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.
Create a backsplash by using the Backsplash setting in cabinets, or by using the Custom Backsplash tool in Home Designer Architectural and Home Designer Pro.
Using the Import Drawing Assistant, you can import 2D CAD or terrain/elevation information from a DWG or DXF file.
Switch between a camera view and a floor plan view using tabs or by accessing the Window menu. You can also choose to have views tiled beside each other by using the Tile Horizontally and Tile Vertically options.
3D Viewer Models can be viewed directly in a web browser or shared on a social media profile such as Facebook or Twitter, or your own personal website.
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.
The Soffit tool is ideal for creating a wide variety of coffered ceiling patterns and styles.
The shader model can be identified using a Microsoft utility called DirectX Capabilities Viewer. If the shader model is older than version 6, but the graphics card or chip is fairly new, the display driver may need to be updated.
Follow these instructions to resolve most Chief Architect software crashes on a Microsoft Windows operating system.
Home Designer provides several ways to change the materials in your room. Let's look at walls.
When an outlet other than a standard 110 volt duplex receptacle is needed in your plan, you can access many different outlet types in your library catalogs and place them individually in the plan.
Use the instructions in this article to backup Chief Architect content in the event a computer malfunction occurs. Additionally, it's helpful to have this same content backed up so that it can be transferred to another computer.
Your Home Designer software's Product Key is a unique identifier for your software license. You can locate yours in your Digital Locker, Physical Media, or a third party online account.
Follow these steps to create a new Data folder to circumvent unexpected behavior caused by having the Documents folder stored on iCloud Drive.
Learn how to restore your Chief Architect program, and all of your User Content by following the instructions in this resource.
Home Designer makes it easy to import and create custom materials using image files.
Saving a design into a PDF is a common practice. In this article we will show you how you can create a PDF file of your plan.
To learn more about the activation process and how many computers Home Designer can be installed on, please visit this article.
Learn how to add a custom image for use in a picture frame, a desktop wallpaper, or a painting.
Core, Bonus, and Manufacturer Libraries, along with your User Library can all be moved to a custom location in Chief Architect Premier, Chief Architect Interiors, and Home Designer Pro.
Specify which graphics card (GPU) is utilized by a Chief Architect program by accessing the Display settings on your Windows 10 computer.
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.
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.
The Reference Manual, User's Guide, HomeTalk, Training Videos, Webinars, Knowledge Base, and Personal Training are great resources for creating a complex roof plan.
Rooms need to be completely enclosed by walls to create proper Room Definition in Home Designer.
When you need to create a loft area or a grand entry, you can use an Open Below room type on the floor above to remove the floor platform from that area.
The Chief Architect and Home Designer trial versions can be converted to full working versions when you purchase the same version as your trial, which allows you to keep the plan you have been working on.
Stair rake walls can easily be created in X11 and newer program versions by specifying a railing to be a pony wall and having it follow the slope of the stairs.
Access the Toolbar Customization dialog to customize toolbars and toolbar configurations to your liking to make working in the software more efficient.
If you are having trouble installing your Chief Architect or Home Designer software program, or are receiving an error message or program crash working in the program, submit your technical issue to Technical Support using the online Support Center. If you have a question on how to accomplish a particular task in the software, check out these other resources for Training help.