DreamPlan Home Design Contest - Win a FREE Limited Edition T-Shirt

DreamPlan Home Design Contest

Enter to Win a Limited Edition DreamPlan T-Shirt

To enter, share a screenshot of your DreamPlan home design project by posting the image and tagging @nchsoftware in your Facebook post or tweet. All entries must be submitted before September 1, 2017. Winners will be chosen and notified September 8th, 2017. 

Multiple entries are accepted! Likes, shares, retweets and favorites will be factored into the community voting process, so be sure to share your project with your friends and family!

Download DreamPlan to Get Started!

Do you need ideas or help getting started? 

• View DreamPlan Video Tutorials
• Rotate and Resize DreamPlan Objects
• Change Colors and Materials
• Add 3D Objects to DreamPlan
• Design a Tiny Home with DreamPlan
• Design a Swimming Pool with DreamPlan
• Design a Chicken Coop with DreamPlan

Download DreamPlan for Windows

CONTEST RULES

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE THE CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: This Campaign is open only to those who submit a screenshot of an original project created with DreamPlan Home Design Software through a public Twitter or Facebook post tagging @NCHSoftware and who are 18 years or older as of the date of entry. The Campaign is only open to legal residents of the United States of America and is void where prohibited by law. Employees of NCH Software, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and suppliers, (collectively the “Employees”), and immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of Employees are not eligible to participate in the Campaign. The Campaign is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.

2. Agreement to Rules: By participating, the Contestant (“You”) agree to be fully unconditionally bound by these Rules, and You represent and warrant that You meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, You agree to accept the decisions of NCH Software as final and binding as it relates to the content of this Campaign.

3. Campaign Period: Entries will be accepted online starting on August 1, 2017 at 12:00am Pacific Time and ending August 31, 2017 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. All online entries must be received by August 31, 2017 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.

4. How to Enter: The Campaign must be entered by submitting an entry on Twitter or Facebook with a screenshot of a DreamPlan Home Design project in a public post or tweet tagging @NCHSoftware. The entry must fulfill all Campaign requirements, as specified, to be eligible to win a prize. Entries that are incomplete or do not adhere to the rules or specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion of NCH Software. If You use fraudulent methods or otherwise attempt to circumvent the rules, your submission may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion of NCH Software.

5. Prizes: The Winner(s) of the Campaign (the “Winner”) will receive one T-Shirt valued at approximately USD$20.00. Actual/appraised value may differ at time of prize award. The specifics of the prize shall be solely determined by NCH Software. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted except at NCH Software’s discretion. The prize is nontransferable. Any and all prize-related expenses, including without limitation any and all federal, state, and/or local taxes, shall be the sole responsibility of Winner. No substitution of prize or transfer/assignment of prize to others or request for the cash equivalent by Winner is permitted. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for NCH Software to use Winner’s name, likeness, and entry for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

6. Odds: The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

7. Winner Selection and Notification: Winner will be selected by community vote under the supervision of NCH Software. Winner will be notified by direct message on the social network where the entry was submitted within five (5) days following selection of Winner. NCH Software shall have no liability for Winner’s failure to receive notices due to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for Winner’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information. If Winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize within 90 days from the time award notification was sent, or fails to timely return a completed and executed declaration and release as required, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate Winner selected. Receipt by Winner of the prize offered in this Campaign is conditioned upon compliance with any and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. ANY VIOLATION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES BY WINNER (AT NCH SOFTWARE’S SOLE DISCRETION) WILL RESULT IN WINNER’S DISQUALIFICATION AS WINNER OF THE CAMPAIGN, AND ALL PRIVILEGES AS WINNER WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED.

8. Rights Granted by You: By entering this content (e.g., photo, video, text, etc.), You understand and agree that NCH Software, anyone acting on behalf of NCH Software, and NCH Software’s licensees, successors, and assigns, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the World, without limitation, your entry, name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness, image, statements about the Campaign, and biographical information for news, publicity, information, trade, advertising, public relations, and promotional purposes, without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent. By entering this content, You represent and warrant that your entry is an original work of authorship, and does not violate any third party’s proprietary or intellectual property rights. If your entry infringes upon the intellectual property right of another, You will be disqualified at the sole discretion of NCH Software. If the content of your entry is claimed to constitute infringement of any proprietary or intellectual proprietary rights of any third party, You shall, at your sole expense, defend or settle against such claims. You shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless NCH Software from and against any suit, proceeding, claims, liability, loss, damage, costs or expense, which NCH Software may incur, suffer, or be required to pay arising out of such infringement or suspected infringement of any third party’s right.

