Are you having trouble Registering Ez-Architect ?

We’ve had a couple of incidents where users have had some trouble registering Ez-Architect.

Did you see something like this?

Do you see this when you try to register your key?

There are reasons and solutions (not reasons and excuses…). First, solutions:

Solution A

1. Check to see what version of Ez-Architect you are using. Go to Help/About. This will operate whether you’re using the demo or have an older registered version.
2. If you have a version prior to 6.0, you should not be seeing anything like the message, above. If you do see this and you’re trying to register an old version, contact us and tell us about it. We’ll find it very interesting… and strange. And then we’ll encourage you to upgrade to version 6.
3. If you have version 6.0 or 6.1, you’ll need to download version 6.2 (see why below). You can do this here: Ez-Architect 6.2 demo download
4. Be sure to uninstall any previous version.
5. Install version 6.2
6. enter your key.
7. Ez-Architect should be in full operating mode.

Solution B

Upgrading from 6.1 to 6.2 if you’ve already Registered

You might be wondering how to get the latest and greatest and what will happen if you’ve already registered.

This is not a problem. If you’d like to upgrade to version 6.2 from 6.0 or 6.1 and you’ve already successfully registered, follow the instructions above (Solution A). But skip step 6. Your software will automatically be in full version (not demo) mode.

Why no re-registration? Because you have registered your computer. So even if you uninstall Ez-Architect, and reinstall Ez-Architect at this version level, you will be automatically registered for the newer version. That’s also why you can’t use the same key on a second computer. AND it’s why we make 2nd and 3rd key options available at a very reasonable cost ($2 bucks) when you make your original purchase. So you can use Ez-Architect on more than one computer. You just have to use the 2 or 3 key option when you purchase (or send us green rectangles after the fact). See this page for more info about getting extra keys after your original purchase:

Get more keys

But I digress.

Why the message?

Explanation 1

I promised an explanation of the message for those of you who care; And more explanation for those who are asking ‘why, if I was able to register version 6.1 a couple of months ago, why can’t I register 6.1 with a new key on a different computer?’

When you register Ez-Architect, it contacts a special server that records your email address and Ez-Architect key. A few months ago, we switched to a new server and so Version 6.2 of Ez-Architect was set to contact the new server. Earlier versions were set to contact the old server, which alas, is no longer there. So if you try to register version 6.1, it cannot do it, and you get the friendly message above when you try.

Explanation 2

There is one other possible reason that you might see the message above: Sometimes your firewall will block you from connecting with our server. If this happens, please try to set your firewall to allow the connection and try again. If it’s still a problem contact us and we’ll assist you.

And there you have it!

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Ez-Architect 9 Has Even More Great New Features!

How’s that for an opening title? Here’s what’s been added to the newest version of Ez-Architect:

 

Version 9 includes two keys so you may use it on a tablet and a computer.

NEW FEATURES for Version 9: Compatible with touch screens. Can draw using finger or pen on Windows 8 Tablets, including Microsoft Surface models. New Interface New interface with color and pattern palettes. Also can choose to display large palettes when using Windows 8 tablets or high resolution screens. This setting can be selected in the Prefences dialog. Compatible with high resolution screens Problems with some dialogs not displaying correctly on high resolution screens fixed. New Library Window New larger library window which displays multiple rows. Show Only Selected Objects New “Show Only Selected Objects” in the Layout menu. Choosing this hides all objects which are not selected. This is useful for printing or exporting only specified parts of the drawing. Choose “Show all objects” in the Layout menu to display the entire drawing again. Object Alignment function Four new items in the Arrange menu (Left Alignment, Right Alignment, Top Alignment and Bottom Alignment) allow arrangement of selected objects. First select the items you wish to arrange and then select the desired alignment option. Edit Pattern and Edit Color dialogs These dialogs can now be displayed by double-clicking on items in the Pattern and Color palettes. Key Buttons When Large palettes is set in the Preferences dialog, three Key Buttons display at the top right of the screen. These can be used in place of the keyboard keys when using a tablet. Tapping the Shift and Ctrl key buttons is the same as holding down the Shift and Ctrl keys. Tapping these buttons again releases the keys. Tapping the Delete key button deletes any selected objects. These keys do not work when clicked with a mouse. The Assist Key menu can be used in place of the key buttons. Incompatible with Windows XP Version 9 has all the features of version 8, below, including hundreds of really cool textures to create added realism:

Textures in Ez-Architect

 

NEW FEATURES for Version 8:

