DavidJPotter

Please post a copy of your problem .plan file so those who wish to help, then can do otherwise than guess. DJP

In my experience (25 years) of using this software I just, once I see how they programmed it to work, as Jo Ann said, un check the automatic setting, create a elevation camera and then measure from the bottom of the garage door (which is commonly the lowest floor level) to wherever the terrain (grade level) is and then manually set the terrain to that value (about 1" below the garage door to allow for a driveway object which is commonly shown as 1" thick. Once you see how they programmed it to work you work with that to get your desired result. No default setting can "fit all" possible situations,that is where you have to step in and take control. DJP

The wall to be moved should be the one you left-click-select. The "S and E" indicators (Start and End) can be turned on or off in "Edit Preferences -Edit - Show Start and End indicators". Watch the videos Eric has offered and the ones about Dimensions at the Home Talk - HD Pro website and you will get it sorted out. DJP

Home Designer Pro at $500.00 and Chief Premier at about $2,400.00 have lots of efficiency differences. Home Designer Pro requires a single layout file per printed page. Premier has a layout file that can contain up to 1,000 printed pages in a single layout file. Premier has Layer Sets, Annotation Sets, Saved Plan views that can be sent to a layout file. Home Designer Pro has NO layer sets, annotation sets or saved plan views. In HD Pro you have only "Layer Display Options Dialogs" one for plan view and one for each camera type view and THAT IS IT! So if you are a real professional you would want to sped the extra bucks for Premier. If you are frugal and don't mind spending a lot more time using Home Designer Pro, it does most of what Premier does, it just takes a lot longer to obtain the same or similar product using it, your choice. DJP

When downloading symbols from 3D Warehouse try to make sure that the .skp file is older than your Home Designer Software, if the .skp file is newer than your HD software it will not import into HD. DJP

That feature exists in Chief Premier and not in any Home Designer Products presently (2021 and earlier, I checked), sorry. In Home Designer products a Window schedule would have to be made manually. I suppose you might try the method spoken of above by frjram1359. I am spoiled by Chief Premier and use that most of the time. DJP

Take a look DJP

Home Designer Pro is your best bet to export 3D files to programs like Luminon and other Professional grade rendering and animation applications. Pro has the ability to export a 3D construct in a file format ( .dae) that can then be imported into most Pro Grade Applications, So, if you have Pro then it is a matter of shopping for third party rendering apps that import .dae files. DJP

LawB10 is generally correct but I have found that using 3D symbol plants cast more realistic shadows than image plants which are basically just 2D and always face the camera view point in renderings. DJP

Additional data DJP

To make the plan easier to edit and sort things out in floor and camera views, I turned some layers on and off. Most new users do not yet understand that there is more than only one "Display Options" dialog (one for plan views only, another for each different Camera view type, one for the Reference Display). So you can have plants on or off in plan view; on in a Full overview camera and off in a full camera view etc. That is what you are seeing, so when a layer of objects is missing, check the Layer Display Dialog for the view type you are in and you will most likely see it unchecked aka turned off. DJP

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I went from drawing board to Chief V4 on Windows 3.1 in 1994, so I understand. The trick is to when you come across a particular problem, is to find the section of the Reference Manual that covers the area of trouble, carefully read the section with particular attention to any words or symbols that are not fully understood (get those understood by finding the definition that is intended and cleared up) then apply what you have learned by using the software with your new understanding and competence. It takes time but the demonstrated competence and ability gained are worth the effort. DJP

I think you have already figured out how things are presently. You could make a "Feature Request" and get in on the already huge list. The tools exist to do as you wish now, though rather manual as you have already said. It seems that you wish it were easier to do like with a Dialog box type setting, well that is meat for a feature request. DJP

A possible work-round could be to remove the default ceiling to obtain your skylight but remove the shaft and then add a faux ceiling using a custom slab set to the ceiling height, with whatever thickness you wish and material set to drywall. Personally, I do not understand why you would make a hole in the roof to just light up the attic space, seems like weakening the roof system for NO gain of any kind. DJP

It took me too long to make a video but it boils down to too much guessing and not enough study of your users guide and Reference Manual. Basically, I reprogrammed the walls that surround the "Court" that was the source of trouble. I also manually reattached all of your invisible walls, and I changed the programming of a wall common to the court by the garage and its doorway. Until the room started responding to my changes and they stayed changed thereafter. The fact that I used Chief Premier X9 to edit makes no difference at all, the settings and programmings are the same in Pro as in Chief Premier. I controlled the height of the walls of the court areas using the ceiling height setting instead of using guess walls that you originally used. The edited file is attached. PATIO.zip

Also each light source has a dialog box where it can be turned on or off and one can edit the type and intensity of its light and in Display Options, lights are on a layer than can be turned on or off via that dialog. If you have not already, please read your Users Guide found under the "Help" menu when the software is open and you can select any object (light, wall, window, door etc) and then depress your "F1" key on your keyboard and that command will open the "Help Files" for that object type that was selected. PS: This video may also help you find resources you need: DJP

The the "Sun Angle" tool is programmed to work is to place ONE only and if you then wish at any time you can open its dialog box and change the time to anything you wish. It is not programmed to have more than one sun angle per plan file. DJP

You can share your plan no matter its size by using Dropbox, One Drive or Google Drive and then share the link to that file for download here. DJP

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The software is programmed to consider the entire construct "the structure". I first started using this software when I was working for a remodeling company. The method I then developed was to make a replica of the existing home and then create a copy of that, calling it "Proposed". To the Proposed, I then added the addition, usually adding the roof system of the addition manually rather than "Automatically" so I can control the exact nature of the added roof planes. You could then compare the "Living Area" of the "Existing or As Built" square footage to the "Proposed" model's square footage to see how much is added. When you start creating Permit Drawings, you use the "As built" as you "Demo Plan" and your "Proposed" to show the changes and additions. In terms of the Materials List, new users commonly do not know the program well enough to make the model perfect due to a lack of 3D modeling skills. It took me years of creating plans and 3D views to learn the software well enough to obtain an accurate materials list. Until I did learn how to do that I just did it the old fashioned way with a calculator and a pad of paper along with my knowledge of building practices. DJP

Commonly Porch outer walls should be "railing walls" set to display posts or columns, with or without railing. You should be able to change line style, color and line weight of the lines of any object in the software. I think you must acknowledge that the software is pre-programmed to do what it does and acknowledging that fact one would also have to accept that it may not fit, in all ways "what your boss wants or likes". DJP

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