davidstvz

Can you simultaneously show total and living area? I know how to include and exclude rooms, but it’s a pain to constantly have to do that. Alternately, is it possible to reference object data fields in text boxes? For example, if a rich text label could display the area from a polyline, it could be used to simulate total area (you’d have to manually update the polyline, but at least the text box would be automatic). I feel like it would be good to see visual confirmation that you’re measuring what you intend to measure anyway, so maybe I’ll just switch to manual polylines to measure area if there’s no better way to do it.

When you're in a 3D view, go to the 3D menu, then the lighting sub menu and choose "toggle sunlight". This disables the sun completely which seems to be the only way to simulate night time. Your lights might be too dim to see in the sun and may show up once you do this. You might also change the backdrop to something more appropriate for night time. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that when you're using a sun angle (which automatically sets the sun position based on date and time of day) that it doesn't adjust the sun's brightness for the time of day and also disable it completely when you set a time after sunset.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Seems like it's mostly accomplishing the same thing, but I guess if you don't want to clutter up your user library it's useful.

Ah, I see the proper way to do it now. Create one sun angle line on the plan, then choose adjust sunlight, choose the sun angle from the drop down menu, then press EDIT to make changes that are visible in real-time to the 3D view.

What can I do to create sun angle lines more quickly? I'd like to have at least 16 lines (4 times of day for 4 times of year). As it is, each time I create a line I have to set the long/lat and then of course set the date and time. It seems they can't be copied and pasted which would help to retain some of the settings. Is there at least a way to set the default longitude and latitude?

The only bad thing about changing material definitions in the 3D view is that it affects every material in the plan. For example, if I have specific type of wood floors in two rooms and I only want it rotated in one of the two rooms, then using the "material definition tool" doesn't work as it rotates in both rooms. If you use the method I outlined to copy the material to the user section and rotate it there, you can apply the original and the 90 or 45 degree rotated material independently.

It's worth mentioning this must be done in the 3D view. In a 3D view, go to menu 3D -> Materials -> Adjust Material Definition. Then in the dialog that pops up, click "texture" on the left, then use angle to rotate the material. If you like it, use the material eye dropper to grab it and paint it onto nearby surfaces that you want to also use it. EDIT: I should mention that one downside of this is that it affects every surface in the plan using this material. So if you rotate your living room floor, it affects any other room using the same flooring. If you want to rotate just a single room, you need to use the strategy I described where you copy the material to the user section and rotate it there (and give it a new name indicating the rotation). Then you can apply the original and the rotated version separately.

I have not found any way to adjust materials except to copy and paste a material into the user section, then I can edit (changing rotation) it there and after editing apply it to any surface. This can be done in architectural (pro not needed) but not sure about suite. This exact procedure is described in documentation here and is easy to do and perfect for a simple 90 degree rotation of a material: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00863/rotating-the-direction-of-a-material.html

The material rotation, what I described, doesn't work for the deck tool because the deck surface isn't a typical material. It's a 3D composite structure like a fence.

New plan works fine, so it may be an issue with importing the HD Interiors 2015 plan.

Yes. The Room Label Style is definitely just like that. Again, if I click a label and "open object", I can select "Text Style" then click the box for 'Use Default Text Style: "Room Label Style"' So I guess the problem is that the new labels, by default, aren't being created with this check box for using the default style checked. It's kind of a weird catch-22.

Thanks, I just upgraded to HD Architecture 2021 from Interiors 2015. The issue could arise from the transition as the file was originally created with HDi 2015.

I have a plan for which default fonts are still at defaults (all 6 text styles in the "default settings" dialog are using the Chief Blueprint font as they should). However, when I create new rooms, or delete a label then restore it for a room (or delete and restore living area) Arial font at size 6" is used. If I click the newly re/created label, I can edit the text style or instruct it to use the defaults. Why are new labels being created without using the default settings? How can I fix it?

You'll be able to rotate your deck too, so yes it's probably worth it for you. And if this doesn't work for some reason, don't be afraid to just recreate the house. Now that you have some experience with the program, you'll find it's much easier than you think. If you created any custom sized/colored furniture, then right click them and add them to your user library so you can quickly add them to a new plan.