• Rotation of imported bitmaps
• All the toolbars can be floated and moved around
• A new View menu that controls tool bar visibility and floating and unfloating tool bars
• A new item in the Preferences dialog sets up whether tool bars float on start-up
• Updated manual
• Printing in landscape mode on A3 size paper has been improved
• Textures being added to objects can be rotated after selecting them
• You can now input text with one click, which will set a text area about 20 characters long and one line in depth; and you can still set a text area by dragging with the mouse as before
• A Door Tool—this new door tool allows you to cut doors in existing walls
• Object Properties dialog now lets you rotate textures

 

NEW FEATURES for Version 7:

• Ability to add textures to objects
• Eyedropper Tool
• Ability to change order in which layers display (9 layers are available)
• Drag and Drop objects from the library
• Updated manual
• Solid dimension arrow option as well as hollow dimension arrow for dimension lines
• Fractional feet and inches and fractional inches problems fixed
• Area display fixed
• File import default fixed
• Object Properties dialog now lets you change the size of objects by percent
• A3-size paper printing fixed
• Drawing size fixed
• Registration simplified and fixed

NEW FEATURES for Version 6:

• DXF file import and export (2D only)
• Continuous wall and hollow wall tools which support auto-dimension lines, constrained (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, 315 degrees) and unconstrained (any angle) angles; continuous hollow wall tool draws continuous, colored or patterned hollow walls AT ANY ANGLE that scale up and down fine while the continuous wall tool draws continuous, 3-pixel-wide walls AT ANY ANGLE
• Option to maintain height and width ratio when changing sizes in the Object Info dialog
• Can import graphic files directly at their original size from the Import item in the File menu
• Updated manual
• Better wall scaling

FEATURES for Version 5 (originally published in 2009):

• Four dozen colored patterns
• Auto-dimension lines for lines and rectangles
• Drawing method 2 mouse clicks without dragging has been added as an option along with conventional drag-and-click method
• Printable reports containing all objects, their name, sizes and angles
• Colors have been added to pattern editing and you may add your own permanently to the palette
• PDF file export
• wmf file export
• Fractional Inches and Fractional Feet and Inches can now be selected as Drawing Units
• Right click brings up Edit menu display
• Red lines in rulers that follow cursor
• Expanded Preferences dialog
• Preview feature in File Menu allows viewing unopened plans as thumbnails
• Program opens with all settings the same as last session

Some features of this home design program that make your floor plans easier are the duplicate tool for automatically placing rows or columns of boards, studs, trees, plywood, joists or whatever exactly where you need them—spaced on-center like you need them when you design your own home. And there’s a layering system for keeping upper stories, electrical, and plumbing schematics separate. On the other hand, if you just want to create simple floor plans without any complications or layers or construction detail, this is the home design program for you!

Did you try it yet?

Don’t forget to try Ez-Architect 6. You can download the demo here:

Ez-Architect 6 demo download

Try out the new features to see if you can’t live without them.

New features in Ez-Architect 6

If you’re already an Ez-Architect 4 or 5 owner, you can upgrade from here (You’ll need your Ez-Architect 4 or 5 key and your email address to get our super special upgrade price.): <this is not a frown-y face>

Upgrade Page

If you’ve tried the demo and fallen in love and you’re a new buyer, you can purchase from here:

Purchase Page

Questions today:

What features are you fond of in the new version?

What features would you like to see in future versions? (If you don’t tell us, we won’t know what you need…)

Ez-Architect 6 Released 7-27-13

Hello All,

We have just released today, July 27, 2013 Ez-Architect 6. (Actually we released it last night. But we’re announcing it today since we had to put a few finishing touches on some web pages.)

So what’s new in Ez-A 6? Why would you want it? Why would you want to upgrade? Super upgrade deals are available BTW. You need the email address you originally ordered with and your key. You can upgrade from version 4 to version 6 or from version 5 to version 6 for the same low cost. (10 bucks, US)

We also have special prices now for a second or third “copy.” Buy your first copy at the regular price of 19.99, and get a second copy for just an extra $2 or a second and third copy for $4. What a deal!

The new features are dynamite and powerful. Here’s what’s new:

• DXF 2D file import and export
• Continuous wall and hollow wall tools which support auto-dimension lines, constrained (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, 315 degrees) and unconstrained at any angle;
  • continuous hollow wall tool draws continuous colored or patterned hollow walls AT ANY ANGLE that scale up and down perfectly
  • continuous wall tool draws continuous, 3-pixel-wide walls AT ANY ANGLE
• Option to maintain height and width ratio when changing sizes in the Object Info dialog
• Import graphic files directly at their original size from the Import item in the File menu
• Updated manual
• Better wall scaling

All with new Continuous Wall and Continuous Hollow Wall  icons, too. Can you pick them out?

