Non Traditional Users Stand Out in Australia - With sales up by over 120%, SoftPlan Australia has had a bench mark year. SoftPlan software is finding its niche in the Australian market fueled by the advanced design features of Version 13. Consequently, Australian users have utilized the speed and power of SoftPlan for a variety of design requirements.

Award wining builder, Eco Homes is one example of a SoftPlan user that has taken advantage of the adaptable nature of the program. As their name suggests, Eco Homes uses the software to create environmentally friendly designs. Many of these designs include unique materials and construction such as walls created with original brick work, wharf boards, and steel or roofing designed to make use of rain water and employ solar power.

Eco Homes’ design director and registered builder, Courtney Dalton began using SoftPlan with no prior drafting experience, learning both the skills and methodology of drafting at the same time. Dalton says, “I have found SoftPlan to be very easy to use and learn compared with other packages. I also believe it is the fastest residential 3D modeling package on the market today.” With the 2005 release of Version 13, Dalton continues to increase the efficiency of his design process. And, if there’s one thing that Eco Homes takes pride in excelling at, it’s making best use of resources. Dalton notes, “The improvements of each version are fantastic and enhance the ‘hands on' usability of the package.”

Eco friendly design is just one of the many not-so-traditional employments for SoftPlan in the hands of innovative Australian users. Andrew Yuill at Franklin Gem creates renderings of the complex shapes of shade sails for prospective clients. Shade sails in square, rectangular, triangular, and hexagonal configurations are created in Site Mode which best produces the twisted shape of the sails required for 3D images. This is done on a laptop in the home of the client as part of an onsite design consultation. Yuill’s greatest obstacle using the software has been that customers often become so excited about design possibilities as they are being drawn that they forget about the cost of the project.

Similarly, a user from Queensland, Braith Vidler, completes another type of impressive project using SoftPlan’s Site Mode. Designing 640 block subdivisions becomes a cinch using a 1mm wide wall so the area of each block can be measured in Area mode. Recently, Vidler drew 130 multi-story units, and presented the 3D images to a residential planning council where they passed without a problem. His take on drawing large subdivisions with SoftPlan shows exactly the extent of design capabilities intended to fall under the category of residential and light commercial design.

Since 1992, Jon Churchill has been a part of distributing SoftPlan Down Under, and he is thrilled at the program’s recent successes. “Though it would be hard to improve on last year, we are off to a good start.” And, he hopes to see other users in the building industry catch on, “With SoftPlan's dedicated building design tools it's no wonder we are enticing traditional "line draw" CAD users to take the step up to fast, easy drafting.” Churchill points out that each version provides more and more automation, flexibility and speed to make drawing a pleasure not a task. “In Australia, many of our users are "one man bands”. They can’t afford to make the wrong decision when it comes to their main income earning tool. SoftPlan is a program you can build a business on"
 
Interbild and SoftPlan Offer Options to UK Building Industry - SoftPlan continues to perform strongly in the international marketplace as well as on US soil. Part of this success comes from the teaming of two forward thinking companies, SoftPlan and Interbild to offer building professionals in the UK & Ireland leading products on the forefront of technology.
Larger corporate builders, lowered availability of land, and a lengthy land procurement process make the building industry of the United Kingdom vastly more complex than that of the US and Canada. Despite these challenges, Interbild has aptly positioned themselves in their diverse market by offering building materials and design services that give a fresh take on home construction for a continent of traditional designs that date back hundreds of years.

Looking for newer and improved ways of providing quality, affordable homes, Interbild has become well known for it’s expertise in energy efficient and environmentally friendly building systems. Eschewing construction materials of the past, (concrete block, stone), Interbild has pioneered the development of building components such as roof trusses and modular timber frame.

This modern approach to building requires the same from the design software used to create these structures. SoftPlan allows users to prepare detailed designs in both 2D and 3D. Working with the software in this way creates an intuitive design process that reflects exactly how the company wishes to build.

For over 50 years, Interbild has provided residential and light commercial designs. With the climate of the building market slowly changing, Interbild continues to have ground breaking success. In March of 2006, Interbild arrived at the UK building and trade show to a warm reception boosting Interbild’s positive outlook for the future. And the relationship between Interbild and SoftPlan remains one of mutual respect, sales manager Jeff Dibdin suggests, “With SoftPlan, we have an ideal partner.”
 
   
 
Michigan Pre-Apprenticeship Program Uses SoftPlan

An innovative, new program in Michigan is giving students with challenging backgrounds the chance to develop life skills using SoftPlan software. Michigan Pre-Apprenticeship for the Future offers courses in trades such as Masonry, Carpentry, and Plumbing/HVAC. Students enrolled in the program complete 540 hours of instruction and often go on to successful placements within their field of study.

The program, located in Flint, is a community centered school whose rehabilitative efforts reach not only at risk teens but stretch community wide. MP creates projects for its students by acquiring rundown houses and rebuilding them as well as doing new construction. Houses are renovated and then rented to low income families or single mothers.

Program director, Aaron Minner runs Michigan Pre-Apprenticeship by the philosophy that classroom education combined with real work experience creates the most successful learning environment. MP provides the students with several hours classroom instruction each week and then time spent working with a journeyman in the trade. As part of their trade skills, students also learn CAD to create blueprints.

SoftPlan software has been a recent addition to the program. Working with SoftPlan’s Michigan representative, Steve Sinacola, SoftPlan’s introduction to Pre-Apprenticeship has been a smooth transition. On a recent instructional visit, Sinacola gave an overview of the software that helped students design such projects as garages with unique roof systems and their dream homes with various requirements. The students were then able to view their projects in 3D using SoftView.

Using the SoftPlan program allows the students to gain a comprehensive overview of the carpentry trade and has become a favorite of students. MP administrator Deborah Stevens noted that SoftPlan’s accessibility has aided students in the learning process. Of the software, Stevens says, “The kids love it. They find it very easy to use.” And, more importantly the software has become a significant part of students reaching their life goals. Minner explains, “This software allows the students to do many great things and develop interests they might not otherwise have been able to develop.”
   
Educational Curriculum - Are you a SoftPlan EDU user? We’ve created a curriculum just for you. "SoftPlan’s Architectural Drafting" is a free resource for schools that contains seven units of instruction designed to be taught on the secondary level for 135-180 hours. For more information, contact James Henderson at jamesh@softplantech.com or call the office at 1-800-248-0164.

 
 
Nathan Leber, a first year architecture student, created this life-like rendering with only 4 months of SoftPlan experience. Leber is a senior at the Northwest Education Center and is the student of Scott Thomas.
 
 


Case and SoftPlan Form New Alliance - Case, the largest remodeling company in the United States, has chosen SoftPlan Systems to become an official Alliance partner. SoftPlan was recognized as the CAD package of choice due to the advanced design features of the recently released Remodeler Configuration.
 
 
Mid-Atlantic SoftPlan Representative - SoftPlan would like to welcome Jerry Halsor as the new Mid-Atlantic Representative. Halsor has been a part of the SoftPlan family for several years now as a representative for Baltimore, and is now working in the entire Mid-Atlantic region.