No, looks like deck rotation can't be done in HD Suite. However, my strategy can still work if your deck is composed of simple rectangles. Just create two cabinet soffits just above the deck that's 1/2" thick or so and match the shape of the deck. Then use the strategy I outlined to apply a 45 degree rotated material to the new fake deck surface. Sure it won't look quite as good as the real deck tools 3D surface, but it should get the point across. You can even get complicated and create deck edges with soffits if you want straight boards at the edges. You can do a ton of things with cabinet soffits to make generic shapes if you want to go into visual detail. You can even use room dividers for angles (since the CAD polyline tool isn't available either). Just create a room with dividers, disable the ceiling and roof, and set the floor height and thickness as needed. Then apply a material and you're done. I used cabinet soffits and room dividers in HD Interiors to outline my lot, driveway, sidewalks and more. I also used oversized potted plants (with the pot buried underground) to simulate trees. You can do a lot within the limitations if you're creative. Alternately, fork over the $120 or so to upgrade to Architectural and use the better tools available.

I would like those roof tools, but it's hard to justify the 300 dollar upgrade cost from architect to pro. Plus, I just learned that I can do a lot more with the roof than I thought with the cheap versions. Under Build->Roof, delete roof then build roof. Set a steeper pitch than the default and select automatic build and let'er rip. Then you can customize pitches by clicking the walls below specific sections if they really need a different pitch. I also fixed my porch roof by raising the adjacent interior rooms ceilings to match the porch. Then I thickened the ceiling drywall to 2 feet so it would look correct.... the attic interior won't look right, but that's ok.

In the Build menu under the Floor sub menu, you'll see options for adding new floors and swapping floors. So I guess, add a new floor (which is created as floor 2 by default), then swap floors 2 and 1.

Thank you. And just as simple as that... now I'm at 2900 square feet. Time to shrink the house a bit.

The "fill pattern" has nothing to do with the 3D view, it's only the pattern you see in the plan view. I'm not sure if HD Suite has this feature, but the proper work around in HD Architectural seems to be creating a new material that is set at a 45 degree angle. Try this: 1) In the Library Browser (usually on the right side of your screen), find the material you want to use (the wood decking), right click it, then choose "copy". 2) Now, browse to the "User Catalog" section of the Library Browser. Right click there, and choose "paste". You should see a copy with the same name in your User Catalog. 3) If you right click such copies in the User Catalog, you'll find a lot more menu options including "Open Object". Unless the Suite version is missing this feature, when you open a material you should see options for angle, offset and scale (as well as some color/appearance options). Change the angle to 45 (or maybe -45, or 135). 4) You might want to rename the material appending "45" to the name to indicate the difference and create folders to organize your custom materials. The procedure is outlined here actually and is very similar to what I just said: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00863/rotating-the-direction-of-a-material.html The second work around requires a bit more computer savvy and is only needed if your version doesn't support the features I outlined. In short, you would need to dig out the copy of the graphics you want, load it in an external art program and then rotate it there (easy to do for a 90 degree rotation, but difficult for 45), then load it back in to home designer as the graphic for a custom material. I think Home Designer Interiors 2015 could not do scaling like this and I used this technique to make some larger tiles and things that I needed. Or maybe I did it that way because I didn't know the proper way at the time.

I'm using Home Designer Architectural 2021 (and loaded a plan drawn up in Home Designer Interiors 2015). I just did a simple test of living area calculations by making a 3x3 "house". This was 3x3 as measured from the outside of the framing, but not including the bricks and sure enough the "living area" is 9 square feet right on the nose. If bricks and other exterior layers were included as they should be it would be 14 square feet. I did some quick math by measuring the exterior perimeter of the 2800 square foot house I've been designing, and it's really a 2950 square foot house. I guess it's about to get a lot smaller unless professional draftsmen also calculate in this way (that would be a relief). Moving on... the help manual implies it can be calculated in two different ways: "Living Area is measured from either the outside surface or the outer surface of the Main Layer of exterior walls" Is there a way to pick and choose how this calculation is done?