Ez-Architect 6 Icon Bar

This isn’t a long list, but it’s a powerful one. We will continue to make improvements and welcome your input on features you would like to see in future versions.

You’ll find a complete features list here, which includes Ez-Architect version 5 changes as well, in case you’re still working with version 4.

Questions:

What features would you like to see in future version?

What’s your favorite feature about Ez-Architect (any version)?

Visit here to purchase the new version of Ez-Architect.

Or go ahead and download the demo to try it out.

The demo provides all the features of the program. You just can’t save or print or export, things like that…

Have you Used your Ortho Today?

And I’m not talking about something you put on your lawn… or find at Home Depot…

Truth is, I recently learned the term “ortho” from a customer.

I didn’t do any research on it. But the customer inquired about how to find this tool in Ez-Architect. I wrote back and honestly said I didn’t have a clue what it was. The reply described a tool that would draw straight lines East, West, North South, without a struggle.

“YES! ” I wrote back and explained our term for them “constrained lines.”

If you haven’t made use of this handy tool in Ez-Architect, you’ll want to do it soon. It will make much of your drawing quicker and easier.

So how does it work?

First our ortho lines go in eight directions. Not just the 90 degree angles, but 45 degrees as well.

If your diagonal lines look a little jaggy, like this:

Not quite 45 degrees, a line may look like this. Perfectly acceptable if you need this angle. But what if you want 45 degrees.

Look at the difference here:

The perfect 45 degree line is smooth as silk in any resolution.

Again, if you need the odd angle, the non-45 degree-er is perfectly acceptable. But if you want 45 degrees, you don’t have to struggle to get the angle. “How” you ask, “can I draw perfect ‘ortho’ lines?”

“Easy.” I say, “Just press the Shift key while drawing any line.”

Here’s a little sample I drew with the most delicate lines:

Hold the shift key in line mode and your line will snap to these angles.

Here we go again with thicker lines:

You can also use lines with special ends, dotted, dashed or any type of line. Just press Shift while drawing! Easy!

Have you used ‘ortho’ lines in your Ez-Architect plans? Or is this one of those things you wish you’d known a long time ago?

What other “hidden” tools have you discovered? (They hide in every application AFAIK. And we all discover the ones we need eventually, or finally some kind friend shows us. Right?)

You can share your Ez-Architect discoveries here.

 

 

Crazy Fun with Dimension Lines in Ez-Architect

Ah, you might get confused when you start using dimension lines, especially if your lines have arrows on the ends. Here’s how it goes.

You draw a simple line:

Here’s a simple line without added dimension lines.

Now it gets a little interesting when you add a dimension line. You see the plain line on the lower left, then dimension line above and to the upper right. It’s relatively clear what’s what, especially if you know that you’ve set dimension lines to be “below/right” in your preferences. Here “right” takes precedence.

Add a dimension line to a plain line and it gets interesting.

Now what happens if you’re working with double-arrow lines. Here’s the double arrow:

The double arrow without a dimension line.

And now, the thrill comes when you add a dimension line to the double-arrow line.

Here’s a double-arrow line with its neighboring dimension line. Which is which?

If you know what you’re doing, you’ll know that the dimension line is the one with the measurement info in the middle. But this could get confusing in a detailed plan. You do have a few options you can play with when you need to have dimension lines:

Some Options for Dimension Lines

You can select whether to have auto dimension lines or not (Yes/No). You can select how far they sit from the object. You can also decide whether you want to group them with the object or not. And for rectangles, you can have them in- or outside.

If you don’t group them, you can separate them so there’s no confusion:

Because these are not treated as one object, I can easily add distance between the dimension line and the object line.

Of course, you can always ungroup a dimension line set should you need to.

And finally, there’s always the option of using the dimension line item instead of an auto-dimension line. This depends on what you need in your drawing:

The line itself has a label, so a dimension line isn’t needed.

Again, depending on what else you’ve got going in your plan, this can be very handy. You’ll find this line type at the bottom of the line palette. This is especially useful if you want to draw dimension lines that aren’t directly associated with one particular object. This line type always has some kind of end on it. So you’ll likely use it to set down measurements unrelated to individual objects.

Some examples of different line ends and thicknesses

These line ends you see above can, of course, also be used with nondimensional lines. Just select any line thickness and then double click the line palette to cycle through the different types of ends.

Lots of different ends are available

You’ve got two types of hollow arrows, two types of line arrows, slashes in two directions, ball ends and a lovely “X.” What more  could anyone ask for more!

Have some crazy fun with lines!

 

Modifying a Pattern in Ez-Architect

Even though Ez-Architect includes a ton of patterns, you can also either modify an existing pattern or make a totally new one.

