Home Design Software by SoftPlan

Floating Toolbar Activated Exclusively via Double Right Mouse Click

Version 12 has specific settings for the mouse button operations. Exclusively, in Version 12 the double right mouse click activates Softplan’s floating toolbar. The center mouse button will no longer operate as the double right mouse click to activate the floating toolbar since it is now used for a different purpose.

Cursor Improvement

Version 12 has improved cursor performance. In previous versions of SoftPlan, the drawing action would end if the cursor went off the screen. Improvements to the cursor behavior have changed the performance so that the drawing action is not ended.

Select Draw > Wall > 2x4 Brick
Draw 3 walls in the shape shown in the sample image 1.
After the 3rd wall is drawn, move off the drawing surface.
Move back onto the drawing surface, and the wall will continue as if the cursor had not moved off the drawing surface.

· This improvements includes, but is not limited to: Walls, Shapes, Decks, Joists, Electrical, Ceiling, Areas, etc.

Zoom or Pan Does not Constitute a Change in the Drawing

SoftPlan Version 12 no longer considers a simply zoom or pan as a change and therefore will not prompt a message to save your drawing prior to exiting. Previously, opening a drawing and performing a zoom, followed by an attempt to leave the drawing, would prompt whether or not to save changes. This feature improves the process of switching between drawings (to check say a dimension) so that it is as quick as possible.

Note: If you save the drawing, the zoom scale with be saved. If you do not save, the next time the drawing is opened, the zoom will revert to the previous scale.

Drawing Options

Generated drawings, such as joist plans, wall framing, bird’s eye roof plan, etc, will now use the Drawing Options from the original drawing. These options include Character Setup, Color assignments, Material Dimensions, Walls and Beams, etc. In previous versions of SoftPlan, these generated drawings would have the Drawing Options as they were defined at the System level instead of the drawing level.

Multi Drawing Position can be Cancelled

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to cancel the positioning of a drawing that is to be placed in a Multi Drawing. A Multi Drawing allows several drawings to be assembled together to allow them to be printed on the same piece of paper. The Position feature allows each drawing participating in the multi to be positioned relative to the base drawing. In previous versions, once the Position command was selected, the drawing must be positioned with no option of canceling the positioning. Version 12 now allows for the positioning to be cancelled.
Open an elevation of a sample set of drawings to create a Multi Drawing. Select File > Multi Drawing and then check the Enable checkbox. Select another elevation drawing to be added to the Multi Drawing list and hit the Add button. To position the newly added drawing relative to the base drawing, select the Position button. The selected drawing will then move with your cursor. Depending on you currently set mouse actions, the positioning can either be completed or cancelled altogether.
To cancel the Positioning of a drawing using Left / Right mouse actions, select the Left mouse button. To cancel the Positioning of a drawing using Left / Left mouse actions, select the Right mouse button.

Saving an Overlayed Drawing

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to now save a drawing with an Overlay present. When a drawing with an overlay is saved, the overlay will display when the drawing re-opens.
With a drawing open select File > Overlay. With the overlaid drawing present select File > Save As (or Save) to save the drawing. Exit Softplan and re-open the program. Select File > Open to open the drawing you had previously saved.
The previoulsy saved drawing file will open, with the Overlay still in place. You will not have to re-select the Overlay command to place the drawing back into position.

Windows® Type Mouse Buttons

An additional method of mouse input has been introduced in SoftPlan version 12. The mouse buttons can now be configured to accept a Windows type of input by using the left mouse button for both From and To operations. With the mouse setup for single button input, the right mouse button then acts as a Cancel command.

The traditional two button mouse is still available for those users who prefer the same method of mouse input as in previous versions where the left mouse button is used for From operations and the right mouse button is used for To operations.

Select File - System Options - Setup Options - Define Keys.
Uncheck the option Use SoftPlan 11 mouse buttons to use the left mouse key to both From and To operations.
Check the option Use SoftPlan 11 mouse buttons for the traditional method of using the left mouse key for From operations and the right mouse key for To operations.

Expanded Drawing List

SoftPlan Version 12 has an increased list capacity in the Drop Down Drawing List. This allows you to, at the click of a button, view a larger number of available files to choose from, without having to search or scroll through the list. Previous version of Softplan did not have this expanded drawing list available.
With a drawing open, click on the Down Arrow on the right of the drawing list located in the upper right corner. The Drawing List will open, and expand to accommodate the number of drawings available in the current folder. The list is designed to expand to the full height of the screen, before you need to scroll through to find any drawings.

Pan Feature Added

For quick and easy movement about the screen, SoftPlan has added the ability to simply depress and hold the middle mouse button or wheel. At this point the cursor will be replaced with a “hand” icon, indicating the point on the drawing that has been selected. As the mouse is moved, the screen will be locked onto the cursor, and the drawing will pan relative to this point.

Position the cursor on over the point on the drawing to use as the “grab point”.
Depress the middle mouse button and hold down.
Move the cursor and the drawing will move with it.
Release the middle mouse button.

Multi Drawings are Redrawn After a Block Move

SoftPlan Version 12 has modified the Redrawing ability when using Multi-Drawings. In previous versions of Softplan it was necessary for you to manually select the Redraw function once items had been moved within a Multi Drawing. The functionality in Version 12 is such that the redraw is automatic, thus preventing you from performing the extra step.
In order to demonstrate the improved functionality in Version 12, simply open one of our sample drawings, and use the provided System Drawings in the program.
With a plan drawing open select File > Multi Drawing. In the Multi Drawing menu place a checkmark in the Enable box (the current plan will move to the right hand window). Next select the System Drawings button in the bottom left corner. The available drawing list will then change to preview the default System Drawings. From the list select the 18x24 Arch C border, then select Add. Select OK. The border is then added to the drawing, but you may need to use the Move or Block Move feature to position it correctly in the drawing area. Select Move > Move Block. Click in the upper left corner to start an expanding box, and down in the lower right corner to define a box around the entire border. Move the border into the correct position, and click again to end the command. The two drawings will then both be displayed correctly, without having to manually select the Redraw feature to correct any display anomalies.