DavidJPotter

I looked over your file while videoing it, I did not have enough information to really complete the look over perhaps what is there will help you: https://youtu.be/xQUSFZ4GQP4 DJP 68 Elizabeth Street (Primary)DJP.plan

Yes, you print to 11x17, take that to a print service. The print service will scan your 11x17 and up size 200% it to 22x34 (almost 24x36). We used to do that all the time when I did not have a large format plotter. You also have to think ahead in terms of annotations, what would be 1/8" scale on 11x17 will need to graduate to 1/4" on 24x36, though the text can be unsized, what the text says in terms of scale must be there from the beginning. DJP

it is cumbersome but is all you can do for a custom object like that. You can check at 3D Warehouse for something like that, download and import or just make it piece by piece DJP

I agree with Eric, post the plan, perhaps some other person can also help. Upgrading to Architectural is a waste of money IMHO, upgrade to Home Designer Pro or stay with what you have, roof wise, there is little difference between Interiors and Architectural. DJP

I edited your roofs in X8 and reprogrammed so you can continue to edit your Interiors plan file and I videoed myself doing that edit for those interested: https://youtu.be/9_8VWjNx9m8 DJP Roof Fix-X8.plan

Edit - Default Settings - Dimensions - Format -Smallest Fraction in tenths or you can set how many decimal places to use. In that dialog you can also choose the Unit to use (mm, cm or m) DJP

As you can see in my "Signature" line I have lots of Home Designer and Chief Premier software on my PC. I have not noticed any large difference between those versions. Each Home Designer version is based upon the same engine for Chief Architect Premier version. I do know that end users get variable performance from time to time which I attribute to the "Three Reasons" I listed above. The end user is usually the most important factor, positive or negative. DJP

The performance level will vary for several possible reasons: 1. the quality of and how well the hardware of a computer works, even in Mac's this is an uncontrollable variable 2. The habits, maintenance and behavior of a computer user directly effects overall performance (some people just have a low affinity and responsibility level towards mechanical devices and it tells on the controlled devices). Some have such a high affinity level for something that that something rarely breaks where as other just look at something and it breaks) 3. The competence and professionalism of the end user directly can effect how well a virtual construct acts; how a user understands how to use his tools can build in problems and slow a plan construct down (seen it time and time again). DJP

The more complex the plan the more 3D faces that have to be located per second. Anything but a super computer will tend to slow down under a heavier load, it is just a matter of physics and is to be expected. There may be some not obvious reason but I would have to have a copy of the file to explore hidden causes. The first consideration is size and complexity. DJP

Too many questions that are not well explained-communicated. Please be more specific and share a copy of your plan showing where the retaining walls are to go. None of us here know your project as well as you do. Keep that in mind. DJP

The above is from https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00850/drawing-a-plot-plan.html Knowledge Base Article on doing Surveys. I think this is what you are running into. There are other articles in the Knowledge Base which may help you as well: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/search/?q=drawing+surveys DJP

You do not, that can only be done in Chief Architect Premier unless you are talking about a Sketchup grab bar which can be rotated or edited in Sketchup and then reimported into Home Designer. Have you checked for additional library catalogs available at the Home Designer Website? 3D Warehouse and then download and import? DJP

See if this You Tube video helps: If that does not help please call Tech Support for phone help DJP

Select any object to bring back the "Edit Tool bar", it ONLY appears when something-anything is selected. When it is visible, it contains command icons that are germane to the selected object. It is supposed to disappear when nothing is currently selected. DJP

Since PC's and Mac's tend to vary relative to their OS and hardware, it is not unusual for one user's experiences to vary from others. Though I have all Home Designer titles and versions on my PC, I rarely use anything buy Chief Premier X7 and X8 except to work with others or to make video tutorials. The owner's maintenance of or the lack thereof of their computer is another wild variable and their competence level also can be quite variable. Were I you, if interested, I would call Chief Architect Inc Tech Support and see if they have any useful advice about your slowness, it may be a setting or condition native to your machine or its installed software. DJP

Foundations do not appear by some sort of "Magic", they appear because you told them to appear by way of "Edit - Default Settings - Foundation" being set the way you want and you also have to set Edit - Default Settings - Floor - Structure Tab" the way you intend to build and lastly you set each Room Specification Dialog - Structure Tab to the kind of foundation you want under each room. Once you have done that and you then order a foundation to be built, it then and only then builds. Ever after all that in most titles you can still just draw the foundation walls manually using the wall tools so to sum up if you have no foundation it is because to did not take the steps necessary to create one. DJP

Ditto here, it is an extremely simple plan that performs on my PC as expected. Some of these Knowledge Base Help articles you may find helpful: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/search/?q=camera+view+problems You should call Chief Architect Tech Support during their Pacific Time office hours and ask them as well. There is no doubt in my mind that the problem is resident in your PC, exactly what, I do not know know. What do you have? DJP

What you are seeing is the direct underside of your roof planes, so set this way that is what you see the bottom of your roof planes. If you require a smoother look sloped soffits is your best answer in Architectural 2015: https://youtu.be/jEDb-M-E0E8 DJP

You may have (I am guessing) set "Edit Default Settings - Room" to "Attic" (why anyone would do that is beyond me but could happen). In any case like Kat said, you can simply open each of the spaces named "Attic" and choose a more appropriate name for the space and then go on and finish what you were doing. DJP

You can emulate thickness by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the "Floor Finish" input box value, that is the only route to altering the floor thickness in Suite, that is better than nothing. DJP

That is completely up to you and what you think fits your situation. I prefer turning them on and off via "Display Options" but that is my sense of "rightness" DJP

There is a 2D CAD "Electric and Audio Legend" that ships with Chief Premier. I do not see why you could not import that into Pro and use it. The only problem I have with it is that it is too extensive (That means that I often have to edit the symbols and text to fit my particular plan). For rather simple plans, I recommend the approach I used when I started using walls and symbols (some electrical symbols will not allow being inserted into anything but a wall, visible or invisible). Also attached is the 2D CAD legend I spoke of. Download the compressed archive to your hard drive, decompress the zip file and then import the .dfx file and add to your library if you like. DJP electric legend.zip

There are in drafting two ways to designate a material: 1. Assign a texture file to your framing so it looks as you expect 2. Using text annotations you specify what the appearance is intended to be Whether or not the texture is or is not actual, your construction notes define the actuality of the apparent material. What you annotate will be followed no matter what it looks like. No one is going to live in your virtual, digital model, its purpose is to guide other professionals to an intended result. DJP

Not meaning to sound snarky but if you are not a State Licensed Structural Engineer it hardly matters (trusses throughout the USA are by law to be designed by State Licensed Structural Engineers). So anything you draw is purely conceptual relative to structural matters). You would have to upgrade to Home Designer Pro to attain complete control over roofs and thus trusses (In this software the program fills the void between roof and ceiling structures with a truss object, so total control over those areas would be paramount to accurately portray trusses. DJP

You can change walls by shift-select, then their Materials Tab - interior- exterior but the best way is to open a single wall -Wall types tab and alter the entire wall type. That way all instances of that wall type are globally changed but you are always best served by changing your Exterior Wall Default settings first as opposed to making changes locally in the plan file. If you want to change the material on only one wall you use its dialog box-materials Tab exterior or interior material setting and it will effect only that one wall. DJP