Software Review of:
FloorPlan 3D Design Suite 

Minimum requirements are for a Pentium 90 MHz processor, 24 MB of RAM, an SVGA monitor with 256 colors and 640 x 480 resolution, a CD-ROM drive, 55 MB of hard drive space, and Windows 95 operating system. Recommended is a Pentium 120 Mhz or faster processor, 32 MB of RAM, an SVGA monitor with 16-bit, 600 x 800 color resolution, a CD-ROM drive, 105 MB of hard drive space and Windows 95 operating system. Installation was easy with my system, which far exceeds the recommended requirements for this program. It seemed that installation of these programs was a bit clunky, even though they all installed perfectly, as far as I could tell. I will expand on this issue later in the article. 

You can use this suite of programs to design a new home, office or landscape. It would also lend itself to designing or redesigning spaces in your current dwelling or office building. If you use the Quick Tour to learn the essential steps to using this program, you will be up and running in no time. There are so many options to this program that you will most likely find yourself limited only by your imagination. 

The reference manual included was quite thorough and a definite plus in the programs column. Tutorials included on the CD and the 'Quick Tour' will walk you through the process of completing a design project from start to finish. There is an easy to connect to website with FAQs (frequently asked questions), a FloorPlan 3D knowledge base and e-mail support available as well as a technical support telephone line. When I called it to ask a few questions, the wait was short and the technician was knowledgeable and helpful. Score one for the IMSI technical support staff. 

You don't have to have a degree in engineering or architecture nor do you have to be an expert in CAD to use this program. This suite can be used by just about anyone who can read, manipulate a mouse and make selections from menus. It readily lends itself to use by a beginner (like me) who wants to convert a garage into a game room. 

What I did first was to get the layout of the land, or garage measurements, in this case and then I began to rebuild my internal walls, adding cabinets, outlets, doors, windows, lighting, and furniture as I chose. The program allows you to edit your choices, change them as you make them or save them and change them later. 

This was particularly helpful when I was deciding on my new room's floors, ceiling and wall colors and textures. There is great flexibility and a variety of choices at your fingertips built into the program. 

In addition, you can make changes to existing parts and save them, creating a new item. For example, the tutorial teaches you how to basically make a new door or window by editing existing ones and then saving the new object as a separate piece. You may then access these items and re-use them later, since you have saved them into the program. Once I was finished, I decided to look at my results. A photo-realistic image can be made, providing an almost photograph-like rendition of the room. 

Also included with the main program is Turboproject Express, a program that works hand in hand with FloorPlan 3D to set up schedules, track progress and monitor costs of materials for the project. This utility allows you to plan well ahead and then keep track of various aspects of the job. You can set timelines for various tasks to be done. Once each task is completed, that information can be entered. This tool helps you remain on top of the job. Home Designs Encyclopedia lets you browse through and choose from a second CD full of home plans. Homestyles included a book of home designs in this package with floorplans and line drawings depicting what the home looks like. This would be very helpful for the individual considering designing and building a custom home. 

3D Garden Designer is included as well. This is a program that was formerly Softkey's Landscape Architect and is now part of the FloorPlan 3D suite. You have a choice of various plants, flowers, trees and shrubs. Then simply drag and drop them onto the handy design window to visualize your perfect landscape. You can play with this program much the same as FloorPlan 3D to get a feel for what your yard would look like if you really developed it. There is a nice selection of objects in the object gallery, including such things as a dog house, swing sets, bricks, stones and other objects. 

Now for the negative, these are good programs and there is the main menu that integrates them well, but they each installed separately. This is true since they are programs from other vendors that IMSI has acquired. TurboProject Express, Home Designs Encyclopedia and Landscape Architect all were installed individually in folders separate from the FloorPlan 3D folder. However, they could be accessed either from the main menu of FloorPlan 3D or from their icons. The box claimed to include "3D Garden Designer," which actually presents as Softkey's Landscape Architect. This is what I meant when I referred to the clunky installation process. What I didn't like was that no shortcut icon was installed for FloorPlan 3D but one was installed (automatically) for Home Designs Encyclopedia. Smoother integration would be a plus for this program suite in the future. 

The program is available online from the web site at http://www.imsisoft.com or in local retail stores. Third party vendors on the internet have offered this product for under $40.00. I would recommend it based on its variety, power and cost combination. If you are planning to use one of these programs in the near future, take a look and compare its features before you decide.