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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

Display Coordinate Axes. Show the XYZ axes indicator and the project origin location in 2D and 3D views. Use toolbar toggles to display the Axis style and Origin Indicator.

Plan Check™ reviews your design against basic building principles.

Backup Entire Plan. Export a bundle of all the files referenced in your plan, good for archival purposes and for sharing with other users who do not have your custom materials and images.

Customize Room Names. Customize the available rooms list to suit your most common needs and regional naming conventions.

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

Object Painter™ / Eyedropper. Use eyedropper functionality to match properties from one object and apply them to another object. Use Scoping controls to apply changes to groups of objects at once by component, object, room, floor, and plan.

Architectural Blocks. Multi-Select and group items together to create architectural blocks, like kitchen islands, that can be moved as one, stored in the library, and unblocked for editing.

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

Transform/Replicate at Angles. Use controls like “Relative Angle To Itself” and “Absolute Angle” to copy, edit, and move objects accurately.

Convert Polyline Tool. Create 3D objects (countertops, slabs, terrain features, and more) from CAD objects.

Printable Layout Sheets. Create blueprint layouts with 3D, CAD, Cross Section / Elevation, and Plan Views. Define any scale for the drawing.

Delete Objects for Layouts. Use the delete objects tool to clear unnecessary elements like CAD, Images, Text, and Layout Boxes from your layout documents. These controls make it easier to transition between projects when copying layout files and in developing templates.

Store Callouts and Markers in Library.

Export 360° Spherical Views. Rendered cameras can be shared and embedded in websites for interactive navigation. Export these Render Views and store them to the Chief Architect Cloud to share and embed in websites.

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.

3D Mouse Support. Use a 3Dconnexion Mouse as your input device to efficiently navigate camera views.

Material Eye-Dropper and Color Chooser™. Quick "click-and-drop" application of materials and colors.

Adjust Material Scoping. When editing a material in a 3D view using the Adjust Materials tool, choose the scope of impact to adjust the material throughout your project, or create a copy on-the-fly for a subset of objects using the material. After editing a material’s properties, quickly save the change with the Add to Library tool.

Export image files of your designs to share. (.JPG, .PNG, .BMP). Set Pixel Resolution and Image Output measurements when exporting images.

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

Custom Lighting. Define shadows, intensity, and more. Locate lights by label name or room location with the Adjust Lighting Dialog.

Walkthrough Editing. Use key frame editing controls to quickly adjust and modify individual keyframes directly from the preview dialog and the edit toolbar. Join multiple walkthrough segments as one path and retain the keyframe details from the original pieces. Use the Complete Break tool to break an existing walkthrough into individual parts or use existing, longer walkthroughs to record sub-sections as smaller animations without generating a new path.

360 Exterior Walkthrough. Create an automatic walkthrough path that orbits the exterior of your design.

Procedural Grass Areas. Use Grass Region tools to create areas that simulate 3D grass; specify the length, density, color, and other parameters to achieve more natural-looking grass in your scenes.

Depth Cueing. Assign a ‘foggy’ or shaded effect to areas that are a specified distance from the camera to differentiate the foreground from the background of a scene. Define gradient values to control the intensity range of Depth Cueing.

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).

Multiple Camera Defaults. Specify default values for each camera type; control, layer assignment, active Rendering Technique, and more.

Export Images with Transparent Background. Export .PNG and .TIF images that treat the backdrop as transparent, making it easy to overlay the graphics on other artwork without the need for additional photo manipulation.

Spherical Backdrop Controls. Control offsets, orientation, and Eye Level for spherical backdrops.

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.

Control Materials List Formatting. Use defaults to control fonts and table styles for Materials Lists and Reports.

Add detail to each individual component in the materials list for a comprehensive cost estimate breakdown. For example, assign components to your cabinets, such as doors, pulls, and hinges and assign costs for each item. Access these attributes from the Components panel of its specification dialog.

Manual and Automatic dimensioning. Includes One-Click™ Automatic dimensions.

