DavidJPotter

Commonly, in this software you set the floor height of each structure manually and separately. You set the foundations by way of Room Specification dialog - Structure Tab per structure/room (you set the Edit Default Settings - Floors and Rooms - First Floor for the majority or largest structure and the secondary one you do manually). Terrain is an add on feature which, by way of its Specification Dialog - Building Pad input box, you control its height relative to your structures/buildings. that is the way it is programmed to work. DJP

You can communicate a "Feature Change or Addition" at the Home Designer website but I doubt they would spend a lot of time on an object that is only used in Europe (I could be wrong of course). In all Chief Architect and Home Designer software titles there are NO (none) such animated symbols or objects, you can manually, by way of a door specification dialog - Options Tab, show the door open or closed and that is it my friend. DJP

A door such as you describe does not exist in the software and in my thirty years in the Building Business, I have never, until today, heard of such a device. That said, what I WOULD DO would be to place a pass-through to create the opening and then some (like a custom slab object or reshaped cabinet soffit object) to emulate, look like, represent the door whether it slides up or down. What language do you commonly speak? A lot of what we do is to make something right, say what it is using text and place that into Construction Documents so Builders and Sub Contractors then know our client's desires and intentions. So an appearance need only look like what it is supposed to be to be graphically useful because we say what it is using text tools. Absolute perfection is not what we create, what we do create is perfect, useful and informative COMMUNICATION. DJP

If you have Home Designer Pro you can open a roof plan specification dialog - Polyline tab and find out the area of a roof plane. You can click on each edge of a roof plane - open its dialog and look at the "Selected Line" that yo clicked on and find its length as well. This is NOT the case in Suite or Architectural, sorry. In Suite and Architectural you can use "Dimension tools - Tape Measure" to dimension the lines of each roof plane while in plan view manually. DJP

Unlike Chief Premier that has custom molding polylines Home Designer Pro does not. What can be done in Pro is by the additional use of a free software program called "Sketch Up". In sketch up you can make, from scratch 3D symbols and objects that can then be imported into Pro as symbols for use in your plan files. (Groan ! another software program to learn!). Sketch UP, as I said is a free cloud based software application that is easy to learn and use. You can make Newels and Balusters round or square by way of the respective dialog box for rails and stairs but rails, in Pro are by default "square", sorry. BTW I see no railings in your posted image, just plumbing and electrical conduits. DJP

DJP

I usually emulate EPDM type roofs by using Asphalt found in Roadways. In 3D modeling it is appearance that is important and not precise reality. In plans I specify what a material is using text and not necessarily what I actually used, it just needs to look like or similar to the actual material IMHO. DJP

You can delete any terrain perimeter by selecting it on any edge of its perimeter and when selected then hit "Delete" in your Edit Toolbar or on your Keyboard. Here is a link articles on the Home Designer Website that will help you with creating a "Walk Out Basement terrain plane" : https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/search/?default_tab=all&q=Walk+out+basement DJP

Thank you. In Eric's example you can clearly see that he moved the first floor bearing roof plane up a floor to the <A> or attic level to then place the dormer which this action then separates by a floor the dormer walls and the first floor walls. I think that is the KEY to your problem. We all have to deal or figure out what is workable and not workable (not within the programming of the software and what within programming parameters), it IS part of everyone's learning curve. DJP

If no wall, then draw one manually. DJP

I would use the "Custom Backsplash tool" to create a custom shape like you need and once created, manually drag it to the edge of the eave while in plan view. DJP

As you said, there "is not CAD to Walls" tool in Home Designer. What you CAN do is to make sure the imported PDF or .dwg is properly scaled once imported, orient that PDF or imported AutoCAD drawing to O-Y/0X in HD in plan view and then trace over the PDF or imported drawing using HD's 3D tools to start to obtain a 3D model in Home Designer, then add windows and doors etc and make perfect using dimension tools in HD. Then add roofs etc. DJP

What is available within Home Designer is to be found in the Library Browser-Millwork and most of the items found are NOT alterable except as to their sizes. In order to get EXACTLY what you wish is to make it custom using Sketch Up software application and then importing the result as a symbol into HP as symbol for plan application. DJP

It is not actually panels in terms of the visible pattern assigned, but in terms of the Materials List, you can assign "Panels" as a material from the Library Browser called "Wall Board". So for visuals you assign an 4'x8' pattern and for the materials list and visible, you assign a wall board - 4'x8' wall board material. and for either or both you can adjust how the pattern and material start and stop on the ceiling by adjusting the X and Y input boxes which controls how the pattern and material "paint" across a surface. DJP PS: you do this via the Room Specification Dialog - Materials Tab

Go to Edit - Default Settings - Camera and in the Camera Specification dialog, turn on "Reflections" in all camera types that are applicable. DJP

What can be done is to assign a material with a white background and black pattern lines that are set to a pattern of 4' x 8' or whatever pattern you need and then only in a Vector view camera type you can see your 4" x 8" pattern lines and count your panels visually. Or you can do this via the materials list by assigning 4'x8' panels to the ceiling and the materials list tool will count them for you. DJP

The latest version of Home Designer Pro 2021 has no restrictions relative to paper size, it can print natively up to 36X48. You need to upgrade to 2021 and your "problem" is then solved! DJP

I recommend that you hire a Licensed Structural Engineer to advise you relative to structural design and layout. Another LARGE factor is the quality and attributes of the geology of your building lot that directly affects the design of the foundation and structural considerations. Emulating the advice is then easy in HD Pro because you now know what it is supposed to look like from the Engineer. DJP

I commonly do NOT design foundations without the advice of a licensed Structural Engineer. That said, I have emulated foundation caissons using calendars from the "Shapes" section of the Library Browser. DJP

Edit - Default Settings - Floors and Rooms - (Pick your floor) then Structure tab Also Edit - Default Settings - Foundation Any software and especially Architectural Software get products by studied users managing the software's settings with confidence. They get that confidence and competence by hours of study and practice to just learn how the software works and does not work. DJP

After looking at your plan, I saw that the custom wall types you made through out the plan are customized wrong which is causing the unwanted outcomes. Open the Wall Specification Dialog - Wall Types and properly place space, in the dialog between Interior layers and exterior layers. Comonly one assigns A SINGLE LAYER as your "Structural" layer unlike what you did. Read, carefully the Reference Manual section on Customizing Walls using the Wall Specification Dialog. DJP

Wether Home Designer or Chief Premier, the software is pre-programmed to fill in automatically attic walls, which the divide themselves ceilings and roof planes automatically, if you will go to the second floor, turn on the "Reference Display", showing the first-floor walls in "red" you will clearly see that auto-generated attic walls were generated over the porch and inward towards the house, using exterior walls that match what you set in your Default Settings (Walls-Exterior Wall and Materials-Exterior Wall). DJP

The software skips building a foundation under rooms named "Porch" so you just go to the foundation level (<0>), turn on the reference display (so you can see the porch walls above) and then draw or extend the foundation walls underneath the porch which should fill in under the porch above grade. DJP

Just separate the remaining space with an invisible railing wall, set the higher portion to about 3" below the house (-3" the house should be a zero inches), draw your stairs and then you are done DJP