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.
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.
Creating a sloped ceiling above a staircase can be accomplished using a custom ceiling plane and modifying the height and pitch.
Follow these instructions to resolve most Chief Architect software crashes on a Microsoft Windows operating system.
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.
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.
Learn how to restore your Chief Architect program, and all of your User Content by following the instructions in this resource.
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.
To learn more about the activation process and how many computers Home Designer can be installed on, please visit this article.
The User Catalog is a folder within Home Designer software that you can use to add objects to. This can be helpful if you use a specific library object in multiple projects or if you have created a custom object that you would like to save for use in a later plan.
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.
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.
Specify which graphics card (GPU) is utilized by a Chief Architect program by accessing the Display settings on your Windows 10 computer.
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.
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 Technical 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.