Punch! software PROFESSIONAL HOME DESIGN PLATINUM V12 V6 User Manual
User’s Guide
Professional
Home Design
Platinum
© 2007 Punch! Software, L.L.C.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
All rights reserved. This document, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under licen se and
can only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the license.
Portions of the software described in this document © 1995-2007 Microsoft Corporation.
Except as permitted by such license, no part of this document can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of Punch! Software, L.L.C.
Punch! Software, L.L.C. reserves the right to improve, enhance and revise its products without notice.
Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum is a registered trademark of Punch! Software, L.L.C.
Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other product names
mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.
The information in this document is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without
notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Punch! Software, L.L.C. Punch! assumes no
liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document.
Sixth edition, 2007
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Part 1: Nuts & Bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A Quick Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Finding Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Before You Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Part 2: Punch! Software Primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Drawing 2D Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Viewing in 2D & 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Adding 3D Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Rearranging Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Managing Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Saving, Sharing, & Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Part 3: From the Ground Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Topo Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Room Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Foundation Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Floor Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Part 4: Utilities in Your Home Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Electrical Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Plumbing Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
HVAC Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide i
Contents
Part 5: Working on Your Home’s Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Roofing Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Roofing Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Deck Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Deck Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Landscape Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Detail Plan Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Part 6: PowerTools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Floor Plan Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
PhotoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
DXF/DWG Export & Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Cabinet Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Elevation Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Framing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Estimator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Material Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
RealModel® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Part 7: 3D Custom Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Before You Draw in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Drawing 2D Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Drawing 3D Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Editing 3D Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Controlling Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
ii PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Part 1
Nuts & Bolts
Chapter 1: Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: A Quick Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3: Finding Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 4: Before You Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 1
Welcome
Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum is a professional-level home design system developed for anyone who needs
fast, accurate home drawings and wants the flexibility to view and edit their plan in 3D.
Uses for Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum include:
■ Architectural drawings
■ Presentations
■ Deck design
■ 3D visualization
■ DXF/DWG Import and Export
■ Electrical plans
■ Framing customization
■ Interior design
■ Landscaping
In addition, Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum contains a variety of useful PowerTools that each perform a
specific task. For instance, Framing Editor lets you customize almost every facet of your framing, like the material,
spacing, and even the direction studs and trusses are to be placed. Layout Manager makes it easy to make professional
presentations of your designs to an architect or builder. Once you’re finished with your design, you can even record an AVI
movie to send to your friends, architect, builder, and so on.
It’s simple to get started designing the home of your dreams. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the contents
of this manual, so you’ll know where to quickly find the answers. Be sure to see Chapter 2 for an overview of the screen
layout and a quick tour of the program.
For a basic overview of tools and techniques that you’ll use throughout the design process, see “Punch! Software Pr im er”,
which begins on page 19.
The most important thing to do before beginning work with Punch! Platinum will be setting you r display to 32-bit color. To
do this, right-click the Desktop, then click Properties on the pop-up menu. Click the Settings Tab on the Display Properties
dialog box, then select True Color (32-bit); if this is not available on your computer, select 24-bit.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 3
Chapter Welcome
1
Contents of Package
Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum comes with
everything you need to install and use the software. The
package includes the following items:
■ Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum Installation
DVD
■ PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s
Guide
■ HomePlan Idea Book
System Requirements
In order to run Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum,
it is recommended that you have a Pentium-based computer.
In addition, your system should include the following:
System Requirements
■ Intel® Pentium®, Celeron®, Xeon™, or Centrino™ or
AMD® Athlon™, Duron™, or Opteron™ Processor
■ Windows® 98 or higher
■ 64 MB of RAM
■ 3.8 GB of hard disk space
■ VGA video card displaying at least 800x600 with 24-bit
color (32-bit, if available)
■ DVD-ROM drive
■ Mouse or other pointing device
■ 32 MB Video Card Memory
■ (optional) Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or above to use
Punch! Updater
Installing Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum
To install Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum, you
must run Setup. You can’t install or reconfigure Punch!
Platinum by copying files directly from the distribution DVD
to your hard drive.
To install Punch! Platinum if installation does not
begin automatically
1 Insert Punch! Platinum Installation DVD into your
DVD-ROM drive. Installation begins as soon as you
insert the DVD.
2 Double-click My Computer.
3 Double-click the DVD-ROM drive (most computers will
begin the installation at this point).
4 Double-click SETUP.
Registering Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum
The first time you launch Punch! Professional Home Design
Platinum, you will have the opportunity to register your
software. Punch! Platinum will run in Trial Mode for seven
(7) days after installation, but note that Printing, Saving, and
Exporting are disabled in Trial Mode.
1 Type your Name and Company in the appropriate fields
of the Registration dialog box.
Note: Your Serial Number is automatically generated.
2 Click Register. Your web browser will automatically
launch and connect your computer to the Internet. The
Product Registration webpage will load automatically.
3 Type the required information, then click Submit
Registration.
4 Your Authorization Code will be emailed to the address
you typed.
5 Cut & Paste the Authorization Code from the email to the
Product Registration dialog box.
