3D Home Architect was a DIY software application for home design, interior design and landscaping.

History

3D Home Architect was created by Chief Architect, Inc. and published by Broderbund in 1993. 3D Home Architect was a simplified version of Chief Architect’s professional home design application.

Chief Architect ended its relationship with Broderbund in 2002 following the release of 3D Home Architect 4.0. New versions of 3D Home Architect continued to be released by Broderbund using various software developers including Cadsoft and Punch; however, newer versions of 3D Home Architect were not compatible with the Chief Architect and caused much confusion among customers. Eventually, Punch bought the rights to the trademark “3D Home Architect” and effectively ended the product.

Since Chief Architect did not own the trademarked product name “3D Home Architect”, it created new versions of the technology under the branded product name Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

Australian actress Noni Hazlehurst hosted the show during its premiere year in 1995 through to 2004. Her husband at the time, John Jarratt was also a presenter on the show. Former swimmer-turned-television presenter Johanna Griggs replaced Noni as host in 2005. The show also features pet advice...

. Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer debuted in August 2003 and was sold in many retail stores. The Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer products eventually amounted to six different products ranging in price from $59 to $495 for home design, interior design and landscaping. In 2007, the products again became the best selling DIY products according to NPD Group

NPD Group

The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...

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The 3D Home Architect technology again evolved under a new name when Chief Architect dropped the name Better Homes and Gardens and published, Chief Architect Home Designer in July 2009. Since the release in 2009, the Chief Architect Home Designer products have held the top selling home design software on Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

. Both version of Home Designer are compatible with 3D Home Architect 4.0 and prior.