9. Terms & Conditions: NCH Software reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Campaign should virus, bug, non-authorized human intervention, fraud, or other cause beyond NCH Software’s control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Campaign. In such case, NCH Software may select the Winner from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by NCH Software. NCH Software reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Campaign or website or violates these Terms & Conditions. NCH Software has the right, in its sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Campaign, to void votes for any reason, including, but not limited to: duplicate entries, or the use of bots, macros, scripts, or other technical means for entering. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Campaign may be a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such attempt be made, NCH Software reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

10. Limitation of Liability: By entering, You agree to release and hold harmless NCH Software and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers, and directors from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, claim, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from: (i) such entrant’s participation in the Campaign and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof; (ii) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunction of any computer, cable, network, hardware, or software, or other mechanical equipment; (iii) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, or Internet service; (iv) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Promotion; (v) electronic or human error in the administration of the Promotion or the processing of entries.

11. Disputes: THIS Campaign IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND COLORADO, WITHOUT RESPECT TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in this Campaign, participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Campaign, shall be resolved individually through mediation, without resort to any form of class action. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances shall participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees, other than participant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e. costs associated with entering this Campaign). Participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

12. Privacy Policy: Information submitted with an entry is subject to the Privacy Policy stated on the NCH Software website. To read the Privacy Policy, visit http://www.nch.com.au/general/privacy.html 

13. Winners List: To obtain a copy of the Winner’s name or a copy of these Official Rules, mail your request along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: NCH Software NCH Software, Inc. 6120 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Greenwood Village CO, 80111 USA. Requests must be received no later than September 31, 2017 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.

14. Sponsor: The Sponsor of the Campaign is NCH Software, Inc. 6120 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Greenwood Village CO, 80111 USA

15. The Campaign hosted by NCH Software is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.

16. By entering the Campaign, You, the Contestant, have affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of the Official Rules.

Design Backyard Chicken Coops with DreamPlan

Design Backyard Chicken Coops with DreamPlan

Create a Chicken Coop Design Plan with DreamPlan

Raising backyard chickens brings joy and bountiful egg harvests to urban farmers across the world. When first adopting chickens, one of the first orders of business will be to build a chicken coop to home your chickens so that they will be safe and sheltered. DreamPlan offers an easy way to design a 3D chicken coop plan.

Download DreamPlan for Windows

Planning a Chicken Coop Design

Chicken coops provide chickens with protection from both inclement weather and local predators. A chicken coop will generally contain both areas with open wire as well as covered roosting areas for the chickens to sleep and lay eggs. When planning a chicken coop design, you will want to keep in mind the number of chickens that you plan on raising, the space in which you can build the coop, and the utility that you would like the coop to provide. You will want to supply both a covered roosting space and a safe, fenced-in outdoor space for your chickens.

Create a 3D Chicken Coop Plan

3D modeling software can make chicken coop design simple, and chicken coops can be designed to scale. You can also use DreamPlan build a 3D model of your backyard in order to see how your chicken coop will fit in your current space.

Design the Roost

To create a chicken coop with DreamPlan, you will want to begin by sketching up the roost for your chickens. You can use multiple stories to build an elevated roost or a roost with a pitched roof.  You can change the wall height for each story in your project in the lower left hand corner of the screen.

To draw the walls for the roost, simply select the wall tool and draw walls to match your size specifications. To build a chicken coop design plan that is elevated off the ground on risers, use stories and footings. When you are finished designing the walls for your chicken roost, finish your design with a roof and add a ramp to your design for chickens to access the roost.

Design a Fenced Area

To fence in the area around your chicken coop roost, use the railing tool to draw your chicken yard. You can edit the railing properties in the left hand program menu to create fencing. You can increase the railing height to create a tall fence, and then change the "Infill Type" to mesh to simulate chicken wire. You can also change the color, spacing, style, size and design of your fence posts in the railing options.