6 When the Authorization Code is validated. Click
Authorize.
To install Punch! Platinum
1 Insert Punch! Platinum Installation DVD into your
DVD-ROM drive. Installation begins as soon as you
insert the DVD.
2 Follow the installation prompts that appear.
Note: If installation did not begin when you inserted the
Punch! Platinum Installation DVD into your DVD-ROM
drive, Autorun may be turned off on your computer.
4 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Chapter 2
A Quick Tour
To get the most benefit from Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum, you should take a minute to become familiar
with the layout of the Punch! drawing space, plan tabs, and toolbars. This chapter describes the basic components.
In most cases, information is not provided regarding standard Windows concepts or on specific menu items. For
information on standard Windows concepts, such as the mouse, the Control menu, the window border, the maximize
button, dialog box controls and so on, refer to Windows online Help.
title bar
menu bar
tips & tricks
plan tab
elevation
slider
standard toolbar
annotation and
dimension bar
virtual
ruler
measurement
tools
working floor button
selection filter
plan toolbar
design window
LiveView
icons
context help button
Preview Bar
Properties
Bar
vertical
scroll bar
compass
Launch Punch!
websites
Status Bar
plant inventory bar
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 5
horizontal scroll bar
Chapter A Quick Tour
2
Title Bar
The title bar extends across the top of the application
window. It displays the name of the program and the name of
the current drawing file. Using the buttons at the right end of
the title bar you can minimize, maximize, close or restore the
window. You can also maximize or restore a window by
double-clicking on the title bar. Double-clicking the Control
menu box at the left end of the title bar is a quick way to exit.
If the application is running in a window, rather than
maximized, dragging the title bar moves the entire window
on the desktop.
Menu Bar
You can choose menu items using either the mouse or the
keyboard. To use the mouse, click the menu name; when the
menu drops down, click the item you want. Menu items with
an arrow to the right display cascading menus, when you
place the pointer over one of them. When you highlight a
menu item, a description is displayed on the Status Bar.
To use the keyboard, press the ALT key and type the
underlined letter in the menu name, then type the underlined
letter in the menu item’s name. If there is a cascading menu,
you must type another letter. You can also use the arrow keys
to move through menu items and press ENTER to select one.
The ESC key backs out of the menu items one level at a time.
There are single-key or key combination shortcuts for certain
frequently-used menu items. Each menu lists available
shortcut keys to the right of the item’s name. You can use the
techniques for choosing menu items in combination.
Elevation Slider
With Punch! Platinum’s Elevation Slider you can
easily move selected items vertically off “ground
level”. This feature makes it a snap to make sure
windows, doors, plants, and so on are in exactly the
position you want. Simply select the object or feature
to be raised and move the slider by clicking and
dragging, with the mouse. For more information, see
“Elevating your Selection”, on page 57.
Virtual Ruler
The Virtual Ruler works like a real-world tape measure. It
stores away in the corner of the window, until you need it.
Then, with one click, it is displayed in the middle of the
window, where you can move it into any position necessary
to make a needed measurement. It then stores away until you
need it again. To move the Virtual Ruler, click and drag from
the center. To resize, click and drag on one of the ends, then
drag.
Drag
You are not constrained to vertical or horizontal; the Vertical
Ruler can be stretched in any direction necessary.
Annotation Bar
On the Annotation Bar, there are two tools for text,
straight and angled, and several tools to let you
dimension part of your design where automatic
dimensioning may not be available.
With these tools, you will be able to measure and label
any part of your drawing. If you want, you can store
these labels on the Detail Tab, so you have the option of
turning them off when you want to see your design in a more
unobstructed state.
Measurement Tools
The measurement tools include associative dimensions,
window/door callouts and the shortcuts to calculate floor
square footage.
Associative Dimensioning are the measurements that appear
as you are adding features. For example, the Associative
Dimensioning feature will show how far from the ends of
each wall the window is positioned.
When the Window/Door Callouts option is checked, the
measurements of all window and door openings will be
shown, with the wall measurements, and be displayed in the
floor plan view.
Selecting one of the three square footage options will cause
Punch! Platinum to make that calculation and display it in the
Status Bar.
Working Floor Button
Use the Working Floor button to switch the current
view, based on the number of floors in your home plan.
When you click the Working Floor button, a pop-up menu is
displayed. Simply click the floor on which you would like to
work to switch the current working floor.
6 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Status Bar
Preview Bars
You can click and drag objects, templates, materials, colors,
and so on from their Preview Bars onto your plan. The
Preview Bar changes to reflect your selection. For instance, if
you click the Plant Bar, plant options will be displayed.
Status Bar
The Status Bar is located in the lower left of the window and
displays prompts, program messages, and measurements. It is
a good place to look when you are holding the pointer over
certain buttons or menu items to find their function.
Scroll Bars
Scroll bars provide a way for you to pan across the drawing,
that is, to change the part of the drawing visible in the
window, without changing the level of magnification.
