Rising_Sun_Homes

Does anyone know the HD rationale behind not being able to change an item's layer (especially imported items) and not being able to create a custom layer? Is there some automation limitation with this software that requires all imported items to be in the interior fixtures layer? And not creating custom layers? This seems like such a basic capability that is in several other CAD products. Why has it not been a capability from the start in HD? Is this capability present in Chief Architect? All Sketchup imports from 3D Warehouse go on the interior fixtures layer and it would be very helpful to separate them out onto other layers and create some custom layers. I have vehicles, bicycles, toolboxes, dart boards, pool tables, corn hole games, fixtures, etc. in all different areas of my plans to prove that there is adequate room for these items to reside and be used. It is very cumbersome to show different views and create the correct layouts without a layer transfer capability. This should be basic capability, I am shocked it is not in all versions of HD from the start!

I am designing a covered outdoor kitchen attached to a swimming pool. The design concept is to have open exposed trusses made from large timber beams with joints of each truss held together with steel plates and large bolts. The trusses would be finished in polyurethane. There would be no flat ceiling below the trusses so that they will be exposed as an architectural feature. I have created the trusses with the large lumber size and then moved the walls and ceiling plane to the edge of the plan out of the way. The trusses look close to my design vision, but they only show up in the orthographic framing overview. Is there a way to have them show up in the full camera view and be able to assign a material to them that matches the finished look I am going for? Also is there a way to create the steel plates and bolts at the joints to complete the look? I am using Home Designer Pro 2019. Thanks, Dave

Thanks for the quick response Eric! I have updated my signature, thanks for the tip Can this be done in a newer version of Home Designer? Can the 3D pool terrain slope be done in Chief? If so, can that 3D sloping terrain then be imported back to Home Designer and the Layout created in Home Designer showing the slopes?

Is there a method that can be utilized to generate ramped / sloping swimming pool depth transitions in Home Designer Pro 2019? I have searched the help articles and videos database and not found anything on this topic. My swimming pool boundary is represented in my current plan with a constant elevation terrain feature. I would like to assign separate constant depth regions in this boundary with different depths and then have the bottom of the pool slope between those constant depth regions like the terrain perimeter will slope. This will allow me to create a layout for the pool contractor that has the planform definition of these different depth regions. Viewing this pool floor in 3D will allow me to see if any of the slopes are too steep prior to locking in the 2D layout for the pool contractor. Thanks in advance for assistance on this!