DavidJPotter

Home Designer software is pretty cool but perfect, it is not. The results you get are more a reflection of your skill and knowledge than the quality of the software. Commonly the software would produce auto-generated attic walls but it sometimes misses them in your case. So you must go up to the attic level (<A>) level and manually draw them in with the wall tool. It is that simple, you can see where they are to be drawn by turning the "Reference Display" which displays the first floor walls in "red" from the attic plan view level. DJP

Also look on the Structure Tab of the room specification dialog that has no floor, a common cause is that "Floor under this room" is unchecked thus causing no floor to be visually there. You could also have that unchecked and the other settings are "Floor provided by the foundation below" and or "Monolithic Slab Floor" without first having created a foundation to supply the floor. It is being caused by something and that something is usually an improper setting that you need to find and correct. DJP

Temporary dimensions are on only when dimensionable objects are selected they otherwise cannot be "on" otherwise. Other dimensions can be drawn manually. All dimensions can be edited manually or via Edit Default Settings - Dimensions. The first lesson to learn is what this software is able to do and what it is not able to do, it works as intended no matter how we might want it to work. DJP

Text and other 2D object settings can be edited in Edit - Default Settings - Dimensions and Text aslo DJP

I do not know of any way to do this other than using 2D CAD tools (2D CAD-Box tools- insulation) to manually draw insulation into 2D cross section views. I know this can be done in Chief Premier as well but Chief also has additional tools to add insulation via the wall specification dialog that Pro does not have. I suppose you could, in order to make it "3D" use custom slabs to emulate, visually batt insulation objects (once the custom slab object is created and sized you apply an insulation material to the slab and then place those manually between studs in walls). This will work vertically and horizontally but will be a tedious job indeed to actually do. I think such a job would more easily be done just using dimensions and some math. DJP

If you edit the component parts of a dormer improperly of course you will destroy its usefulness, as a unified object (Dormer Tool) the placement of the dormer is critical. If you really need to edit the dormer it should be "exploded" into its parts ( roof plane, hole in the roof poly line, Walls) and once exploded carefully rearrange the parts manually until you get the outcome intended. It is not a difficult process but is exacting and unforgiving when missteps are taken. DJP

Contact the ultimate experts at Chief Architect Inc Tech Support. Due to the variability of hardware to Operating System you would be best served to talk to Tech Support. I only have my own PC as my experience to which I have not had any insurmountable problems since 1995. I have called upon Tech Support at need and they have always come up with a solution. DJP

"Wrong" is not the right word, rather it is merely hand-eye coordination that is needed which comes after lots of practice, it is a developed ability. Open "Edit - Default Settings - Cabinet" and carefully study those default settings and then study the Cabinet Specification Dialog for each Cabinet Type practicing changing settings to see the results of having done so in simple test plans. By the time you have done that you will be more certain of hand-eye-mouse actions and more certain of allied settings for those objects. Useful time spent. DJP

Take a look at some of these help articles: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/search/?q=adding+catalogs And then go here to download some additional catalog files:https://3dlibrary.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?r=site/library&search=&x=0&y=0&x=true&soft_family_2=2&hid_soft_family_2=2&utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign= DJP

You have the Knowledge Base of help articles that is searchable, you also have access to Chief Architect Inc Tech Support, use one or both of those venues. DJP

Yes,it will once you learn how to use its tools and settings. Please contact Chief Architect Inc. Tech Support for help with your difficulties during their Pacific Time Office Hours. DJP

A material is composed of a pattern file which is "Vector Based" (just lines) and a texture file (an image made of pixels) if the grout lines are some color other than black in the associated image you must make a copy of the image, changing the texture based grout lines with darker ones in an image editing program like Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or some other image editing program, then re-import the edited image as a custom material. DJP

Is this to be by or beside a stair? DJP

This knowledge base help article should help: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-01084/creating-a-custom-library-material.html , the main thing is to use the "Define Materials" tool ( its icon is a tricolor), when you use it you get a "Define Material Deffinition" dialog which allows you to resize a material and to do other intended edits, the article will introduce you to it. You know, everything you need to know is already in the Reference Manual, Users Guide and provided videos (found under help) DJP

You should be able to open and view his X4 files but once you have done so, you cannot return those files opened in the current "Client Viewer" (which is a client viewer for Chief X8) but that is better than nothing. Your Architect will not be able to open any of your files that you might create because of the version differences in what you have and what he has. DJP

You use the tools at hand. For sidewalks you can use the spline sidewalk tool. You can also just use a "Terrain Feature" and edit it like any poly-line using the line break tool to segment it and the line to arc tool to curve line segments. DJP

Railing walls have a dialog box for their editing, unlike other walls that also have edit handles as you have observed. DJP

Depending upon which software title you have, you may be able to simply use the polygon-deck tool which will create a perfect polygon deck which you can then convert the railing walls to whatever walls you wish. That IS the easiest way to draw a polygon house but not all titles have that feature found under railing draw tools. What do you have? DJP

What software are you using, they all have different capabilities and routes to solution? DJP

Whatever you set as wall studs will determine the initial dimensions of the blocking. Once the blocking is added it can be edited to any size you wish by way of each framing members dialog box, one at a time. I had never tired to place wall blocking in Home Designer Pro before today, I have done it many times in Chief Premier but its tools are superior to what you have to painstakingly do in Pro. It can be done however you wish but is entirely a manual effort to do. DJP

Within reason you can do whatever you want AFTER you have fully learned how to use Home Designer Pro. Truthfully software does not DO anything by itself, it takes a dedicated user who is willing to take the time to fully learn through study followed by practice how to use the software to emulate to other building professionals what is needed and wanted. That is something you do after spending the time to develop the competence necessary to do so. There is no short cut to competence other than just hard, dedicated work. DJP

Eric is correct, you will need to draw custom ceiling planes (found under roof tools) to model this. It will not be completely easy for a new user, the ceiling planes must form a ridge under the main roof planes, so their baselines must follow the angles shown in your photos. I am sorry but I do not have time to make a video (paid work to do). But your room has flat ceilings as well as vaulted ceilings ( the interior vaults will emulate the vaulted ceilings) so it will be a combination of invisible walls (where you require flat ceilings) and custom ceiling planes where you require a vaulted ceiling. DJP

Make the bay window a "room" by drawing an invisible wall to make it so, then open its resulting "Room Specification Dialog - Structure Tab - ceiling over this room check box (uncheck)" and you will then have a common rafter vault in that area. If you want something more fancy, then please say so, the above will vault the enclosed area but only in that area, not into the adjacent room. DJP

This may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KX98L1IB-w and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Y5tSYtk9E DJP

Victorian roofs can be done in Home Designer Pro but I do not believe a truly professional representation can be done in anything else. The Architectural decorations under, on and around the top of the roof can be emulated with some difficulty. What software do you have? It really depends upon how detailed your finished model (plan file) needs to be to determine what software to use. If all you are interested in is floor plans or interiors, any Home Designer title will do but for relationally correct inside and out type 3D models you really need Home Designer Pro IMHO. Even with Pro you will have to learn how to use its tools, in and of itself, it does nothing, you lead it to a result, it is a tool for you to control. DJP