mthd97

@TheMadCadder, In then end we will all use what we need and what we know to get all of our drafting work done. And yes those Autodesk fees are very high. Personally I am much faster without AutoCAD becuase I wasn’t patient enough to learn it. However with AutoCAD Architecture that makes it 3D, I would have taken the time to learn it. I think Autodesk had a product called Architectural Desktop a couple of decades ago that made AutoCAD 3D as well. I chose Chief Architect V6 because it did what I wanted at the time including 2D work. I couldn’t afford AutoCAD 2D and all the add ons that were needed to make it 3D and to render with it. When we have work to do and we need to get it done efficiently and accurately we will use what works for us. I used drawing boards and drafting machines before CA and that is what got the work done for me then. I still have those older tools available just in case I need them again.

If a DIYer has funds set aside for a renovation project, CA inc want them to factor a software cost into that project. For a one off project the timed subscription cost might be justifiable for many ? Time will tell. For those who want their software to keep working indefinitely, then other options and time investment might be more appropriate. So why spend time learning how to use something that might only ever be used once ? We all like our buildings to last for a long time so why not our software ?

From at least January 2025 Legacy SAA auto renews for perpetual license holders who are paying the fee each year. Please see this post in ChiefTalk. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/44788-legacy-software-licenses-ssa-renewal/ CAX15 was the last perpetual version you could buy and after that it is subscription only. But some Chief Architect users still have renewable perpetual licenses as long as they keep paying the yearly fee. When they stop paying the yearly fee they are left with version that they stop paying at. Whatever that maybe at the time. I am not aware that this arrangement has changed as yet. I think that is a very fair arrangement at present for longtime users.

I wasn’t aware of this change. I appreciate you sharing this with us as I now better understand the licensing policy of Chief Architect in going forward.

Are you able to expand on what you mean by paying legacy subscription ? I was under the impression that the legacy SSA system remains valid for existing customers who keep paying for each year. Meaning that when they stop paying the yearly fee, they get to keep the very last version of the software perpetually. At least that is how I understood it.

Quite frankly most of the other home design software on the market is garbage in comparison to CA & HDP. Very difficult to use and time consuming and no framing or material list tools. So if CA wants timed subscriptions they will get plenty of customers for the near future. Even the main competitor softplan is timed subscription too. They got us all hooked and locked in for now. New design clients with DIYHD software could force us to get a timed subscription just to see their work and communicate with them ? Smart business by these CAD software vendors for now. Only the best products will survive unless AI plagiarizes and copies the best code out there.

Hey @Renerabbitt, Nice to hear you chime in over here. No disrespect but what you said above was easy to say when many of the CA users are still on the old system of perpetual yearly fee upgrading. I would like to hear what you would have to say if and when all are forced onto a yearly subscription model ? I would think you may consider your options more carefully if that ever happens in the future ? A yearly fee would be ok for the once off DIY home designer. Many of us are used to the old systems and do not want to change to timed subscriptions. I am definitely not a fan of slot machine CAD. I am glad CA allows many of us to remain on the old system as long as we keep paying the yearly fee. That way our licenses can remain perpetual. Somewhere down the line the potential exists for “AI” to steal or write its own CAD code “AICAD” and charge its own yearly fees. When there is a plethora of “AICAD” products out there, the price will go down just like it has for professional rendering. AI will try and steal the CAD and design market. Fully AI designed homes are not far off and many of us may be looking for other employment. That just is the real world. Let’s see what the future holds ?

I guess those of us that have a perpetual license probably won’t change to a subscription model ? The new users can come in on a subscription and if they get hooked on using DIY HD they might just keep on using it ? The old school users will eventually retire and their operating systems may eventually become obsolete. I think that if Chief Architect Software can keep the revenue coming in, they will certainly find a way to keep doing that now and in the future.

Not from my point of view at least. HDP although having great features is no match for CA. CA still has much improvement to be made also. Once you are used to using CA the limitations in HDP can be quite annoying or at least it is to me.

I tried again by dragging and dropping the file onto HDP7 and it asked me to download the file again, and I did. I downloaded the windows vista file 7.08b from the CAHD official website and this time the browser didn't give me the question or warning for some strange reason ? The file installed fine and everything worked ok after entering the CD Key and having the dongle in place. The important thing is to install the update otherwise the dark red HASP dongle key will return errors when you try to run the program. The other thing to do when installing the program on a newer machine, is that you have to manually double click the .exe file so that the program will install. In this case there are two program CD’s. One more trick that @Bob_Medvetzhas shown me, is to edit the registry so that the drivers for the HASP dongle install correctly. You can see his posts on the ChiefTalk website. Please search Chief Architect version 10 on newer windows machines. The newer versions of Chief Architect are the best to use and I have CA X10. But much of my work like others was done in much older versions. So if you have a client from say twenty years ago and they want to add or remodel their home, you don’t have to start from scratch. Beware you need save older CA files via X8 to get older files to display more correctly in plan and in layouts. You will still have some editing to do but most of the model will be correct. Hope that helps others who are in a similar situation as us older users are.

Hi, the download is safe becuase it is from an official Chief Architect website so I trust it. When I try to run it as an administrator it looks for another program to open it and provides a program list to choose from. I have tried dragging and dropping the update file right onto BH&G HP7 icon but all to no avail. I will put up another screenshot to show what is happening and what the update file type is. Maybe someone could help ? I have this software BH&G HDP7 running on new computer with XP pro on it. So if it doesn’t work on the newer machines, I am not that worried about it. But I like to try and see if it will run on windows 10 & 11 machines as well with a little help from other users. Edited: Problem solved now and it is indeed working on my newer windows machines. Thanks for the support.

Hi Bob ! Thanks once again for your help. Here is a pic of the download message I get after downloading the BH&G HDP7 update.

No this is ancient because it goes back to CAV10. (Better Homes & Gardens) BH&G HDP7 is based on CAV10. About 20 years ago lol. . I do have HDP 2025 though, the last perpetual version. I can get CAV10.08b working on these newer machines as of today with help from other users and with the old red HASP dongle key. I was trying to find out if I can do the same with BH&G HDP7 that also has an old red HASP dongle included with it ? X17 in reality is version 27 of Chief Architect as you may know ?

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone here was able to use Home Designer Pro 7 on a newer Windows PC like windows 10 or 11 ? I have installed the program from the disks and have downloaded the program updates but I am having difficulties in installing the program updates. I get a red triangle on the download with an exclamation ⚠️ mark on it, asking if I trust the download before opening it. Of course I trust it becuase it is an official download from CAHD site. I have dragged and dropped the files onto HDP7 but they do not install. How do I get these updates to install on a newer windows PC with either windows 10 or 11 ?

Once you have used HDP the other options can be harder to use and quite limited in my experience. No short cut from doing personal research BTW on these alternatives.