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2D and 3D Design

Smart Cabinet Tools

CAD Tools

Free Technical Support provided by staff at Chief Architect Headquarters

Create Custom Wall Types

Add Dimensions to Elevation Views

Rendering Technique for Physically Based, Watercolor, Technical Illustration, and Vector Views

Printable Construction Document Layout Sheets

Advanced Cabinet Tools

Advanced Stair Tools

North Pointer for Sun Angles

Space Planning Assistant. Layout out room boxes in a bubble diagram to quickly create a floor plan. Convert diagram into walls, windows, and doors to finalized and furnish the design.

Import PDF Files. Retain print resolution and quality when printing final documents by using embedded PDF files.

Reference Display Tool. Turn on a Reference of adjacent floors to aid in designing multi-tiered decks or room layout between floors.

Multiple-Select Editing. For example, select all your cabinets and change them all with one command.

Automatic GFCI Outlets in Kitchens. Use the Auto Place Outlet tool to add GFCI outlets to your kitchen rooms.

Rotate and Reverse Plan. Quickly change the orientation of your design for alternate versions or to better fit the lot.

Draw Order Controls. Use the Draw Order Edit Tools to fully control the display of items in plan view in relation to each other. Move object forward and backward in a group, or move to different drawing groups altogether.

Custom Watermarks. Create watermarks and display them on your work. Control location, size, angle, transparency, and include images in your watermark design.

Labeled Callouts. Use callouts to reference between details, plans, and cross sections in a blueprint layout. See callout previews in specification dialog.

3D Viewer Export. Save designs to the Cloud and share them for using on mobile devices and websites using the Chief Architect 3D Viewer App.

3D Navigation. Easily navigate 3D views in an intuitive way. Use the 3D Focus on Object tool and select an object to make it the camera's target, or select an object then use the Focus on Selected edit tool to make the selected object the target; use [ALT + Middle Mouse] button controls to enter Orbit mode; system returns to previous edit state when buttons are released.

Cross Section Slider with Multiple Cutting Planes. Choose up to six cutting planes in the Cross-Section Slider view and adjust the cutting distance for each plane to create unique and detailed views.

Rendering Controls. Set up camera angles and locations to create realistic 3D renderings with shadows, reflections, lighting, and material effects in interior and exterior scenes. Navigate scenes in real-time.

Blend Color Tool. Change the Color of any material while retaining its texture, similar to applying stain to wood.

Specify Image Size. Set Pixel Resolution and Image Output measurements when exporting images.

Create accurate day or night-time views of your lighting plan.

Record Walkthrough Videos Along a Specified Path. Add key frames at any point on the spline to control view direction and speed; walk up or down stairs and to span walkthrough between floors.

Physically Based Rendering. Improve the quality of your scenes where lighting, shadows, metal, and surface reflections are concerned with the Physically Based Rendering Technique (also known as PBR).

Full control of render settings allows you to customize your realistic rendering for speed or visual quality.

Leverage the North Pointer for Sun Angles. Create Sun Angles with accurate longitude, latitude, date, and time; use North Pointer as bearing for sun angle. Easily identify Sun Angles to be used for saved cameras or to be adjusted by their date and time naming.

Group Select and Edit Cameras. Select multiple cameras at one time and edit their properties, like height off floor or the Rendering Technique used.

STL Import and Export. Use the .STL format to use with 3D Printers.

Specify when a room is calculated in the Living Area. For example, specify the garage or attic to be included or excluded in the living area calculation.

Export Materials Lists to spreadsheet programs including Microsoft® Excel.

Save snapshot Materials Lists for different stages of the project. Allows you to evaluate different ideas, compare cost differences, and plan stages of construction.

Master List allows you to store and manage commonly-used material prices.

Auto Refresh Exterior Dimensions. Keep Auto Exterior Dimensions up-to-date as you move walls and openings in your design.

Adjust Position using Dimensions. Use dimensions to quickly position objects with precision. Use simple arithmetic formulas while editing dimensions to easily move objects in a design.

Advanced Dimensioning Tools. Includes angular, point-to-point, and interior dimensions.

Create Elevation, Wall Elevation, and Cross Section Views for the interior and exterior of your design.

