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I wonder if it is possible to create a material with a single cross pattern in it and edit it with the reticle ?

Yes It is always good for us to have go. This video also might help with importing a DWG site survey plan into Home Designer Pro if you decide to go down that road ? Here Scott shows us how to go about it in detail with Chief but it might also work with HDP ? https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/1056/import-a-surveyor-dwg-file-for-a-site-plan-or-terrain-perimeter.html

Good Day @Caveman, Home designer Pro can be rented for $79 USD a month. See the link the below. You can then import your pdf files into HDP, resize them to scale to work on them, as you require. Easy to do with all the training videos available. I encourage you to have a go first and then ask us for help here or on the home designer website. I am also not asking for a miracle from you I hope ? What is $79 USD in AUD ? Cheers ! https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/

Hi @cavemanwfire, Apart from what @Renerabbitthas outlined. From what you have told me in that you need to have the contours extend 5m beyond the site boundary and that this is a plan for a subdivision. The only person qualified to submit for a subdivision in Australia, is a registered surveyor as you would be well aware of. It would also be quite difficult to extract the extended contours from google maps as well that go beyond your boundaries. It can be done though but this type of work is familiar to a surveyor normally. Like Rene says, this is basically 2D CAD work and can even be done by pdf editing software. Or we can import the drawings and trace the contours but when they go outside the boundary by 5m, this is where the difficulty lies. I think it might be wise to bite the bullet and DIY it .

Hi @cavemanwfire, You can rent CA for a month or so to finish these plans. Plus your surveyor or your engineer can email DWG files of those drawings and you could easily import them into CA to finish them off. It wouldn’t take you very long to do as you are already very familiar with the work needed to be done. Hope you are doing well now.

Yes these are definitely good but there are others out there too that might be a good fit. Let’s see some pics first from @Mucasuma. Yes some who use Chief can do amazing curved design work. It depends on what you want to do or how far you want to go with curved design. When it comes to sculptural design, other applications may be a better fit for it ?

Hi @Mucasuma, Can you please post a picture of what you are hoping to do with Chief Architect.

Not tornado proof BTW . Structural connection details are not shown here for the wind speed category either ??? I don’t know what USA timber framing requirements are for this region but you would think that you would need more than just nails for the uplift force ???

That is really good to hear, roofs can be tricky at times. Either way, by the time it comes to build it, I am sure you will get extra help along the way and it will get built correctly and dispose of the precipitation correctly. All good.

No not at all becuase it has nothing to do with the software but the layout of the roof design itself. Those two roofs should only join at a common gutter that is able to accommodate the water flow area of both roofs, if they are at the same gutter level of course. So first adjust the roof layout accordingly is what I am saying so that it all works. If you can’t figure it out on your own then please ask a roof builder. We are not obligated to support roof construction theory here but on how to use the software to construct a 3D model of the roof that is actually workable in practice and complies to building regulations. Edit: Need to consider how much space you have left to adjust the roof layout appropriately. The height level of both roofs. Then the precipitation loads applicable in your region. By no means impossible to achieve with a bit of tweaking here and there. Then after that we can show you how to build a realistic roof layout in 3D with Chief Architect. Enjoy the process !

Hi @Celtic101, you have a valley meeting directly into a hip corner. That is not common practice because there is not enough room for the valley gutter to be installed. It would be advisable to push that small hip end out enough so the valley gutter fits in correctly. Next you would need to show the heights of those two roof sections that have drawn. Elevations would help. You may consider making it into one combined roof if they are at the same height level too ? It is up to the designer to know how to build a roof correctly, if not then employ a professional to help do that for you. Then look at modeling it in Chief Architect.

Hi @Jake1976, all good. Not real familiar with the how things work in Revit. CA has an interconnected room module system that we have to work with in editing a split level home design. It takes real experience to get a split level model to build correctly in CA. Many here are quite proficient in getting it done. I personally like the straight forward approach better or to design as you would actually build it and not have room modules interfere with that process.

