melmalinowski Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 My building department requires submittal of house plans on standard 24" X 36" sheets. I tried exhaustively to find out if the Architecture version supports this obvious feature, but could not find it in FAQs or manual. So I bought the $199 version. It appears that it will not print above 18"x24", nor allow you to set and print title blocks on pages. Is this true? If so, this is just a hobby tool rather than one meant to create and submit plans to building departments. I hope I am wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmalinowski Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 Actually, even Pro seems to not support 24" x 36". Only the $2800 'Chief Architect' does, near as I can tell. I really think they should disclose this limitation up front where it's easy to find, so you can qualify the software before purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmalinowski Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 I did not come across that page. I dug into the big user manual, and did not find a page size limit noted there. If I can get my building department to accept 18" x 24" sheets, this may work. They require ¼" scale for most building sheets, and this house is small enough that it will just fit. Can you comment on any not obvious limitations in Home Designer Architectural 2020 vs. Chief Architect? It appears that the major features are all functional, but there may be some things disabled. However, the deeper I dig into this, the more convinced I am that I am better off renting Chief Architect Premier for this project. I'm a retired building contractor designing a small retirement home, used to drafting my projects on Clearprint with pencil, which I gather is no longer done much. While CAP is overkill in many ways, the power features will make it easier to make a complete professional submittal package. I am building in a 130mph wind, D2 seismic area, and will have a structural engineer involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeBob Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I get around this by setting the sheet size to 12x18 using a 1/8" scale. Export to pdf then print at 200% and you'll get what you need. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmalinowski Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 Good tip. However, I decided to rent the full Chief Architect Premier instead. A month will suffice. It is really an amazingly powerful program, which I like a lot. There is a bit of a steep learning curve, but it can do anything if you learn how! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 On 6/10/2019 at 12:12 PM, YankeeBob said: I get around this by setting the sheet size to 12x18 using a 1/8" scale. Export to pdf then print at 200% and you'll get what you need. Bob YankeeBob Thanks for sharing that. I am using Home Designer Architect but getting ready to upgrade to Home Designer Pro because I need to plot building plans. I am a designer and have been printing 24x36 on my HP Designjet T120 for years using DataCad. But I love the 3D functionality of the Home Designer software. I am doing a lot of kitchens and baths and the clients love it. I understand the idea of doing 12x18 layouts and, saving as PDF and then plotting it to my Architect D size plotter. But what about line weights? What happens to all the line weights and the resolution of the plot? thanks Elliot Gesang Remodeling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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