■ To pan the drawing in small increments, click the scroll
arrow that points in the direction you want to pan.
■ To pan in larger increments, click the control shaft,
between the scroll box and a scroll arrow.
■ To pan by a custom increment, drag the scroll box in the
direction you want to pan.
■ To position at a specific area of the page, right-click the
scroll bar and click the wanted area on the pop-up menu
that is displayed.
Clicking one of the buttons on the PowerTool bar launches
one of the associated Punch! Platinum applications. For
example:
■ Launch Topo Designer. To learn more about Topo
Designer, see the chapter titled “Topo Designer”, which
begins on page 71.
■ Launch Material Modifier. To learn more about Material
Modifier, see the chapter titled “Material Modifier”,
which begins on page 207.
■ Launch Roofing Wizard. To learn more about Roofing
Wizard, see the chapter titled “Roofing Wizard”, which
begins on page 133.
All PowerTools launch in this same fashion, whether they
were written by Punch! Software, LLC or by a third-party
developer.
Properties Bar
You can easily modify features you have previously drawn
by selecting them and editing their properties on the
Properties Bar. You can even set the Properties Bar to
automatically display when a feature is selected, by clicking
Auto Activate.
Selecting the Properties Bar
The Properties Bar is easily accessed b y clicking a feature on
your floor plan. For example, clicking a door accesses the
customizable properties for doors and clicking a plant
accesses the properties for plants.
LiveView Icons
It is in the LiveView window where you see your
designs come to life! The default view is Plan Full
View. When you load Punch! Platinum, this is the
view you will see. With the 3D Quarter View option, use
most of your window for drawing, yet be able to view your
design in 3D. For a full explanation see
“Viewing in 2D & 3D”, which begins on page 29.
When you want to focus primarily on your 2D actions, while
maintaining a clear view of the 3D design, select Split Plan/
3D View. Then, when you’re ready to add materials and
colors to your Dream Home it will be easier in the 3D Full
View mode.
the chapter titled
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 7
To select the Properties Bar
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the feature you want to customize. The
Properties Bar is displayed.
Note: If the Properties Bar does not
automatically display, it may be set to
“Manual Activate”. To reset the toggle,
click the arrow after “Properties”, then
click Auto Activate on the pop-up menu
that is displayed.
Chapter A Quick Tour
2
Compass Setting
With the True North compass you can make sure that your
design is placed correctly on your lot. The compass is also
useful to accurately depict the direction of shadows and the
sun’s position.
Plan Tabs
Punch! Platinum utilizes a collection of layers, which are
accessible by clicking the tabs along the top and right side of
the design window. Clicking a plan tab accesses a set of tool s
that you can use to design your floor plan; for example,
clicking the Electrical Tab accesses outlets, switche,s and
ceiling fans, while clicking the Landscaping Tab accesses
tools for edging, fencing, ground fill, excavation, and so on.
Once placed, each feature such as a door, window, plant,
outlet, and so on, can be altered at any time. Click the feature
and the Properties Toolbar is brought to the top (a default that
can be changed) and displays the customizable properties of
that feature.
PunchSoftware.com
With the click of one button, you can visit the Punch! website
at www.punchsoftware.com or the Punch! PowerTool Store
at www.punchsoftware.com/PowerTool_store.htm.
■ To automatically launch your
browser and visit the Punch!
home page, click the Punch!
Software websites button at
the upper right of your
window, then click Punch! Software Home Page.
■ New additions and revisions are being added to the
Punch! content libraries all the time. Use the Punch!
Updater to connect to our server, search for new content
packages, and update your existing content libraries.
Punch! PowerTools™
Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum
is PowerTool enabled. Punch! PowerTools
seamlessly add additional features and
functionality to your program to make it
easier to create your dream home!
Whenever more PowerTools become available, they are
offered to users at the Punch! PowerTool Store.
■ To automatically launch your
browser and visit the Punch!
PowerTool Store, click the
Punch! Software websites
button at the upper right of
your screen, then click Punch! PowerTool Store.
You can further customize which plan layer or combination
of plan layers you want to be active. In addition, you can
make each plan layer a different color, so you can tell at a
glance which layer a specific feature is on. You can even
move features to a different plan, when necessary.
Selecting a Plan Tab
Using the easily-accessible plan tabs, you can quickly access
each tool set at any time.
To select a plan tab
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the plan tab you want to use. The plan tab is
selected and the tools available on that tab appear.
8 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Chapter 3
Finding Answers
Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum is not just one software application, but several applications that can be used
together. Punch! provides you with a number of sources you can use to familiarize yourself with these applications. When
you have questions about a specific feature or procedure, this manual and the Integrated Help system, that you can access
from the program, provide a comprehensive guide to all of the tools in Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum. The
video tutorials that are accessible from the Help menu, on the other hand, are an excellent way to learn about the way real
projects are constructed from the ground up. This chapter also discusses ways to access technical support and the Punch!
website.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 9
Chapter Finding Answers
3
About This Guide
The text and graphics in this guide are tailored to help you
find the information you need quickly and get the most out of
Punch! Platinum. Each section of this guide is divided into a
series of step-by-step instructions, making it easy for you to
scan a page to find exactly what you need. You can also refer
to the index for additional topics on the same subject, if
necessary.
