, 253
circular staircases, 229 for object materials, 258
Clipboard for standard windows, 253
copying objects to, 146, 177 for wall cabinets, 254
cutting objects to, 177 Defaults Setup command, 251
pasting objects from, 177 Define Materials, 250
Close All command, 170 Define Materials dialog box, 264
Close command, 170 Delete All Roofs tool, 157
Color On/Off command, 259 Delete button, 146
colors Delete command, 177
for plan, 248 Delete Items command, 178
comments Delete Roof, 208
adding to plans, 234 deleting
compliance cabinets, 218
checking for plans, 265 doors, 189
Connect Electrical, 227 doorways, 189
Connect Electrical tool, 158 objects, 17
Copy button, 146 walls, 181
Copy command, 177 windows, 196
copying deleting categories of objects, 178
design elements, 77 deleting objects, 177
objects, 17 Dimension
creating and No Locate setting, 233
Camera views, 259 Dimension button, 159
Cross Section/Elevation button, 164 Dimension Defaults, 257
Cross Section/Elevation command, 262 dimension lines
Cross Section/Elevation view adding, 159
toolbar for, 262 defaults, 257
288
Index
289
Change Units command, 168 floors
Close All command, 170 changing reference, 160
Close command, 170 creating, 161, 204
Exit, 177 viewing lower, 160
Export command, 171 viewing upper, 160
Import Bitmap, 175 folding doors, 194
Materials List (TXT), 174 creating, 148
New command, 168 font
Open command, 169 for plan text, 280
Print, 176 Footings foundations, 205
Save As command, 171 foundation
Save command, 170 creating plan for, 109
Fill Window button, 165 Foundation command, 205
Fill Window command, 271 foundations
Final View command, 263 creating, 205
Fireplace button, 155 Framing Overview
Fireplace command, 221 toolbar for, 262
Fireplace Specification dialog box, 223 Framing Overview button, 164
fireplaces Framing Overview command, 262
adding masonry, 95 freestanding fireplaces, 221
built-in, 221 frequently-asked questions, 279
changing, 223 Full Height Cabinet, 221
creating, 222 Full Height Cabinet Defaults, 253
for two-story homes, 279 Full Height Cabinet tool, 151
freestanding, 221 full height cabinets
placing, 155 creating, 151
positioning, 222 Full Overview
prefabricated, 230 toolbar for, 261
fixtures Full Overview button, 163
adding to cabinets, 87 Full Overview command, 261
freestanding, 229 furniture
movable, 88 applying colors and materials, 94
placing, 152, 228 creating custom, 280
placing in cabinets, 35 placing, 43, 153
within cabinets, 229 Furniture button, 153
Fixtures button, 152 Furniture command, 231
Fixtures command, 228 Furniture/Fixture Specification dialog box, 237
flipping
plans, 179 G
Floor command, 204 Gable Over Opening, 207
Floor Defaults, 254 Gable Over Opening tool, 156
Floor Defaults dialog box, 254 gable roof
Floor Overview for L-shaped house, 139
toolbar for, 262 tutorial, 126
Floor Overview button, 163 gable roof over door or window, 134
Floor Overview command, 262 gable roofs
290
Index
291
M N
magnification New command, 168
changing, 164 New Floor button, 161
mansard roof Next button, 145
tutorial, 132
manual dimension lines O
creating, 233 object materials
masonry fireplaces defaults, 258
placing, 155 objects
Material Defaults, 258 3D Home Architect, 15
materials changing, 16, 178
applying, 50 copying, 17, 146
assigning to object types, 263 deleting, 17, 146
defining with your own images, 250 hiding or displaying, 247
Materials command, 248 moving, 15, 179
materials for objects, 250 resizing, 16
Materials List rotating, 16
creating for entire plan, 161 selecting, 16, 178
for entire plan, 251 selecting, 144
for room, 251 selecting when stacked, 16, 145
for specified area, 251 setting characteristics, 145
Materials List (TXT) command, 174 Open button, 145
measurement units Open command, 169
changing, 168 Open Item command, 178
menus Options menu, 247
displaying, 168 Color On/Off, 259
metric units, 168 Defaults Setup, 251
mirroring Materials, 248
plans, 179 Set Plan Colors, 248
modes Show Items, 247
3D Home Architect, 13 outdoor images
molding adding, 57, 238
for rooms, 244 changing, 239
Monolithic Slab foundations, 205 placing, 155
Move Area command, 179 Outdoor Images button, 155
moving Outdoor Images command, 238
cabinets, 217 outdoor objects
doors, 189 adding, 237
objects, 15, 179 changing, 237
walls, 181 placing, 154
windows, 196 Outdoor Objects button, 154
multiple floors Outdoor Objects command, 236
about, 19 outlets
multiple-section staircase placing for a room, 227
creating, 209 placing for entire room, 158
placing one at a time, 157
292
Index
overview Q
3D Home Architect, 8 quitting the program, 177
P R
pantry cabinets, 221 Railing tool, 146
Paste command, 177 railing walls, 184
Place Outlets, 227 creating, 146
Place Outlets tool, 158 railings
Plan Check specifying, 185
using (tutorial), 59 Record Walkthrough command, 265
Plan Check command, 265 Redo command, 177
Plan Defaults, 252 Reference Display On command, 267
plans reference floor
