Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been discontinued. You can still read our original review below, but Top Ten Reviews is no longer updating this product’s information.
Punch! Master Landscape Pro and Home Design is software for the serious landscaper. The program includes tools to design decks, create architecturcal drawings, view and edit in 3D, and, upon completion, offers tools to create AVI movies to show off your plans.
The program doesn’t guide you, so you’ll have to figure out where you want to go on your own.
We’ve evaluated Master Landscape Pro and Home Design solely on its landscaping tools; however, this program has home design features integrated; this makes the program more powerful, but requires extra work before you can start landscape planning.
To landscape around an image of your home, you must either design your home with the program or edit a digital photo with graphic design software. Punch! uses Jasc Paint Shop Pro, a professional–level photo editing program that costs a little over $100. To make the program easier to use, Punch should include basic, compatible photo editing tools so users can edit photos without investing in more software.
Punch! has used the same landscape planning program to create several different landscape packages with varying feature sets. Master Landscape Pro and Home Design is the Punch! landscape package with the most features. This program includes home design as well as landscaping tools.
On the main screen, you’ll work in Plan View, which resembles traditional blueprints. For a more true–to–life look at your design, click 3D View. You can split the view on the main screen between Plan View and 3D View—an asset for those not familiar with blueprint symbols.
Master Landscape Professional and Home Design 3D allows you to walk or fly through your plan. If you use the home design features, you can use the 3–D feature to view your yard from inside your home. And you can project views into the future, allowing you to see how your landscape will look twenty years from now.
Master Landscape Professional and Home Design contains an impressive set of related tools, including an Image library, 3–D Custom Workshop, Plant encyclopedia and much more.
We had no trouble installing Master Landscape Professional and Home Design.
Punch! includes a printed users guide and the software has a contents section, an index search and video tutorials—all comprehensive and informative. The Punch! Software website offers online FAQs and technical support is available by telephone or email.
Master Landscape Pro & Home Design is a powerful tool for those willing to spend the time to master editing digital photos precisely, a challenging task.
Master Landscape Pro & Home Design works well for those who want to design a home and landscape from the bottom up. But if what you want in a landscape program is to import a digital photo of your home easily.