Temporary Dynamic Wall Dimension. Display temporary dimensions as walls are drawn.

Default Dimension Format & Arrows. Control the unit formatting, arrows for the default dimensions. Quickly change the look of the dimensions in your design through a single dialog.

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

Locate Defaults per Dimension Tool. For each dimension tool, set up location snapping; for example, set the Center Line dimension tool to pick up only walls and fixture centers for kitchen and bath dimension defaults or only pier and post centers for deck or framing defaults.

Dimension to Foundation Wall Steps. Snap dimensions to elevation height transitions on stepped foundation walls in plan and elevation views.

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

Convert Wall Elevations to Section Views. Regardless of the camera tool used to create a Section View, Elevation, or Wall Elevation, it can be edited to behave as the other view types. Expand Wall Elevations to included parts of the scenes beyond a room (like vaulted ceilings or multi-room suites), or crop larger Sections to show smaller spaces.

Center CAD in Elevation Views. Use the Center Objects tool in Elevation Views to control the location of CAD objects.

Layers can be used to separate key building components such as electrical or framing. Display or hide features of your design, set colors, lock layers, and use reference layers for precise editing.

Text Style Tools. Create Text Styles and assign them per layer, per default, or per object to control the appearance of labels, dimensions and other text in your design.

Replace Fonts. Use the Replace Fonts tool to substitute font types throughout your plan.

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.

Cabinet Door Size. Discover the overall size of cabinet doors and drawers while selected in the cabinet specification dialog.

Attach Electrical to Partitions. Electrical objects like outlets and switches will snap to cabinet partitions in addition to cabinets.

Custom Backsplash Tool. Click to generate a Custom Backsplash that automatically fits around cabinets, openings, and appliances.

Control Partition Toe Kick. Choose to include or exclude a toe kick on cabinet partitions.

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.

3D Door Display Options. Edit tools “Show Door Open in 3D” and “Show Door Closed in 3D” make it fast and easy to control the state of doors in 3D views.

Customize Door Glass. Independently set the top, bottom, left, and right frame size for panel and glass panel doors. Create garage and entry doors with asymmetric windows. Choose to set all garage door panels to use glass.

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.

Opening Indicators. Display opening indicators for hinged and sliding windows and doors in camera views. Set up default behaviors to configure the indicators to your drawing standards.

Automatic Frame Depth. Set window frame depth to automatically fit into wall.

Included Library Items for customizing and creating designs. Fixtures, furniture, accessories, and materials to create your scenes. Add more variety by downloading Bonus and Branded catalogs from Chief Architect's 3D Library.

Bonus Catalog Add-Ons. Generic furniture, materials, fixtures, hardware, and accessories, some free and others for purchase, can be downloaded and added to your library browser for more design choices. New catalogs made available monthly.

Library Browser. Use various filter tools based on User-Defined Tags, Object Properties and Types, and Favorites to find and manage objects in the Library Browser. View and browse through filtered results; discover details about individual objects. Customize your experience with personalized Tags and Saved Filters. Use the Back button to view previous results.

Search Online for Available Catalogs. Use the search tools inside Chief Architect’s Library Browser to discover and download content from the 3D Library.

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

Library Painter Scoping. Apply library items to parametric objects using scoping. For example, replace cabinet hardware on a single drawer, on an entire cabinet, for all cabinets in a room, on a floor level, or in the whole plan.

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.

Store and Edit Text in Library Browser. Add individual, unblocked pieces of text to the Library Browser for easy preservation and reuse in future projects.

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.

Stair Railings. Railings specified for stairs can be customized with different rail styles (balusters, open, middle rail, panels)and multiple rails.

Landing Tool. Create Custom Landings to auto-connect Stair sections or Ramp sections together. Choose auto adjust features for the height and thickness based on stair or ramp connection. Turn railings on or off per Landing edge.

Pony Walls and Railings Follow Stairs. Create Fully Housed Stairs using a pony wall with a railing on top and set to follow the slope of the stairs.

