ChiefArchitect

Join us on Instagram, Tuesday (5/17), following along with the Hayhurst Brothers and their design/build process. Make sure you are following them every day to see what they are up to. @hayhurstbrothers

Join our next Instagram on April 19th. We've invited Lauren Brantley of Lauren Ashley Design to share her day with us and understand the role Chief Architect plays in her business! Learn more about Lauren and giver her a follow: https://lashleydesign.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lashleydesign/

Each month we receive a great selection of renderings created by our users for the Chief Architect Design Contests. We’d like to share some ideas and suggestions for how you can craft a great design contest entry that our Facebook voters respond positively to. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/design-contest-tips/

Hello, I am sorry to hear you are having trouble with 3D views. This is often related to your graphics card as mentioned above. Our in house tech support can troubleshoot the issue and see if it can be resolved. You can contact Support at 208-292-3375. They are open M-F from 7AM to 4PM. The trial version does not expire (it is not time limited), but there are limitations in that you can print, save or export. If you keep the program open, you can continually work on a plan. If you feel that it is a fit, you can then purchase the software and plug the paid key into the trial to enable the save feature. Note that we also have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee after you purchase, Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Tune in via Instagram on Tuesday, Feb 8th. See how Judi form Jubilee Interiors is using Chief Architect in her business. Read more about her on our blog: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/an-interior-designer-and-world-traveler/

Have you browsed ChiefBlog lately? We share contest winners, tips and design theory, and feature customer stories. Check it out.

Hello and thank you for the question. The new rendering engine has migrated from being based on OpenGL over to Direct X 12 for Windows and Metal for Mac. If your graphics card supports real time raytracing you will see benefits in the rendering quality. Specifically, there will be improved ambient occlusion. This provides more realistic shadows, soft shadows and enhanced detail that result from shadows created by ambient light in the scene. There are also speed improvements to the watercolor rendering technique (this process has been moved over to the graphics card rather than the CPU) and there are general speed improvements to rendering if your graphics card supports real time raytracing. You can test our the new 2022 version by downloading the trial. In the 2022 trial version, you can see if your video card supports the enhanced rendering by clicking on the dropdown menu "Edit>Preferences" then click on the "Video Card Status" panel. In this panel you will see a listing for "Hardware Ray Tracing." If there is a "yes" next to this item you will see the ambient occlusion improvements. There are significant improvements to the walkthrough feature including efficiencies in producing walkthrough videos, the ability to preview the video and edit keyframes more efficiently. You can't record a walkthrough in the trial but you can see the new walkthrough preview and editing features. Feel free to contact us in sales at 208-292-3400 or email sales@chiefarchitect.com with any questions. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Hello, Thank you for the question. Yes the Home Designer Pro version 6 is still eligible for upgrade pricing. To purchase online, you would need your original CD Key found on the product package to receive the upgrade discount. Here is the link to the upgrade page. https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/whats-new/?from-version=6&from-product=pro&to-product=pro If you can't find your CD Key, you can call our sales department and we can try to look up your product in our database. You can call us at 208-292-3400. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Sales

Hello Matthew, Thank you for the question. Home Designer can utilize 2 GPU's if they are configured to operate as one. AMD has a feature called "CrossFire" that will configure the GPU's in this manner so that Home Designer can take advantage of the additional graphic card. Here is a link to the AMD page about this feature. https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/crossfire Kind regards, Derek Pedersen Chief Architect Sales

Hello and thank you for the question. Your upgrade would span two version releases so there would be quite a lot of new features that have been introduced. We have a what's new in Home Designer 2021 page that shows highlights and details of the new features that were added (see links below). HD 2021 new features summary: https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/whats-new/#whats-new-summary HD 2021 new feature detailed list: https://cloud-hd.chiefarchitect.com/1/pdf/product-info/2021/new-features.pdf I have attached a PDF document that shows the new features we released in the Home Designer 2020 as well. I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out to our sales department with any questions. 208-292-3400 or sales@chiefarchitect.com Kind regards, Derek Pedersen Chief Architect Software New Feature Matrix2020.pdf

