Thank you for purchasing the Complete Home 3D Design Collection.
This document contains last-minute information about the Complete Home 3D Design Collection and other information about the program not found in the Help Files. This README file includes information that pertains to general problems and questions you may have concerning this software or your computer. Should you experience any problems with the Complete Home 3D Design Collection, please refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the collection and solving technical difficulties.
The Complete Home 3D Design Collection consists of 6 programs: Sierra Home Architect 3.0, Photo Home Interiors 2.1, Photo Garden Designer 2.1, 3D Deck 3.1, Home Improvement Encyclopedia 3.0, and Electrical Wiring. Whether you want to visualize your dream home or get down to brass tacks, there's a program here that's right for the task.
For this product, you need a system that meets or exceeds the following requirements:
Windows 95 or later, or Windows NT 4.0 (service pack 4) or later
Pentium 133
16 MB RAM
SVGA 800x600 High Color video
4X CD-ROM drive
Windows-compatible sound card
Mouse and keyboard
To install all programs, you will need 100MB of hard drive space. However, no single program takes more than 25MB of space, and you do not need to install all programs in order to use individual programs.
If your system has a video card that supports Direct 3D, you may be able to use 3D hardware acceleration in Sierra Home Architect. Specific issues about video cards are discussed in section II.
To install programs, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive and wait for the video and main screen to appear. If you do not have Windows autoplay enabled, you will need to double-click the CD drive and double-click the program "autorun.exe". You may bypass the opening video by hitting the ESC key on your keyboard.
When the main screen appears, you will be given several choices of programs to install. Click the "Install" button to install a program. Once you have installed a program, your choices will change to "Run" and "Uninstall". You will also be able to start the program from the Windows Start menu.
If you click and Install button and the program resides on the other CD, you will be prompted to insert the appropriate CD. You can do this without quitting the main screen.
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
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A) CD Issues
Most of the programs in The Complete Home 3D Design Collection require the CD to be inserted to run properly. If you remove a CD while the program is running, you may encounter problems with the program. It is best to save any designs and exit the program before removing the CD.
B) Working with Floppy Disks
If you work with designs on floppy disks, do not remove the floppy disk unless you have opened or saved a file on the hard disk. Removing a floppy disk will not harm the data on the disk, but errors may occur if the system attempts to access the disk when it is not there.
III. GENERAL PRODUCT ISSUES
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Sierra Home Architect 3.0
A) 3D Hardware Acceleration
Sierra Home Architect can take advantage of video cards with 3D Hardware Acceleration supported by Direct 3D 5.0 or later. The latest available version of Direct 3D is included with this product, and will be installed if needed.
When you first start one of these programs, you will be informed of how to turn on 3D hardware support. You will need to restart the program to have the change take effect.
If the program fails to run properly with 3D Acceleration turned on, you will need to turn it off. If the program detects that it had problems during a previous startup, it will turn off hardware acceleration.
Many problems with 3D Acceleration can be solved by obtaining new drivers from the video card manufacturer.
B) Large Fonts
On some systems, using large fonts can cause some dialogs to be so big that you will not be able to see all of the buttons. In most cases, hitting the Enter key will choose an appropriate action, but the best solution is to change your display to small fonts.
C) Missing Items in 3D Rendering
If you select the 3D Rendering menu item before the entire design has loaded, only those items loaded at that time will show up in the rendering. Wait until the entire design has loaded before choosing this.
You may, however, make changes to your design after a rendering has started. This allows you to compare different versions of a design.
D) Working with Labels and Measurements
Labels and measurements must be selected in the area near the line or arrow connected to them, and not the label area.
E) The Hide Menu
The Hide menu under the Top View window allows you to make decor and furniture invisible in your design. Grouped objects which contain both decor and furniture may not be hidden until both Decor and Furniture are hidden, but may reappear if one of these is un-hidden.
F) Snapping Cabinets Together
If two cabinets are not the same height, they will not snap together. To push them together, use the commands in the Move menu. The Move menu items are very useful for arranging furniture, especially items that need to be against walls.
