#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER UPGRADE#
#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER PRO#
#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER SOFTWARE#
#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER TRIAL#
#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER PROFESSIONAL#

PROFESSIONAL PICK: Chief Architect Premier Professional Home Design.

BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Total 3D Home, Landscape & Deck Premium Suite 12.

BEST OVERALL: Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design.

Read on to learn about the key features to keep in mind when shopping for the best home design software, and then explore our picks for the top options on the market. There are a number of home design apps available at a variety of price points, which can make choosing the right one a challenge.

#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER SOFTWARE#

From crafting inspirational images to share with contractors to flexing your creative muscles by designing the home of your dreams, the right home design software can help you achieve your goals. ItРІР‚в„ўs pretty much a one-stop shop for everything to do with property design.Home design novices and professionals can both benefit from using software to help transform their wildest ideas into high-quality visual renderings. There, you can alter the elevation, add various plants, and essentially customise the outside just like you can the inside. Landscaping and materialsР”Р„ll of this would be pretty impressive, but Home Designer goes beyond your home, and extends to the surrounding terrain. The programme is pretty indiscriminate: want to use laminate as covering for a sofa? No problem! So obviously, itРІР‚в„ўs going to be down to you to be somewhat reasonable.

ThereРІР‚в„ўs also an eyedropper tool to let you pick a colour youРІР‚в„ўve already used, and apply it somewhere else. The process is pretty much the same as when you select a new object in the library, only this time youРІР‚в„ўre looking for a specific shade or pattern, from a library of hundreds. This is done via the Material Painter tool, and it can be applied on anything, be it walls, doors, even furniture. Having filled your home with furniture, it may be time to do some decoration. Not only are there numerous options for similar types of items, just like with everything else, each object is fully customisable.Р”Вecorating your home - and furniture - is an easy matter of choosing the right shade or pattern, and clicking everywhere you want it to be (Image credit: Chief Architect) Decorating As youРІР‚в„ўd expect, thereРІР‚в„ўs a search field at the top which will help you find what you need in seconds. Thankfully Chief Architect has a myriad of options available to you, all accessible from its Library. LibraryР”В«uilding a house is one thing, but to bring it to life, you need to furnish it. WhatРІР‚в„ўs great is that you can keep editing your project in any view. Elevation isnРІР‚в„ўt 3D, but helps you see a design of a single wall very useful when customising kitchen cabinets for instance. Glass House is an interesting one: everything becomes see-through, helping you see all aspects of the construction at the same time, both inside and out. Perspective puts that roof on, letting you see how the house is shaping up from the outside. Doll House for instance removes the roof and allows you see inside each room and corridor. You have access to various 2D and 3D views, including this interesting РІР‚Вglass houseРІР‚в„ў effect (Image credit: Chief Architect)Р”В«ut you can also see everything from a 3D perspective, and youРІР‚в„ўre not limited to just one view. The interface is clever enough to notice when you add another wall, and if you click close enough to an existing one, it will assume the new wall starts from there, and wonРІР‚в„ўt leave you with frustrating little gaps that would be a pain to fix later on. As you drag them youРІР‚в„ўll immediately start seeing how long it will be (you get to choose your preferred measuring system: antiquated feet and inches, or the more modern and precise metric system). Perhaps the most obvious start is adding walls. It might look a little intimidating at first, but you get the gist of it very quickly. The largest part of the interface is dedicated to your design, with all the tools you need crammed in a sidebar to the left, rows of icons at the top, and a library on the right. For the sake of this review, weРІР‚в„ўve taken a look at the Suite package on a Mac.

#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER TRIAL#

If youРІР‚в„ўre not sure which one to choose, Chief Architect offers you a trial version which you can check out and decide which features suit you best.

#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER UPGRADE#

There are also upgrade prices for those who already own a previous version. Further, if youРІР‚в„ўve paid for 12 consecutive months, you can own the software outright (sort of a rent to buy option).

#CHIEF ARCHITECT VS HOME DESIGNER PRO#

Finally, Pro costs a hefty $595 (or $495 with the current price reduction), and you also have the option of renting that software for $59 a month. Architectural would set you back $249 (or $199 if the current offer is still valid by the time you read this).

You can get it for $129, although it is currently on offer at $99. DonРІР‚в„ўt be put off though: Suite is still incredibly capable, and most likely would suit most peopleРІР‚в„ўs needs.

Chief architect vs home designer