importing fabrics, colors and textures

[Mudskipper]

I'm using Home Designer Deluxe 7.0.

We just bought a new house and have yet to move in. I'm working on creating the house 'as it is' so that we can start planning finishing the basement, plan furniture layout, wall and window treatments, etc. The library is somewhat limited in that there are details in this house that are not available.

For instance, there is a doorway from the hallway into the living room that has wood stained moulding on the inside and white moulding on the outside but the casing is white. If you change the interior moulding to wood stain, the casing changes to that color as well.

Also, I own furniture that I can approximate using details from the software, but it isn't really accurate.

Lastly, there are patterns for fabric readily available on the internet that are not available in the library.

Is there some way of creating a 3D object in another software package and import it into Home Designer? I have done some 3D modeling using other software packages. If it's possible, what software packages will create 3D objects that I can import? What format?

Is there a way of importing textures, colors, and fabrics? Is it as easy as placing the JPEG file into the correct directory?

Thanks,
Mud

[Mudskipper]

Reading back into the forum, I found the answer to my question about importing fabrics, colors and textures. JPEG. Got it.

Still trying to figure a way to design new furniture...if there is a way.

Also, two things that I just remembered...

First, I'm trying to create a bay window that doesn't have a roof section attached to it. The only bay window that I've found seems to have a roof section attached and when it's set in the wall at the proper height sticks out the top of the roof. I'll take a screen pic and post tomorrow.

Secondly, the house I'm trying to recreate in Home Designer is set on a piece of land that slopes drastically away from the front of the house. There's a driveway that leads into the garage between two retaining walls into the basement foundation level. Once I enter all of the survey data, will I be able to create retaining walls and place the driveway below "ground zero"?

Thanks again,
Mud

[Dan Park]

On the bay window there is a bay window child tool off the main window tool. This is the preferred way to create a bay window. A second method would be to draw the bay using walls.

To answer your second question about the terrain. Yes you can accomplish what you describe. Keep in mind that by default the terrain perimeter has flatten building pad and auto calculate turned on so that if you enter terrain data your house will sit on a flat area at a level that prevents it from floating too far above or more likely below the terrain you place.

To get the effect you want you will likely want to uncheck each of these before adding your other terrain features.