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.
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.
You can create projects from existing plan and layout files by opening them with the new Project Management feature.
Enable or Disable Project Management by accessing the Project Management panel located in the program's Preferences.
When using Project Management in X17, Home Designer 2026, and newer versions, a built-in backup function is available, which creates a zipped folder containing projects, the user catalog, user settings, and assets.
In X17 and Home Designer 2026, projects can easily be exported from Chief Architect/Home Designer 2026 using the various Export functions available throughout the program.
In X17 and Home Designer 2026, projects and assets can easily be imported into your Chief Architect/Home Designer program using the Import functions available within the program. Additionally, files can be imported directly into existing projects using the Project Browser.
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.
Learn what your computer specifications are by accessing the DirectX Diagnostic tool on Windows or the 'About This Mac' section on macOS.
The Project Browser is used to access all of your projects, including plans and layouts, as well as any views or content associated within a plan or layout file. When using Project Management, it's the central area to manage your Chief Architect files.
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.