DavidJPotter

It sounds like it might be something called "z" fighting. This can be varified by your posting a screen shot (screen capture), there are existing articles about this in the Knowledge Base of Help Articles. DJP

First, take the time to really learn how to use the software, get any unfamiliar terms defined whenever you encounter them. There is a lot to learn so approach the knowledge gradiently ( a little at a time). Read a paragraph or two and then practice doing what you studied until you feel more confident that you really have learned and increased in competence.. Use your Reference Manual (Help - View the Reference Manual), it is searchable by topic, DJP

I do that sort of job with Home Designer Pro or Chief Premier, it requires patience but I do it all the time in my work. In this You Tube video I do that job using Architectural: DJP

I agree with LawB10, generally speaking. Using a skylight symbol from 3D Warehouse would be a lot of unnecessary trouble. DJP

In Pro 2016 the parallel-perpendicular tool will appear when you select any object (left-click-select) or when you right-click select an object. the tool icon then appears along with others in the "Edit Toolbar". When you deselect any object the "Edit Toolbar" then vanishes until another object is selected. The icon looks like two parallel lines drawn perpendicularly to a third line. DJP

Objects downloaded from 3D Warehouse have to be manually located in Home Designer and for a skylight symbol you would also have to manually cut a skylight hole for the skylight symbol to look right. DJP

You can reinstall Windows XP and have it along with Windows 7, all you need is an additional hard drive for XP to be installed in. I have XP installed on a separate hard drive so I can run legacy software back to Chief Architect Version7 and Home Designer versions back to six. DJP

You might join Chief Talk (for Chief Premier users), there has been some discussion there about tablet use, Chief Premier would be even more demanding of a tablet I assume. Good luck. DJP

I think you might get a more useful answer by calling Chief Architect Inc Sales or Tech Support, most of us here use PC's and Mac's. I do not own a pad. DJP

There are two screen captures but no"Drawing attached". How to do what you want to do involves several precise, consecutive actions to create the terrain affect you need. Please share a copy of your plan so others can actually help you. Some of these articles may be of help to you: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/search/?q=walk+out DJP

All Home Designer titles and versions have the exact same rendering ability. Like Eric said, you would have to upgrade to Chief Premier and then learn how to use its tools to get improved renderings. DJP

This video might help explain what I am talking about. When I made this video it was not then easy to rotate scanned images, that is now, no longer the case. What I show here is how to import and then scale an image for tracing a site plan. The point is I leave the structure where it is and orientate the site plan and resulting terrain to the structure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hncV8yl-ND0 DJP

You want a fair exchange for your time and talents, so do a survey for what people charge locally for what you have been doing. A person who has a degree in drafting or Architecture can apply and test for certification from your state. You can find out how to gain such certifications from your State Website. Organizations like the AIBD and AIA have their own certifications and requirements. The point is that if you are licensed and certified you can request a higher exchange than someone else. DJP

Please share some screen captures or a copy of the plan. DJP

When I opened your plan, I could not see what is shown in your images, so I do not get what your problem is, sorry. DJP

I am sorry but Suite does not have the ability to import dxf or dwg files. GPS and comma delimited files are text based files which have no relationship to dxf or dwg (AutoCAD type files). You would have to upgrade to Home Designer Pro in order to import a dxf file (my apologies, I misspoke earlier). Suite is a nice program but very limited as to capabilities. Either upgrade to Pro or convert your terrain data to a file format that Suite can handle. DJP

Until you create roofs over your design, automatically generated walls will appear and disappear at will. This is an automatic function of the software. Roof planes will cut off walls that coincide or intersect with the plane of roof planes, so until you create some roof planes, automatic wall generation goes uncontrolled (by you), that is all that is happening. DJP

Tech Support persons are Human Beings like the rest of us and perhaps you caught one at a weak or off moment. I have found them (since 1994) to be generally friendly and helpful. Depending upon what you want to do precisely, you could use invisible walls to demark the space (especially if you wanted a covered slab or patio) or you can use the slab tool (where no other control over the space is required ( ie. roof or ceiling). Railing walls could be used for such a space when you require the space to have a roof and or ceiling (the railing walls could then be programmed with "Newels" (ie. posts or columns) to hold up the roof and ceiling, the railing can be turned on or off as you desire. DJP

I just checked in Suite, Architectural and Pro and they all have precisely the same dialog box and settings as to" Angle for Inside Hole Rim". That is the only setting I see that would vary the skylight shaft angle. You would have to upgrade to Chief Architect Premier to gain full control over the shape and angle of the skylight shaft. DJP

The mistake you made is to rotate your structure which as you have seen makes 3D modeling a lot more difficult. What is recommended in your Reference Manual (Help - View Reference Manual-Chapter 19 Terrain) is to rotate or create your terrain relative to the house's plan view of "North" (Up screen) and South" (Down Screen). You can then designate magnetic "North" using a CAD line with an arrow. DJP

Here is a You Tube video of a solution to your problem: https://youtu.be/0hYxNOW1bzc DJP

Materials (2D bit map images) can be applied to 3D surfaces but they apply as they appear in the Library Browser only. Computers do not allow objects with the exact same file name ti exist, side by side so in order to get a variation of appearance of a material (rotated grain pattern for instance) one would have to make a copy of a bit map image, rotate that image in an image editing program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Then that rotated material could then be imported into your Library Browser with a slightly different file name and then applied to 3D surfaces. A wood grain material will always appear to run in a single direction, to have that same material (bit map image) to run two different directions would require two instances of the same material but rotated 90 degrees to the original material. That can only be done by a rotated instance of the original material and that can only be done in an image editing program, not within Pro. DJP

To do precisely what I think you want to do you would have to make a copy of a material, rotate that material (grain) and then import the rotated material as a custom material. It is true this is easier to do in Premier but can be done in Pro, it just requires a few additional clicks (steps) to do. DJP

This You Tube video may help you: and also this one: DJP PS: The methods displayed in these videos apply to all versions and titles of Home Designer or at least they are all quite similar as to function

I have never (since 1994) seen what you are showing but if I did, You can cap the end of the wall using a soffit or you can try to extend (move back and forth) the end of the wall to see it it will then properly appear. DJP