Instructions for installing and using Microsoft Windows do
not appear in this guide. If you’re uncomfortable with your
knowledge of Windows or with the concepts associated with
a user interface object, you should review Windows online
Help before attempting any serious work with Punch!
Platinum.
Basic Terms
The following is a list of terms used throughout this guide.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the language
used in this guide and to reinforce your understanding of
basic terminology.
Click
Pressing and releasing the left mouse button once.
Right-click
Pressing and releasing the right mouse button once.
Double-click
Pressing and releasing the left mouse button twice.
Click and drag
Pressing the left mouse button, holding it down and moving
the mouse, simultaneously.
Drag-and-drop
Clicking to select an item, holding down the mouse button,
then dragging and releasing.
Scroll
Using the scroll bars on the sides of the application window
by clicking the slider box, holding down the mouse button
and dragging.
Graphic Cues
This guide uses several types of graphic elements. Some
show the window or a dialog box that will appear during an
operation. When this type of graphic illustration is used,
every effort is made to show the element exactly as it is
displayed on the window.
Graphic Cues Used in this Guide
Convention Meaning
mouse click that selects a point—the
number, when present, specifies the mouse
click’s position in a series of clicks
2
click and drag operation—beginning of
arrow indicates where to start; end of arrow
Drag
indicates where to stop
a right mouse click —the number, when
present, specifies the mouse click’s position
in a series of clicks
2
Tips for Users of Other Punch! Programs
Punch! Platinum will open all floor plans designed with
previously-released Punch! programs. One major difference
from very early Punch! programs involves the use of interior,
exterior, and foundation walls. Walls drawn in some previous
Punch! programs, like Punch! Super Home Suite and Punch!
5 in 1 Home Design, may import as interior walls, so these
walls will need to be customized in Punch! Platinum.
In addition, you will want to use the Punch! Topo Designer
PowerTool to update all topography drawn in previouslyreleased Punch! programs.
Designer”, which begins on page 71.
To update a file from a previous Punch! program
1 Make a copy of your file. Save the original.
2 Open the copied file.
3 Define your design’s exterior walls. For more
information, see “To convert exterior walls to interior
walls”, which begins on page 92.
4 Use the Wall Segment Properties dialog box to match all
roof sections. For more information, see “Defining Gable
Wall Segments”, which begins on page 92.
For more information, see “Topo
10 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Integrated Help
5 Use the Automatic Flooring feature on the upper floors.
For more information, see “To control automatic flooring
for exterior walls”, which begins on page 92.
6 (optional) Draw flooring on the upper floors. For more
information, see “Adding Flooring”, which begins on
page 101.
7 Customize any complex roofing sections. For more
information, see “Using the Freehand Roof Tools”,
which begins on page 124.
Tip: The most important thing to remember when beginning
a new drawing is to complete your foundation or exterior
walls first. A completely-closed exterior perimeter will
ensure that floor square footage measurements will be
correctly calculated.
Integrated Help
Punch! Platinum includes an extensive integrated help
system. This system includes additionl information to that
found in the PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum
User’s Guide.
To access the online help files
■ On the Help menu, click Contents or press F1.
To access help for a specific part of your 2D
drawing
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the Context Help Button.
3 Click the feature, object, or plant that you want help
with. The Quick Access menu for that feature,
object, or plant is displayed on the right side of the
window.
Tips & Tricks
Punch! Platinum makes it easy to get started by providing
users with tips and tricks for each Tool. Tips & Tricks
provide information about each tool and some general
information about the program. Tips & Tricks can be turned
off and on to suit your needs.
To access general tips & tricks
■ On the Standard Toolbar, click the Tips & Tricks
Button.
To access tips & tricks for a specific tool
1 On any plan tab, click the tool you want to learn more
about.
2 Click the Tips & Tricks Button; the Tips and Tricks
menu for that tool is displayed.
To access tips & tricks for a part of your 2D drawing
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the Context Help Button.
3 Click the feature, object, or plant that you want help
with. The Quick Access menu for that feature,
object, or plant is displayed on the right side of the
window.
4 Click the tool’s Help listing on the pop-up window. Help
for that feature, object, or plant is displayed.
5 (optional) Pressing F1, while many tools are active, will
access the help file for that Tool.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 11
4 Click the Tips & Tricks listing at the top of the pop-up
window. The Tips & Tricks menu for that feature, object,
or plant is displayed.
5 (optional) Click Back or Next to cycle through the tips
available for that feature, object, or plant.
Chapter Finding Answers
3
To turn tool guides on and off
■ To turn off Tool Guides, click (Turn-Off Tool Guides).