Import / Export files in DXF and DWG file formats.

Text Tools and Customization. Add custom text as notes and modify text in plan with attributes and treatments like font, bold, underline, caps, size, and color.

Find and Replace Text in Plan. Quickly search for and replace words or strings of text used in your project for entire plan, or for just the currently selected text.

Standard CAD tools to detail your designs.

Polyline Editing. Select any polyline and choose Close Polyline to automatically connect the start and end points. Editing of filleted polylines retains fillet radius.

Box and Bumpout Extension Snaps. Snap to projected 90° intersections.

Plant Schedules. Manage multiple schedules of the same type and independently control their display of labels. Schedules update when items in the plan are added to or removed from the schedule display.

Specify labels for Light Source or “added light” objects. Uniquely name light sources in your scenes for easy recognition.

Advanced Cabinets. Attach moldings and hardware, angled front cabinets, and more.

Design and edit Custom Countertop shapes and styles.

Waterfall Counters. Automatically specify the edge of a custom counter as “Waterfall” to create a solid section from the counter’s top to the floor.

Cabinet Hardware per Drawer. Control the hardware attached to any door or drawer on a single cabinet separately.

Place Multiple Appliances in a Cabinet. Add an oven and a warming drawer to the same cabinet; adjust or replace the appliance type by editing it in the Cabinet Specification dialog.

Multiple Door and Drawer Styles per Cabinet. Assign different door or drawer styles to a single cabinet; wall cabinets with glass doors on top; drawer bases with slab and panel drawers.

Multiple Faced Cabinets. Use the Split Items button to add horizontal and vertical layout of doors and drawers on any cabinet. Create Entertainment Centers and Vanity cabinets with doors on one side and drawers on the other.

Dimension to Cabinet Toe Kicks, Moldings, Backsplashes and Countertops. Set up locate configuration for dimensions; use the automatic dimension tools in elevation views to automatically include these dimensions.

Door Defaults by Door Type. Set unique door defaults for different types of doors: hinged, pocket, bifold, sliding, barn, fixed, shower, and garage.

Atrium Door Options. Create Center Swing Double Doors, also known as atrium patio doors.

Door and Window Frame Toggle. Choose to include or exclude frame for openings with "Has Frame" controller.

Parametric Window Tools. Create Double-Hung, Fixed, Casement, Hopper, and other windows styles and change a window's style on the fly using parametric tools.

Arched Top Windows & Doors. Specify Round Top, Gothic Arch, or Broken Arch shapes to windows and doors. Adjust the amount of curvature.

Corner Windows. Bump windows together at wall corners and choose to include or remove the corner post at the sash joint to create a glass corner.

Adjustable Louver Sizes. Louver attribute allows you to control their size in windows and doors.

Lintel and Sill Control. Separately display Lintels or Sills for windows.

Comments and Notes per Object. Use the Object Information panel to easily add and manipulate Code, Comment, Description, and Manufacturer fields through items' specification dialog.

Brand Specific Library Items. Downloadable catalogs can be added to your library browser to expand the selection of Brand Name objects for enhancing your designs and scenes. New catalogs offered regularly.

Catalog Migration. Core, Bonus, Manufacturer and User Catalogs from previous installs automatically migrate and update to latest version at install time. Use the catalog migration dialog to specify which catalogs to bring forward.

Ability to Export Custom Libraries. Share your libraries with other Home Designer Users.

Find in Library. Determine whether or not a selected object exists in the library browser using an edit tool, or through the Replace from Library dialog.

Custom Materials and Images. Save custom image billboards and paintable materials in the User Library to include and reuse in your projects.

Edit Parametric Items in Library Browser. Once saved into the Library, open and edit the properties of Cabinets, Windows, Doors, and other parametric items.

Library Browser filtered views. Choose to show or hide entire library catalogs in the Library Browser tree.

One-Click™ Stairs & Ramps. Auto place stairs from platform to platform. Place full length stairs with a single click. Stairs and Ramps automatically connect to the terrain when drawn from the ground to the structure.

Refined Stair Controls. Use the Break Line edit tool and Disconnect Selected Section tool to edit and add break points to an existing stair. Use the key to select, disconnect, edit, or move an individual stair section or landing; the default move handle allows the entire group to be moved together.