Finish your Chicken Coop Design

To finalize your chicken coop design, you can import 3D models of chickens into DreamPlan. You can download the chickens and rooster that we used in our projects from archive3d.net here:

• Chicken 
• Rooster

We used the chicken model above to create three different chicken species by changing the size and color of the chicken models as we added them to our project. 

Download DreamPlan for Windows

Add 3D Models to DreamPlan Home Design Projects

Import 3D Models into Home Design Software

Add 3D Models to DreamPlan Home Design Projects

With DreamPlan home design software you can plan, create, style and decorate your dream home. DreamPlan is very useful for planning remodeling projects, testing home design choices before purchasing paint or furniture, and landscaping. As 3D home design software, DreamPlan includes basic cabinetry, furniture and other home design pieces, however, these pieces may not fit into the design scheme that you had imagined for your dream home. To augment the included content and add-on content packages, you can import 3D models of couches, cabinets, kitchen islands, statues, and many more objects.  

Download DreamPlan for Windows

Download New 3D Content for DreamPlan

You can download 3D objects for your home design projects from websites such as archive3d.net online. You can select from hundreds of furniture, decor, appliances, building supplies to match your decor concepts. DreamPlan will support the majority of the 3D models that are available for download on archive3d.net in addition to 3D models in 3DS, STL and PLY formats. 3D model files may need to be unzipped before you can import them into DreamPlan.

How to Import a 3D Model 

After you have downloaded and unzipped a 3D model that you would like to add to your home design project, you will need to import it into DreamPlan. To import a 3D model, click on the button that says "Add Content" in the top menu bar. 

To select a 3D model from your computer to import into DreamPlan, click on the "Import 3D Model..." option from the drop down menu. 

Import a 3D Model

3D Model Preview and Properties

After you have selected a 3D file to import from your computer, the Import Model dialogue will open. This window will display the 3D model that you are importing in the model preview on the left hand side of the window. Properties of the 3D model can be set on the right hand side of the window. You can change the display name of the 3D model you are importing, select an object category, and set the object type, size, and display measurements in this window. The properties that you select in the Import Model dialogue will set the default properties for the object when it is added to a home design project.

Object Category

To set the Object Category, select an option from the drop down list. This will determine where your 3D model will show up in the DreamPlan Object Categories.

Object Type

The Object Type is an important property for the imported 3D model. This property will determine how the 3D object is placed in a home design project. Object type can be standard, surface, floating, ceiling, or wall.

• Standard - "The object has no special rules and will always be placed on the ground" Examples include couches, statues, and floor lamps.
• Surface - "The object, e.g. a table or counter, can have other objects placed on top of it. The object will be placed on the floor or ground." Examples include tables, counters, kitchen islands, tv stands and other objects that include a surface where other objects can be placed.
• Floating - "The object can be placed on top of Surface objects, e.g. a table. Otherwise, it will be placed on the floor or ground" Examples include table lamps, small plants, televisions, and other decor objects that sit on top of tables, counter tops and other surfaces in the home.
• Ceiling - "The object will always be attached to the ceiling." Examples include ceiling fans and ceiling lights.
• Wall - "The object will always be attached to a wall" Examples include paintings, wall shelving, wall mounted televisions and other wall decor. 

X - Y - Z Axis Rotation

If you would like to change the default axis orientation of the 3D model that you are importing, you can use the X, Y and Z Axis rotation options to change the default orientation of the object in home design projects. As you change the rotation on the right hand side of the Import Model screen, the Model preview will move to reflect the changes as you make them. The blue line in the preview (Z-Axis) will show the front face of the model. 

Set the Display Measurements

The Display Measurements will determine the real size of your model in your home design project. Simply enter any known measurement- width, height, or depth, and DreamPlan will automatically calculate the remaining values. If you are importing a large object such as a couch or dresser, you can select Feet (or Meters) instead of Inches (or Centimeters) as the display measurement to make it easier to set the display measurements. For smaller objects, such a plants or table lamps, it may be easier to enter a known measurement in inches or centimeters.  This feature can be very useful to set exact specifications for furniture pieces in order to be sure that they will fit perfectly in your home design or remodeling project.

 Import the 3D Model

When you are finished setting the model properties and display measurements, click on the "Import Model" button to import the model into DreamPlan. 

