Correctly adding HVAC ducts and units is an important part of the home design process. Punch! Home Design Software makes it easy to flawlessly design your HVAC system, making sure all rooms receive adequate ventilation.

Once you place HVAC, with a few mouse clicks, it’s easy to adjust or move components. You can even move components by a specific distance, based on Cartesian or Polar coordinates, or rotate items, as needed.

Placing Air Ducts

Punch! Home Design Software features several sized air ducts to ensure the perfect HVAC plan. To place air ducts, simply click and drag. Air ducts are drawn horizontally and vertically, just as standard HVAC ducts are actually placed in a new home. You can move air ducts by dragging, by a specific distance, or rotate them to fit your home design.

If you don’t find the perfectly-sized air duct for your home plan, you can edit the width and depth on the Properties tab before or after you draw the air duct. Air ducts are visible in the 2D view only.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

1. Air Duct Properties
2. AutoSnap and Alignment Options
3. Elevating Objects
4. Reshaping and Resizing 2D Objects
5. Moving a Selection & Nudging a Selection

To place an air duct

1- On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Air Duct Tool.

2- Use the Click and drag drawing method to set the angle and length for the air duct.

Air Duct Properties

Air ducts are defined by their width and depth. You can edit the properties before you draw or after the component has been added to your design by selecting it and clicking the Properties tab.

Note: When editing values, always press the ENTER key to accept new values in a text box.

1. Width defines the distance from one side of the air duct to the other (length is the distance from end point to end point).
2. Depth defines the distance from the bottom of the air duct to the top (this dimension is not represented in 2D).
3. Auto-Dimension checkbox controls the display of dimensions in 2D. If automatic dimensions are not displayed for the entire drawing, the air duct dimensions are not displayed. For details on controlling the automatic dimensions display “Dimensioning”.

Placing Vents and Registers

Placing vents and registers involves one mouse click. Once you’ve placed vents, you can move them by dragging or defining specific coordinates. You can even rotate vents at custom angles to fit your design. Punch! Home Design Software provides several vents to choose from, including floor and ceiling vents.

You can choose the register style on the Properties tab before or after your place it in your design. To following options are available from the Register/Return toolset:

1. Floor Register
2. Wall Register/Vent
3. Ceiling Register/Vent

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

1. AutoSnap and Alignment Options
2. Elevating Objects
3. Rotating a Selection
4. Moving a Selection & Nudging a Selection
5. Applying Paint and Color & Applying Building Materials

Floor Register

Floor registers are placed at the auto-floor elevation, if the auto-floor is enabled. Otherwise, the register is placed at the base elevation for the current floor. If you’ve created a floor manually (using the Floor Tool) you should adjust the register elevation to match that of the floor.

When the tool is active you can choose the style, you want from the Properties tab. You can also change the style after the register has been placed by selecting the register in your drawing and choosing a different style.

To place a floor register

1- On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Floor Register Tool from the Register/Return toolset

2- Use the Click Once to Place Drawing method to placce the water heaterin your design

Wall Register/Vent

Wall registers and vents are placed on a wall at a default elevation. As you drag along a wall, the dimension lines indicate the distance from the center of the register/vent to the nearest wall end or wall attachment.

When the tool is active you can choose the style, you want from the Properties tab. You can also change the style after the register/vent has been placed by selecting the component in your drawing and choosing a different style.

There are two libraries available: Return Vents and Supply Registers. When a library is selected, its contents are displayed in the Preview bar.

To place a wall register/vent

1. On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Wall Register/Return Tool from the Register/ Return toolset.
2. Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the register/return on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Ceiling Register/Vent

Ceiling regiesters are placed at the auto ceiling elevation. If you’ve created a ceiling manually (using the Floor Tool) you may need to adjust the register/vent elevation to match that of the ceiling.

When the tool is active you can choose the style, you want from the properties tab. You can also change the style after the register/vent has been placed by selecting the component in your drawing and choosing a different style.

There are two libraries available. Retaurn vents and supply registers. When a library is selected, its contents are displayed in the preview bar.

To place a ceiling register/vent

1. On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Ceiling Register/Return Tool from the Register/ Return toolset.
2. Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the register or vent in your design.

Adding Heating, Air Conditioning Units, and Pumps

Adding heating and air conditioning units only involves one mouse click. Once placed, you can move units by specific distances, drag to move them, and even rotate them to fit your home design.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

1. AutoSnap and Alignment Options
2. Elevating Objects
3. Rotating a Selection
4. Moving a Selection & Nudging a Selection
5. Component Description
6. Applying Paint and Color & Applying Building Materials

To add a furnace

1- On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Furnance Tool

2- Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the furnance in your design.

To add an air conditioner

1. On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Air Conditioner Tool from the Heating & Cooling toolset.
2. Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the furnace in your design.

To add a heat pump

1. On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Heat Pump Tool from the Heating & Cooling toolset
2. Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the heat pump in your design.

Placing Heaters and Radiators

As you place heaters and radiators in your home plan, the component is automatically “tracked” to the wall segment, making accurate placement simple.

Dimension lines automatically appear, as you drag and after it is placed, making it easy to place heaters a specific distance from a neighboring HVAC component or wall segment.

When the tool is active you can choose the style, you want from the Properties tab. You can also change the style after the heater or radiator has been placed by selecting the component in your drawing and choosing a different style.

1. Heater and Radiator Properties
2. AutoSnap and Alignment Options
3. Elevating Objects
4. Moving a Selection & Nudging a Selection
5. Component Description
6. Applying Paint and Color & Applying Building Materials

To place a heater

1. On the HVAC plan toolbar, click the Heater/Radiator Tool.
2. Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the heater on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Heater and Radiator Properties

Once placed, heaters and radiators are defined by their length, width, and how far they are offset from the wall. You can edit the properties after the component has been added to your design by selecting it and clicking the Properties tab.

Note: When editing values, be sure to press ENTER to accept new values in a text box.

1. Keep Aspect Ratio checkbox resizes the component proportionally when one of the dimensions is changed. When selected, the aspect ratio is maintained; when deselected, only the value you edit is changed.
2. Width defines the span of the heater or radiator along the wall.
3. Depth defines the distance from the back of the heater or radiator to the front.
4. Height defines the distance from the base of the component to the top.
5. Offset defines the distance between the wall and the heater or radiator. To position it right up against the wall, set the value to 0.
6. Description button opens the Description dialog box. For more information on editing descriptions, see “Component Description”. The description is used in Estimator.
7. Flip button allows you to flip the side where the hardware is positioned.
8. Styles library provides a variety of heaters and radiators to choose from. You can choose the style before or after you place the component.