MyVirtualHome

MyVirtualHome provides an amazing collection of tools for designing a 3D replica of any home. While there’s virtually no limit to what MyVirtualHome can do toward that goal, it has difficulties that might alienate those without architectural or home-building experience.

The program’s interface looks inviting, with a professional design and easy access to helpful tutorials. However, we found the controls to be almost too freely structured since there are practically no guidelines to follow. As novices, we either had too much freedom or not enough with our designs. MyVirtualHome gives you a great deal of options. We were able to cycle through various building materials like doors, walls, windows, and cabinets, and decorate our virtual home with furniture chosen from images of brand-name sofas, televisions, and the like by simply clicking and dragging our choices. However, our home never looked quite right since we knew nothing about spacing and dimensions. MyVirtualHome offers various prefabricated floor plans, but these felt too rigid and impersonal. The program does have a neat feature that lets you walk through your house in a 3D simulation that looks a lot like a video game. Overall, MyVirtualHome felt as if it would be perfect for architects, interior designers, contractors, and others with home-building experience, but not much help to homeowners.

MyVirtualHome is freeware. It leaves folders behind after uninstalling. While it offers an impressive collection of tools, designing something functional is difficult, and its greatest appeal will be to professionals. However, we still recommend this program.