Kbird1

you have too uncheck auto heights in the staircase's DBX to enable the height boxes , you may also have to lock the treads etc to make it work properly

The Soffit Tool is a handy workaround for many situations especially if you Don't have the Tools in Pro like custom Slab etc, it's a handy trick you can use a lot , even for example Glass shower Panels and doors etc. M.

you may find zooming in more often ( mouse wheel is good for this) helps with selecting stuff ,also if you click the wrong thing ,try the TAB key to select the next closet object instead ( or the next icon on the edit toolbar) M.

Sounds like you want a 1 step raised platform ( at 1/2 the height between garage floor and house floor) along the back and along the RH side ,is that right? if so in Suite you could just use the Soffit tool ( may need two for L shape) and make it 6-7" thick or as needed and the material concrete ( if desired) with the floor to top height set to your thickness. you could also use the Shapes in the Library eg closed box and change the size and material as needed. M.

clipping distance I think is in the 3D>3D View Defaults ?, or perhaps the active 3D camera's DBX , i'll check and post back ..... Ok it seems Chief Posted a new KB article about the z-fighting issue last week , it is an old issue and deleting large terrain perimeters and making a smaller one near the house and just using CAD lines to represent the full size lot is an old fix as is adjusting the Clipping distance to 300 or greater, have a look here in the "To accommodate overly large terrain" section , they suggest doing it in the active camera's DBX so as not to effect all cameras by changing it in the Defaults>Camera DBX. http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00107/

Sounds like the "clipping distance " issue too me ...ie .....on a large terrain you can stand further then 300' away ,increasing it to 400 has help me in the past , though for some reason I am seeing this issue a lot more in 2015 titles ( and X6) than ever before. Thanks for posting back too so others will see this in the further...

I do see z-fighting in some places , this can usually be gotten rid of by moving closer or further away ,as the default clipping distance is 300' , see my point Eric linked to above. Not sure the House wrap is z-fighting or not as it seems pretty distinct , maybe a wall alignment issue perhaps ? you could post the plan file if you like some someone can look at it, either me or Eric (solver) or perhaps DJP

did you alter the terrain height after you built the stairs ? you should be able to adjust the stairs by changing the bottom height number in the stair DBX to match the terrain height if needed these might help too: http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00498/71/Home-Designer/Stairs/How-to-Create-Stairs-in-Sloping-Terrain.html http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00578/71/Home-Designer/Stairs/Drawing-Stairs-Connected-to-a-Deck-or-Porch.html click stairs work inside or out http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00848/71/Home-Designer/Stairs/Using-the-Click-Stairs-Tool.html

I am not sure why there is a Pro8 folder in My Docs unless you installed Pro 8 in My Documents originally ,instead of in the Programs Folder but I see you are still on Vista , and things were done differently in that OS , it looks like everything is backed up to DVD according to you , so it should be fine to delete the folders. AFAIK nothing in 2015 is using anything in the old program or data folders it is a separate installation and could stay if you didn't need the space , if you want to be sure rename the two folders by adding the word OLD to the end of the name and wait a week to see if Pro 2015 tries to find the old folder, if not it , it is safe to delete.

you haven't said what folders you are talking about ....... and where are all your OLD Plans stored ? usually in the DATA Folder too ..... you don't want to back any of them up ? just trying to be sure , I don't want to be blamed if you delete something you need....

you can also dimension to cad lines if Suite has the CAD OPTIONS ( not sure?) you may need to turn on dimensioning to electrical items in the defaults>Dimension>Dimensions settings , (see Pic)

2 folders ? but it depends where you store you .plan files and .layouts are they safe?

If Pro 8 is still installed , you may want to export those and any other libraries/items you use regularly 1st so they are backed up and re-installable if needed , a lot of library items will be in the new library but perhaps not 100% , eg people are no longer included in newer versions ( I think.) Those Ver.8.0 Libraries are no longer available via HD Software website so once uninstalled if not backed up they would be no longer re-installable. Burn them to disk and they take up no space either if that is the concern. M.

it sounds like you have the center locked instead of the start ( or end) in the Wall's DBX on the general tab , if this was set on the 1st wall drawn and you use the "same wall type" handle to draw the rest , they may have the same attribute set too. M.

you might want to look for better seamless textures on sites like this one http://www.cgtextures.com/textures.php or http://www.mb3d.co.uk/mb3d/Marble_and_Tiles_Seamless_and_Tileable_High_Res_Textures.html (note some textures found online aren't free if used commercially) you can then copy a suitable library item to your user Library and then apply the new texture making a new material. http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-01084/49/Home-Designer/Materials/Creating-a-Custom-Library-Material.html http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00138/49/Home-Designer/Materials/Adding-a-Custom-Material.html http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00924/49/Home-Designer/Materials/Customizing-a-Material.html Mick

there is a tutorial on the KB too about this http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00150/64/Home-Designer/Images/Importing-and-Tracing-Over-an-Image-of-a-Floor-Plan.html M.

Draftsight is a free AutoCAD compatible program made by Dassault Systems (Solid Works) that can do as David suggests DWG>DXF http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/?fromrss=1 (of course they have your email , so expect followup emails and offers) if you want me to try it or convert it for you , post the file to this thread and i'll try it. Mick.

Think I read this question wrong ? I was thinking the ceilings on the main floor but the same technique should work ,remove the ceiling lining and change the Roof sheathing to 2x6 (50x150mm) like Eric shows above. You can also change the size of some of the Roof layers to imitate the battens (purlins) ,paper, Steel Roofing etc , however you would have to draw the purlins in manually in a framing view I think and add cross hatches etc to your section views with CAD boxes etc. M.

perhaps check that Windows update didn't auto install any software recently , eg new mouse drivers or video drivers if you allow that to be done automatically. Logitech and other companies also have auto update features built in now , so a recent driver revision /update may be the cause. M.

Turn off autobuild roofs and do the addition roof manually in that case. Mick.

try removing the ceiling from the 1st floor rooms and colour the subfloor for the 2nd floor ( ply/particleboard) white or whatever colour you want the ceilings. The floor covering should let it show hardwood or carpet etc in normal views upstairs. Mick.

I too noticed there is no link on the library menu any longer ( which I find strange ) but there is an icon that looks like a stack of books on the Toolbar too , see pic below M.

I think only Pro and HDA have Pony walls as a feature , not sure about wall coverings either ,at least in this Article it suggests once again only Pro and HDA have it as an option http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00891/33/Home-Designer/Walls/Adding-a-Belly-Band-to-Your-House.html which would mean having to use Soffits (under cabinet tools) with a stone material applied and the soffit slid upto the exterior wall M.

I don't think you can mull windows in HD Pro ( in Chief yes) unless that changed in 2015 version ?

lots of good tutorials in the Knowledgebase ( see my sig) , here is one on how to do it for one wall http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00071/49/Home-Designer/Materials/Changing-the-Color-or-Material-of-a-Single-Wall.html M.