According to Fasttrak, Showhome 3D is easier to use than any other home design software - and it is. Once you've spent some time playing with the program, most tasks are relatively easy to carry out. The stress, however, is on the 'relatively'. Like all home design software we've seen, Showhome 3D doesn't use a familiar Windows layout, with drop-down menus, palettes, a main document screen and so on. We wish it would. We were also a bit perturbed to find that the product manual was a 32MB PDF - the size meant it was unresponsive, even on a fast PC.
That said, this software has a lot going for it. It easily allows you to drag-and-drop different types of room into your design, arranging them like Lego blocks to build your dream home. The product is very good at understanding what you're doing and adjusting the design accordingly - if you place one room next to another, for instance, it deletes windows from the adjoining walls. Sometimes, however, we found that it left exterior walls in the middle of our house. This was easy to fix, though.
Once your house is built you can easily place a variety of furniture and electrical appliances. You can also add, delete and move fixtures such as lights and windows. All the fittings and objects are offered in a variety of standard UK sizes. Many home design programs work to US building and fitting sizes, so it's a relief to find this one doesn't.
Viewing your home is simple. You can toggle between several camera views using the space bar and walk through your home. The software allows you to choose the exact location of your house, listing cities from Aberdeen to York. You can also choose the compass orientation of your home, allowing you to see how it would be lit at various times of the day.
If you're in the process of designing your own home, you can use this software to draw up a good set of reference plans for your architect.
System Specifications
REQUIRES Windows 2000/XP, 450MHz processor, 512MB RAM, 1GB hard disk space
Verdict
Showhome 3D is an easy-to-use home design program. Showhome 3D is relatively easy to use and produces good 3D house models.
Author: Karl Wright
Computer Buyer Online