 Adding a 3D Model to a Home Design Project

After you have imported the 3D model, you can add the 3D model to your house design project by navigating to the category you selected while importing your 3D model. Your 3D model will be named the Display Name that you selected during the import process. You can add your 3D model to your home design project by selecting the object and then moving the object to your desired placement in your 3D home design.

You can rotate or resize objects before or after moving them in your home design project. You can also change the color of the 3D models that you have imported when you add them to your design project, which can be very useful when testing color schemes on specific rooms or home exteriors. 3D models can be used to add all sorts of new design elements to DreamPlan, including furniture, decor, gardening items, statues, and even buildings.

Download DreamPlan for Windows

Choose the Color Palette for your Home with DreamPlan Home Designer

Change Colors and Materials in DreamPlan Home Design Software

How to Pick Colors and Materials for Your Walls and Furniture with DreamPlan

DreamPlan is an easy to use home design software that can create beautiful home and landscape designs. Decorate the interior and exterior of your home design to test out design concepts, colors and materials before purchasing materials or paint. DreamPlan allows users to see how remodeling projects will look before materials have been purchased and physical labor has been put into the home remodeling project. To allow for the best customization options possible, we have recently added new features to DreamPlan to make changing materials, colors, and textures easier than ever. 

Download DreamPlan for Windows

Select an Object to Edit

To select an object, such as a wall, piece of furniture, window, floor, planter, tree, door or deck, enable the select tool by clicking on the hand icon in the right hand menu. If the background of the hand icon is green, the selection tool is enabled.

When you hover your mouse over any object in DreamPlan while the selection tool is enabled, an outline will appear. You can click on any object to select it. Once an object has been selected, you can easily change the object's color, texture and other optional aspects. 

Edit an Object's Properties

When you select an object in your DreamPlan project, a properties panel will open on the left hand side of the program window. This panel will display optional properties that can be edited to customize the object that is selected. These properties can include values such as height, width, rotation, color and texture. You can use the properties panel to customize every aspect of your home design project. 

Change the Color of Furniture and Building Materials

To change the color of an object, click on the icon to the right of the material that you would like to edit. This will open a color selection box where you can select a preset color, or create and save custom colors.

You can change the color of most objects, including furniture, plants, flooring, walls, windows and more. Choose your own color combinations to customize your home design project interior, exterior, backyard, and pool. 

Try Out Different Building Materials

Some objects, such as flooring, walls and decks, will include a style as well as a color. For these objects, you can select from different materials. Choose from various brick, wood, and tile designs for interior and exterior floors, walls, decks and more. 

Download DreamPlan for Windows

For more DreamPlan tips and tricks, visit our DreamPlan video tutorial page.

Tiny Home Design Software

Home Design 101 - How to Design a Small, Micro or Tiny House 

Download DreamPlan for Windows

According to Wikipedia, The ‘tiny house movement’, ‘small house movement’ or ‘micro home movement’ is "a description for the architectural and social movement that advocates living simply in tiny homes." What constitutes a small home? There is no set benchmark, but it is generally agreed that a tiny home is 500 sq feet or less, but can be as large as 1000 sq feet.

What is the most important factor when it comes to building your small house? The name says it all, small or tiny, implying limited space. It is extremely important to utilize the small space in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Designing the small house plans is a crucial step, you want to make sure that you are able to meet all your living needs while keeping an eye on the square footage. These plans are key because the cost of making changes after construction begins can end up being very expensive. For instance, realizing that you didn’t leave space for a toilet may halt the progress while you reassess your tiny home plan and gather more funds.

What can you do to ensure that your design meets your functional requirements and meets your dreams of a little house? The answer to that is simple and effective – use DreamPlan Home Design Software to make your small house floor plans come alive with realistic 3D visualizations.

DreamPlan - Overhead 3D Home Design

We built a 480 sq. feet tiny home using DreamPlan, which indeed transformed our tiny house floor plans into reality. You can bring your small home, cottage or cabin to life with DreamPlan.

Watch the video below to see how we made our tiny house come to life. We start with the tiny house floor plan, then, switch to 3D mode to view the front of the home and the interior with all the colors and textures that will be present in our final home design.

Download DreamPlan for Windows

For DreamPlan tutorials, visit nchsoftware.com/design/tutorial.html.