Q: How do I add surface textures to a wall?
A: Click the edit arrow then double-click on the wall you want to add the texture to. In the "wall settings" window that appears, click on the color slide of the side of the wall to which you want to add the texture. In the window that opens, choose the texture you want. Click O.K. twice.

Q: As I'm drawing my walls, I notice the wall is on the "wrong" side of my crosshairs. How do I flip it to the other side of the crosshairs?
A: Hitting the Spacebar will flip the wall to the other side of your crosshairs.

Q: How do I draw walls at angles other than 90 degrees?
A: Under the "Options" pull-down menu, make sure Ortho does not have a check mark next to it. If it does, click on the word Ortho to remove the check mark. Now you can draw walls at any angle.

Q: I can't get my "Cut Wall" function to work. Why?
A: To cut a wall you need to place your crosshairs in between the two lines that make up the wall and be at least 6" from a wall joint.

Q: Can I enter the length of a wall and have the program draw it for me?
A: Yes. After anchoring the first point of a wall, hit the "x" or "y" buttons on the keyboard. A "change coordinates" window will appear. Type in the length of the wall you desire then hit "enter" to get out of that window. Hit "enter" again to anchor the second point.

Q: Do I have to use the mouse to create walls?
A: No. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the crosshairs an inch at a time and the "enter" button to enter endpoints. Hold "shift" down to move the crosshairs in 1' increments.

Q: When I create a wall, I get an "illegal wall junction" message. How do I get rid of this?
A: Try creating wall from other direction. Try creating a wall in a different location and moving that wall to the desired location. Try creating wall after zooming in on the area.

Q: How do I extend/shorten a wall without having to redraw it?
A: Click the edit arrow, then position the cursor so it is on the end of the wall. The cursor should become a small circle. Click and drag the wall to the desired length.

Q: How do I change the relative distance of the grid points?
A: Go to Options/Change Grid. Change grid distances in the "grid setup" window then click "O.K." Make sure you refresh your screen after changing grid points by clicking "redraw".

Q: My grid points disappeared. What happened?
A: User turned grid points off or they are too close together to see in present zoom mode. Zoom out or go to Options/Change Grid and make sure "visible" is checked. Also, click "redraw" icon.

Q: How do I rotate symbols in increments of less than 45 degrees?
A: Before placing the symbol (while it is still blue), hit the F3 key. Then hit the "+" or "-" keys to rotate the symbol.

Q: How do I change symbol dimensions such as length, width, and height?
A: After each change is made, hit "enter" to lock in that change. When all changes have been made, reselect the symbol, then place it in your drawing.

Q: How do I change the color of a symbol?
A: After selecting the symbol from its library, click on the "surface" button. A "change properties" window will appear. Click on the color you wish to change and choose a new color. Click "O.K.".

Q: How do I delete a symbol from my drawing?
A: Click the edit arrow (blue arrow in upper left hand corner). Then, click once on the symbol you wish to delete so that it becomes red. Press "Delete" on your keyboard.

Q: How do I highlight a symbol that is on top of another or on a slab? I click on it but end up highlighting the wrong symbol or the slab.
A: Click on the edit arrow, then click on the symbol you want to edit/delete. If the other is selected, hit the Spacebar. This will toggle between elements on top of each other.

Q: How do I edit a symbol once it has been placed in my drawing?
A: Click the edit arrow, then double click on the item you want to edit. In the library that comes up, make the desired changes.

Q: How do I place a symbol on another symbol? For example, a lamp on a table.
A: After selecting the lamp (or other symbol) you want, change the "vertical shift" value to the height (z-size) of the table (or bottom symbol). Then place it on the table.

Q: How do I correctly install a landing for a split staircase?
A: Landings must be connected to two sets of stairs. Vertically shift the second set of stairs to the desired height. The landing will automatically adopt the shift of the second set of stairs.

Q: How do I create a spiral staircase?
A: You need to create the spiral staircase in the 3D Modeler portion of the software and then add that staircase to a myHouse library. Check the myHouse User's Center on our website to download a set of spiral stairs.

Q: How do I insert an automatic dimension line?
A: First, use your crosshairs to select the wall you want to dimension. It will become highlighted. Then, draw the dimension line parallel to and longer than the wall you selected. The length of the wall will automatically be given after entering the second point of the dimension line.