Photo Home Interiors 2.1 and Photo Garden Designer 2.1
A) Moving the Program Window
On systems with the display set to show window contents while dragging, the program window can not be moved or resized. You can turn this setting off in the display's Effects settings, or you can simply work with the program maximized.
B) Changing Display Resolution
If you resize the display while the program is maximized, the left and right toolbars may not display correctly. You can correct this by double-clicking the title bar and double-clicking again.
C) Large Texture Areas
The maximum size for a texture area is 640x480. If you make one larger than this in either dimension, you will see a dark green edge. You can fix this by breaking the area up into two or more smaller texture areas.
Home Improvement Encyclopedia
A) Web Browsers
Home Improvement Encyclopedia uses your default web browser to view the book. If you do not have a web browser, a copy of Netscape 4.05 is provided on CD 2.
Some older web browsers do not work correctly with HIE. You will need Internet Explorer 3.02 or newer, or Netscape 4.05 or newer.
Electrical Wiring
A) Large Fonts
On some Windows 98 system setups with large fonts, the box editor windows are too small to display all of the design and controls. You may need to switch to small fonts to correct this situation.
IV.CONTACTING SIERRA
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A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Legal Information
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
----------------------------------
United States
U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7707
International Sales: (425) 746-5771
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7AM to 11 PM CST,
Sundays 8 AM to 9PM CST
FAX: (402) 393-3224
Sierra Direct
7100 W. Center Rd
STE 301
Omaha, NE 68106
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are ú6.00,
or ú7.00 outside the UK. Add "ATTN.: Returns."
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
France
Havas Interactive
TΘlΘphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h α 19h
Vendredi de 10h α 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La ForΩt Cedex
France
Germany
Havas Interactive
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9h - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Germany
On-Line Sales
CompuServe United Kingdom:GO UKSIERRA
CompuServe France: GO FRSIERRA
CompuServe Germany: GO DESIERRA
Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com
Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
Internet France: http://www.sierra.fr
Internet Germany: http://www.sierra.de
Disk and or Manual Replacement:
Product Returns:
Sierra On-Line Returns
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
Sierra On-Line Fulfillment
4100 West 190th Street
Torrance, CA 90504
NOTE: To replace your disk(s) please send only Disk #1 (or the CD) and copy of your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a $10 handling fee along with Disk / CD #1. For Documentation, please include a $ 5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of disk #1. Payment should be made at the time of your request. Sorry, no credit cards.
* Returns to this address valid in North America only.
B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-------------------------
North America
Sierra On-Line offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (425) 644-4343, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Web site.
Sierra On-Line
Technical Support
P.O. Box 85006
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506
Main: (425) 644-4343
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. PST
Fax: (425) 644-7697
http://www.sierra.com
support@sierra.com
United Kingdom
Havas Interactive offers a 24-hour Automated Technical Support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Internet or CompuServe sites.
Havas Interactive
2 Beacontree Plaza,
Gillette Way,
Reading, Berkshire
RG2 0BS United Kingdom
Main: (0118) 920-9111
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fax: (0118) 987-5603
http://www.sierra-online.co.uk
France
Havas Interactive
Parc Tertiaire de Meudon
Immeuble "Le Newton"
25 rue Jeanne Braconnier
92366 Meudon La ForΩt Cedex
France
TΘlΘphone: 01-46-01-46-50
Lundi au Jeudi de 10h α 19h
Vendredi de 10h α 18h
Fax: 01-46-30-00-65
http://www.sierra.fr
Germany
Havas Interactive
Robert-Bosh-Str. 32
D-63303 Dreieich
Deutschland
Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40
Montag bis Freitag von 9 - 19Uhr
Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35
Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35
http://www.sierra.de
Spain
Havas Interactive
Avenida de Burgos 9
1║-OF2
28036 Madrid
Spain
TelΘfono: (01) 383-2623
Lunes a Viernes de 9h30 a 14h y de 15h a 18h30
Fax: (01) 381-2437
Italy
Contattare il vostro distribotore.
C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information
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Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty and return policy is set forth in the EULA.txt, found on the CD, and is also available during the install of the product.
