DavidJPotter

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

I use two camera views for this kind of action1. to place the vase in plan view (you usually have to use the "Control Key-CTRL Key) to left-click-select the vase then press the control key and then drag the vase object to where you want it to go. and 2.Use an interior elevation camera to get the vase's height location where it needs to be. using the control key as necessary. (The reason you use the control key is that symbols and certain other objects in the software environment are programmed to act as if they are "solid" and so bump into other solid objects in an area. You overcome that programming using the control key so you can then move the selected object freely. DJP

Photo Realism is in the eye of the beholder, Home Designer software is for amateurs mostly. The most stunning Photo Realistic results you see here and on the Home Designer website were produced by dedicated persons who spent months perfecting their knowledge of how to get those stellar results. The software does not do anything past what an educated end user tells it to do. Design Professionals use professional grade software (I use Chief Architect Premier, it costs about $2,800.00 to buy or rents for $199.00 per month). It took me about a year of work to really learn how to use it for any Architectural result and style. I can name several other applications that Others use (Architectural Desktop by Autodesk, ArchiCAD, a European based application, it is a lot more expensive than Chief Premier, Softplan, Sketch Up and several others. Whether or not any of those produce Photo Realism is due to the knowledge and skill of their end users and NOT the software. Users of Lumion consistently create photo realistic animations and render views of 3D models created in Chief Architect Premier then imported into Lumion for the final views etc. Lumion by itself costs $3,000.00 but if you are a professional, it is cheap because of the potential it makes possible. If you want to measure and input those measurements into a Home Designer software title for viewing in 3D and sharing with other building professionals, it is perfect for that even though its output is limited by the individual skill and perseverance of its end user. It is easy to learn and use but any kind of professional grade produce comes from many hours of applied study, practice, failures, and successes. Be honest with your own purposes, any acceptable results are because of the end user and NOT the software they used. DJP

Terrain as a feature was added to Home Designer many years ago but the point is it was and is an add on feature. As such you create it as a unified object separate from the 3D model of the structure. You set the terrain relative to the floor zero of the 3D structure. That is what the "Building Pad" input box is for. By increasing or decreasing the value placed into the "Building Pad" input box determines its surface relationship to the floor zero level of the house model. It is not rocket science but merely a direct relationship that is there for you to control. So control it please. DJP

place increasing values in that box or even negative values and then see what that does to the terrain plane relative to your structure (it is called trial and error and is a great way to learn how a tool is programmed to work). Reading the Manual is all well and good but then you also need to apply what you studied by trial and error practice, observing the results as you go. Only doing that will then provide a balanced way for you to gain Knowledge from your study and practice time. Just do it! DJP

Open the "Terrain Specification Dialog". Then locate the "Building Pad" input box and uncheck "Auto calculate" and set it to suit your purposes. You might also bother to read your "Users Guide" and "Reference Manual" (both found under the "Help" menu) where all this sort of thing is explained, lots to know. DJP

No, but there is 3D Warehouse to peruse and if you are really intent you can download, Sketch Up, learn how to use it (it is free) and make your stuff for import into Pro there. DJP