DavidJPotter

What software application do you have to create this with, please? The reason I ask is that some Home Designer software titles are abler than others. Never the less you should be able to do this. It is a matter of you spacially locating the objects of the Media Room. Every object in this software has a named layer that it assigned that can be turned on and off visually in plan and camera views. The dialog is called "Display Options". As well each object has its own Specification Dialog Box where the object can be resized and assigned a location in space. You can vary the floor height of the media room using soffit objects (found under "Cabinet Tools") to represent the platforms of a media room. Some Home Designer titles have a "Custom Slab" tool for the purpose of varying the thickness and height of media room platforms. There can be more depending upon the level of detail you require but this should get you started conceptually. It will be to your advantage to first teach yourself how to use the software and its tools, where its controlling settings are, what they are for and how to set them properly to obtain a result.

If all the structures are at the same grade level and same ceiling height, it is rather easy to do, it is just as the plan file contains more and more objects and data the slower it may become to work with depending upon the muscles your PC or Mac has. If the structures have varying floor and ceiling heights it then becomes more and more complicated per individual structure. DJP

Chief Architect Tech Support responded: "I understand now. I thought the question was how to move the light source. However, I will most definitely submit the request to have an option to lock the light source to a relative location within the bounding box of the object (ideally to correlate to the position of the bulb.)" David Potter Thursday, May 09, 2019 - 03:45 PM PDT "My point is and still is that the point source should be lock-stepped with the light fixture bulb area. One should not have to apply a "workaround" as the only solution. I realize that I am not a programmer or Software Architect (just a user) . I observed NO DIFFERENCE in function and control between Architectural 2020, Home Designer Pro 2020, Home Designer Pro 2019 and Chief Premier X11. Consider that I am asking for a "Feature Request" if you like. Respectfully, David J. Potter" copy-pasted from a Feature Request submitted to Chief Tech Support recently

An auto-built roof that is created on a foundation wall is usually caused by that foundation wall not being in alignment with the wall above on the first floor, check for that, align the out of alignment wall and redo the roofs. That is the most common cause. DJP

Everything in this software is governed by its pre-programming and settings and procedures that you follow to get a product. In this case, you wish to have two spaces set to different floor levels and corresponding, supporting foundations. The foundation being 16" higher will mean that either you set the additions floor level setting (in the Room Specification Dialog - Structure Tab - Floor Height") 16" higher than the existing structure or you set the floor the same and raise the foundation walls above that floor setting and place a moisture barrier to keep out moisture penetration. One is more expensive than the other. but the main difference is the addition floor setting in terms of floor height. It is the choice of the designer to make. when settings are correct, you get the desired outcome, when they are not you get a confused outcome. There are not "tricks or short cuts" only competent use and understanding of where the settings are, what they do and what you want to have happen. DJP

What shows in the "Materials List" is only what you assign to objects. DJP

HTH DJP

I took a look in Architectural, Pro and Chief Premier and found the same lack of functionality across all platforms. I submitted a "Bug Report" to Chief Architect/Home Designer Tech Support. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! DJP

No Home Designer software has the capability to print directly to 24" x 36" paper. The largest actual paper HD PRO prints to is 18" x 24" paper, so in order to print to 24" x 36" at a scale of 1/4" requires some additional steps. You set up your layout file for a paper size of Arch B or 12" x 18" paper. You send your views at a scale of 1/8" = 1'. you annotate such views as being 1/4" = 1' scale using Text. You then print your Layout file to a PDF, properly scaled for 12" x 18" paper. You then take your 12" x 18" PDF to a print shop or blueprint service. They print it to 12" x 18" using their printer. They then take that 12" x 18" piece of paper and scan it using their large format scanners. They take the digital result and blow that up 200% and reprint the results on the target size of 24" x 36". The end result will scale 1/4" = 1' scale when done correctly. The only way to avoid the above is to upgrade to Chief Architect Premier which is capable of printing to any size paper up to a Billboard. DJP

Now that you have the roofs in place (turn OFF Auto Rebuild Roofs), all you need to is to open the "Room Specification Dialog" for that room on the first floor and on the "Structure Tab" of that Dialog, set the "Ceiling height" to raise the ceiling to 18', then the ceiling will rise to 18' and the roof planes should stay put. DJP

DJP

Draw a closed polyline. Convert that to a "Terrain Feature". when it is a terrain feature open its dialog and check "Make a hole in the terrain". The create a custom slab the same size as your hole in the terrain and viola! DJP

This is the same in HD 2019 titles as in 2020. DJP

Unless you have programmed the software to "Automatically Rebuild Framing", you then have to manually order it to rebuild after you then make changes to the model. DJP

HTH DJP

The Technology shown in the video above and this video have not changed since added several versions ago: HTH DJP

Camera tools in the main tool bar Symbols are pre-programmed to bump into other symbols as if they were actual solid objects like in the real world. In order to temporarily overcome this fact when locating objects in Home Designer, you can "Left-click-select" any object and then depress the "Control Key (CTRL), while maintaining your depressed left mouse button and then drag the selected object and it will travel to wherever you wish and not, while doing so, "bump" into other objects. Most new users do not yet fully understand that there is not just one "Display Options" dialog. In fact there is a different "Display Options" dialog for each camera type and another one just for use while in plan view. This dialog controls what shows or is invisible in plan view or any camera view which explains why something might be visible in plan view but yet be invisible or just not seen while in a particular camera view. DJP

Read this article and see if it helps you: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00904/creating-a-bonus-room-above-a-garage.html Also in the lower input box in the "Room Specification Dialog," you can type in whatever name you wish and that name will show in plan views. DJP

How easy will be determined by what Home Designer software you have and how competent you are using/learning it. There are some board and batt siding materials in your Library Browser. How to pre-program wall settings and Roof settings to auto-generate a shed roof can be found in your "Build Roof Dialog - Roof styles Tab". If you have Home Designer Pro you can also closer emulate the framing member sizes they used back then (Edit - Default Settings - Framing Defaults and Roof Framing Defaults). The plate height of the shed roof will be controlled by your Room Specification Dialog - Structure Tab - Finished Ceiling Height" setting DJP

Commonly you import the PDF, then check the correctness of its scaling using Home Designer dimension tools. When properly checked for correctness then you can trace over the indicated walls which does save time. It is easier to do in Chief Premier but is commonly done as above in Home Designer software that allows the importation of PDF files. DJP

That requires using elevation and isometric cameras and the symbol's dialog boxes for 3D location and also using the "Control Key-Drag" method to override symbols bumping into each other during the process. DJP

By altering Roof default settings you can do whatever you wish, take a look. DJP

Chief Architect Premier now has a rope light tool, I do not know if Home Designer Pro has that tool or not. You can currently adjust the color of any light source in any Home Designer or Chief Architect software You cannot in Home Designer alone, you would have to make a custom symbol in SketchUp and then import as a symbol into Home Designer to a degree, you could place shaped soffits and assign a material to them and then using the "Properties Tab" to make that material highly emissive (light emitting) DJP

It is also difficult to change your measuring units (Imperial and Metric) after one has started, the same is true about changing your template plan after you have started using a particular template. You should make sure of those things BEFORE creating much content in a .plan file. As Allen said, above setting Edit -Default Settings is essential. Then you establish the first floor, then the second (if one is intended) then the foundation (Foundations are purely conceptual in that the only persons licensed and trained to design them are State Licensed Structural Engineers, so a lot of attention to detail is unnecessary relative to the foundation until your Engineer can review your plan and then carefully design a foundation for it). DJP

HTH DJP