CNET Editors' review
MyVirtualHome provides an amazing collection of tools for designing a 3D replica of any home. While there's virtually no limit to what MyVirtualHome can do toward that goal, it has difficulties that might alienate those without architectural or home-building experience.
The program's interface looks inviting, with a professional design and easy access to helpful tutorials. However, we found the controls to be almost too freely structured since there are practically no guidelines to follow. As novices, we either had too much freedom or not enough with our designs. MyVirtualHome gives you a great deal of options. We were able to cycle through various building materials like doors, walls, windows, and cabinets, and decorate our virtual home with furniture chosen from images of brand-name sofas, televisions, and the like by simply clicking and dragging our choices. However, our home never looked quite right since we knew nothing about spacing and dimensions. MyVirtualHome offers various prefabricated floor plans, but these felt too rigid and impersonal. The program does have a neat feature that lets you walk through your house in a 3D simulation that looks a lot like a video game. Overall, MyVirtualHome felt as if it would be perfect for architects, interior designers, contractors, and others with home-building experience, but not much help to homeowners.
MyVirtualHome is freeware. It leaves folders behind after uninstalling. While it offers an impressive collection of tools, designing something functional is difficult, and its greatest appeal will be to professionals. However, we still recommend this program.
Publisher's Description
From MyVirtualHome:
Free easy to use 3D home design software using stunning graphics & real products. Based on games technology MyVirtualHome is really easy to use. You can walk through your design, open doors, turn lights on and even set the sun to see how shadows will effect your dream design. Regular updates are included for free also.
What's new in this version: Version 2.1 includes a smaller download, moving water in pools, and faster multi core rendering features and real houses directly within the menu system.
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All versions:
3.8 starsout of 6 votes
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Current version:
3.5 starsout of 4 votes
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My rating:
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Results 1-4 of 4
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"Clumsy, Hard to Edit, you sign up for an account"
Version: MyVirtualHome 2.1
Pros
If you're not the creative type and only want to piece together various rooms into an ensemble, then this will work for you.
Cons
Not for creative types who want open spaces and a variety of ceiling heights.
Summary
Not worth the time to download it.
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"A 5 star program if it were available offline"
Version: MyVirtualHome 2.1
Pros
? Easy to use
? Freeware
? Extremely reaslistic graphics
? Upgraded and improved regularly
? Uses real products available in Aus.
? New products added regularly
? Some degree of customisabilityCons
? One major problem: You can only access and use the program online and their server stinks. It is down frequently and for lengthy periods at a time.
? Even your own drawings inaccessible when their server is down
? Frustrating & inconvenient accessSummary
This program could easily be a 5 star program if only it were available offline as well as online. Once (and if) one gets access it is truly exceptional. It is so detailed and realistic that one can see that there are phillips head screws in the door hinges.
W? in the above review were supposed to be dots.
The program is very easy to install and use. You don't need to be Computer wizard or an architect to use it affectively. Once you have played with it for a bit you discover that it really is quite intuitive.
3 views of the drawing are available: a Plan view, a 3D view from above (with adjustable angles of view) and a Walk through view with head height adjustable. One can move freely between the views as the drawing progresses.
One can choose a geographical location and the positioning of North to enable realistic lightmapping. The shadows are quite realistic and lighting can be viewed at different times of the day/night.
There are generic products, but many products are are from Australian manufacturers, and many of these are well known manufacturers such as Resene & Wattyl Paints, Laminex & Formica, Beaumont Tiles, Austral Bricks, Colorbond, OneSteel, Cavalier Bremworth Carpets, Endless Spas, Imperialware, JVC, Panasonic, Sony, etc. The list of manufacturers is constantly growing and has 1000's of real products available, many with an extremely wide selection of choices.
Landscaping products such as fences, trees and plants, pools and sheds are also available.
Some degree of customising is also available through the use of resizable blocks. Although this is a little cumbersome it is quite effective.
The program does not have everything that everyone wants, however, since it is constantly being upgraded it includes more and more of people's wishlists, and let's face it, no program is ever going to have ALL the producst that everyone wants.
I doubt that you could find a more realistic program nor one that has so many options.
However, there is currently one major drawback to using the program. One must log on to their MVH server in order to use the program or even to access the drawings that you have completed or are working on. Their server has to be one of the worst I have encountered. It is frequently down and down often for lengthy periods of time. Despite requests from a number of users for at least some offline use of the product they have chosen to stay with online use only.
So if you are liable to suffer health effects from the frustration of frequently not being to access your drawings or having the server go down in the middle of what you are doing before you had a chance to save it I could not recommend this program. Nor could I recommend it to anyone who is designing and building a new home or renovating and require reliable access to your drawings.
However, if this unreliable access is something you can live with, then go ahead. When its accessible you won't find a better product.
Updated on Feb 16, 2010 -
"Excellent beginner-friendly home design software"
Version: MyVirtualHome 2.1
Pros
+ Very easy to use. No arcitectural experience needed
+ Freeware
+ Features a wide range of items which can be greatly customized
+ Visually appealingCons
+ Lacks a bit in terms of control permited
+ Some minor bugs
+ Requires an active internet connectionSummary
My Virtual Home 2 is a really nice piece of software, considering it is completely free to use. The initial download file is rather small, but additional content is downloaded as one uses the software, which means an Internet connection is necessary to be able to work on MVH.
The controls are very easy to get used to and even though they may not allow for creating any shape imaginable for a house, they offer an acceptable degree of freedom.
The visuals are also pretty good. The program supports a lightmapping procedure, which will add realism to the house interior when applied. -
"Amazing Software!!!!!!!!"
Version: MyVirtualHome 2.1
Pros
The software is just too easy to use. Really easy.
Cons
Non that I could find.
Summary
Get it if you are new to design softwares or just want something really simple to use and have fun!