Radius Controls for Stairs. Input exact values for arcs in curved stairs.

Automatic building tools for roof generation, stairs, dimensioning, foundations, framing and electrical.

Toggle Between Flat and Vaulted Ceiling. Use an edit tool to quickly change a room’s ceiling type from flat to vaulted.

Omit Foundation per Room. Choose to build or exclude a foundation in the Room Specification dialog; useful for spaces like patios.

Gable & Hip Roof Toggle tool. Toggle the roof between these two styles using the Gable / Hip tool in 3D and 2D.

Skylights. Accurately define the size of skylights through the specification dialog. Set up skylight defaults to standard dimensions. Edit skylight shape using the skylight detail view tool.

Ridge Framing Control. Choose whether a ridge is automatically generated with a check box to turn it ON or OFF.

Unblock and manually edit Automatic Dormers.

Ceiling Plane Tool. Create custom ceilings of any slope and shape; vaulted, cathedral, and more.

Glass Wall Tool. Use the glass wall tool to quickly draw a new glass wall via the wall parent toolbar.

Multiple Framing Layers in Wall. Create wall types with multiple framing layers and automatically generate framing for both layers; ideal for furred basement walls.

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.

Wall Defaults. Default controls for interior and exterior walls.

Molding Specification. Easily manage moldings attached to an object through the moldings panel and see a preview moldings assigned to rooms.

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

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

Customize construction methods for walls, floors, ceilings, and foundations. Specify wall layers, floor structure, platform height, mudsills, framing methods, and more.

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

Automatically Build Trusses. Set up your defaults and use parametric features to automatically add floor and roof trusses to your design when you build framing.

Energy Heel Trusses. Choose to set up your template to use Energy Heel Trusses by default.

Cut Lengths for Wall Plates. Specify maximum plate lengths for wall tops and bottoms. Automatic framing will optimize them to stagger the joints and bear over studs as necessary.

Rough Opening Panel in Dialogs. Access controls unique to rough openings for doors, windows, and wall niches in the object specification dialog.

Framing Member Role. Use the Role option in the Framing Specification dialog to control how individual framing objects are represented in schedules.

Multiple Framing Types. Choose from a wide selection of framing types when designing your structure; from lumber, to steel, to engineered materials like LVL, PSL, and VSL. Framing labels reflect the type of material specified.

Landscaping Plants.

Pre-Arranged Garden Beds.

Plant Schedules. Generate a list of all the plants used in your design; use different schedule callout shapes as reference labels to plants in designs.

Railing Tools. Custom Railing Panels, Control of Height & Railing Styles, great for custom decks.

Auto Re-Build Deck Framing. Deck Framing updates as the deck design changes.

Treated Deck Framing. Specify Deck Framing Members as “treated” to reflect the lumber type in your materials list.

Landscaping Terrain Tools. Define custom Terrain, including sloped lots and input elevation points. Shape the terrain with Hill and Valley tools. Cut holes in terrain for pools, window wells and other customizations.

Primary and Secondary Terrain contour labels. Control the highlight for negative value contour labels.

Calculate Materials for Roads. Include the volume of Roads, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Terrain Walls and Curbs in materials lists.

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

Display angles as Azimuth Bearings.

Mac and PC compatible. Home Designer can be installed and run natively either on Mac or Windows operating systems with a single license.

Support for Multiple Monitors. Tabbed view windows can be torn or undocked from the 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.

Auto-Save Untitled Projects. Projects that have not been named or manually saved for the first time are archived through the Auto-Save rules set up in user Preferences.

Save Prints in PDF Format. Save to a PDF file for outsourcing a print job.

Custom Stylized Themes. Set up Chief’s User Interface with color and style themes of your choosing. Set preferences for the look of dialogs, menus, buttons and other interface elements; import, export, and share saved themes.

Compatible with Chief Architect® (Version X1-X15). Edit plans created using Chief Architect.

Online Training Tutorials with "How-To" videos.

Windows® 10 / 11, 64-bit. Mac Monterey / Ventura.

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