bhisgen Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Hello HomeTalk Community! I am the owner/ operator of a custom deck building co. in Northern Colorado. I need to be able to customize deck railing styles to show clients and potential clients various railing options. I've pretty much exhausted my YouTube searches as well as calling the company for assistance...They suggested I reach out to you all for help...HELP!!! Is Home Designer Pro the best option for me for this scenario. I love the program otherwise...It is a joy to work with! Anyway...Thanks HomeTalk Community for any help you might be able to glean onto me. Respectfully... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solver Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Even Chief Premier falls way short when doing decks and deck railings, but it's much better than any of the Home Designer products. Could you post pictures of the railings you wish to show? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo_Ann Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 If you are using the program for a business, and you wish to use one of the Home Designer products, then you should purchase Home Designer Pro. There are lots of auto-build possibilities for railings, but some designs might need to be created from scratch (piece by piece). You need to download the trial version of Pro, to see for yourself what it offers, and if you like it. Should you decide you would like to upgrade (after purchasing Pro) to Chief Premier, Chief Architect offers a substantial discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhisgen Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 I am using HDPro 2020...and I'm fairly proficient with it. But customizing railing styles seem to be an achilles heal...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo_Ann Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I guess it goes without saying, if you need to customize something, then you need to show a jpeg of what you are trying to do. Someone might then be able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhisgen Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 Thanks Jo_Ann, But I have attached 5 .jpg's to my message. I see them attached there...do you not see them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solver Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 1 minute ago, bhisgen said: But I have attached 5 .jpg's to my message Only when you look at your original post. Always best to say when you modify it so others are aware. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solver Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 One of the biggest shortcomings is no support for face mounted components. There are ways around this, but they are a pain. This is well discussed on ChiefTalk. Feel free to browse over there, but please remember, that's the forum for Chief Interiors and Premier users, not Home Designer. Here is one to get you started -- don't know of it applies to Pro as well. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/19447-video-lesson-face-mounted-deck-railnewels/?do=findComment&comment=159349 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhisgen Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 Yes, Eric...Thanks. I had already found that video that you had attached. This seems to be a real detriment to this product. I love this product and don't want to have to switch to something else. Seems like it'd be a cinch for such an awesome group of developers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rookie65 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 HD Pro 2021 offers some customizable rails where you can adjust thickness and width. Nothing with a radius though. I can't remember if that was available in 2020 or not. Might be an upgrade that could work for you. Like Jo_Ann said, download the trial and see if that's different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo_Ann Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I didn't realize the pics you posted were the problem railings, so I set out on a mission to recreate the rail in the 1st pic. I think it's pretty close. The objects used are color coded. I drew a rail. Unchecked upper rail and lower rail; set newels to 0" width; set balusters to .75". Upper and lower rails are replaced with soffits. Top horizontal rail is a soffit; arched top is a cylinder shape. Post is a box shape. Bottom post trim is 2 soffits; top of post is a millwork cap. The decorative trim on the post (where the rails join onto) is a profiled cabinet drawer from the library. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhisgen Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 Thank you, so much, Jo_Ann! I'll give it a shot! REALLY appreciate it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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