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Home Design Studio Changelog

What's new in Home Design Studio 19.0.8

Jan 30, 2018
  • The framing 3D style is now available in Elevation Editor.
  • Performance improvements.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.6 (Apr 26, 2017)

  • Significantly improved render preparation performance for most designs.
  • Improved results when searching for plants.
  • Fixed an issue where search would not work on OS X versions prior to 10.11.
  • Removed several unnecessary render update requests.
  • Added support for opening legacy versions of Home Design files with PSH and PHD extensions.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when changing door width when two or more doors are selected.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when using the elevation list.
  • Improved reliability when drawing stairs, pathways, and other objects.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.5 (Mar 15, 2017)

  • Fixed an issue where extraneous room floor/ceiling entries could appear in the elevation list.
  • Soffit depth of auto roofing now takes into account wall thickness.
  • Printing designs to fit page now utilizes more of the available paper space.
  • Margins are now respected when printing. These can be set by using the Page Setup option found under the File menu.
  • Overall performance improvements.
  • Greatly improved performance when drawing the major/minor grid.
  • Grid dots are now easier to see on high-resolution displays.
  • Grid dots now print correctly if the grid is visible.
  • Fixed an issue where framing components may not appear correctly in 3D when performing an undo or redo.
  • Assume you are viewing your design in 3D ClearView mode. Performing an undo or redo will no longer cause your rendering mode to switch.
  • Changing the ClearView translucency or camera angle while in 3D windowed mode now updates the 3D view correctly.
  • The inspector view is now updated correctly after drawing a deck object.
  • Soffit depth of auto roofing now takes into account wall thickness.
  • Printing designs to fit page now utilizes more of the available paper space.
  • Margins are now respected when printing. These can be set by using the Page Setup option found under the File menu.
  • RealModel no longer prints an extra blank page when printing wall materials or colors.
  • The initial drawing methods for decks are now selected / displayed correctly.
  • Materials on fences, ground fills, edging, and pathways are now displayed correctly in Estimator.
  • Custom fence gates and posts are now displayed correctly in Estimator.
  • Improved elevation list generation by discarding similar items with extremely close elevations.
  • Using the Find 3D Material tool will scroll the selected material into view.
  • Corrected the undo/redo verbiage when placing doors, windows, and accessories in Elevation Editor.
  • It is now possible to specify 0” trim widths for windows.
  • The “View Working Floor Only” option is now saved on a per-document basis.
  • Adding and deleting wall points while in 3D framing mode no longer causes the slab to disappear.
  • Fixed an issue where applying materials or paints to roof panels containing skylights would not work in some cases.
  • Fixed crashes that could occur when using the elevation list.
  • Fixed a potential crash when applying a material or paint to a room’s floor or ceiling when SmartWand is activated.
  • Fixed a crash when choosing certain curved-style custom skylights.
  • Fixed a potential crash when working with roof cutout objects.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.4 (Jan 27, 2017)

  • Addresses an issue that prevented users from printing and saving in Estimator.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.3 (Jan 13, 2017)

  • Assume you selected the door tool and then the custom door style. After placing the door on a wall, it will now appear correctly in 3D.
  • Fixed issues where custom windows and doors would appear in 2D but not in 3D.
  • The 3D scene is now updated when applying a filter (e.g. hiding all roof panels).
  • Placing certain objects such as sinks and ceiling fans now works correctly if the object properties view is not active.
  • When creating new edging objects, the selected edging style is now applied correctly. Previously, the new edging would always appear as wooden posts with variable heights.
  • Entering 0 as the ‘A-slope’ of a dormer wall now works correctly.
  • Applying paint to certain parts of windows and doors now works correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where wall holes would appear in random places when viewing a complex design in 3D.
  • Wall attachment dimensions are now redrawn correctly when dragging the wall attachment along its segment.
  • Corner cabinets are now drawn correctly while placing them along a wall.
  • Improved reliability when working with roof panels cabinets, and 3D cutaway objects.
  • Improved reliability when working with skylight, dormer, and dormer cutout objects.
  • Improved reliability when working with windows and doors with custom trim casings.
  • Improved memory usage when working with walls, rooms, custom trim, and automatic roofing.
  • Using the elevation list in conjunction with floors with long names will no longer result in a crash.
  • Dragging content to an inactive design window will no longer result in a successful drag-and-drop operation.
  • Greatly improved output quality when exporting to PDF. For optimal fidelity, we recommend using OS X 10.11 or higher.
  • Designs containing SketchUp objects now load much faster.
  • Styled (broken) detail lines now draw correctly when you are translating them from one location to another.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.2 (Dec 1, 2016)

