What are the System Settings that I need to know?

Can I speed up the performance of the program?

Can the software print to a plotter?

How do I find the pre-installed plans? I am following the instructions but they don't show up on the screen.

On page 43 of the manual, the graphic specifies "Floor Height", but my dialog box calls it "Flooring thickness" … which is right?

On page 199 of the User's Guide, the graphic shows a Translucency Slider. When I open my LiveView window, this does not show up. Why not?

Can I look directly down on the 3D floor plan, not at an angle?

How do you get to the second floor in 3D LiveView?

Do you offer a demo? Can I download your software?

How do I print the 3D LiveView picture?

When I paint or paper walls, the entire wall from one end of the house to the other gets the same texture. Can I add texture to just one wall of the room?

My AGP Voodoo3 video card causes a "GPF in Module OpenGL32.dll" error. What is wrong?

My display sometimes goes black when working in the program. Is there a fix for this?

How do I create a break in a wall?

 What are the System Settings that I need to know?

Important System Settings

• Set your Display Settings to 800x600 pixels and High Color (16 Bit). On your Start menu, select Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings.
• If you notice that the 3D display is not clear, set back the Graphics Acceleration. On your Start menu, select Settings>Control Panels> System>Performance>Graphics, then set the acceleration back one notch.
• By default, all measurements display in Inches, to choose Centimeters go to Design>Unit of Measure... select Metric.

Can I speed up the performance of the program?

You can "Speed Up" the program by changing some of the program's default settings.

• Close the LiveView window when you are not working in 3D. No 3D calculations are performed when the LiveView window is closed.
• Choose the Quarter-View window size for LiveView instead of Full-View to increase 3D rendering speed. 3D rendering speed increases as the LiveView window becomes smaller in size.
• Set your Display Screen Settings to 16-bit, 65,000 colors for optimum 3D rendering speed.
• You don't have to wait for a 3D view to render every time. Just click the mouse in the LiveView window to interrupt rendering.
• Hide the floors that are not being drawn. By turning off the inactive floors, the program will not waste resources on them.
• Turn off shadow rendering.

Can the software print to a plotter?

All Punch programs allow you to print your drawings to any size or tile to any size that a Windows-compatible printer or plotter will support. Our software prints tiled sheets from most standard size printers, allowing you to paste together a large to scale drawing (if you don't have a plotter). Be sure you have the most current printer drivers installed for your particular printer or plotter.

 
How do I find the pre-installed plans? I am following the instructions but they don't show up on the screen.

The included floor plans are located in a subdirectory called "Plans".

• On the File menu, click Open.
• Navigate to the directory where your program is installed.
• Double-click the Plans subdirectory, then click the plan you wish to open.

On page 43 of the manual, the graphic specifies "Floor Height", but my dialog box calls it "Flooring thickness" … which is right?

Flooring thickness … here is the correct screen.

 
On page 199 of the User's Guide, the graphic shows a Translucency Slider. When I open my LiveView window, this does not show up. Why not?

The Translucency Slider is only active during ClearView mode.

Can I look directly down on the 3D floor plan, not at an angle?

Although you can look down into your design at an angle in Fly-Through mode, you cannot actually look straight down into your design.

How do you get to the second floor in 3D LiveView?

The right mouse button controls the viewing altitude. While in either Fly-Through or Walk-Around mode, hold the right mouse button down to change altitude.

 

Do you offer a Demo Program or a downloadable version of your software?

Currently we do not offer a demo of any Punch! Software program. We put a large amount of information on our product boxes and here on the Punch! Software website to compensate for this. Of course, the best demo is the product itself, since it comes with a 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

We do not offer downloadable software at this time. When ordering from our web site, your order will be shipped via the carrier indicated on your order form.

How do I print the 3D LiveView picture?

• With Punch! LiveView open, go to File>Export>BMP. The default directory to save the BMP image in is the 'My Documents' folder, but you can save it to another directory, if you prefer.
• On the Start menu, click Programs>Accessories>Paint. The MS Paint program opens.
• On the File menu, click Open and point to the 'My Documents' folder, or if saved to a different location look there.
• Open the Punch BMP file. This will open the 3D View of the home design in Paint. On the File menu, click Print.

When I paint or paper walls, the entire wall from one end of the house to the other gets the same texture. Can I add texture to just one wall of the room?

Yes, but it will take some planning ahead. When drawing the exterior perimeter of your plan, add a "click" wherever you plan to place an interior wall. This point will create a place on the wall where textures and colors will start/stop.

 
My AGP Voodoo3 video card causes a "GPF in Module OpenGL32.dll" error. What is wrong?

Punch! Pro uses software-dependent 3D rendering; video cards render through hardware and this creates a conflict. To use the program with the AGP Voodoo3 or other high-performance video card you will need to contact the manufacturer for information on disabling the 3D rendering or "shadowing" within your system bios. Due to so many system configurations, contacting your oem or video card manufacturer is the most efficient way to resolve this conflict.

My display sometimes goes black when working in the program. Is there a fix for this?

Driver updates for certain video boards which may be causing the problem are available at http://www.glsetup.com.
This site includes web-enabled update software to determine the drivers on your computer and if needed, update them via internet connection. It is suggested that you read all the information provided, including the FAQ section. Since the information and update software is third-party based, Punch! Software LLC cannot assume any responsibility or liability for its use.

How do I create a break in a wall?

Once all exterior walls have been drawn, you still have the ability to add a break if you change your mind.

To create a break in a wall

1) On the Standard toolbar, click the Selection tool.
2) Right-click the exterior wall you want to break. The plan edit pop-up menu appears.
3) Click Clear on the pop-up menu. The wall disappears.

4) On the Floor Plan tab, click the Interior Wall tool. Note all exterior walls are shown with a green line.
5) Click in the design window away from the perimeter, hold down the mouse button, and drag. Notice that the wall follows the pointer and automatically displays the wall length.
6) Release the mouse button when the wall length you want is reached. Repeat as necessary.

7) On the Standard toolbar, click the Selection tool.
8) Click the wall to select it. If you need to select multiple walls, press the Shift key during the selection process.
9) Drag them each into place.

Tip: If you do not want the new wall(s) linked to the original perimeter, right-click the wall(s) and choose Wall Segment Properties from the pop-up menu. Assign a base height slightly different from the original. Walls of different heights will not auto-link.