CNET Editors' review
Sweet Home 3D offers users a chance to see a remodeled room or a brand new home before a single nail has been driven. With a fairly simple premise and impressive results, this slightly flawed program is certainly something to get the imagination going.
The program's interface is very easy to use. The left side of the screen contains a file tree for every room in the house, and clicking on each room presents a list of all appropriate furniture you can drag into the adjacent box. The area is a grid with measurements corresponding to room size. Below the file tree is a space for each item in the room and its approximate size. At the bottom of the screen is a small box that provides the 3D view. Designing a room is very simple. By dragging furniture into the grid and positioning it as you envision your redesigned room, a clear picture appears below, providing an impression of space that two-dimensional sketches cannot. In addition, there is an exciting Virtual Visit option that lets you walk through your home and its rooms.
While the results of Sweet Home 3D were impressive, we were slightly disappointed with its control. Placing items in the room will take some patience, as it feels rather clunky. However, with a little practice, we are certain users will be able to use this free program to design something impressive.
Publisher's Description
From eTeks:
Sweet Home 3D helps you to design your interior quickly and easily: draw the rooms of each level of your home upon the image of an existing plan, change the color or the texture of each room, and drag and drop furniture onto the plan from a catalog organized by categories (windows, doors, living room, kitchen), in which you can import 3D models created by yourself or downloaded from various Web sites. All the changes made in the 2D plan are simultaneously reflected in a 3D view, and you can navigate in it either from an aerial view point, or from a virtual visitor view point. Finally, you can improve your home plan by adding dimensions and texts to it, print it along with the 3D view, create a photorealistic image of the 3D view with customized lights, create a movie from a virtual path in the 3D view and export the plan to SVG format or the 3D view to OBJ format to import them in other 2D or 3D software. Sweet Home 3D is available in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Vietnamese languages.
What's new in this version: Version 4.1 brings a few bug fixes and a better management of temporary files.
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All versions:
3.9 starsout of 110 votes
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Current version:
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My rating:
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"Great features for price, stability needs improved;"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 4.0
Pros
The combination of floor plan, easy switch between floor plan & 3D was great. Importing of community designed furniture, etc. was fun. Really met my need to show my wife exactly what it was going to look like. Allowed for planning & demo. By in large, was pretty easy to use.
I loved the ability to put trees outside & see them through the windows/doors.Cons
My #1 complaint was stability. Luckily I never lost anything and it didn't often require a complete system reboot, but I could count on it crashing at least once every time I used it.
I wish there was a more complete set of items; primary, like doors, windows, etc.
The feature of working with several floors was problematic. It needs a roof feature and a deck feature.
Dimensioning needs to be able to select a dimension and have an object move to fit the dimension. Dimensions DO associate with an object (snap to feature works well), but you should be able to choose the dimension and have IT place the object rather than having to try to enlarge the scale and move the object to match the dimension.
More external details would be nice.
The way of making the floors needs work. Having to establish "areas" seems awkward.Summary
Bottom line, I couldn't find anything that was as easy to use, provided the kind of detail I needed that was cheap/free. I would have used it without the 3D, but that turned out to be VERY helpful. The problems were all workable and i ended up being able to do a lot with it.
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"Excellent tool for the remodel or the dream home"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 4.0
Pros
I would reccommend this tool to anyone who is living in a home they wish to remodel or anyone considering building a home. There is enough input to have a beginner plan for constructing a home.
Cons
I found no cons in using this product at all.
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"It was the worst software I have ever seen."
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
There were no positive aspects of this software I never sought it run.
Cons
I open up the file and started to download the program and before the program was loaded there were no muss add in. This type of software that type of Software Software here saw for their. After working my way through that gauntlet. The software finally loaded, I try to run the software it would not run nothing happened. I uninstall it and threw it away.
Summary
I do not know whether the software as good or bad that after going through all of the ad on software I just begged it
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"WOW Great, even if it wasn't FREE!"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
All the bells and whistles I would have expected to have to pay for. Was up and making my first plan in Minutes. Highly Highly Recommend.
Cons
None that have come up thus far, Love it
Summary
Great home design tool.I use it to reduce the number of times we have to move furniture. We just sit down and redecorate Virtually, if it fits and we like the Sweet 3d View, we move furniture.
NO Unwanted add-ons in the 2 different installs of it I did. 2 Diff PCS btw
Updated on Mar 11, 2013 -
"Nice tool to use for free"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
Simple to use and helps a lot when you get into it.
Cons
Missing to visualize the position of the different levels
Summary
It's free:)
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"Great, Free and Easy to learn Program."
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
You don't to have to know all the features to get started. Intuitive discovering of the possibilities. Renders very realistic 3D views.
Cons
Missing the possibility to draw inclined surfaces. Missing to visualize the position of the different levels graphically.
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"Another great Free software"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
Work rather well with fast isp lines.
Cons
Need some patience to get going.
Summary
Quite an inspiration to newcomers. It is Free!!
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"Requires installing a browser add-on that I don't want."
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.7
Pros
None that I know of.
Cons
See the summary. I don't want the add-on.
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"Pretty good for a freebie"
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.6
Pros
Fairly easy to get started with although the interface could use some improvement.
Cons
An easier change between the plan view and 3D view would be welcome. Changing the angle of view in 3D mode is a touch sensitive and you easily overshoot the intended view. A question of getting used to.
Summary
In summary, it does the job for which it is intended.
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"Basic. Beginner. Limited."
Version: Sweet Home 3D 3.5
Pros
Good for beginners. Easy & intuitive to use. 3D can be seen fairly easily, even while you are constructing (other programs make you switch to a 3D viewing mode).
I didn't have the heart to give it only 2 stars, but my opinion is that it's definitely not 3 stars.Cons
Very limited in functionality and options. I think the reviews are significantly over-rated, making me think the other reviewers haven't tried other similar programs (so they don't know what they are missing). I'd give similar reviews if this was my 1st exposure to this type of software. I tried this one because my free trial offer ended for my favorite program. I also downloaded other free programs. All free ones have their pros/cons; this one is my least favorite (being most limited). But thanks to free trials/downloads, I'm now convinced and eager to pay the $50 for the one I like.
Summary
Basic. Limited. Free. To me, not worth it. Don't download purely by reviews unless your goal is to simply mess-around for fun.
Instead of "definitely not 3 stars," I meant "barely worth 3 stars" (in my opinion).
Updated on Jul 7, 2012










