DavidJPotter

Yes you should be able to but like Eric said, we could all be more sure if we had a copy of your plan or at least some screen captures of this alcove you are asking about. DJP

Usually the key setting for this is in Edit - Default Settings - Windows - Minimum Separation - set that value to zero inches and the other one is found in "Edit - Default Settings - Plan - Ignore casing for opening resize". That setting is usually the culprit when trying to do what you are trying to do. DJP

The important consideration is that the overall wall thickness matches your home and that the walls, inside and out look similar to your walls. Practically speaking, such walls must match relative to their "Main Layers" matching in such a way that they will properly join one to another and thus dimension properly (if the main layers is improperly set, dimensioning will not work and walls will not then properly join one to another). Without seeing a copy of your plan, Eric and I can only guess what is right or "wrong". Just be sure that if something looks wrong, it will be found that some key setting or element has been missed or misunderstood. DJP

If you merely wanted to sketch or trace over something if he could give you an image file (.jpg. .png, .bmp or .tiff) you could import that into your software and then resize it (scale it) and then trace over to emulate your swimming pool. DJP

Please be more specific when you ask a forum question: 1. What software are you having trouble with? 2. post an image or images to illustrate your question 3. post a copy of your plan file so others can look and see what is wrong. DJP

Here is my attempt to help on You Tube: https://youtu.be/VVtJTjdUGFM DJP Stair Trouble 10APR16 v1.plan

Here is your edited plan attached and a video of me working on it in X8 (my copy of Pro 2017 is on my laptop - other PC): https://youtu.be/P284mjCim6U DJP House 160412 01 ... 160408 04 architect no interior.plan

In order to get exactly what you want relative to appearances,you often times have to abandon reasonable solutions (like you have that do not work) and try something out of the box that does. It is reasonable to use walls as you have but they have limitations relative to materials as you are complaining of. If you were to use solid railing walls you would then have additional materials tab settings to help control the bottom and edges of walls via the wall's materials tab. Or you could use invisible walls to mark the space and visually use cabinet soffits that carry only one material all the way through their boundaries. Either of those choices would get you around your current problem. The Materials eye dropper and painter are handy but far over used by new users without any study of their four tool modes, an object's materials tab should be the first choice for controlling materials. DJP

When a layer is "locked" you may not move or edit the objects on the locked layer in "Display Options". When walls normal is locked you cannot create any new walls or edit the walls that are present, you may not be able to lock just one wall, it is all walls or no walls. DJP

Check with Chief Experts.com for his seminars, there are no teachers-seminars for Home Designer users except those offered by Chief Inc for Chief Premier users. I am the only Home Designer teacher I know of, I train only on line using my Go to Meeting Service. I have worked with several Canadians over the years. DJP

I have never thought of adding the tracks, you should be able to find an opener in the library catalogs somewhere. I guess you could check at 3D Warehouse but I have never needed them in any of my plans. DJP

Like anything we do in software, especially Chief or Pro, it is a matter of turning on and off the various layers that enhance the graphic communication we intend. In Premier you can create a annotation set for this, in Pro it is a lot more manual per view. Eric, a "reflected" plan is usually called a "Reflected Ceiling Plan" and shows just stuff located on the ceiling. Floor plan structural, floor plan electric, floor plan HVAC, Roof Plan and reflected ceiling plan. Different views for different purposes. DJP

Here is a solution to your problem: https://youtu.be/0tbTg28egxs DJP

The proper sequence is to first set all relevant default settings. Then build roofs and check them to make sure your settings are correct. Manually build trusses. Check them in an elevation camera to make sure they are as you want. Then build roof framing, when trusses are in place, the software will build to the trusses. Manually edit any auto framing where it disagrees with what you intend to do. DJP

I do not know what you saw but Pro is Pro and Premier is Premier. Pro has a tool specifically for creating a hole in the floor or ceiling. You just use a closed poly-line tool and then use the "Convert tool" where you can choose what the poly-line will become ( a hole in the ceiling, floor or roof - roof skylight). All of this is fully explained in the Reference Manual (found under "Help") DJP

When you are not using "Auto Rebuild Roofs" it does not update as you change wall locations (as you have seen), rebuild roofs AFTER you make your wall location changes. If the auto rebuild roofs tool screws things up or misses your outcome, you manually edit the results of the roofs until you do have what you want. DJP

It is a default setting to have two top plates (Edit - Default Settings - Framing dialog), when you want only one top plate, set defaults for that and then you will have how many top plates you specify. DJP

Not that I know of but you might consider asking for that as a feature request in the "Suggestions" area. The need for me never materialized until you mentioned it here. I am always turned it on or off via the 3D Menu-Backdrop. I checked the "Customize Toolbar" section but did not see any such icons. DJP

Call Tech Support for help. DJP

How close you can place windows is controlled in Window Defaults - spacing. That value can be as little as zero to whatever you like. Otherwise it is like Eric said: measure your space. Figure out how many windows at what dimensions and then place the windows, then group select the four windows and use the "Center tool" on the group selection set. Same as you would do in the field. DJP

In any version or title you toggle up to the <A> or attic level, find the attic wall you wish to edit, then open its dialog. Go to its Materials Tab and then change the exterior material to the one you wish. If your software has a "Pony-Wall" tool you can further split the attic wall into two separate sections and assign different materials to the two halves using the "Wall Specification Dialog". That only works if you have Architectural or Home Designer Pro. The prior advice works with any title or version. DJP

When I first saw your post yesterday, I said to myself, " he is out of luck", I hoped maybe someone who uses something other than Pro would chime in with a solution. I have repaired your file as best as I can in Chief X6, you can continue to edit it in Home Designer Suite 2015 but just do not ever rebuild roof planes. The You Tube video is attached as well as the edited file. https://youtu.be/cvYU2HcQI8w DJP ICF - Russ R6 Lodr.plan

In order to have a "sunken" anything you start with a hole in the floor or a "room" with a lowered floor (room dialog box - floor level) and then place the whatever in the hole or lowered "room". the lowered room should be the same size as the object you wish to place in the hole-lowered room or space just as in the article you mentioned. DJP

Most Pool Companies use a program called "Pool Draw", it is a wonderful program for that purpose with animations and also does good schematic drawings for building pools. The ONLY file format you can import into any Home Designer title is in .dxf format or perhaps image formats like .jpg, .png, .bmp or .tiff. All of those file formats are 2D only not 3D but can be imported into a plan view of Home Designer and used to trace over the 2D to create a 3D representation at least of the ground level appearance of a pool. DJP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy_miavIB40 DJP