DavidJPotter

Look under "Line Tools" where you will find a "North Pointer" and "Sun Shadow Line Tool". DJP

DJP

If all roofs are to be flat, then set the Global "pitch" setting in the "Build Roof Dialog" to "zero inches" or something virtually flat like "1/16" in 12 or 1/4" in 12" ("Flat Roof systems still need to drain to their eaves don't they?). If you wish a Parapet wall around your "roof", then you create a second floor to emulate the roof, setting the "Ceiling Height for the second floor the intended height of the parapet wall. Check "No Ceiling or Roof over this room" for the "Roof Room", setting the "Floor Material" of the second-floor room to some appropriate material setting like "Asphalt" from the "Roadways" material choices. You are trying to emulate a flat roof, you say what it is to communicate your intentions to other building professionals. Help Articles at the Knowledge Base: DJP

What most nonprofessional Designers do not understand is that the geometry of the floor plan determines the 3D Geometry of the resulting roof system, no if, ands or buts always. Sorry, I have nothing more positive to offer but the Truth will have to suffice. DJP

There are 3D Trees for Chief Premier but I am sorry to say they are also incompatible with Home Designer Pro. You might do a search at 3D Warehouse and see if any fully 3D tree symbols are available for you to download and try in HD Pro. DJP

I am sorry but this is essentially why (and several other upgraded functions) Home Designer Pro costs more than Architectural, it is not a bug or omission it is merely determining that you get what you exchange for. DJP

Share a copy of your plan so others can really look and then report findings. DJP

Never the less True. The main variable for any Architectural software is the competence of those who use them. What I am saying is that anyone, anywhere can post symbols on their website and anyone is then able to download such symbols but no one living or dead does any quality control except you on the receiving end when you download. That is a factual answer and not meant with any animus at all. DJP

Type in the word "Vent" into the library browser "search" window and then wait and you will see lots and lots of different shaped vents, You can also make a window and choose "louvered" to make your own custom vents using the "Window Specification Dialog". DJP

I have been using Chief Premier and Home Designer software since 1995. I had some behavior like you describe during my first year learning the program. The trouble was within me and my uneducated use of the software in each case: you can do something in plan view that might seem innocuous but if closely inspected in camera views that little jog of the mouse in a tool mode can wreak havoc when next viewed. A simple one is to move your mouse while in "Wall Tool" mode causing a tiny bit of wall to be drawn by that motion - the next time you open that plan and order a "Full Overview Camera Render View" your structure will have seemingly "disappeared" (Most new users do not know that a tiny piece of wall etc accidentally drawn far away from the main structure will cause these unwanted phenomena) I have seen this over and over since I figured it out. Do you have any small children or pets that may have interfered with the plan while you were not watching? Your best defense against this type of thing is to thoroughly learn your tools, settings, and procedures. I know this sort of thing is uncomfortable but my advice is to press on to see the end of such behavior. DJP

I run Chief Premier on my desktop and an ASUS laptop for fieldwork. If I were to get comparable performance from my desktop, I would plan to spend at least twice as much for a comparable laptop. I have total in my desktop about $2,000.00 adding in the initial build plus upgrades since the first build. My laptop cost was $1,500.00 at Best Buy, it is reliable but very slow compared to my desktop which I tolerate because I use my desktop most of the time. If I were to have a laptop as my sole PC I would plan to spend at least $4,000.00 for an Alienware or Sager laptop to gain a PC fast enough to keep up with me and my drawing habits. Laptops just cost more for the same performance as a desktop, they are harder and more expensive to repair or upgrade compared to a desktop. So it is a matter of one's priorities as to which direction you go. DJP

If you have Architectural or Home Designer Pro you can select a tool under the Terrain array of tools called "Terrain Hole" and draw it around the interior edges where you do not wish to have terrain present and it will do what it says it will do "create a hole in the terrain. I do not currently have Suite or Interiors so I cannot say for sure that those titles have that particular tool. DJP

DJP

https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00358/automatically-building-a-one-and-a-half-story-roof.html DJP

I tried exporting my Chief "Legends" and then importing them into HD Pro and Architectural, both imports failed, sorry. What you can do is to make a blank plan, name it "Electrical Legend" and then draw a single wall in that plan and then add your needed and wanted Electric Symbols from top to bottom along that wall in plan view. You then add text labels to the right of each symbol saying what it is. Save the plan and then send a view of your Legend to your layout file whenever you need or want to. This is how I made Electric Legends before Chief offered theirs. DJP

This one and These DJP

Home Designer and Chief Architect software is basically a robotic assistant BUT you must tell it what to do, otherwise, it just keeps following preset "Defaults" unless you manually change those default material settings yourself. There are several places to set the default materials for Cabinets: 1. In "Edit - Default Settings - Cabinets" there are default setting for each cabinet type (Base, Wall and Full Height) 2. In "Edit - Default Settings - Materials" there are separate settings for Cabinet, Cabinet Door/Drawer The software is not programmed to do this for you, you must manually address the settings above per object to make sure the software then does "automatically" what you wish. DJP

That commonly the case but I am glad you now have a success! DJP

Terrain features must have a Terrain Plane to reside within the boundaries of (If you cannot see the Terrain you will NOT also see features). Take a look in your "Display Options" dialog while in an overview camera and make sure that the "Terrain Plane and Terrain Features" layers are checked "ON". Otherwise they will be invisible in camera views. DJP

Terrain was added as a feature to Chief Architect around the year 2,000 AD, as a result, it always acts independently of the main structure. You can raise and lower it as an object relative to the structure by using the "Building Pad" input pad, it is a little tricky at first but my advice to new users is to MAKE ONE CHANGE AND THEN EVALUATE THAT CHANGE IN SEVERAL CAMERA VIEWS BEFORE MAKING ANOTHER CHANGE. Doing that will allow you to control what you are doing, making several changes at once before viewing in camera views does not tell you which change was the wrong one. DJP

Display Options, Primary Contour Lines (Named Layers alphabetically listed) DJP

Contour lines are graphic only, they are on a layer called Terrain, "Primary Contour Lines" and "Terrain, Secondary Contour Lines", they cannot be manually edited but rather displayed or not at your choice. They are evidence of adding, subtracting or editing "Terrain Elevation Lines" which you manually place usually. It is not clear exactly what you are complaining of but the above is my best guess. Click here to view help and video tutorials about Terrain DJP

You circled a rather wide area of your plan image, so as Eric said, it is unclear exactly what you are asking. Generally speaking "yes" you can raise or lower just about anything in a ".plan" file (Roofs, ceilings, floors, foundations, foundation walls, and footings or just about any other object or symbol there is). These changes can be made manually or via dialog boxes or mouse-direct-select-drag. What, exactly do you wish to do, please. DJP

In Architectural you raise roof planes by setting the Ceiling Height higher in the "Room Specification Dialogs- Structure Tab - Ceiling Height" enough to achieve your target Roof Height (they, Ceiling Height and Roof Height in Architectural are pretty much the same settings for all practical purposes). Adjusting the "pitch" of a roof plane is done in the "Wall Specification Dialog - Roof Tab - Roof Pitch Input box) under the roof plane you wish to control, pitch-wise (its relative height is due to two factors: its pitch and its baseline height which is caused by the Room Dialog Box - Structure Tab - Ceiling height setting DJP

I agree with Eric, add at least some screen captures that show your problems or a photo of s/t similar to what you wish. Let us know which Home Designer title and version you are using, even better is to share a copy of your current ".plan" file that contains your problem. DJP