Bcavender

I am trying to create a rough drawing to give to a pole barn builder for a basic, shed metal roof on poles without sides. I used build railings and 'post to ceiling' which worked in the front, but in the middle and back, the posts stop at the front ceiling height even though a flat ceiling was deleted. Is there a way to define the middle/back ceiling heights to make the posts go all the way up ... or is there a better way to approach doing this? All comments/suggestions welcome! Thank you! Best regards, Bruce

Yep, that's kinda what I expected. Need a $295 upgrade Arch->Pro. Railings were no problem, just need to be able to set the ramp slope to complete the model.

When I create a ramp, I am unable to see how to set the top height or rise angle. The dialog speaks of base and top heights, but gives no box to enter a parameter. (See image) Any suggestions as to what I am missing here on how to be able to set the ramp slope? Tnx! B

I am trying to create a window well wall at the terrain height using the instructions from: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00862/creating-a-window-well-for-an-egress.html Everything works well, except when I limit the height of the three walls (via Slab Room Specification) I created to just above the terrain level I get what appears to be an artifact wall in front of the brick that rises up to the Level 1 zero level and isn't impacted by the Level 0 "Ceiling" setting for the window well "room". After trying several ways to eliminate this for a while this afternoon, I am still missing something. Can anyone suggest how I might make this artifact go away and allow the brick to show through? All comments appreciated!!! Bruce

David, The key point I had not yet learned about the software was there are 'defaults' for EACH floor. That is intuitive with a little further thought. Just had not got there yet. Deleting the slabs and entering the default solved my GIGO problem easily. Thank you for your quick response! Best regards, Bruce

I have a structure that started entirely with a crawlspace, but in one area I need to change to add a small, full height basement room (using HDA Architectural 2017). I added the deeper foundation walls in Level 0 and a slab floor with no problem. When I try to create a stair starting from the new Level 0 reference slab to the first floor, the base elevation level that the stairs begin with is not the absolute level of the top of the slab, but somehow related/controls to the foundation defaults in my earlier configuration. After looking a good while for a way to base the stair bottom elevation on the new basement slab or simply set the riser height (greyed out) I am at a dead end to simply add stairs to the new lower level. It is like the software is not picking up the new elevation of the slab that I am drawing the stairs on. The HDA2017 Reference says the stringers should start on the slab that I created in Level 0 ... Just to double check, I created a test file, rebuilt the foundation setting the entire structure to a full basement (deleting my crawlspace/newly inserted walls/levels/etc) and the stair immediately extended to the full basement level. Can anyone suggest the proper procedure of how I should go about creating both a crawlspace/small full basement subsection that allows stairs to begin at the lower level with HDA Architectural 2017? I am clearly missing how to guide the software to the results I need through the software settings. I would appreciate any help with a workaround on this problem. Best regards, Bruce .

Thank you for help with the log jam!!! Clearly the wall controls the roof. Bruce

I am modeling the end of a house on a remodel job whose wall is part gable, part hip roof. See photo "Roof Current" to see what I am trying to get to. I have experimented with Gable/Roof lines tool, etc and I am stumped in HD Arch2017 on how to spec the roof so that the garage door wall gable does not go the full length of the front. Any suggestions as to how to approach this would be appreciated! Best regards, Bruce

OK, figured it out. Definitely Auto Rebuild must be off/stay off. For the second roof, don't use the Build =>Roof command to spec roof material. Just use the spray can tool to add the different bit map on top of the other structure. Easy ... Thanks! Bruce

Law, Thanks for the response. That is one of the permutations I had tried. I double checked that "AutoRebuild" was off and tried it again with the same results. Maybe I am missing something else? Maybe HD Architectural package doesn't allow this? An odd problem. Thanks! Bruce

In HDA2017 I have constructed three separate buildings on terrain. One is currently in place and has a metal roof which is different from the other two planned buildings. I have tried selecting just a single structure and then adjust the roof materials to match the existing structure. However, when I do this, it also sets the other two unselected structures to the same roof material. The HDA 2017 Reference Manual doesn't appear to show any way (that I could see) to set different roof materials on separate structures. Am I missing something simple here or might this be a limitation of HDA2017? Best regards, Bruce

Solver, It was easy after doing it one time. Good start for the spring house. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD ADVICE!!! Encouraging ... Bruce

Solver, Very nice! That is exactly the effect I am looking for. Can you elaborate on the procedure? Best regards, Bruce PS: Thanks for the three links!

I am experimenting with trying to place a pair 8" x 8" glass blocks in place of a single CMU in a wall. After a day of experimenting, I am missing a way to make anything that comes close to glass to mortar realistic. I have been attempting to do this with the Build Window. But can't get rid of the frame or control moving the glass in/out in the wall. This must be the wrong approach. I am missing some technique. Can anyone offer a different approach to this? Or possibly just a way to bit map over the CMU on the wall? Appreciate any comments! Best regards, Bruce

Friends, I do appreciate the pointers. They were very helpful in getting the custom materials/texture process down. After stumbling though it one time, it is actually very easy to do. I can see the right off what I need to do up front to avoid the GIGO. Clearly any non-random cleaning/cloning of the image becomes very apparent when you see the wall at a narrow angle making any repetitive patterns pop right out. Also, the aggregate in this photo was a bit too large to look realistic when scaled to the size of the CMU. Ditto on the joint color and texture. So my next step is to pop out the SLR and get a good high res photo of a running bond of maybe 9 or 16 CMUs and lock in the correct textures/colors of the block/joints/aggregate and get them into my library. (If I were in the building supply business, I would be all over getting my products photographed and processed into Chief Architect's general libraries so the designers could spec exactly my CMUs (or whatever). That would be a slick marketing move and likely save a bit of diddle time for the designer.) Again thanks for the good advice from all! Bruce Test Split Face Stacked.bmp

David, Thank you for your guidance. This is a skill that I would like to acquire. I will dig into the Reference. Best regards, Bruce

Hello, I am looking for how I can acquire the material of a common split face CMU (basic concrete gray) that will give the true irregular texture when rendered. I am relatively new to searching for materials with HD and probably just missing something easy, but after a good while searching, I am coming up empty. Can anyone suggest where/how I can find this particular material? (Or roll my own?) Thanks! Bruce