Home Design Software by SoftPlan

Quoins and Corner Boards Will Display in Plan View

SoftPlan Version 12 has expanded the option of display Quoins & Corner Boards in plan to also include any exterior trim and/or keystone which may be added to an opening to appear in plan. Previously this setting only allowed for the display of Quoins and Cornerboards.

Select File > Drawing Options > Material Dimensions > Trim Options.
Place a check mark next to the “Display Quoins and Corner Boards in Plan.”
Select Ok to return to the drawing.

Openings can be Copied Along a Wall

The Copy feature has been improved in Version 12. It can now copy an opening along the same wall. Previous version of SoftPlan would not allow an opening to be copied.

Once you have an opening added to a wall, edit the opening to make any changes you require.
Click Move > Copy.
Click on the opening and move along the wall in the direction you want the opening copied.
Click again and enter the number of copies you would like.

Move can Relocate Openings in Curved Walls

Version 12 has improved Openings so that Move is able to Relocate them along the Curved Wall. Previous versions of SoftPlan did not allow openings to be Moved along a curved wall.

Load a drawing that has an opening in a curved wall. Click on the Move icon.
Click on the opening and it will move it along the curved wall.
Click your mouse again to place the opening.

SoftView Check Box Added

SoftPlan’s Opening edit properties now include an option to exclude an opening from SoftView. This option will now allow for an opening to be drawn in plan, however in SoftView, this opening will not be shown. This should greatly assist with remodel designs, where an opening to be removed needs to be displayed in plan, but not in Elevation, Cross Section or 3D.

Pocket Doors Draw Partially Open

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to now display Pocket Doors with the operable leaf partially open. In previous versions Pocket Doors were shown closed.

Select Draw > Opening > Pocket Door.
Select any of doors available to you from the Pocket Door library.
Place your cursor in the wall you would like the door placed and click.
Move your cursor in the direction of the door and click.
Move your cursor to designate the outside face of the door and click.

· Softplan will place the selected Pocket Door in the wall location you have designated, showing the door itself to be partially open.

Moving Openings Using Move Block

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to now move an opening along a wall using the Move Block feature. This could then allow you to move a group of openings in a wall, without having to individually move or reposition each one.
In order to demonstrate this feature, you will need to have a drawing open which contains openings. If you do not have a drawing created, open one of our provided sample drawings to use.
Select Move > Move Block. Click once to begin an expanding box. Move your cursor to create an expanding box around the opening, or openings you would like to move. Click again to complete the box. Using either your mouse, or your keyboard functions, move the openings to the desired location. Click again to complete the command. SoftPlan will move all the openings encompassed by the expanding box to the new location you have designated. All related dimensions and extension lines will be repositioned to the new opening location as well.

Align Opening Tops Command Added to Edit Menu

The Edit menu now contains "Align Opening Tops". This command moves the top of the target openings to the same position in the wall as the top of the source opening. This command will expedite the process of aligning openings quickly on a plan which contains multiple walls heights, but needs to top of some or all openings to match.
For this example, the front elevation contains 3 different plate heights of 8-0”, 9’-0” and 10’-0”. With all of the openings having an offset of 12.5” from the top of wall, their vertical placement is staggered across the front.
Select Edit > Align Top of Openings. Click the front entry doors which will grab the top of opening measurement. Select Ok to close the Opening menu. Proceed to click on each of the openings to align.

Drywall Wraps Around to the Frame When Opening Interior Trim is Removed

Improvements have been made to the 3D interior view of openings. For instance, when the Interior trim display is removed from an Opening, the drywall surface now extends to the frame, creating a wrapping effect to fill in the wall. This fills in gaps that would otherwise be exposed around the frame.

Image 1 shows the opening that includes the interior trim. The interior trim covers the drywall surface of the wall.
Image 2 shows the opening that does not include the interior trim. The drywall extends to cover the wall surfaces that display after having removed the trim.

Product Codes Include a Pre-Hung Option

An added improvement to Door Openings in SoftPlan Version 12 is the inclusion of a “Pre-hung” option. This feature, when left unchecked, allows a door’s Product Code designation to be maintained regardless of the Hinge that is specified. This addition to the openings will benefit the users who wish for a door’s product code designation be maintained whether the same door is drawn with a left-handed swing or a right-handed swing. Previous versions of SoftPlan assumed all doors to be Pre-Hung, and thus all interior doors required a LH and RH opening to be defined in order for the Product Code to be maintained.
Select File > System Library to open the Configure Library dialog. Change the Library type to Openings. Select the + sign beside the Colonial Door Interior library to expand the list and display all the interior doors. Highlight one of the doors and select the Edit button to open the Configure Opening dialog. Select the Edit Individual Component button to open the Opening Component dialog. To allow a door to maintain its Product Code designation regardless of its swing, uncheck the Pre-Hung option. Select OK to close all dialogs. In an existing drawing with interior walls drawn, select Draw > Openings > Colonial Door Interior and locate the door that was modified. When drawing this door, it will maintain its Product Code option regardless of the way the door’s swing is orientated. If the opening is set to display it’s Product Code as the Opening Text, the door will always be appropriately labeled.
When a door is specified as a non Pre-Hung opening, the Hinge Side option in the opening’s Edit dialog becomes a checkbox labeled Reverse Hinge Side rather than an edit field where the hinge is specified (L for Left, R for right). To make a non Pre-Hung door swing on the opposite side, simply check this option.

Opening Outlines Display in Profile Mode

SoftPlan Version 12 has modified how the Profile Mode now displays openings that have been placed in the Floor Plan. Openings will now display as an accurate outline representing the shape of the opening used. This feature is best demonstrated when using openings that are irregular shapes (Arched, Round, Oval, etc.).

Add an irregularly shaped opening to a drawing, or find an existing irregularly shaped opening on your drawing.
From the Mode Selection list select Profile.
The SoftPlan Profile mode will now display the exact outline of your opening shape as was placed in plan. This allows you to check items within the Profile mode, and know which type of openings have been used in the drawing.

Opening Schedule can Save Default Column Specifications

SoftPlan version 12 has improved the ability to create automatic Opening Schedules by allowing the default column specifications to be saved. In previous versions the program defined the default columns and the user had no option to save any changes to the column specifications. Now you can select which columns are to be included as the default, eliminating the need to continually select which columns to include or exclude for each Opening Schedule added to your drawings. You are also able to select which opening types are too be included or excluded by default in the Opening Schedule, again eliminating the need to manually select the opening types each time.

Open a sample drawing containing openings.
Select Notes > Opening Schedule.
Click on the drawing area where you wish to insert the schedule.
From the Fields Included in Table section, select the fields you want to Include or Remove from the Opening Schedule.
From the Opening Types section, select the opening types you want to Include or Remove from the Opening Schedule.
To save the selections for use on future opening schedules, check the option Save As Default. The next time you use the Opening Schedule feature, your previous selections will already be set.