This official CA video may come in helpful in assisting you with your process with stepped footings and setting rooms to build a different levels ? Scott shows us how it’s done. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/322/creating-a-split-level-structure.html

Hi @SHCanada2, have you made any suggestions on how Chief could be improved to stop this sudden change to a different height ? Not only this but also the other problems you also have experienced above with the basement height change in creating a split level home.

Yes this is true but thankfully we do have fake invisible walls to use these days. They all help in the process of controlling the auto rebuild functions in CA. As they try this they will also get other tips from experienced CA users who have done a few split level homes too.

Hi @cougars32, first of all it is great that you have all those working drawings to go off. Split levels can be difficult but I would look for videos and resources on doing split levels with CA. Then also doing stepped foundations with CA. After doing your research then give it another try. Most of all take it step by step and don’t give up it can be done.

You could mark that room space as no ceiling for this room and create a soffit for the part you want covered.

Have you tried using invisible walls and or creating a room underneath the balcony and calling it open below for starters ?

BTW you can still peel that gable back so that it gives the valley a corner to meet to at the gutter height. The pitch of those crickets can be adjusted so that they meet the ridge height of the adjacent roof and the proper gutter height. I think if you fiddled around with your roof planes you could get something to be different but most of all allow those valleys to drain directly into the gutters. There are ways to get that nice roof that will get a similar look to what you are after. I don’t have X17 but you can set your roof pitches to start at the common gutter height with the use of what we call pitch beams that are at the common wall height. I can open X16 plans with permissions given for home designer pro to edit your roof planes and give you some options. If not you could pay a professional who uses CA to give you some roof design options that give you what I am suggesting above. With Gables and ridge lines similar to what you are after.

There are Chief Architect videos on building manual roof planes where you want to build those infill cricket roof planes. Those valleys produced by those cricket infills and where they join the adjacent roofs are called “bastard valleys” lol where I come from. We work in millimeters and degrees for roof pitches as well. You will figure it out if you how to build roof planes in real life. Have fun.

Hi @NewUserSargent, What @Chrisb222is suggesting is correct way to go about this issue. First things first, that roof plan is not what your elevations are showing. I take it that you want your roof plan to match what your elevations are showing is that correct ? Secondly this has nothing to do with the software but on how to represent those roof lines with roof construction knowledge. Manual roof editing will be required to get this roof correct after setting the gable positions with the walls underneath and then building the roof automatically. Where you are showing angled hips and valleys on your roof plan you should be showing straight lines for your gable ends and ridge lines. If you can understand what I am saying you will be able to fix your plan and 3D model. A draftsman who does not have a competent knowledge of roof construction shouldn’t be contracted to draw your plans. I recommend that if you cannot get it right yourself, please use a professional in your region who understands roof construction. Have fun learning !

Hi all, I did a test with X15 to try a negative offset for the dry wall layers for internal walls. I couldn’t get it to work so I would recommend using the @Renerabbitt method so that your ML stays accurate. Don’t need extra pony walls messing up the 3D model or the ML.

Ok I understand that. I get the Plan7Architect add every time I go onto facebook lol. I would be interested in your review. I just upgraded to Home Designer Pro 2025 Perpetual and I am happy with it. They say that P7A is for professionals ? I can see way too much work to get plans ready for the local Authorities. Please see this demo from YT. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6bcqrHN0RZc

Hi @ portrait , I have had a look at Arcon and even the Arcon Professional 2024 video demo. Arcon Professional looks quite decent and I even have a very old version of Arcon too. The Plan7Architect looks quite simple in comparison to AP2024 from what I have seen on YT. HDP would be not be a realistic comparison to P7A IMO.

Timed subscriptions are becoming the norm at present and some CAD companies are still transitioning towards them. As someone mentioned above, the market will get saturated at some point with the timed subscription models. I hope this will force the subscription prices down through market competition between CAD software vendors. Time will tell anyway. I don’t believe that subscription models will help CAD companies develop the software any quicker. I feel that some of them could actually become negligent but the competition should drive them to develop the software even more so with potentially more revenue ? I feel like I am forced into playing slot machine CAD .