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CONS:
Virtual Architect Ultimate is an excellent home design software even if you’ve never used a similar app before. It has numerous wizards that make using different design tools and features easy. With more than 7,500 different objects you can add to your home, this app Is much more versatile than many other similar software we reviewed.
The Basics
Virtual Architect Ultimate is equally accessible by home design pros as well as total beginners. It offers nine template floor plans that come with many details you can fully customize. You’re also free to import any floor plan you find online, and then make changes to it. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, you can import a plan that has the closest resemblance to what you’d like your house to look like. You can then use it to trace the original floor plan and keep what you like, while deleting everything that doesn’t fit your image. Once you’ve figured out the layout of your new project, you can add furniture, choose specific lighting and flooring features you’d like, or decide on the paint you’d like your new house to be in. To create the kitchen, deck or bathroom, you can use the wizard that makes the process very easy and quick. The app also lets you put a roof on your design with a simple click in the roof wizard feature. Like any top tier home design software, Virtual Architect Ultimate includes a cost estimator feature that keeps track of the material and time needed to bring your plan to reality and it provides you with a pretty accurate estimate when you’re done. Although the real price of your project might be different than what the app provided, it’s still a good thing to keep an eye on.
This software also lets you import photos of your home which you can then use to copy each detail using different textures, colors and materials the app has to offer. Importing photos can save you a lot of time in envisioning how you’d like your home to look. By having a photo to compare to, you can bring your new project to look exactly like the picture. The roofing feature automatically covers your entire floor plan with roofing, while allowing you the opportunity to customize the type, color etc. of the roof. When you’ve finished creating your new project, you can export your design in DXF format compatible with CAD.
Interior and Landscape Design
When it comes to interior design tools, it doesn’t get much better than Virtual Architect Ultimate. The app offers several hundred different objects you can use to fill your bathroom or kitchen areas. All cabinets, faucets, tubs, showers, appliances etc., are fully customizable and you can change their color, size or style to fit the perfect image of your new bathroom or kitchen. Like with any other room, you can import a picture of what you’d like your finished design to look like and use it as a reference when you are choosing tiles, wall paint, counter tops or fabrics. If you need a little help, the kitchen and bathroom wizards guide you through the process while teaching you how to use some of the more complicated features and tools. Like a few other leading home design software we reviewed, Virtual Architect Ultimate lets you create curved walls to add a special touch to your new home. The app makes creating staircases easy since it has a staircase generator that gets the job done in a click.
If you’d like to create the surroundings of your dream project as personal as the floor plan, Virtual Architect Ultimate has several landscaping features and tools that allow you to fully customize the layout around your main lot. Like with any other aspect of the design, you can import a photo that you can use as a reference to your new design. If you’d like to create something new, instead of leaning on a pre-existing design, the app has more than 7,500 different plants, trees, flowers and other landscaping objects you can add to your project. The in-app plant encyclopedia provides you with information about which plant should be planted where, the water and light needs for each plan and it also allows you a preview of how the vegetation you chose would look in the future so you can plan accordingly. Aside from plants, you can add fountains, pools, waterfalls or barbeque areas to your yard. The deck wizard feature lets you create a beautiful deck without any hassle. To ensure you have absolute privacy in your home, the fencing wizard lets you easily create a fence around your property.
Features:
Price: $99.99
Phone number: 888.722.4431 (You need to purchase a support code on the website)
Website: www.novadevelopment.com/software/Virtual-Architect-Ultimate-503971
Support: www.novadevelopment.com/support/customer_service
Virtual Architect Ultimate is probably one of the best-known home design software on the market. It gained its popularity while it was still called HGTV Ultimate Home Design through a home design TV show. Although named differently now, Virtual Architect Ultimate kept its former name’s good reputation and added many more new features and tools in its newest version.
Virtual Architect Ultimate’s website offers different ways you can try and resolve any issue you might come across. The site has a sizable knowledgebase divided into sections according to the product they’re assigned to, as well as many tutorial videos. If you need live support, you’ll need to purchase a service code from the website.
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Kelly | Last updated February 15, 2021 