■ To turn on Tool Guides, on the Help Menu, click Show
Tool Guides.
Video Tool Tip Tutorials
Video Tutorials are available for drawing tools and other
commonly-used features. These tutorials can be accessed
three ways.
3 Right-click the feature, object, or plant that you want
help with. The Quick Access menu for that tool, object,
or plant is displayed.
4 Click Video Tutorial on the pop-up window. A short
video will be played, showing how the tool works.
To access tool tip tutorials from Help
1 On the Help menu, click Contents or press F1.
2 Navigate through the Help System, until the topic you
need is displayed.
3 Click the Show Me button. A short video will be played,
showing how the tool or feature works.
Video Step-by-Step Tutorials
You can get started easily with Punch! Platinum’s Step-byStep Tutorials. They are available at all times , from the Help
Menu.
To access the step-by-step tutorials
1 On the Help Menu, click Tutorials. A listing of available
tutorials is displayed.
To access tool tip tutorials from Tool Guides
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the feature, object, or plant that you want help
with, then click the Tool Guide Tool. The Tips and
Tricks menu for that tool is displayed.
2 Hightlight the topic you want to view, then click how you
want to view the tutorial.
3 Click the Video Tutorial button on the Tips and Tricks
menu. A short video will be played, showing how the
tool works.
To access tool tip tutorials with a right-click
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the Context Help Button.
■ Video Tutorial: Shows a short video movie of the topic.
■ Step-by-Step Tutorial: Displays an HTML file that
follows along with the Video Tutorial.
■ Tutorial Drawing: Opens the Punch! Platinum file used
in the selected Video Tutorial.
Technical Support
Before contacting Punch! Technical Support, please verify
that the answer to your question is not available from one of
the following resources:
12 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
■ Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s
Guide
■ Punch! Platinum Help System
■ Video Tutorials
■ To automatically launch your browser and visit the
Punch! Software website, click the Connect to
Punch! button at the upper right of your window.
■ The Punch! Online Community is available at
http://forums.punchsoftware.com. At the Online
Community, users can post questions and trade useful
tips and tricks.
■ The Customer Support Center is available at
http://punch.custhelp.com. At the Customer Support
Center you can register your software, search the
knowledge base, or ask a question, if necessary.
The Customer Support Center can only answer questions that
are related to features of Punch! Professional Home Design
Platinum. They cannot answer specific questions about home
building, local building codes, and so on.
When contacting the Support Center, please provide the
following details:
■ Serial Number - located on the Help > About Punch!
Home Design dialog box
■ Your computer’s operating system
■ Make and model of your computer
■ Video card manufacturer and model
■ Video card driver date and version
■ Video RAM
■ Display settings, including hardware acceleration
Technical Support
After registering your program, you will receive 60 days of
free technical support. When you call, you should be in front
of your computer, with the program running, and have the
above information handy. The technical support contact
information can be located at the Customer Support Center http://punch.custhelp.com.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 13
Chapter Finding Answers
3
14 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Chapter 4
Before You Draw
To get the most benefit from Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum, you should take a minute to become familiar
with some of its basic concepts. This chapter describes a few settings you should know before you begin your project.
With Punch! Platinum you can set a precise drawing scale, define units of measurement and set the reference grid. There
are also many performance settings you can apply to optimize drawing speed and 3D viewing.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 15
Chapter Before You Draw
4
Important System Settings
Some of your computer’s settings can impact Punch!
Platinum’s efficiency. By changing one (or more) of these
settings, you can control how the program performs.
■ Set your Display Settings to 800x600 pixels and High
Color (24-bit) or True Color (32-bit). On your Start
menu, select Control Panel>Display>Settings.
■ If you notice that the 3D display is not clear, reduce the
Graphics Acceleration. On your Start menu, select
Control Panels> System>Performance>Graphics, then
set the acceleration back one notch.
■ By default, all measurements display in English Units; to
choose Metric Units go to Design>Unit of Measure...
select Metric Units.
Speed Tips
You can “Speed Up” Punch! Platinum by changing some of
the program's settings.
■ Close the LiveView window when you are not working
in 3D. No 3D calculations are performed when the
LiveView window is closed.
■ Choose the Quarter-View window size for LiveView
instead of Full-View to increase 3D rendering speed.
■ Turn off shadows. For more information, see “Adding
Lighting and Shadows”, which begins on page 38.
■ Hide floors that are not active. Turning off inactive
floors, means the program will not waste resources on
them.
■ On the View menu, click Render Options. The Render
Options dialog box is displayed. The lower the render
quality, the faster LiveView will render your design.
5 In the Screen Area section, move the slider to display at
least 800 x 600 pixels.
6 Click OK. The new window settings are applied. You
may be prompted to restart your computer to apply the
new settings. If so, click OK or Yes.
Setting the Units of Measurement
You can set units of measurement by selecting either English
or Metric measurements. You can also set the default
measurements and options to be applied when any
previously-drawn design is opened.