  • New features:
  • The SketchUp importer now imports Version 2017 design files.
  • Added render style, render options, and lighting options toolbar items to the Elevation Editor toolbar.
  • Wireframe style modes are now available in the Elevation Editor design mode.
  • Fixed bugs:
  • Corrected an issue where tool-tips may not appear correctly for tools displayed in grid mode.
  • The Set Viewpoint commands located under the 3D menu now work correctly. Previously they would always appear as disabled.
  • When entering rotated text, it is now possible to tab between the angle text field and the text entry view.
  • When working with fonts, only the applicable font options are now displayed on the Font Panel.
  • Significant performance improvements when drawing 2D symbols.
  • Significant performance improvements when drawing text and dimensions.
  • The right panel is automatically widened if more space is required to display a particular properties view.
  • Fixed several crashes that were caused by switching design modes and switching to tools such as windows and switches. These crashes were particularly noticeable on OS X 10.9 and 10.10.
  • Fixed a possible crash when using extremely long terms when searching for content.
  • Fixed a rare crash when searching for content on a very limited number of systems.
  • Fixed an issue where some content previews may appear cut off at the bottom when using a non-touch pointing device.

New in Home Design Studio 19.0.1 (Nov 9, 2016)

  • Setting visible plans now updates the plant inventory bar.
  • Using the “Fill with Plants” feature now updates the plant inventory bar.
  • Fixed several issues where the properties inspector was not updated when working with plants using the plant inventory bar.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when working with multiple documents.
  • The “Flip Corner Position” option for cabinets now works as intended.
  • Fixed an issue where plant profiles may disappear when switching between documents.
  • The plan tab is now updated correctly when selecting a plan from an overflow menu.
  • Opening sample plans will no longer result in an error message stating a floor plan trace image is missing.
  • Text in the plant details sheet is now selectable. This is useful for copying information or looking it up on a search engine.
  • It is no longer possible to create multiple content categories with the same name at the same depth.
  • Selecting items and applying materials in Elevation Editor now works if ClearView is active.
  • Fixed an issue where 3D selection was not working if ClearView was active.
  • Backend database performance improvements.
  • In Elevation Editor mode, 2D and 3D objects are now deselected when a new tool is selected.
  • Fixed a possible crash when closing a document.
  • Fixed a crash when working with text fields.
  • Other stability improvements.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.14 (May 25, 2016)

  • Estimator totals are now calculated correctly.
  • Improved display of soffit controls when working with three-, four-, and n-panel roofs.
  • The ‘flip’ button on the door properties inspector is now enabled for sliding glass doors.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.13 (Dec 22, 2015)

  • Home Design:
  • Improved application launch speed.
  • Fixed several issues where text would appear truncated on El Capitan systems.
  • Clicking the maximize button on the 3D window no longer results in a white screen appearing during resize animation.
  • The 3D view is now updated when switching floors when in room view mode.
  • Fixed video corruption issues on ATI and NVIDIA GPUs when performing multiple final renders, exporting images, and printing images.
  • Wall, ceiling, and floor registers now have content organizers.
  • The degree symbol now displays properly for angles.
  • Elevation Editor:
  • Fixed an issue that prevented printing high-quality 3D render output.
  • Estimator:
  • RGB values are now displayed for painted surfaces with colors that did not originate from a paint library.
  • Training Center:
  • ExtremeHowTo.com pages now appear for El Capitan users.
  • Fixed an issue where tutorial videos would not play on some systems.
  • Fixed an issue where the interface would appear corrupted in some cases.
  • Fixed an issue where videos would appear offset.
  • Videos are now stopped when closing the Training Center window.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.12 (Sep 24, 2015)