automating the creation of, 268, 269 changing, 160
changing reference floors, 267 reference floors
closing, 170 changing, 267
closing all, 170 swapping, 267
creating, 168 reference plans
deleting items from, 178 using, 111
exporting, 171 Remove 3D command, 264
flipping, 179 removing
importance of, 274 3D Home Architect, 4
magnifying, 271 requirements
mirroring, 179 for program, 2
opening, 169 residential design
printing, 176 overview, 274
reducing, 271 resizing
resizing to fit in window, 271 cabinets, 217
reversing, 179 doors, 189
saving, 170 objects, 16
saving to a new location, 171 option for door and window casings, 252
sequence for, 63 option for furniture and fixtures, 252
using reference floors, 267 windows, 196
Pocket Door tool, 148 Reverse Plan command, 179
pocket doors, 194 reversing operations, 177
creating, 148 reversing Undo operations, 177
placing, 71 Roof Mode button, 156
porches Roof submenu, 206
building, 100 roofs
prefabricated fireplaces, 230 building, 156
prefabricated staircases, 229 deleting, 157
Print command, 176 dormers in gable roofs, 134
printing plans, 176 gable over door or window, 134
projects gable roof, 126
planning, 63 gambrel roof, 129
gull wing roof, 130
293
half hip roof, 131 objects when stacked, 16
hip roof, 124 walls, 180
L-shaped, 139 Set Plan Colors command, 248
mansard roof, 132 shed roof
quick reference, 133 tutorial, 127
saltbox roof, 128 Shelf, 221
shed roof, 127 Shelf tool, 151
specifying, 206 shelves
specifying for walls, 183 creating, 151
techniques, 124 Show Items command, 247
Room Specification dialog box, 243 Show Room Boxes, 270
rooms Show Walkthrough command, 264
about, 241 Show/Hide Toolbars command, 267
arranging, 276 single-section staircase
building, 241 creating, 208
ceilings for, 245 Sliding Door tool, 148
centering labels, 279 sliding doors, 193
changing, 243 creating, 148
creating, 241 smoke detectors
deleting items from, 178 adding, 158
naming, 28, 243 snapping distance
roofs for, 245 for walls, 180
specifying ceiling height, 243 Soffit, 221
specifying floor height, 243 Soffit tool, 151
specifying molding, 244 soffits
rotating creating, 151
cabinets, 218 spreadsheet of materials and costs, 248, 251
objects, 16 stacked objects
selecting, 145
S Staircase Specification dialog box, 210
saltbox roof staircases
tutorial, 128 circular, 229
Save 3D Image dialog box, 173 freestanding, 229
Save As command, 171 placing, 156
Save command, 170 stairs
scrolling changing, 210
distance for arrow keys, 252 exterior, 106
second floor tutorial, 101
and staircases, 113 Stairs command, 208
creating plan for, 111 Stairs Mode button, 156
Select Items button, 144 standard doors, 193
Select Items command, 178 creating, 147
Select Material command, 263 standard walls, 183
selecting creating, 146
cabinets, 217 standard windows, 201
objects, 16, 178 creating, 149
294
Index
295
Up One Floor button, 160 breaking, 147, 187
Upgrade to Chief Architect command, 270 changing, 182
Using Help command, 271 creating, 146
deleting, 181
V drawing, 179
View Manual command, 271 drawing at angles, 179
View Mode button, 161 extending, 181
viewing exterior, 63
in three dimensions, 39 hatching, 147, 186
views interior, 66
Camera, 162, 259 invisible, 67, 184
camera defaults, 258 joining two thicknesses, 187
closing, 170 moving, 181
closing all, 170 railing, 146, 184
Cross Section/Elevation, 164, 262 selecting, 180
Final, 263 setting minimum length, 252
fitting within the window, 165 setting thickness, 147, 187
Floor Overview, 163, 262 snapping, 179
Framing Overview, 164, 262 specifying, 182
Full Overview, 163, 261 standard, 146, 183
magnifying, 165 Window command, 195
reducing, 165 Window Defaults, 253
Visit 3D Home Web Site command, 270 Window Library, 204
Window Library tool, 150
W Window menu, 270
Arrange Icons, 271
walkthrough
Cascade, 271
creating, 122
Fill Window, 271
walkthroughs
Tile, 271
ending, 265
Undo Zoom, 271
recording, 265
Zoom, 271
showing, 264
Zoom Out, 271
Wall Cabinet, 221
Window Mode button, 149
Wall Cabinet Defaults, 254
Window Specification dialog box, 197
Wall Cabinet tool, 151
Window tool, 149
wall cabinets
windows
creating, 151
adding, 195
soffits for, 151
bay, 149, 202
Wall command, 179
bow, 150
Wall Mode button, 146
bowx, 203
Wall Specification dialog box, 182
box, 149, 203
Wall tool, 146
changing, 197
wallpaper
closing, 170
creating your own, 250
closing all, 170
walls
creating, 149
adding shelves to, 151
creating custom, 195
beams, 186
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Index
deleting, 196
gables over, 156
library, 150
moving, 196
placing gables over, 207
resizing, 196
specifying glass panes in, 200
standard, 149, 201
Windows Metafiles
creating, 172
WMF files
creating, 172
Write DXF File dialog box, 172
Write Windows Metafile dialog box, 172
X-Z
zoom
undoing, 165
Zoom button, 165
Zoom command, 271
zoom commands
reversing, 271
Zoom Mode button, 164
Zoom Out button, 165
Zoom Out command, 271
297