To use English measurements
1 On the Design menu, click Unit of Measure. The
Measurement Units dialog box is displayed.
2 Click English Units.
Display Settings
Punch! Platinum is designed to run effectively, based on the
3 (optional) Click the arrow next to Angle Format and
select the number of decimal points you want to use.
system requirements printed on the software packaging.
However, there are some specific settings you can select to
obtain the best display possible.
To adjust your display settings
1 On the Start menu, click Settings, Control Panel. The
Control Panel program group is displayed.
4 (optional) Click the arrow next to Precision and select the
number of decimal points you want to use.
2 Double-click Display. The Display Properties dialog box
is displayed.
3 Click the Settings page tab.
4 In the Colors list box, click True Color (32-bit).
Note: If 32-bit is unavailable, click True Color (24-bit).
16 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Setting the Scale
5 (optional) Click the arrow next to Readout Format and
select the format you want.
6 Click OK. The unit of measurement and options you
selected are applied.
To use Metric measurements
1 On the Design menu, click Unit of Measure. The
Measurement Units dialog box is displayed.
2 Click Metric Units.
To set defaults for previous designs
1 Follow the instructions for either English or Metric units,
outlined above, then click the box to set the defaults for
all previously-drawn designs.
2 Click OK. The defaults will be applied to any previously-
drawn design when it is opened.
Setting the Scale
Scale is the ratio between real-world size of objects and items
in your drawing and their size when printed. The default
drawing scale is 1/4" = 1', meaning that 1/4" on your drawing
plan equals one foot in real-world size. You can customize
scale settings at any time to suit your needs, as well as print
your drawing to scale.
To set the drawing scale
1 On the Design menu, click Plan Scale. The Plan Scale
dialog box is displayed.
3 (optional) Click the arrow next to Angle Format and
select the number of decimal points you want to use.
4 (optional) Click the arrow next to Readout Format and
select the format you want.
5 Click OK. The unit of measurement and options you
selected are applied.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 17
2 Click a new scale setting, then click OK. The new scale is
applied to your plan drawing.
Defining Your Lot Size and Topography
Use the Site Planner and Topo Designer PowerTools to
define lot size and all topography.
Note: After you’ve created topographical objects using
Topo Designer, the Design, Lot Size option on the Menu Bar
is disabled. All further changes to the lot size need to be
made using Topo Designer.
For more information, see “Topo Designer”, which begins on
page 71.
Note: To draw curved property lines, use the Curve Tool on
the Detail Tab, then
Features”, which begins on page 165.
see “Converting Details to Intelligent
Chapter Before You Draw
4
18 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Part 2
Punch! Software Primer
Chapter 5: Drawing 2D Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 6: Viewing in 2D & 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 7: Adding 3D Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter 8: Rearranging Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Chapter 9: Managing Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Chapter 10: Saving, Sharing, & Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 5
Drawing 2D Entities
This chapter contains concepts and procedures that you will need throughout your design process.
Many 2D features are drawn the same way throughout Punch! Professional Home Design Platinum and the PowerTools
that are included with it. Whether you are drawing a rectangle to mask part of a tree in Plant Editor or a rectangle to tint a
custom material in Material Modifier, it will always be drawn in the same way. The icons may differ slightly, but the
process is the same.
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 21
Chapter Drawing 2D Entities
5
Drawing Shapes
Many features are drawn the same way throughout Punch!
Professional Home Design Platinum and the PowerTools that
are a part of it. Whether you are drawing a rectangle to mask
part of a tree in PlantEditor or a rectangle to tint a custom
material in Material Modifier, it will always be drawn in the
same way. The icons may differ slightly, but the process is
the same.
To draw rectangles and squares
1 Click the Rectangle Tool. The pointer changes to
reflect drawing mode.
2 (optional) On the Properties Bar, click the
Method button and choose how you want to
draw the shape:
■ Rectangle from the corner,
■ Rectangle from the center,
■ Square from the corner,
■ Square from the center.
3 Click on the design window to define the
start point of the rectangle. A rubber-band rectangle is
displayed and follows the pointer. Dimensions are
displayed, as you draw.
4 Hold the mouse button down, as you extend the rectangle
to the size you want.
2
1
Drag
5 Release the mouse button.
To draw circles and ovals
1 Click the Circle/Oval Tool. The pointer changes to
reflect drawing mode.
2 (optional) On the Properties Bar, click the
Method button and choose how you want to
draw your shape:
■ Oval from the edge,
■ Oval from the center,
■ Circle from the edge,
■ Circle from the center.
3 Click on the design window to define the start point of
the shape. A rubber-band shape is displayed and follows
the pointer. Dimensions are displayed, as you draw.
4 Hold the mouse button down, as you extend the shape to
the size you want.
2
1
Drag
5 Release the mouse button.
To draw a polygon
1 Click the Polygon Tool. The pointer changes to
reflect drawing mode.
2 (optional) On the Properties Bar, click the
Method button and choose how you want to
draw the shape:
■ Closed polygon,
■ Open polygon.
