Elovia

Mick, In your image, hidden by the lower middle edge handle (not the rotate handle) of the soffit is an arrow head that points to the front edge of the soffit; this is the arrow to which Jo_Ann refers.

Welcome to the forum. I'm not familiar with Turbocad, so my advice will be somewhat generic. When you're in your version of Turbocad (I see there are many, as well as a host of add in modules), see if you can locate or identify which 3D model types that software is capable of exporting. Then, open your Home Designer Suite software and see which types of 3D models it will import. The export -> import may not be flawless, as I'm sure 3D models native to Turbocad will look best within Turbocad, and there usually is some form of loss when converting to alternate 3D model standards. Good luck, and hope this helps.

Welcome to the forum. You've chosen an interesting project ... interesting due to its specific requirements in build as you've described, but also because there is no automated tool to provide exactly what you desire. If I had to model the stairs and railings that you describe, I would probably manually place each member piece by piece; and since you have Pro, you have the tools available to do that. I would also take advantage of the automated stair tool, as a front-runner in information gathering ... to get the some of the dimensions and elevations needed to manually create the same using timbers (e.g., riser heights, landing height, etc.). Consider how the stairway and stairwell are likely to be built using framing members in the physical world, and then replicate that in the virtual model. As mentioned, I'd first use the auto stair tool to create a stairway that sketches in the general needs. Then, when you're ready, use a combination of sloped soffits (for the stringers, railing cap and toe, glass panels), posts and beams for the vertical and horizontal members respectively. You'll need to pay close attention to each framing member's specification dialogs and settings therein. Also be familiar with the use of the back-clipped camera and the transform/replicate tool; both of these will help the work progress quicker. Pay attention to details, and have patience. Your software has the ability to model the stairs you want using manual tools ... and you should too. Good luck.

The .7z extension originates from a file compression tool called 7-zip. Other file compression tools may also support the .7z compression standard. Good luck.

Hi Shane, There is a 3D modeling software called Poser that will create/export OBJ files which may then be imported into HDPro. Poser is used, primarily, to pose and animate human shaped 3D models. A quick Google search should result in a wealth of information about the software and user community. I used it many years ago when in its early incarnations, but haven't since, so I can't attest to its modern performance. That said, there are some caveats. My experience with OBJ models exported from Poser (or downloaded from the internet in general) is that their mesh's normal mapping (i.e., information that tells rendering software which side of the triangulation mesh has the texture applied) is usually flawed by having some polygons reversed, resulting in apparent "holes" in the model; the mesh is there, its just that you can't see reversed polygons because from the backside they're invisible whereas from the front you see the texture. There are, of course, paid and free OBJ object (re)mapping tools to correct such errors ... but with all that said, this might be a much larger educational journey than you're prepared to embark. You could also search for 3DS files of people, usually generated in another popular 3D modeling program called 3DStudio or 3DStudioMax ... or others very similar to it that also output in the 3DS standard file structure. Again, another caveat ... most models of humans tend to have very high polygon counts which results in poor performance when imported into Home Designer titles. If you can find lower polygon count models, you'll be better off ... but even then, only import the absolute minimum and only for a specific render view. Good luck.

Thanks for the tip, Mick. I often forget about tool double-click behaviors. Of course, at my age, I often forget what I had for breakfast ... or if I even had it.

Unfortunately, the CAD tools in HDPro do not work the same as those you may be familiar with in AutoDesk or ACAD derivative products. As you've discovered, using the Break Line tool simply adds a vertex to the line, arc, or other CAD item. I don't know enough of what you're trying to do to suggest an efficient workaround (an image would help). If, for example, you're trying to break up a zig-zag pattern into two or more smaller patterns, then some version of "copy in place" and editing each copy might be useful. Alternatively, placing one or more crossing CAD lines and creating new vertices, then deleting the unwanted segments as described below may be useful. That said, I've had success placing a CAD line that crosses at the desired point of break, and then manually shortening the segment from the nearest vertex to snap at the crossing point. If you've created a polyline (multiple linear segments), you can turn on the Edit Object Parts option to select and delete unwanted segments. Be sure to turn off the Edit Object Parts option afterward to return to default software behavior. Hope this helps.

Because you have HDPro, the level of automated tool use is completely up to you. Were I the designer, I would create the roof using invisible exterior walls and the automatic roof builder. Then, once the roof was close enough, I'd turn off the automatic roof rebuilding option for subsequent edits. I'd then manually place framing such as posts and stud walls. But that is just me, because I'd want complete control over engineering of the framing. The software doesn't do any engineering, so even with automatic framing you'll most likely need to perform some edits to it in order for it to be correct. The Transform/Replicate tool will go a long way towards "automating" the manual process when it comes to framing stud walls. I'm not sure what you're asking regarding the extension room from the main building. You have manual roof plane tools in HDPro, and if the automated roof building tool doesn't output the desired look, you have the ability to manually edit/create roof planes. If you have roof planes in place that you like, you can open their specification dialogs and take note of those plane's parameters, then apply those same parameters to a new roof plane (e.g., ridge height and pitch). Hope this helps.

