Some of the mode tools available are wall (standard, railings, hatch wall, break wall, thickness), door (standard, sliding, pocket, bifold, garage), window (standard, bay, box, bow), and cabinet (base, wall, full height, soffit, shelf, rod) oriented. A comprehensive toolbar is used via point-and-click interface to plan your home and consists of left-hand tools (set modes), right-hand tools (associated with the modes selected), and a status box. Being a Windows application, the software utilizes eight basic types of display: plan, wall elevation, cross section, plan camera (3D view of your plan), full camera (perspective view), overview (bird's-eye view of floor plan), full overview, and materials.
The above feature is but one example of the capabilities of 3D Home Architect Deluxe. No need to be neat as the program aligns and dimensions the plan automatically when ready. The technology, for example, means you define all the walls and rooms of your planned home without leaving holes for windows or doors, add the doorways and windows later and finish by adding cabinets, fixtures and furniture, electrical items and labels. Unlike CAD programs that use simple geometric lines and arcs to define objects, 3D Home Architect Deluxe by Broderbund utilizes SmartParts Technology, an object-oriented methodology that emphasizes actual usage and placement of the objects within a home environment.
