Customer Reviews
Just inexcusably terrible. 
2008-03-13
Some ambitious state attorney general should go after the purveyors of this completely unusable so-called software for defrauding the public. From the insanely Kafkaesque registration process to the discovery that features available in prior versions have actually been removed, my experience with this program has left me feeling like an unwitting participant in an especially tedious work of performance art.
lame 
2008-01-04
I got this program because on another site i was surveyed as the second best of all design programs of its size. This program pretty much sucks. I have version 6.0 and thought that was nice, although lacking in many aspects. In it you can view the frame work and print out a pseudo-blueprint. I have experience in framing and manually drawing framing plans so the frame generation on 6.0 was pretty close. Close enough to pass code. Also, 6.0 allows for FAST circular rooms. I build Southwest style homes and circular rooms are a must.
I got version 9.0 thinking it had value adding features. Realized after a few hours that they actually took away most of the features away. No circular rooms, no frame view, hell, no ceiling tool! I can't figure out how to put a ceiling in there!
On the bright side, it does allow to design some Santa Fe style houses...custom roof pitches, and vigas. nice....
This program is an overall dissapointment. Would have been nice if i could design some elements in 6.0 then import it into 9.0 for other elements then reimport it into 6.0 for the frame view...but it's basically a fresh, new program. Should be called 1.0. Seems like i'll have to pay $2500 for a home design program like Chief Architect or SoftPlan.
There are better choices out there 2007-11-17
I was disappointed in how hard it was, working in 2D, to control the dimensions of rooms, and how little flexibility the program offered the user in changing the properties of individual walls without changing the characteristics of other walls. Perhaps there are ways of doing things buried in the software, but they were not apparent or intuitive if they are in fact there. This package appears to be a fairly limited version of more capable software by Punch, and I would not have bought it if there had been a free trial period.
Agree with the rest, product stinks 2007-11-09
I have to agree with the other reviewers. I almost feel like my $40 was stolen from me. After really liking using previous versions this felt like some kind of trick. I expect version 10 to be an empty box.
HORRIBLE! 2007-09-08
This program is horrible! Don't waste your money ... it would take to long to detail all the problems with it. This is one software that I wish was returnable ... The box and description are worth much more than the contents.
Worthless Software 2008-07-08
Years ago, I had Broderbund's 3DHA, version 3. It worked fine. Then Broderbund had the audacity to completely revamp the software, and when version 5 came out (under the same name), it became almost useless. Now, Punch is marketing 3D Home Architect, version 9. This one is also useless. The libraries are small; e.g., only four door styles to choose from. There is no way to "cut a section" and view an elevation. The "Help" line is unresponsive; e.g., my current question has gone unanswered for 10 days. I could go on with a litany of reasons why this software is worthless, but the publisher hasn't earned my time.
Wish I hadn't.... 2008-05-20
purchased this. Wish I had read these reviews before purchasing it (I got it at a local office supply store). I have a really old (approx 1998) version of 3D Home Architect - it lacks a lot, but is easy to use. I was hoping for some improvements on this one. I've tried many others, including Punch! and haven't liked any of them. That should've been my first clue - it's now Punch! I purchased several programs on that trip and installed them & I can't even get this thing to install! I hope I can get a refund for defective materials, but I'm not holding my breath. Hope there's something better out there - any recommendations? Waste of $40.00......ugh!
3D Architect 
2008-05-18
Product was as expected. Received on time and worked properly. My kids love it.
A Major Let-Down 2008-05-18
I bought this because of its compatibility with Mac OS - but I might as well have stuck with pen and paper. The software is poorly designed, not intuitive, has the worst selection of stock objects I've ever seen, and manages to take the fun out of home exterior/interior design! I wish I could get my money back.
Pathetic 2008-03-22
This is one of the worst programs I've ever used. Period. I am a programmer, and I am really annoyed by bad, poorly thought-out software. My first indication was when I went to register, and they required a company name for HOME Architect. This is just plain sloppiness, and it gave me a bad feeling. Second, when I started the software, it dumped me to a blank screen, ready to go. No tour, no starting point. I went to the help, and the help file was useless. I went to the site, and they said there was a PDF manual. The manual is abysmal. By page 17, it tells you how to view in 2D and 3D. What good is that, when pages 1-17 say nothing about how to start a drawing?!
Sample/demo files? I can't find any, and I'm pretty sure there are none. I saw on the Punch! website that the homes on their box covers were purchased from stock photography, not made with the software. This is utterly dishonest!
More idiocy: The scrollbars let you leave the drawing area completely. In software design, this is considered malpractice. I accidentally got off the drawing area, and in trying to find my way back, I got lost, and the window started to flash wildly. Could the program get any more awful?
Really, this software crosses the line from bad into the fraud territory.
