Learn more about using Home Designer with this collection of help and how-to articles. Browse Knowledge Base articles by content category or by searching for a specific topic. See our glossary for common home design and construction terms. Be sure to explore the getting started resources for a variety of other support tools.
Using the Import Drawing Assistant, you can import 2D CAD or terrain/elevation information from a DWG or DXF file.
The Reset Saved Camera tools can be used in Chief Architect X16, Home Designer 2025, and newer program versions to quickly reset the properties and position of an active saved camera view.
If several modifications have been made to a particular camera view, and you now want to copy, or replicate, them across other camera views, consider copying/pasting the view or setting the particular view as the default.
Ceiling and Floor heights can be changed and controlled on a room-by-room basis. This is useful if you have a split level or multi-level plan.
Railings and their individual components can be offset using the settings located within the Railing and Staircase Specification dialogs.
Doors and windows can be displayed as open in 3D views by selecting the Show Open in 3D edit tool. The open amount can also be specified.
Your Home Designer software's Product Key is a unique identifier for your software license. You can locate yours in your Digital Locker, on a physical paper insert, or a third party online account.
To learn more about the activation process and how many computers Home Designer can be installed on, please visit this article.
Home Designer is a robust 3D editing and design program. To get the best possible performance from your software, make sure your system has the resources.
Each object in the program is assigned to a layer, which can be thought of as a transparency sheet on which objects are drawn, and nearly all views in the program use multiple layers, like stacking transparency sheets together.
The User Catalog is a folder in the Library Browser that you can add objects to. This can be helpful if you use a specific library object frequently or if you have created a custom object that you would like to save for future use.
Learn what your computer specifications are by accessing the DirectX Diagnostic tool on Windows or the 'About This Mac' section on macOS.
Learn to build Hip, Shed, Gable, Gambrel, Gull Wing, Half-hip, and Mansard style roofs automatically by following the instructions in this resource.
Once you have created your staircase, Home Designer can automatically generate a stairwell for you, opening the floor platform to the next floor. Stairwells can also be adjusted, moved, and deleted.
Creating a sloped driveway is easy to accomplish using the Terrain tools.
Access the Toolbar Customization dialog to customize toolbars and toolbar configurations to your liking to make working in the software more efficient.
Available in Chief Architect X16, Home Designer 2025, and newer versions, the Action History function and it's associated side window allows you to access recent undoable actions in the current plan or layout file.