SoftPlan Newsletter

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This newsletter provides details on the much anticipated release of the SoftList Interactive Training DVD. You’ll also find results from a couple of surveys that were administered in order to gain valuable feedback from our customers. We hope you find the results as interesting as we did. And be sure to check out the Tool Box and Tech Tips portion of the newsletter for helpful technical information on Version 14.

Coming Soon: SoftList Interactive Training DVD - The SoftList Interactive Training DVD is scheduled for a mid-to-late September release. SoftList is the material estimating module in the SoftPlan line of products that provides itemized and comprehensive material lists that are dead-on accurate. (Complete Story)

Architects Quite Content Using SoftPlan

A survey was recently sent to SoftPlan customers who are professional architects to find out their satisfaction with the software and also to determine what improvements could be made. We thank all who completed the survey and, as always, appreciate your feedback. Also we would like to share the results of the survey to the rest of our customer base as we were very pleased with the results. (Complete Story)

ProBuild Staying Current with SoftPlan Version 14

SoftPlan is thrilled to continue to provide a software solution to ProBuild, as the company recently upgraded to our most recent release, Version 14. ProBuild, with over 500 locations in 40 states throughout the U.S, is the nation’s largest supplier of building materials to professional builders. Over the past couple years SoftPlan has become the software provider to the largest full-service home improvement company, Case Remodeling, the largest custom deck company, Archadeck, and now the largest building materials provider, ProBuild.

High School Students in US and Canada Keep Winning Competitions with SoftPlan

Nathan Lanzetti, a student at James F. Byrnes High School, in Spartanburg, South Carolina was awarded first place in Computer Aided Design 2D Architectural at the 2008 National TSA (Technology Student Association) Conference. (Complete Story)

Version 14 Arrives in Australia - On July 21, 2008, SoftPlan Version 14 was released in Australia. The upgrade was welcomed with great enthusiasm. Remarkably, within a month over one-third of the Version 13 Australian users upgraded to Version 14... (Complete Story)

Featured SoftPlan Home Plan - SoftPlan homeplans, Inc. provides a variety of quality designs in SoftPlan format. For this newsletter, we’re featuring a design by Bobby Morales. Plan MKD4152SP is a 5 bed, 4.5 bath, 4152 sq. ft. complete plan. (Click here to view floorplan)

Selection Sets Added for Item, Type, and Group Selection Sets - Selection sets of drawing items can now be defined prior to performing the operation(s) upon them. Unrelated items can be grouped into a set by holding the Ctrl button down while selecting items with the left mouse button. Right clicking on an item allows for ‘Add Type Selection’ and ‘Add Group Selection.’ As an example, a type selection will select all walls with the same wall definition as the original one selected. A group selection would include all walls on the drawing. With a selection set highlighted, valid operations such as move or erase can easily be selected from the Quick Select menu by right clicking on the screen. Likewise, the selection set can be cleared by selecting ‘Clear Selection’ from the same menu.

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Version 14 Tool You May Have Missed - The SoftList Takeoff Highlight Tool For Non-SoftPlan Drawings has been added to Version 14. To read a step-by-step explanation of how to use this amazing new feature (Click Here).

Question: How does the Highlight Entities function work in SoftList?

Answer: When a SoftList Report has been generated, right-clicking on a material gives an option to Highlight Entities. Selecting the function will highlight where the entities are counted from directly on the associated floor plan. To return to the report again, select the Material Report tab from the task bar.

Web Link Exchange for SoftPlan Users - If you are a current SoftPlan user in good standing that would like to participate in a web link exchange with SoftPlan, please email your company logo, web address, and a 25-word company description to rclark@softplan.com. If these items are approved, you will be placed on the SoftPlan users page which you can view by clicking here. Then a SoftPlan logo will be emailed to you that can be placed on your company website and linked back to the SoftPlan site.

Call to SoftPlan Users Who Design with SIPs - In order to continue to provide software to meet the changing needs of our customers we need to hear from you of what tools you would like to have within SoftPlan. Therefore we are asking that SoftPlan users who design or build using Structured Insulated Panels (SIPs) to send us their suggestions for future upgrades. Please send your ideas to suggestions@softplan.com.

Former AutoCAD® Users Share Their Stories - We thank all those who responded to our summer newsletter and emailed their experiences of making the switch from AutoCAD® to SoftPlan. To read what these folks had to say, (Click Here).

Authorized Training

The training schedule for the remainder of 2008 is now on our website. SoftPlan Authorized Training will visit cities such as Dallas, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Seattle, and Boston. For the complete schedule, click here.

Interactive Training DVD - The Introductory, Intermediate, and SoftView interactive training DVDs are available for Version 14. For more information click here.

Trade Shows

Baltimore, MD : Remodeling Show - Sept . 10 -12 (Booth # 1224)

Charlotte, NC : 21st Century Building Expo - Sept . 11-12 (Booth # 1411)

Austin, TX: NAHB Custom Builders Symposium - Oct. 24 - 26 (Booth # 25)

Grapevine, TX : Sunbelt Builders Show - Nov. 6 - 8 (Booth # 1012)

Seattle, WA : JLC Live Pacific Northwest - Nov. 14 - 15 (Booth # 609)

Boston, MA: Build Boston - Nov. 18 - 20 (Booth #949)

Attention Survey Respondents: SoftPlan needs your help with some follow-up information pertaining to the results from the survey that was conducted in the newsletter sent in May. (Complete Story)

SoftPlan users, click here for the latest survey question!

Note: If you are a SoftPlan user and you are not receiving SoftPlan related emails, you may either need to submit your email address or update the email address we have listed in our database. Please send your email information to vbarnes@softplan.com to remain current. You may also need to add SoftPlan to your address book. Click here for instructions.

Do you have any SoftPlan related news? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please send your news to rclark@softplan.com.