Landscape, Deck & Patio Designer V12

List Price: $69.00 Discount Price: $57.99

Features:

• See Description tab for more details
• Graphic Design + Multimedia Software; for Windows
• Windows XP Compatible
• Media Format: DVD
• Published by Punch Software
• 5.25 x 1.88 x 7.5 "; 1.0 Lb.

Customer Reviews:

Good program, covers the basics [Posted on 2008-05-18]
Used for landscaping yard, generally easy and definitely helped in selecting a final layout. Video tutorials are good but there is lots to learn so resorted to finding how some aspects of the program worked via Google searches. Plant pictures seem overrated - every plant is shown in full bloom even though many only bloom for one month a year. Makes it difficult to see how landscape will really look at different times during the year. Has nice function for laying out a sprinkler system. All in all a very good program for the price.

Take a Valium before using [Posted on 2008-06-30]
If you haven't kicked the dog or beat the spouse recently, you'll want to after using this software. From an ease of use standpoint, this stuff is crap with a capital "S". I write software for a living, and if I wrote this, I would expect to have users with pitchforks and torches outside my door by nightfall. From what I can tell, this product can (or would like to) do some pretty sophisticated things for software in this price range. They even give you a nice thick user guide and some video tutorials to help you get started using the various designers. It's not enough. Plan on spending more time wrestling with this software than you'll spend actually building your house or deck or patio. Plan also to spend a lot of time in the Punch Software forums asking and reading questions. That's how I learned that, since there's no actual patio designer despite the name, you can use the deck designer to create a patio. You know, just create a deck and remove the steps, railings and skirting, change the wood to some other material, and there you have it.

If you're in prison, you might want to try to get the warden to pony up for this product to while away the time. On second thought, don't! It will make your sentence seem longer than it actually is.

Crummy Software that is Hard to Use [Posted on 2008-07-04]
This software is extremely difficult to use, with this difficulty compounded by the fact that it doesn't always work as it should. I have experience with various CAD programs and understand how things 'should' work. This Punch stuff is far from it. I also write software and agree with the first reviewer: I would be hiding if this were my product. Don't waste your money unless you like being frustrated.

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