3 Click on the design window to define the start point of
the polygon. A rubber-band line is displayed and follows
the pointer. Dimensions are displayed, as you draw.
4 Click and move the mouse to the next cornerpoint.
Repeat until you have drawn the necessary shape.
22 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Changing Curve Tension
3 Click on the design window to define the start point of
the curve. A rubber-band curve is displayed and follows
2
2
1
the pointer.
4 Click and move the mouse to the next point. Repeat until
you have drawn the needed shape.
2
5
2
4
Note: Although the lines will initially appear angular, they
will become curved when you end drawing mode.
5 Double-click to end drawing mode.
2
3
2
2
5 Right-click to end drawing mode.
To draw a multigon
1 Click the Multigon Tool. The pointer changes to
reflect drawing mode.
2 (optional) On the Properties Bar, type the
number of sides you want the multigon to
have.
3 Click on the design window to define the start point of
the multigon. A rubber-band multigon is displayed and
follows the pointer.
4 Hold the mouse button down, as you extend the multigon
to the size you want.
Drag
2
1
Changing Curve Tension
To further control the look of the shapes drawn with any of
the arc or curve tools, you have control over the degree of
curve assigned to them. With the Str aighten fea ture, it is easy
to create angular shapes and, with Curve Tension, you can
change the appearance. Curve Tension is measured between
1 and 10. Specifying 1 in the dialog box results in very little
tension being applied, while specifying 10 causes a slightlyexaggerated curve.
To change curve tension
1 Click an object to select it.
2 On the Properties Bar, click Adjust, in the Curve section.
The Smooth dialog box is displayed.
3 Type the amount of tension that you want.
4 Click OK. The Curve Tension you specified is applied.
Examples:
5 Release the mouse button.
To draw a curve
1 Click the Curve Tool. The pointer changes to
reflect drawing mode.
2 (optional) On the Properties Bar, click the
Method button and choose how you want to
draw the shape:
■ Closed Curve,
■ Open Curve.
Default Curve Tension (8):
Curve Tension set at 2:
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 23
Chapter Drawing 2D Entities
5
To remove curve tension
1 Click an object to select it.
2 On the Properties Bar, click Straighten, in the Curve
section. The curve is changed to a polyline.
Using the Grid
With Punch! Platinum you can set specific grid properties
that aid in drawing your home plan. You can set points, based
on the reference grid, which is useful when you want to make
sure certain points are specified precisely.
Grid settings have a direct impact on the ease of aligning
objects, snapping objects to the grid, and so on. When using
the Snap to Grid feature, items that are dragged and dropped
on the design window are automatically snapped, or placed,
to align with the current grid. By default, Snap to Grid is on.
You can customize grid settings by selecting grid spacing,
grid style, and hiding or displaying.
Grid properties can also be set by accessing the right-cl ick
menu, with nothing selected.
To define Snap to Grid settings
1 On the View menu, click Grid Properties or right-click
on your design window and click Grid Properties on the
pop-up menu that is displayed. The Grid Properties
dialog box is displayed.
Note: Initially, the grid is set at 12 i nches, m aking it easy to
visualize each plan square as exactly one square foot, but can
be customized to meet your particular design needs.
Note: Snap settings can be set as low as 0.0625 (1/16) inch
(English), 0.01 meter (1 cm) (Metric), and still show visible
movement along the grid. Snap settings can be set as high as
500 inches (English), 12.70 meter (Metric).
To select grid spacing
1 On the View menu, click Grid Properties or right-click
on your design window and click Grid Properties on the
pop-up menu that is displayed. The Grid Properties
dialog box is displayed.
2 Type new horizontal and vertical measurements in the
Grid Dots/Lines section of the Grid Spacing page, then
click OK. The new grid spacing is applied.
To change the grid style
1 On the View menu, click Grid Properties or right-click
on your design window and click Grid Properties on the
pop-up menu that is displayed. The Grid Properties
dialog box is displayed.
2 Click the Grid Style page tab.
3 Click either Grid Dots or Grid Lines, then click OK. The
new grid style is applied.
2 On the Grid Properties dialog box, type new
measurements in the Snap Grid text boxes, then click
OK. Items you draw or drag-and-drop into the design
window will now snap to the measurements you’ve
defined.
3 (optional) When you change the Snap Grid settings,
Minor Grid Lines are displayed to show where along the
grid you are snapping. To turn off the display of Minor
Grid Lines, click to uncheck the Show Minor Grid Lines
checkbox.
24 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
Dimensioning
Note: Grid Dots/Lines can be set to as low as 1 inch
(English), 0.02 m (Metric), and still be viewable. Grid Dots/
Lines can be set as high as 500 inches (English), 12.70 m
(Metric).
To move objects/features along the grid
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the object or feature you want to move.
3 Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, move the object
or feature into position.
Note: Each time you press an arrow key, the object or
feature will move one increment that you hav e set in the Snap
Grid settings.
