Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Sep 20, 2005 04:36am | #1

   VERY WORTH WHILE

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   JLazaro317 | Sep 20, 2005 05:02pm | #2

   Piffin,

   Did you jump from v11 to v12? I know the jump from V10-11 was very worthwhile but from your experience what does v12 have to offer that you think makes it so worthwhile? I do know that I'll like the ability to output PDF files.

   Thanks,

    John

   J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.

   Indianapolis, In.

   http://www.lazarobuilders.com

1. 
   BossHog | Sep 20, 2005 05:53pm | #5

   "I do know that I'll like the ability to output PDF files."

   I use a shareware program to print stuff to PDF files:

   http://www.pdf995.com/

   Nice to hear from ya again....
   I had a friend who was a clown. When he died, all his friends went to the funeral in one car.

1. 
   raymond128 | Sep 20, 2005 08:43pm | #6

   just did the online demo with the sales rep from Softplan. Looks pretty cool. He didi mention that there is a new version coming soon and even if you bought now you would get the uprgrde for free. Question: i am a small remodeler and have been looking at this software for a while and are getting closer(maybe next year) to buying it.
   How big are your companies that are using it?
   How do you like the software?
   How quick is the learning curve?I'm looking to this software for drawing up plans for porches, 3 and 4 season rooms ect.
   do you think it's worth it?

1. 
   Piffin | Sep 21, 2005 05:48am | #10

   There are some who say the learning curve is one of the shortestin the industry. I haven't learned them all so all I can say is that it was easy for me. Takes tiome and focus. I think a person of average intelligence, who knows how to think logically, can use SP if he/she can follow the instructions to know how to bake a cake from a scratch recipe`I love it.It is probably not the right thing if all you do is porchesIt is more work to do additions than to do a new house with it, because you have to model the existing first, for things to work right. It's the old crap in - crap out scenariohow big a company-
   Pardon me if I trhrow that question back atcha - how big do you want your company to be? SP can help you grow to it. It is an investment - not an expense. Within 3-4 weeks of buying it, it helped me land a major kitchen remodel where I had been called over to only look at a porch repair. While there, they showed me the kitchen - in deplorable shape - with the hopeful statement, "Someday..."
   I said that I had some ideas and would they mind if I worke them up?
   Sure, but we leave tomorrow early afternoon...by midnight, I had a layout and several 3D views printed out. The Wife got excited, "oh please Dear, Can we please!"...A few days later, he called me to say go ahead It would have taken me three days to create that design and drawings at the drafting table by hand. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   raymond128 | Sep 22, 2005 04:44am | #11

   Thanks for the reply.
   Well as far as how big do I want my company to be? Hmmm.
   I think in the long run I would like to do more additions.
   I have had the chance to bid on a few. And of cousre anyone who has called me to come look at the job never has any plans drawn up yet.
   Hence the reason I keep thinking that this would be a great program to have.I do realize that there is a bit more work involved to drawing porches and additions because you need to moc up the existing house first. non the less you don't need to put that much detail into the shell of the existing house.Do you build mainly new homes or do remodeling as well with softplan?Thanks for the input
   Ray.

3. 
   Piffin | Sep 23, 2005 02:38am | #12

   I am remodelor/renovator 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   JLazaro317 | Sep 21, 2005 04:56am | #9

   Good to hear from you also. I've been away for a few months.....working hard. We've been absolutely swamped this year and we're taking all the work we can in the fear that it's going to dry up.

   I'll try your and Piffin's idea about printing to PDF and may just wait for v13 if it's coming soon.John

   J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.

   Indianapolis, In.

   http://www.lazarobuilders.com

2. 
   Piffin | Sep 21, 2005 03:41am | #7

   I have always had ability to print to PDF. The Adobe program installs as a printer in the PCs printer file and I choose print within SP and choose the PDF printer instead of the paper one.So if SP has added that feature, I would not have even noticed it.It has been over a year since I upgraded from v11 so I don't remember all the details of what I have now that I didn't have then. The SP website has a page listing the advantageous that is so long you have to scroll it. I would have to review that list to see which items were of most value to me.but I know there are tools that vastly inceased my productivity time by eliminating some tasks. Roofs work better in complex designs and the 3D is faster too. They finally added Andersen windows to the library. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

3. 
   Piffin | Sep 21, 2005 03:56am | #8

   Here is that page linkhttp://www.softplan.com/v12features.htmso I will refresh my mind a bit .......one time saver is that I can now use my mouse wheel to zoom in and out fast
   cabinet grouping and cleanup is better
   Stairs used to take me hours to construct and assemble a landing together with lower and upper flights. now, it takes five or ten minutes
   Autodimensioning is popular, but you have to use it judiciously or you have to erase as much as you draw.
   The undo tool can now go back multiple steps instead of just one.
   There are more parameters to chose from in walls and opennings
   There is alayout funtion for foundations to position corners
   I didn't find PDF export on th list, but I do use the save as JPG or BMP now, It is faster than using my screenhunter program and as I review that list, I'm finding about features I haven't even used yet. That is a common comment at Splash - that there are constantly levels of appreciation to discover. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   JPlum | Sep 20, 2005 05:06pm | #3

   What is the expected release date of v13?

1. 
   JLazaro317 | Sep 20, 2005 05:16pm | #4

   I haven't heard anything of v13 yet or I'd wait until then.John

   J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.

   Indianapolis, In.

   http://www.lazarobuilders.com