  • 3D:
  • Fixed an intermittent issue where using the 3D eyedropper to identify paint on a 3D surface would return the incorrect paint.
  • Fixed several cases where applying colors or textures to fences, floors, and other objects with SmartWand enabled would not work.
  • Fixed several errors reported in the console when performing more than one 3D image print operation in a session.
  • Automatic Roofs:
  • It is now possible to specify zero-depth soffits.
  • Cabinets:
  • Added new metric size defaults for several cabinet styles.
  • Bookshelves are now built correctly.
  • Design Files:
  • Fixed an issue where opening a design containing certain curved walls would cause the software to no longer respond.
  • Opening PC files with certain edging configurations will no longer cause the program to not respond.
  • Elevation Editor:
  • Dimensions and text now move correctly when the design view is panned in any direction.
  • Dimensions no longer appear offset from their original location after drawing them.
  • Fixed an issue where the 3D rendered image would not print in many cases.
  • When moving a wall attachment such as door or window, the blue selection rectangle is now drawn at 50% opacity so you can see what is underneath.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the “Render Final” command to appear inactive in some cases.
  • You can now edit standard and rotated text objects by double-clicking on them.
  • Estimator:
  • Fixed several memory leaks and performance issues.
  • Landscaping:
  • It is now possible to specify a negative spacing value for edging. This allows for adjacent edging pieces to blend together.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.11 (Jul 21, 2015)

  • The correct 2D dimension style is now selected in dimension properties window.
  • Fixed an issue where leader dimensions would display incorrect text.
  • Corrected an issue where leader dimension descriptions for floors would appear incorrectly.
  • The Page Setup option is now available in Full 3D and Elevation Editor modes.
  • When printing the 3D view, the image is now sized to fit a single sheet of paper while maintaining its aspect ratio.
  • Fixed an intermittent crash when applying textures and colors using SmartWand.
  • Added a new option under the 3D menu that allows you to ignore the lot when placing a color or material. This is useful for applying materials to items visible through cutouts in the topography.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.10 (Apr 2, 2015)

  • Fixed a document management issue for Snow Leopard and Lion users.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.9 (Mar 25, 2015)

  • Fixed several issues causing QuickStart to crash in some specific cases.
  • Fixed an issue where opening files with certain wall configurations would cause the software to hang.
  • Fixed a crash when opening a version 11 or 12 file containing Global Sun Position data.
  • The Global Sun Position feature now sets the lot and overhead sun angles correctly.
  • HVAC, electrical, and plumbing components no longer appear in 3D view when filtered out in the 3D display options.
  • Enabling the objects 3D filter no longer causes the top planes of cabinets to disappear.
  • Removed “Animate Background” from the 3D filter options since the backgrounds are no longer animated.
  • Importing materials, plants, and backgrounds is now easier and more streamlined.
  • Improved QuickStart usability on Yosemite systems.
  • Fixed an issue where imported background images would appear cropped in 3D view.
  • It is now possible to open other designs not in your recent list from the Welcome window.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.7 (Nov 6, 2014)

  • Fixed an issue where the welcome window would display unexpectedly.
  • Made several improvements to the sample plan chooser window.
  • Made several improvements to the 3D lighting window.
  • Fixed an issue where tool windows would only display once while running under Yosemite.
  • Fixed several issues where text would appear clipped while running under Yosemite.
  • The inspector window and, if applicable, palette window now display when using the material finder tool.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.6 (Sep 24, 2014)

  • This release contains several significant updates, including:
  • Enabled retina support.
  • Significant rendering speed and memory usage improvements for plans containing plants.
  • Below is a detailed change list:
  • [All]:
  • Enabled retina support.  Text and other UI elements should appear much sharper and cleaner.
  • [2D]:
  • When using a PDF as a floor plan trace image, the transparent areas of the PDF now appear as transparent and not black.
  • Door and window callouts are now displayed when they are enabled but auto-dimensions are disabled.
  • [3D]:
  • Dramatically improved rendering speed and memory usage for plans containing plants from the custom and user libraries.
  • Improved speed when loading custom textures into the rendering engine.
  • Fixed a crash caused by using certain materials in the Custom Materials library.
  • [General]:
  • Added verbiage clarification changes on the Export save panels.
  • Fixed issue where an incorrect warning is displayed when creating dimension wall spacing objects.
  • Fixed an issue where new and existing geometry could not be selected after deleting a layer.
  • Improved performance when displaying items in the User Material Library.
  • Fixed an issue where readout format measurement settings on the preferences window would not save the first time.
  • Plugged several memory leaks.
  • [Framing]:
  • Setting the insulated framing option now works correctly for walls.
  • [All PowerTools]:
  • Added new high-resolution application icons.
  • [Estimator]:
  • The names of custom textures applied via a palette now appear in the material descriptions.
  • The names of user library textures applied via a palette now appear in the material descriptions.
  • The names of paints applied directly or via a palette now appear in the material descriptions.
  • Plugged several printing memory leaks.
  • [PhotoView]:
  • Improved speed and memory usage when using multiple PhotoView objects that share the same image.
  • The 3D view is now refreshed after changing the PhotoView image via the inspector.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.5 (Jul 16, 2014)