Thank you for the question. Yes, we are looking at the Mac M1 processor for future compatibility. For running graphics intensive programs such as Home Designer, we would still recommend a Mac computer with a discrete graphics card such as an AMD Radeon rather than the integrated graphics setup that come with the current M1 processor. I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out to us directly if you have any questions at 208-292-3400. Kind regards, Derek Pedersen Chief Architect Software

Have you been thinking about a new computer purchase? Here is some information to help you make good choices that will optimizes the performance of Home Designer and other graphic intensive software: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/computer-for-design-and-gaming/

The link that "Solver" provided is for signing into your online account. You will need to use your email address and password to sign in. You can use the "Forgot my password" link if you need a new password. Once you sign in, click on the "Digital Locker" You will find your product key here. Feel free to call our Customer Service if you have any trouble. You can contact us at 208-292-3400. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Sales

Hello John, Thank you for posting on the forum. I sent an email message to your **********71@yahoo.com email address so we can correspond about your lost USB. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Sales

If you can provide more information about the issue you are having and include the product and version number you are using, it will be helpful in providing you with assistance. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Sales

Thank you for the question. The Essentials and Interiors versions were discontinued to simplify the product line and make it easier to compare feature differences between products. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Thank you for posting your question. While roof layers are not available in Home Designer Pro (they are in our Chief Architect Premier version), it does include OSB sheathing for your roof planes automatically. You can change this roof sheathing material to plywood or other material. You will find this material control in the "Build Roof" dialog box in the "Materials" tab. The roof sheathing is also calculated in the Materials List so you have the quantity as well. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Sales

Hello, Thank you for taking the time to pass on your suggestions about print size. I think this is a good idea and will pass this on to our features team for consideration. Kind regards, Derek Pedersen Chief Architect Software

Thank you for the question. I am not aware of a specific iPhone app for capturing elevation data and I have heard that the accuracy of the elevation data from a smartphone may not be accurate enough to produce acceptable results (particularly with complex terrain). Most that are capturing elevation data are using a higher end GPS unit. Note that the app or GPS unit you use will need to be able to export the points you capture in a GPX file type. Here is a training video with information about the terrain data import process. https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/videos/watch/2265/terrain-elevation-gps-import.html Consider posting this in the Q&A section of the Home Talk forum. There may be some users out there that have direct experience with an iPhone app that can plot and export terrain data. Most users are not looking at the "Sales Related Questions" area of the forum. Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Tiffany, Thank you for the question. If you are already using Room Planner, you will be able to continue using it. It is not available to purchase or download a s new app, but existing users can still access and download Room Planner. We received feedback from customers that the Room Planner app was lacking in detail and accuracy for capturing as-builts. Chief Architect is if focusing development resources on the desktop apps for OSX and Windows and the 3D Viewer on mobile to ensure we continue to lead the market with these products. Many are using Home Designer on a laptop or tablet computer such as the Microsoft Surface to capture as-builts. Leica offers Bluetooth compatible laser devices that will interface with the computer and Home Designer, so that the measurements will go directly into the Home Designer similar to Room Planner. Here is a help article on how to hook up a Leica device with Home Designer. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01846/using-a-leica-disto-device-with-chief-architect-software.html Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Michael, Thank you for the question. Yes, Home Designer 2020 and Chief Architect X11 will support the Mac OS Catalina. Feel free to contact us with any questions. 208-292-3400 or sales@chiefarchitect.com Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Thank you for the question. If you purchased an upgrade from Home Designer Pro to Chief Architect ($500 discount off the price of Premier), we add Premier to your existing Product Key for Home Designer Pro. The Pro version will still work and can be used for archival purposes, but you will not be able to run Pro and Premier on different computers at the same time. For example, if Pro is running on "Computer A", you will not be able to open Premier on "Computer B" until you make the license available. Here is a Knowledge Base article about using Chief on multiple computers. The software security is described in this article applies to managing the license when you upgrade from Pro to Premier. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00956/installing-chief-architect-on-multiple-computers.html Feel free to contact Sales with any questions at 208-292-3400 or email sales@chiefarchitect.com Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software

Hello, Thank you for the feedback about the print model feature. This feature was removed in the Home Designer 2020 version. I will submit your request about the print model feature as well as your feedback about the Loan Calculator and Reverse Plan features. Kind regards, Derek Pedersen Chief Architect Software