Broderbund Tops America's Most Popular Home Design Software with 3D Home Architect Edition 2; New Version of Category-Leading 3D Home Architect Features Advanced Roof and Multiple Story Design

Business Wire, August 1, 1996

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 1996--Wondering how Broderbund Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:BROD) could possibly top the best-selling home design and visualization tool available to do-it-yourselfers? With the most-advanced Automatic Roof Designer available on the market, of course! 3D Home Architect(R) Edition 2 moves this award-winning software into the realm of multiple story design with 3D views, expanded interior design features and a powerful roof designer that generates standard roof styles as well as specialty roofs.

3D Home Architect Edition 2 also brings the power of the Internet to designers with a dedicated 3D Home Architect home page that can be accessed through any web browser. The website will feature downloadable sample plans, a message board that allows customers to ask questions of designers or each other, as well as plenty of handy design tips and advice.

"It turns out the Internet is an excellent way to keep our customers up-to-date on home design trends and remodeling activity, as well as offer them additional home and remodel samples and more," said John Baker, Vice President of Product Development. "Following the success of the original 3D Home Architect, we asked customers how they thought the product could be improved and it became clear that we needed to include a tool for roofing and multi-story design capability."

Also new in 3D Home Architect Edition 2 is the capability to create cabinet soffits, window muntin bars, shutters and gables over doors and windows, to name a few. These finishing touches allow additional customization of home designs and keep the product up-to-date with current interior and exterior design trends.

As in previous versions, 3D Home Architect Edition 2 still features the best selection of tools and libraries required to create professional-looking plans in minutes. Users can detail plans by choosing from hundreds of furniture and fixture symbols, go on a room-by-room inspection of their plans with PlanCheck(TM), experiment with various colors and shades with customizable palates, and even export their plans to various professional computer-aided design (CAD) programs in DXF file format. Interactive 3D editing instantly changes 2D floorplans as changes are made in the 3D view or vice versa.

Two of the most powerful tools to start and finish any plan are also included. An expanded library of single-story and multiple-story sample plans gives users a head start in creating the room or the home of their dreams. Although do-it-yourselfers can still start from scratch, these sample plans allow anyone to "cut and paste" their way to a customized home to fit their needs. Once completed, a plan can make the leap to reality using the Materials List. This spreadsheet tool can easily calculate total materials for projects ranging from a new door to a new home right down to the nail. Plug in a few more numbers and find out how much the materials would cost to develop your dream home or remodel.

As 3D Home Architect Edition 2 users move from the planning stage to the building stage, there are plenty of helpful hints on board to help with each step. Included in the Tips section are video tips from "The Home Pro" and libraries of articles from American Homestyle magazine. By using these resources, customers can make sure their plans result in projects that are as safe and practical as they are elegant.

Availability, Pricing and System Requirements

3D Home Architect Edition 2 will be available this August through Broderbund's more than 19,000 retail partners. The Windows CD-ROM version requires Windows 95 or Windows 3.1, a 33MHz 486DX or faster processor, 4 MB RAM for Windows 3.1 or 8 MB RAM for Windows 95, 10 MB of hard disk space, a CD-ROM drive, an SVGA monitor with a display card 640x480, 256 colors, and a Windows compatible sound device. A floppy version is also available that only requires 7MB or hard disk space. The CD-ROM version will sell for an average street price of $69.95 and the floppy version will sell for $59.95.

Broderbund is a diversified consumer software company offering a broad selection of award-winning products for use in homes, schools and small businesses. Broderbund has a successful track record of identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends through the development of innovative software that takes advantage of the latest personal computer technologies. Broderbund's site on the worldwide web is located at http://www.broderbund.com. -0-

Note to Editors: Broderbund and 3D Home Architect are registered trademarks of Broderbund Software, Inc. PlanCheck is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Broderbund Software

Mike Salvadore, 415/382-4569 (PR)

mike_salvadore@broder.com

Dana Henry, 415/382-3238 (PR)

dana_henry@broder.com

Robin Linstrom, 415/382-4449 (IR)

robin_linstrom@broder.com