SoftPlan 2016 | Major Features

Indirect Lighting is light that reflects off surfaces onto surrounding objects to produce a more realistic image.

Direct Contribution and Indirect Contribution sliders allow you to choose how much direct and indirect light you want to blend into the final image.

Post Walkthroughs Directly to YouTube

One of the most problematic concerns for anyone trying to move or share a computer animation is the enormous file size. If you are a SoftPlan+ subscriber, SoftPlan allows you to add a title and description to an animation video and then upload it directly to YouTube to share with your colleagues and clients.

* YouTube Export is only available to SoftPlan+ subscribers.

The AutoCAD to SoftPlan Conversion Wizard offers an unprecedented level of convenience for importing DWG and DXF file formats into SoftPlan.
Import a single drawing, multiple drawings, or an entire project by following a series of easy steps to convert simple lines into walls and other SoftPlan items.
Once you have selected a file to convert, SoftPlan creates a preview tab that automatically updates as you work. You can then choose which AutoCAD layers to import and how to import them, change wall lines into the wall types you want to use, cleanup wall generation issues, and convert imported symbols into SoftPlan symbols and openings.
In minutes, take a “flat” two-dimensional AutoCAD drawing and convert it into a SoftPlan three-dimensional “BIM” drawing complete with walls, doors, windows and symbols.

With a click of the mouse, you can quickly generate Presentation Views from floor plans found in the Model list. Presentation Views provide a top-down view of the drawing in 3D and can be generated in any of SoftPlan’s 3D modes. Similar to other 3D views in SoftPlan, Presentation Views can be saved as SoftPlan drawings and detailed with paint and construction notes. Presentation Views can also be added to Plan Set Pages and printed along with your other floor plans, 3D images, and construction drawings.

Elevations can be automatically painted with textures used on the 3D mode.

This one-click process gives your drawings the finished, professional look of colored construction documents and prevents you from taking time to paint individual sections.

Texture opacity can be edited to show more or less of the paint pattern. Changes made to the 3D model can be easily updated on elevation drawings and vice versa.  

SoftPlan’s model paint will put your color printer to use producing better looking, easier-to-understand drawings in less time.

The new elevation tools can be used to isolate the shadows from the 3D model and add them to an otherwise vector drawing.

This feature will be particularly useful for those of you that are required to supply sun study drawings as part of the drawing set.

Plan Sets were introduced in SoftPlan 2014 but have received significant enhancement for SoftPlan 2016.

A complete list of changes is here.

SoftPlan 2016 allows you to export a project’s site information, such as latitude, longitude, and direction of North, to create a Google Earth file. You can then open this file in Google Earth to display a satellite image of the property, create tours and save specified views as jpeg images.

* Google Earth Export is only available to SoftPlan+ subscribers.

With the ability to export models into SketchUp, SoftPlan 2016 offers even more room to realize the 3D presentations you envision while designing.

The quick and simple export process into SketchUp enhances your rendering capabilities by expanding the modeling options you have at your disposal. With the ease of use of both SoftPlan and SketchUp, you’ll be able to achieve unique renderings with minimal effort.

* SketchUp Export is only available to SoftPlan+ subscribers.

SoftPlan 2016 supports 3Dconnexion® 3D mice. Users can simultaneously pan, zoom and rotate 2D/3D content while the standard mouse remains free to select menu items or parts of the model.