  • Fixed several issues when exporting rendered images.
  • Improved precision of the dimensions and areas displayed in room labels.
  • Fixed several crashes users experienced in QuickStart.
  • Fixed a rare issue when opening sample plans and help center designs.
  • Preview images now appear correctly when importing material and accessory images.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.4 (Jun 3, 2014)

  • Minor stability fixes.

New in Home Design Studio 17.5.3 (May 29, 2014)

  • Door opening indicator lines now appear in 2D and printing.
  • Improved quality of printed lines and patterns.
  • Wall perimeter dimensions are no longer cut off when printing.
  • Door swings are no longer cut off when printing.
  • Improved output when printing a design to fit on a single page.
  • Fixed several memory leaks.
  • The numeric separator character now displays properly in the units preference popup buttons.
  • The door facings library now appears in the cabinet door inspectors.

New in Home Design Studio 15.0.5 (Jun 13, 2012)

  • Fixes several document and 3D issues for Lion users.

New in Home Design Studio 15.0.3 (Oct 24, 2011)

  • Minor bug fixes.

New in Home Design Studio 15.0.2 (Apr 9, 2011)

  • New content will help you add even more personal decorating touches.
  • Added 366 new Acme Brick materials.
  • Added 150 new siding materials.
  • Added a new material library from Belgard Pavers.
  • Added 130 new Karastan Rugs to the Furnishings library.
  • Added several new objects to various other furnishings libraries.
  • What's fixed:
  • Topography polygons are now closed correctly when exporting to DXF/DWG.
  • Fixed an issue where some customers could not play the tutorial videos on newer Mac hardware.
  • The elevation bar now updates correctly when switching measurement units.

New in Home Design Studio 11.0.2 (Mar 12, 2008)

  • Fixed a crash that occurred when opening a file created by a newer version of Punch! Home Design software from the Finder.
  • Fixed an issue where all textured surfaces would appear white when using the camera tool.
  • Fixed an issue where all textured surfaces would appear white when using the plan viewpoint tool.
  • Improved reliability when opening designs with corrupt or otherwise invalid objects.
  • Improved texture mapping in many cases.
  • You can now remove a Floor Plan trace image even if it failed to load.
  • Lengths now appear correctly in the status bar when resizing the virtual ruler.
  • Fixed multiple issues where the inspector would show objects as having different dimensions when in fact they had the same dimensions.
  • The "Floor Cutout Properties" and "Deck Cutout Properties" labels now appear correctly on the inspector.
  • The deck cutout tool inspector now shows the correct height.
  • Fixed an issue where the current tab and toolset was not updated when performing an undo/redo.
  • Inspector values are now updated when switching the plan units (e.g. Imperial->Metric).
  • The active floor popup button is now updated when performing an undo/redo.
  • Deck cutout heights are no longer 1" lower than the deck elevation.
  • An undo action is now stored when importing a 3D object from the file menu.
  • The current document no longer disappears when importing a corrupted 3D object.
  • VRML file extensions are now hidden when "Hide Extension" is checked in the save panel.
  • Dimensions and circular arcs are now placed correctly when only a single click is used.
  • Diameter dimensions are now drawn correctly when scaling and translating.
  • Pathway areas are now calculated correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where clicking a PowerTool's icon in the PowerTool Launcher would not select the entry.
  • Fixed an issue where wireframe and ClearView showed up simultaneously when tracking with the 2D viewpoint indicator.
  • Minor visual improvements to artwork.
  • Cabinet Assistant no longer tries to adjust the background lighting. This is only useful for scene rendering.
  • Visually improved printed polylines defining areas on RealModel wall templates that need to be cut out.
  • Window and door cutouts in RealModel are now filled with solid white instead of a diagonal pattern.
  • Fixed roof template number orientation in RealModel.
  • Fixed a small verbiage problem in Topography Designer.
  • Removed "float above topography" option from Topography Designer as it is not needed.
  • "Rendering Options..." now appears disabled when LiveView is not open in Topography Designer.
  • Object elevations now show up correctly in Topography Designer