This review is based on Home & Landscape Pro Version 12.
What Can You Do With Home & Landscape Pro?
- Draw floor plans
- View 6 sample projects
- Design houses, rooms, decks, kitchens, bathrooms, terrains, and landscapes
- Import a photo of your home and add landscape features
- Design electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling systems
- Create 2D and 3D images
- View houses and rooms from many perspectives
- Arrange furniture and plan interior decoration
- Choose from an extensive menu of options for siding materials, landscape plants, cabinets, appliances, furnishings, and other features
- Choose colors from a large palette of options
- Add labels and other text to your designs
- Estimate building costs
- Add voice and sounds to your designs
- Create animated views of your project
- Import your own photos for textures, patterns, and details
- Modify and save your plans
What CAN'T You Do With Home & Landscape Pro?
IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro is a simplified CAD program that will let you accomplish many high-powered design tasks. That said, here is what Home & Landscape Pro will NOT let you do:- Browse extended libraries of house plans and house styles
- Browse color palettes from multiple paint manufacturers
- View online galleries of projects by other users
- Get design tips and suggestions
- Check your design against national building codes
How Easy is Home & Landscape Pro?
Installing and activating the program DVD for IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro was a trouble-free process that took about 10 minutes. Once I had filled in my activation code number, Home & Landscape Pro opened with the same House Builder Wizard found in other TurboFLOORPLAN software. Help was also available in the 57-page Getting Started guide and a 330-page manual with an index.The House Builder Wizard guided me through the design process by offering a series of options. With a click of my mouse, I could switch to 3D views and see my design from different perspectives. I could even view my project with eye-popping realism by wearing funky red and blue 3D glasses that came with the manual.
A paintbrush option let me choose from an extensive menu of siding materials, landscape details, paint colors, interior cabinetry, carpeting, and other features. Although I knew that more advanced features were available, I could progress quickly though my project by staying with the building wizards.
The Bottom Line
IMSI TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro is an adaptable program with out-of-the-box simplicity for beginners and powerful design tools for advanced users. In less than an hour, I was able to create floor plans and an elevation drawing. With more time (and a careful study of the manual) I was able to add greater detail and more features to my project. Home & Landscape Pro can also help plan terrains, landscapes, interior rooms, and utilities.
System Requirements
- Windows® 2000, XP, or Vista
- 500 Mhz or higher processor
- 750 MB free hard drive space
- 512 MB RAM (1 GB Recommended)
Home & Landscape Pro is available on DVD, CDs, or via download for about $130 or considerably less. To find the best deal, click the "compare prices" button below.
