3D Home Architect Deluxe Edition5 
The latest release is just out! [02/15/99]  Whether you're a day-dreamer, or a serious do-it-yourselfer, you'll love designing and remodeling with 3D Home Architect Deluxe.

It's so easy and intuitive, even a beginner can be up and running in minutes. And the results are spectacular!

Start from scratch, or you can modify one of 150 professionally designed floor plans. It's easy to place windows, doors, counters, and furnishing... even custom stairs. You'll see your plans develop before your eyes in realistic 3D, down to the last detail.

Features Include:

•SmartPartsTM technology automatically guides the placement of walls, doors, stairs, and other objects •Print out plans for your contractor or architect •Automatically prepare a complete Materials List •Conduct room-by-room inspections with PlanCheckTM and avoid potential problems •Improve your skills with video tips from "The Home Pro" and helpful articles from American Homestyle magazine •Export to popular CAD programs in DXF format •Access a library of more than 400 furniture and fixture objects •Design using standard or metric dimensions.

3D Deck from Books That Work 3.0
This program includes an easy-to-use deck designer and a multimedia guide that takes you through the building process. While there are other deck design programs, 3D Deck is extremely homeowner-friendly. Although professionals can use it, it's set up to teach everyone else the basics, from mixing concrete to building stairs.

The multimedia program offers animated information about design considerations and follows through all the way to applying deck sealer and making repairs. There's a complete repertoire of authentic sound effects, so you can hear the sound of a hammer hitting a nail or the hiss of tape being pulled out of a tape measure.

You start by choosing a basic design among several options. Click on one that most closely approximates the deck you want to build. If you don't see your exact deck, don't worry: The basic designs are stretchable and you can click and drag the dimensions to the size you want.

House walls can be added easily, and portraying notched or angled corners is a snap. You can click between top view, side, front and 3-D views. You can remove the deck surface and see what the framing looks like underneath. You can choose from several different railing designs. All the views are printable so you can carry your design around and think about it. Once you have your design the way you want it, you can click on a "build it" button and the program will go through the steps involved in putting the deck together.

In the final steps, the program gives you a list of the materials with price estimates. You can get a list of materials prices from a supplier and enter them into the program, so your estimate will be up-to-date. Or the program will estimate for you, using based on industry averages. You can also play what-if games, checking what another level would cost to build, or figuring the prices of different stair configurations. Once you have the materials list in hand, you can take it to suppliers to shop for the best prices.

And, once you start your deck, you can check in with the program every evening to get advice about the next step, so you re ready for the next day's work.