DavidJPotter

The video above is by Dan Baumann of Minnesota but I thought it so good it should be shared, thank you! DJP

Did you make a single change and then inspect that change before making more changes? Since I do not know exactly what you are trying to do in detail, I cannot further comment. Other than to suggest you share your terrain plan (.plan file) along with a copy of your terrain map. Without that data, no one can do anything but guess. DJP

If you have Home Designer Pro you could draw a closed polyline around anything and then open the polyline's dialog and see how much it encloses in terms of square feet. Those titles that have the enclosed polyline tool should also work, if what you have does not then your only solution is to upgrade to Pro or Premier. DJP

You can select a wall and then move it with your keyboard arrow keys, setting the increment of move in General Plan Defaults, you can simply drag wall objects inside or out but the best method is using dimensions to make precise object moves and edits. It just requires some Reference Manual study and then practice to get the hand-eye coordination down. DJP

I have NEVER successfully used "Points" to generate 3D terrain, They are too difficult to edit (one wrong point value ruins the whole terrain object and they are HARD to find often times anyway) after being placed and do not generate useful terrain. I never use them anymore. What I do is to import and then scale a terrain map with graphic contour lines and then trace over those graphic contours with elevation splines and input the contour values per spline (get the data from the graphic document until I have the major ones. It is unnecessary to draw every contour shown in a terrain document, surveyors use dedicated, VERY expensive GPS software to produce such maps and the data that software they use would overwhelm most average PC's like yours or mine, keep it simple and when changing terrain objects, it wise to check with camera views the veracity of such changes as you make them (DO NOT PLACE LOTS OF POINTS OR OTHER TERRAIN OBJECTS FIRST AND ONLY THEN CHECK THE RESULTS). Once the terrain is created and edited only then do you set the terrain plane TO the house or structure 3D model again using elevation camera views. You vary the value in the "Building Pad" input, unchecking using the automatically set value the software sets (the software rarely gets that value right). DJP PS: Terrain Points effect terrain changes concentrically and do not, cannot emulate actual terrain. I use lines, mainly splines and also terrain regions and occasionally a terrain break object

Before you use the "Edit - Edit Area" tool on your floor plan PLEASE, read the Reference Manual section (found under HELP) about how to use this tool and then practice on a simple test plan BEFORE trying to use this tool on your main plan. If you do not take my advice then keep in mind that if things go wrong you can "undo" any missteps or mistakes after making them. You can use the "Edit Area" tool to select a section of your plan and then move that selection 3' to make your desired extra room, then close the walls that become disconnected by the "Edit Area" move. DJP

There is no substitute for learning the software as a tool. Fully read the Users Guide and then little by little read the Reference Manual (both found under the "Help" main menu). Read or watch a tutorial video, read the Reference Manual section on those tools and dialog boxes, then open Architectural and practice what you learned until you get a feel for how the software is programmed to work. The software is merely a mechanical construct that you use as a tool to create what you want to share with Building Professionals, it is a graphic communication device to convey to others what you wish to create in the "real world". Software does not have judgment, knowledge, responsibility. Those are things you develop within yourself as competence. It does not "know", it does not "do" or stop you from doing, it requires your control and your applied knowledge to guide it to a result. DJP

Getting things done that you want to be done is normal DJP

You can also try 3DWarehouse.com to see if there are any useful 3D plant symbols there, just beware that those symbols are "FREE" but they have no quality control either, so quality wise you are on your own. Symbols you download there are then imported into HD Pro as symbols (look in the "File-Import Symbol" area). If you want fully 3D plants you do what you must, OK? DJP

IF you have "3D Plants" in your Library Browser or you can download such a library from the Home Designer website you can then place a fully 3D plant symbol in your plan that will not look "flat' from different angles. What software do you have? DJP

Here is what you can do in Architectural DJP

You should be able to section off just the tub alcove with a Room Definition Wall (Invisible wall), then program the tub space as you wish. Each room specification dialog has its own "Moldings" tab etc. DJP