Auto L-Shaped and U-Shaped Stairs. Use the L and U stair tools to automatically drop stairs with landings into plans; stairs will orient and snap to adjacent walls. Split landings into multiple segments using dialog box controls for U-shape and L-shape stairs.

Connect Stairs of Different Widths. Easily create staircases with different tread widths. Perfect for creating a stair that has exposed railing on the bottom, and is encased in walls at the top.

Railing Tools. Assign symbol Railing Balusters, Newels, and Panels. Specify railings, balusters, and newels from the Library Browser for railing walls. Control Railing beam and top and bottom rail configurations.

Advanced stair tools allow control of shape, starter treads, flaring, tread width, and more. Full control over curved staircases.

Define Stair Starting Elevation. Specify whether stairs and ramps are located at the sub-floor or the finished floor elevation.

Building tools to customize floors and ceilings. Control over ceiling height and vault.

Automatic Roofs. Gable, hip, shed, gambrel, Dutch gable, roof returns and more. Access roof defaults for each project.

Ridge Caps automatically generate on roofs.

Manual Roof Tools. Create and edit any custom roof planes. Start with an automatic roof and then add custom details, or create the entire roof manually. Control framing and pivot point for individual roof planes.

Unblock and manually edit Automatic Dormers.

Ceiling Plane tool - create custom ceilings of any slope and shape; vaulted, cathedral, and more.

Custom Wall Types. Create, copy, edit, and delete wall types with layers to match your projects.

Glass Ponywall Tool. Wall tool to quickly draw a glass wall over a solid wall, perfect for showers.

Pony Wall Height Controls. Adjust the height of individual Pony Walls by typing the lower wall’s height into the dialog.

Pony Wall Framing. Automatically generate framing of different sizes for upper and lower pony walls by specifying different wall types.

Wall Labels. Specify wall labels to identify individual walls.

Control Moldings per Wall. Specify whether a wall has moldings attached separately from the other walls in an associated room.

Monolithic Slab technology. Designing slab foundations is fast, easy, and accurate.

Slab Volume listed in the slab specification dialog for easy reference.

Manual framing tools for fully editable framing, including joists, rafters, trusses, beams, posts, and more. Create any framing system for your design.

Post & Beam Framing Tools. Specify Round or Square posts. Set the Default Material for Posts in the framing defaults.

Plant Encyclopedia & Plant Chooser™. Looks for special characteristic specific to available plants in the catalog, including common name, zone, water and light needs, and 2D or 3D available objects. Leverage Plant Hardiness Zone Maps to choose plants for your region.

Distribute Objects in Garden Beds. Auto-populate your garden beds automatically.

Grow Plants Slider Tool - 0 - 20 years.

Polygon Deck tool creates deck shapes automatically.

Deck Designer™ Tool. Design Straight and Curved Decks. Define roof and ceiling attributes for a covered deck. Control the orientation and size of deck planking, gap, width, overhang, direction, border planks.

Deck Support Controls. Specify size and type of deck posts and height, width, shape of deck footings for individual deck rooms or as project defaults. Set defaults for deck posts and beams.

Import GPS Assistant. Quickly model your terrain with GPS data.

Straight an Curved Terrain Walls, Curbs, and Retaining Walls. Straight and Curved Roads, Sidewalks, Driveway and Parking Lot Tools.

Water Feature Tools. Create various shaped ponds, streams, creaks, and water features, or design a lake front home.

Display angles as Azimuth Bearings.

Support for Multiple Monitors. Tabbed view windows can be torn or undocked from main user interface and moved between monitors independently.

Unicode Special Character Support. User accounts and files using accented Western letters can be leveraged for most interactions in the software.

Print to any Paper Size. Set up your prints and PDF to work with your favorite paper size.

Loan/Mortgage Calculator.

Fully editable working environment including customizable toolbars.

Online Training Tutorials with "How-To" videos.

Windows® 10 / 8 / 7. Mac Mojave / Catalina.

Rental Option. Pay for monthly access to software for $59/month with terms to own the license after 12 consecutive months.