Q: How do I change dimension line styles?
A: Click the dimensioning icon on the top toolbar. Then click the top icon on the left hand toolbar that appears.

Q: How do I view the 2,000 floor plans that come with myHouse 3.0?
A: DesignSearch plans are available on the CD-ROM version only. You need to install the DesignSearch portion of the CD. To do this, go back to the Setup Launcher and click the button for DesignSearch. Also, you'll need the CD to be in the drive when viewing the plans.

Q: Can I import the DesignSearch plans into myHouse so I can see what they look like and/or modify them?
A: No, you cannot directly import those plans. You'll need to recreate the desired DesignSearch plan from scratch in your myHouse program.

Q: How do I fill in the gable ends of my roof with my walls?
A: After the roof has been placed, go back and increase the height of the walls in your plan to that of the top of the roof. The roof will automatically truncate those walls.

Q: How do I make a specific roof that isn't in the roof library?
A: This would need to be done in the 3D Modeler portion of the program. You can start from scratch or open a myHouse roof symbol into Modeler and make the necessary modifications, then add it back to your own myHouse library.

Q: Do I have to draw the slab first?
A: No, you can add the slab last. Slabs automatically become the floor of the level you're working on, unless you've changed the vertical shift.

Q: Can I enter the size of my slab and have the computer draw it for me?
A: Yes. Click on the slab icon, then the top icon on the left hand toolbar that appears. In the "slab settings" window that appears, enter the desired dimensions of the slab and click "O.K." Position crosshairs in the upper left hand corner of where you want the slab to start and hit "enter" twice.

Q: How do I highlight a symbol that is on top of another or on a slab? I click on it but end up highlighting the wrong symbol or the slab.
A: Click the edit arrow, then click on the symbol you want to edit/delete. If the other is selected, hit the Spacebar. This will toggle between elements on top of each other.

Q: How do I add carpeting to my floors?
A: A separate slab needs to be created for each section of carpeting. After it is created, double click on the slab. Click the color slide for "A side". Choose the carpet texture you want and click "O.K." twice.

Q: Sometimes when I print, my design is very small on the paper. What is causing this?
A: Most likely, you have an outlying element in your plan that needs to be deleted. To check this, go to View/Zoom to Extents. If your plan is smaller than the drawing screen, you need to scroll around and locate this outlying element and delete it.

Q: Does myHouse print to scale?
A: Yes, myHouse will print to any scale or will print as "fit to paper" and note the scale used.

Q: Can I print my 3D views?
A: Yes, myHouse allows you to print any 3D perspective rendered with the software.

Q: The movies I generated are running too fast. Can I slow them down?
A: Yes, to do this, change the number of frames per second in the "Create Movie" window to a lower number before hitting "Start".

Q: Can I rotate a hidden-line or painted view in 3D?
A: No. Rotate the wireframe view to get the angle you want then generate the hidden-line or painted view.

Q: How do I look through windows and door openings in my 3D view?
A: Go to 3D/3D Parameters and change the Transparency to "Transparent."

Q: After installing the myHouse 16-bit version in Windows 3.1 or 3.11, I get a General Protection Fault when I try to access the program by double-clicking the myHouse icon. How do I fix this?
A: You need to contact DesignWare for a Win 3.1 specific version of the software.

Q: I am getting an AVI.DLL not found message. How do I fix this?
A: You need to contact DesignWare for a Win 3.1 specific version of the software. You can do this by Once this version is received, you need to install Video for Windows from the 6th disk. To do this, go to File/Run in Program Manager and on the command line, type: A:\VFW1_1E\VSETUP.EXE

Q: How do I view the 2,000 floor plans that come with myHouse 3.0?
A: DesignSearch plans are available on the CD-ROM version only. You need to install the DesignSearch portion of the CD. To do this, go back to the Setup Launcher and click the button for DesignSearch. Also, you'll need the CD to be in the drive when viewing the plans.

Q: Can I view my whole drawing at once even though it's larger than the drawing screen?
A: Yes. Go to View/Zoom to Extents.

Q: What is the Snap feature and why is it useful?
A: Enabling Snap will make walls and slabs jump to the nearest grid point. This is helpful if you'd like to line up the walls exactly on the edge of the slab.