It probably would make more sense to try and recreate them in Sketchup or a draw program like Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw - or import into Chief Architect and try to fix. Plans then probably could be saved as DXF and imported into more modern software.
software on Ebay/ Amazon and run used it in on an older Windows XP machine. Some have purchased that original 3D Home Architect Version 3.
I was able to open the files in Home Designer 10 a few years ago, but a lot was lost. I believe they were developed originally in 3D Home Architect Version 3. John's plans cannot be opened with HGTV Home & Landscape Platinum Suite 3.0. MUCH easier to use than Sketchup, and you can get your feet wet with the much less costly non-pro version. Version 3.0 is perfect for room additions, room makeovers or.
This innovative design software delivers the powerful tools and inspiration needed to transform your home and landscape, plus expert help from HGTV to get the job done right. Also Chief Architect Home Designer Professional is wonderful, and can output drawings suitable for submission. Take a fresh approach to the way you live with HGTV Ultimate Home Design with Landscaping and Decks 3.0. The learning curve is much higher, but there are lots of good tutorials.
Trimble Sketchup Pro seems to be preferred around here for making actual plans.
If it is based on Punch! there may be an upgrade path to the much more costly pro version, but I really don't know. $20 yes I'd take the chance for that amount so long as you recognize its limitations. It's not suitable for developing actual plans that could be submitted for approval, but very fun to play with and try things out. I tried it once, and it's good for sketching ideas quickly.
It’s only marred a little by a couple of annoying interface decisions, but the advantages certainly outweigh the disadvantages.Hi. Virtual Architect Ultimate with Landscaping and Decks Design 10 is mostly a good program, with many features designed to help you create easily and effectively. You can activate or deactivate the Tutor from the Help tab, although puzzlingly it’s not clear when you click on it if it did anything at all: having a button that changes state so you can see if the tool is on or not would be, well, you know, helpful, as opposed to letting the user guess if their click had any affect at all on the interface.
There is a ‘don’t show the Tutor again’ option but what if you need it for a different tool you haven’t used yet? This feature feels either overly helpful or frustratingly in the way.
However there was one thing we found particularly annoying: by default, every time you click on a tool, whether for the first time or the hundredth, a ‘Tutor’ window would open up offering you help and advice. Virtual Architect comes with a handful of good tutorials to help you get started, as well as a help tab that contains multiple online resources. Why couldn’t you use the mouse to navigate like pretty much all other similar apps do? Help Somehow it reminded us of those little red buttons some laptops used to have in the middle of the keyboard, designed to replace a mouse or trackpad…although to be fair, it wasn’t actually as bad as those abominations, but it really removed the joy out of exploring our creations. It has various uses, but the large central knob’s purpose is to help you move around a 3D landscape, and maybe it’s us, but it felt very frustrating attempting to use it. Yes you have the arrow keys which you can use for all views, but to properly wander around in three dimensions, you need to make use of the large dial lower right of the interface. The only issue we had was difficulty navigating in 3D. Navigate in 3D with the big (and frustrating) navigation button, lower right of the interface (Image credit: Nova Development)