First review all the patterns on the pattern bar. Use the Left and Right arrows on the right side of the bar to scroll it left and right. The default position of both the pattern and color bar will always be to the left. So if you haven’t looked before, have a look at both bars to see what you might have been missing.

Notice that the patterns and colors on the right tend toward gray, black & white

The left side of the pattern and color bars are full of a variety of colors.

View a few patterns to see which ones you might want to edit. They look very different and simple in the editor, so it’s a good idea to get a full view of any pattern on the screen before you begin editing.

Start by selecting Options/Edit Pattern:

Select Edit Pattern from the Options menu

You’ll see this working dialog:

Here’s where you start to either create a new pattern or edit an existing one.

Select a pattern from the scrolling bar at the bottom. In this shot I have scrolled so that the pattern I’m editing is at the far left. Double-click the pattern to make it appear in the work window. Or select it and click Load. Alternately, you can start from nothing and create a totally new pattern by clicking Add New or Clear.

You can start with any pattern and make simple or complicated changes.

You will likely need to test your new pattern several times as you edit. But handily, you can see the full pattern in the editor window (to the right) and determine what your changes will look like. Below, I’ve  added some  light green.

First select Color from the menu on the right.

After clicking Color from the menu, you’ll see the color dialog where you can select any color to add to the pattern.

Here’s the pattern with Green added.

You can see the green in the pattern and subtle changes to the full pattern on the right.

Here’s a shot of the changed pattern on the right side of the dialog (not much bigger, sorry).

Subtle, in this case, but now the pattern has green.

Next, save the new pattern (it will replace the pattern you’re editing) and then you can test it out in your Ez-Architect plan.

If this isn’t clear in your browser, be sure to click on it to see the full pattern.

Other options in the Pattern Editor allow you to Delete a pattern (select it from the pattern bar, below) or Clear to start over, Add New to create a new pattern, Color to select colors for editing or creating a pattern and Saving to save your work.

Remember, if you’re editing a pattern Saving will replace the old pattern.

What uses can you think of for creating unique patterns?

Next time: Fun with Dimension Lines.

What other functions would you like to see me highlight in this blog?

A Kalidescope of Patterns in Ez-Architect

The pattern bar in  Ez-Architect is obvious, underneath the colors. But the variety it offers is pretty much endless. You can easily modify these patterns by cleverly using colors, but you can also edit them and make your own unique variation.

This pattern is the 16th pattern from the left in the color bar. I’ve selected this one because it’s easiest to see that changes since the components are larger than some of the other more subdued patterns.

Here’s the default for this pattern. It’s the 16th from the left in the pattern bar.

You can easily modify this pattern by using the Control Key along with mouse clicking.

NOTE: if the following patterns look kind of mushy on your screen, click on them to see the true colors (resolution, browsers, etc. may not show you the true colors I have placed here).

Control+Left Mouse button on yellow changes the pattern like this:

Control+Left Click on yellow changes one color.

If we Control+Right Click on the first (Lavender) pattern, we get this:

Same colors, but different juxtaposition.

The difference in these two is that in one we’ve changed the background, in the other we’ve changed the foreground. But they are both lavender and yellow. But look quite different.

Now to have some fun, control+right click to change the line color within the pattern. So here we have lavender, and yellow with red lines.

Another control+right click changes the line colors within the pattern.

Play with the mouse and the control keys to see what interesting combinations come up.

Next time we’ll experiment with changing the pattern itself. Although many many patterns are already included in Ez-Architect, it has plenty of room for your own special constructions.

 

Changing the Border Colors in Ez-Architect

In the last post I showed you how to change the internal colors and patterns of an object.

Changing the border color is just as easy as changing the inside color. You just have to use another finger.  Here’s a simple circle with a black border. Note the status box to the left of the patterns/colors bar. It shows the same configuration. (In this case, it’s a white circle. If it was transparent, it would look the same.)

Here’s a simple circle with a black border.

To change the color of the border, just use your third finger on the right mouse button and you’ll easily change the border color. Select the object, right-click your mouse on the color that you want and you’ll change the border. Note that the status box to the left of the color/pattern palette matches your object (well, my object).

The same circle with the border changed to purple

And if you don’t want borders on your objects, you can either change the border color and the inside to the same color as you can see below. OR you can choose a line width of zero, the first line on the line palette that looks like this:

–      –

The same circle with the border and internal color changed

It would look perhaps a little smaller (depending on the line width) if the border width was zero. In both cases, the status box to the left of the pattern/color bar shows both the currently selected border and inside colors, whether you have a line width of zero, or a wider line. That’s so you always know the current color configuration.

Next time, fun with patterns.

Have you done any experimenting with making your own patterns or changing pattern colors? We’ll have some fun with this.