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Easy way to extract a house design on load to another PC???


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#1 Guest_Frank Simone_*

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Posted 27 March 2023 - 09:12 AM

I am just a rookie, who would like to have my architect provide me with an electronic file of his SoftPlan design of my new house. I would then like to load that file into the SoftPlan software I have loaded on my PC laptop.

 

He doesn’t know how to do that! Can anyone provide me with an easy way for him to extract a design from SoftPlan, so that he can send it to me, so that I can load his plan into my PC???

 

Thank you

 



#2 Sam Morgan

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Posted 29 March 2023 - 10:42 AM

doubt that its that he doesn't know how to do it....its more likely why would he give you his property?  I wouldn't give up any of my files to any of my former clients


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#3 Keith Almond

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Posted 29 March 2023 - 11:32 AM

Try:

 

File > Send to > Compressed (zipped) Folder ...

 

That should send you the whole project that you just unzip.


Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

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#4 Todd

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Posted 29 March 2023 - 08:45 PM

It may be an awkward situation, and he doesn't want to get involved as Sam suggested.  By law after 1990 the architect owns the design even if were a joint effort in coming up with the design unless he was hired specifically with a "work for hire agreement"- there is no exception to this (unless he derived his work from someone else's copyrighted work), therefore even the printouts belong to him, not who paid him.

 

Most designers that use CAD for plans have a very difficult time releasing their plans in electronic form for two reasons.  One is that they own the design.  I had a builder friend who used a new architect who charged them 8K to take their sketches and make them plans for submission.  They built the house, and when it sold used the plans to build it again and received a bill from him for 8K.  They took their sketches to their attorney to show that it was their design, they didn't plan to pay him again for doing nothing,  and he told them to pay the architect the 8K and not to use the plans again.  It's pretty clear, and I know the law is very specific that this applies to architects.  I don't think home designers, builders drawing their own plans, SoftPlan users etc are considered architects under the law.

 

The second reason is that the plans contains alot of work product besides the design itself including symbols, shapes, notes, etc laid out carefully and costing thousands if not tens of thousand to create good looking work product that is easily made very portable.  My Civil engineer dragged his feet giving DWG plans to the town when they started requiring it because he was so possessive about the beautiful shape of his north arrows, typical road sections, etc.  He didn't want those components out of his custody.

 

One other reason that might be in play is that any alteration of his plans, even if it eventually becomes unrecognizable, are considered "derivative works" and they also belong to the architect, even if he doesn't contribute or doesn't even see them.  That gets messy and if there's a chance that you or anyone else is going to change the plan to something better it makes a problem for him as he owns it and is not controlling it.  This is one reason any designer should not be looking at plan books and when they see something very close to "the design they had in their head" use the plan and morph it into the "design they had in their head".  It's impure at that point and dangerous.  $150K dangerous to be exact.  Start with your own house that's closest to your new idea, and morph that into the design you had in your head.  Keep a brief record of iterations for the record, and don't allow people to send you plans so that you get the idea of what they like.

 

The work for hire is very key.  Builders who use architects should be very careful to use a work for hire agreement stating that the work product belongs to the builder.  Designers that are not architects but would like copyright protection and to own the plan like an architect does should use (make) an agreement that states that for the purposes of the design agreement they are to be treated as an architect with regard to the Architectural Copyright Protection Act.

 

Builders that use UpWork or similar to have Sketchup or DWG symbols drawn should always include the phrase "as a work for hire" in the scope of work.  This gives you ownership of the model.

 

Hope some of that helps.

 

For this house plan and this problem possibly use reView as a client rather than SoftPlan.  reView is glitchy but very powerful and useful.  I hope it continues to be developed.





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