If you can still find it in your earlier version "HD2017" you said, then export that material from it to your desktop and then import into your HD2018 and then you will have it, try that then. You "right-click" on the Adobe Roofing material, and select export material as a .calibz file and then import that file into 2018, try that please. DJP

Nothing just "Auto adjusts", you make it go where and how you want it relative to the house structure. DJP

Between differing versions, material names and naming conventions can and do change. All Materials still exist in a particular Library Browser and so can be reassigned in a new unit of time as required. It didn't "GO" anywhere but its internal programming location may have changed making it seem to "go", just look and figure it out and reassign your materials in Default Settings - Materials and in other pertinent dialogs as necessary. Just keep in mind that you are dealing with a Computer and Computer software where exact definitions of location on a Hard Drive and naming conventions are the "LAW". DJP

Well, I did try twice now to make a You Tube Video Tutorial on your plan (thanks for sharing it). but my sound (Microphone) is for some reason not working. So I will try to help you by way of text only. Your house model had some incorrect settings Set in "Edit - Default Settings - Floors -Current Floor". What I found was that these Default Settings were NOT being followed in each Room Specification Dialog in your house model (different floor level settings main). Such conflicting settings that you set caused unwanted problems. So I got the majority of the house set the same and then set the Garage to your intended -1000 mm floor setting with a 2,720mm ceiling setting. That series of actions then straightened out the house model. You have to understand that "Terrain" as a feature was added in 1999 and is an add-on feature in this software. Before 1999 there was no terrain plane feature. So that means that you create the Terrain plane separately from the house structure and once the terrain plane is properly set as to its highs and lows you then set it into a relationship with the house structure as an object. There is NO direct relationship between the Terrain plane and the house model other than what you cause it to have by way of settings in dialog boxes.. DJP High_Gable.zip

Most everything you can see visually (or not) is located in a dialog called "Display Options" where all objects in the software are located alphabetically in that dialog where you can check them to be "on" (visible) or "off" (not visible). Each camera type has its OWN "Display Options" that controls what you see and do not see per camera type. So there is one for Plan Views and each camera type. You have lots to learn to really enjoy using what you bought, there is lots of free help found under the "Help" main menu where you will find links to the "Reference Manual", Help Files, Video Tutorials, and other useful data. Check it out! DJP

If your plat map is scaled you can scan the document and import the image of your plat map into Suite or whatever. Then scale it to "real world" scale within Suite using provided tools then orient the scan to your structure (house footprint) and then trace over its lines with Suite's terrain perimeter and elevation objects to produce a reasonable facsimile of your property. You then use the "Terrain Specification Dialog - Building Pad" input box to align the terrain plane to your structure. DJP

Cheer up, please. The steepest learning curve for ALL new users is for terrain and 3D roof design. In your case, you also have to simultaneously have to learn differing floor levels on floor one, another tough concept. You are doing well, you have lots of caring help here, so you will arrive at a success, just do not give the mock up as you say. When I started using this software back in 1995, it required a full year for me to master roofs, terrain and differing floor levels on the same floor and I was using Chief Architect Premier version 4, Suite had not yet been invented, give it time, study your help and reference manual for source material and keep in communication here when you get stumped, we will help! DJP

Like Eric said above if we do not know what software version and title you have (all titles have different capabilities) then no one can help you with certainty. DJP

Hope this as of assistance to you: DJP

It may be that your garage is at an oblique angle because of where your property lines are on the left and right. I agree with Eric that that design feature makes the rest of the design a little awkward and brings roof design difficulties thereby (the geometry of the floor plan always dictates the 3D geometry of the resulting roof design). If you must have the garage wing at that angle, so be it but if you do not, I suggest you straighten it out for a better front presentation of the home's profile. DJP

Here is my take on a solution to your problem. DJP

The image you posted was drawn using 2D CAD, line by line probably in AutoCAD. Such things can be drawn in Home Designer using its 2D tools, it is easier to do in Home Designer Pro than any other Home Designer title, what do you have? BTW the object you are asking about is used to show that the object above and below in terms of their true length is truncated for the purpose of illustration for the detail. DJP