To align objects/features with an area of the grid
1 On the Standard Toolbar, click the Selection Tool.
2 Click the object or feature you want to align.
3 On the Edit menu, click Align to
Grid, then click with which area
of the grid you want your
selection aligned.
generated. Dimensions drawn with the Dimension Wall tool
are automatically updated when either wall is moved. You’ll
find this tool extremely useful when measuring between the
main house and the walls of other buildings, like a garden
shed or playhouse. In some instances, you might want to print
your plan drawing without dimension annotation. You have
the option of turning off automatic dimensioning, if you
don’t want it displayed on the drawing page or as you draw.
To use the wall-spacing dimension tool
1 On the Annotation toolbar, click the Dimension
Wall Tool.
2 Click a wall on the design window to define the starting
point; hold down the mouse button and drag to the
second wall.
3 Release the mouse button to set the measurement.
To use the zero-offset dimension tool
1 On the Annotation toolbar, click the Zero-Offset
Dimension Tool.
2 Click on the design window to define the starting point;
hold down the mouse button and drag to the ending point
of the measurement you require.
3 Release the mouse button to set the measurement.
To turn off Snap to Grid
■ On the View menu, click to uncheck Snap to Grid, press
CTRL+R, or right-click on your design window and click
Snap to Grid on the pop-up menu. The feature is
disabled. To enable Snap to Grid, simply recheck the
menu item.
To display the grid
■ On the View menu, click to check Grid Visible or right-
click on your design window and click Grid Visible on
the pop-up menu that is displayed. The grid is displayed
on the design window.
Dimensioning
Punch! Platinum automatically displays dimensions, as you
draw, making it easy to precisely place walls, doors, and
other items in your plan drawing. The powerful Dimension
Wall tool will be especially useful to add interactive
dimensions between walls, where they are not automatic al ly
PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide 25
Using the Virtual Ruler
The Virtual Ruler is a handy feature for measuring items in
your home plan that are not automatically dimensioned. You
can “undock” the ruler at any time, leaving it active, or hide it
from view with one mouse click. The Virtual Ruler is an easy
way to measure at an angle, too.
To measure using the Virtual Ruler
1 Click the Virtual Ruler button at the bottom of the
design window, or right-click on a blank area of
the drawing space and click Center Virtual Ruler, on the
pop-up menu. The Virtual Ruler is displayed on the
drawing page.
2 Click an end and drag in the direction you want to
measure. The measurement is displayed in the center of
the Virtual Ruler.
3 (optional) Click the center of the Virtual Ruler and drag it
to a new location on the design window.
Tip: Zoom in on the area you are measuring so you have a
close-up view of the ruler.
Chapter Drawing 2D Entities
5
To hide the Virtual Ruler
■ Click the Virtual Ruler button at the bottom of the
design window, or right-click on the ruler and
click Hide Virtual Ruler, on the pop-up menu. The
Virtual Ruler is “docked.”
Calculating Square Footage
Punch! Platinum can automatically calculate square fo otage
of each floor of your home plan. This feature makes it easy to
figure how much carpet you’ll need to cover the first floor,
for instance, or simply estimate your overall home size. If
square footage is incorrect, check to make sure the exterior
perimeter is intact.
Foundation Perimeter”, which begins on page 84.
To calculate floor square footage
■ At the bottom of the window, click the Dimension
button, then click First Floor Square Footage (or
Second or Third floor). Punch! Platinum calculates the
square footage and the total is displayed on the Status
Bar.
Note: The square footage calculation is based on wall
centerline measurements.
For more information, see “Defining the
3 Type the annotation in the text box. Click OK to end edit
mode.
4 (optional) Click Font; the Font dialog box is displayed.
Choose the Font, Style and Size, then click OK.
Adding Text
Use text to add information to your drawing. For example,
you might add text to annotate rooms, specify a home
address, the date the drawing was created, or a specific
feature in your plan. Punch! Platinum gives you the
flexibility to place text anywhere in your plan drawing, using
different formatting techniques for each text instance. Text
you place in your drawing is displayed on all 2D printed
output.
To set font before adding text
1 On the Design menu, click Text Font. The Font dialog
box is displayed.
2 Set the font as you want it to be applied to all subsequent
text.
3 Click OK.
To place text in your drawing
1 On the Annotation toolbar, click the Multi-Line
Text Tool.
2 Click the area where you want to place text on the
drawing page. An Edit Text dialog box is displayed.
To change alignment of multi-line text
1 Using the Selection Tool, click the text you want to
change. Selection handles appear around the text.
2 Click Center on the Properties Bar.
3 (optional) Click Right on the Properties Bar.
To edit text
■ Double-click the text you want to edit.
OR
■ Click the text you want to edit, then click Edit
on the Properties Bar.
To place text at an angle
1 On the Annotation Toolbar, click the Rotated Text
Tool.
26 PUNCH! Professional Home Design Platinum User’s Guide
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