If you know the final dimensions of the window itself, it may be easier to model the lites in Sketchup or another 3D modeling program and then import that model and place it within the window(s) as desired. The key is outputting the model in the 3rd party software to a format that Home Designer can import. Good luck.

Well, the good news (if you call it such) is that a workaround does exist. The surface texture is just that ... a texture. A thin (1/16") overlay of a wedge from the shapes library, and an appropriately placed soffit from the cabinetry menu can cover up the texture. The down side is that your materials list will be significantly off with regard to siding and a few other items, but at least you'll get a better, or more true, image view of the interior. Good luck.

If push comes to shove, you could always add a manual dimension temporarily, set the distance between the two objects, and then delete the manual dimension (or leave it if you have use for it later). It is just a few extra clicks with the same end result. Yes, temporary dimensions lines popping up are convenient, but when they (or any of the automated tools) fail, then you still have manual tools to carry on with the work.

Welcome to the forum. Which software title and version are you using? If you have HD Pro, you can add these structural framing members manually. For that matter, Home Designer Professional is really the only software title in the Home Designer line that gives you full control over the model's framing.

As Mick suggests, there is a Septic Tank in the bonus library.

If you need 3D representation, I suggest using shapes or perhaps an imported model (if you can find one). Otherwise, you could just use a CAD symbol/detail in your Plan View to show where the well will be located relative to your septic system (ultimately, that is the information for which your permit agency will be looking).

Have you seen this article in the help database? http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00748/147/Home-Designer/Rooms/Creating-a-Screen-Porch.html

Yes, that Reference Manual has some mighty powerful good info in it.

Welcome to the forum. Select your terrain, and open its specification dialog ... then look for a setting, "Hide Terrain Intersected by Building", and enable it by placing a checkmark in its box. Hope this helps.

I checked on this in HDPro 2015, and there is a layer for Auto Dormers in the Display Options. The same is true in HDPro 10. Unfortunately, these do not work the same as other display layers. If you turn off the Auto Dormer layer, you will still see the dormer components (because they are on their respective layers), but you just won't be able to select an unexploded dormer as a selectable object. I would say, the answer is "no" if you're wanting to hide the dormer completely from view. When I first read the question, I thought the same as David's answer above ... that you might want to hide the roof planes or move them to a different view. I've found it helpful at times to consolidate the plan view display of roof planes to a single level, especially when editing planes in conjunction with planes on another house level (e.g., edit 2nd floor roof planes around 1st floor roof planes).

Depends on which Home Designer software title you have. And if you intend to pursue building this type of staircase beyond just drawing it in a consumer grade home design software package to satisfy a "what if" moment, you'll need a structural engineer to design it and then tell you how it should be built. But let's take your question at face value ... If I were to model it purely for a visual image, I would use either soffits or slabs set at different heights and horizontal offsets. If I were to model it as an engineer, I would want to know what is behind the wall surface shown in the image, and/or look to see if this is a proprietary system engineered by a company that holds a patent on it. Good luck.

Please do report bugs to technical support.

In HDPro 10, you can use invisible outer walls to get the roof line over your porch, and then define the porch room type as "open below" instead of "porch". Then manually add a slab and foundation walls to finish. Partial height walls outside of the roof can be built from either slabs, soffits, or shapes. Hope this helps. p.s. this technique doesn't work quite as well in HDPro 2015 with defaults settings.

I pan around the various camera views (e.g., plan view, floor camera view, backwall section view, etc.) while holding down the middle mouse button and dragging the cursor across the screen. If you have a programmable mouse with lots of extra buttons, you can reassign the middle mouse button to a more convenient one (on PCs, the usual default is a click of the scroll wheel, which may or may not be convenient). Perhaps give it a try? Hope this helps.

I'd like to draw your attention to the south elevation view, and want you to notice that the left wall to the upper gable is taller than the right wall of the same. If the two roof planes for the upper gable have the same pitch, then basic geometry tells us that the ridge will not be centered between the two outer walls, and the ridge off-center is a consequence of different room heights between the left side set of rooms. Special note: It looks like you're developing your plan view with the top of your screen being South. As David suggests, you will want to explore raising and/or lowering the ceiling height of each side of the main building as appropriate to shift your upper gable ridge to the correct location westward. You'll want to explore either raising the west side of your main building, or lower the east side (or a little of both) to shift the main ridge to the west. Check with your Architect (or search your plans) to find out the intended wall heights for each side of the main gable. Hope this doesn't confuse.

The icon shows the article applies to Chief Architect Interiors, which is different from Chief Arcitect Home Designer Interiors. My understanding is that you have the latter, not the former.

Could you post an image to help us see what you're seeing?