ChiefArchitect

Design of the Year Contest!

Throughout the year, Chief Architect holds a monthly design contest to showcase our users' work. Designers from all around the world, with vastly different backgrounds and design styles, compete head-to-head each month in the following three categories: Residential, Remodel / Additions, and Kitchen/ Bath & Interiors. The winners of each contest are now contestants in the Design of the Year Contest!

Here are the Residential Design contestants! Vote for your favorite in each category:
 

• Kitchen/Bath & Interiors
• Residential 
• Remodel/Additions

Learn more: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/2021-design-of-the-year-contest/

The winners will be announced on January 13th, 2021.

Have you browsed ChiefBlog lately?

We share contest winners, tips and design theory, and feature customer stories.

Check it out.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Residential Design Contest.

1st Place – Vince Burry of Homes by Design Innovations

2nd Place – Clarissa Froom of Green Slate Designs

3rd Place – Zachary Karimipour of Persica Homes, Inc.

View all of the great submissions:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.5226196627409547

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

Have you submitted your guess for our seasonal fun?

Visit our Facebook page and guess the number of pumpkins in the 360 scene.

https://www.facebook.com/ChiefArchitect/posts/5252064748156068

You can find these new pumpkins and gourds in our updated X13 Kitchen Accessories No.3 Food catalog.

Use the Update Library Catalog tool, or download the catalog today!

In case you missed it, Chief Architect's Instagram Account was hosted for a day by one of our talented users, Ebony Stephenson, CLIPP, CAPS.

You can see the recap HERE.

You can follow Ebony and see her work on Instagram @designsbyebony

https://designsbyebony.com/

Thanks, Ebony, for sharing your day with us!

Our Next Contest is Residential!

Share one of your Residential Designs for a chance to win Chief Gear. Use any Chief Architect software product to create your original design.

You have the chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in this contest. Discover how to enter and more through our blog:

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/design-contest-residential/

The entry deadline is November 12.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Kitchen, Bath, and Interiors Design Contest.

1st Place – Chris De Martino of Elite 3D

2nd Place – Rene Costabile of Design Line Kitchens

3rd Place – Alexandra Aldrich of Envizion Designs

View all of the great submissions:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.5024218334274045

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

Did you know we host an occasional "Takeover Tuesday" on our Instagram Account?

We hand over the reins to an experienced Chief Architect user and let them guide us through their day via Instagram Stories. Not only do they share how they leverage the software, but also give a peek into business operations, design processes, and their general industry story.

We love seeing what our customers are doing! You can see past takovers on IGTV. Stay tuned for upcoming shares!

Shout out to fellow Chief Architect users who have put themselves into the Takeover seat:

• Guthrie Design Co.
• Koda Interiors
• Virtual Design by Natasha
• Goesling Group
• Willaby Way
• Eckstrom Home Designs
• Liz Walton Home
• Studio M Kitchen & Bath
• Tiny Anchor Studios
• The Hayhurst Brothers

Chief Architect Virtual Training

SSA members save 10% - Sign up now!
All classes are 8:30 AM–12:30 PM Pacific

• Residential Introductory
  - October 27, 29, November 3, 5 (Wed/Fri)
• Kitchens, Baths & Interiors
  - November 10, 12, 17, 19 (Wed/Fri)
• Residential Intermediate
  - November 10, 12, 17, 19 (Wed/Fri)

Learn more

Our Next Contest is Kitchen/Bath and Interiors!

Share one of your Kitchen/Bath and Interior Designs for a chance to win Chief Gear. Use any Chief Architect software product to create your original design.

You have the chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in this contest. Discover how to enter and more through our blog:

https://chiefarchitectblog.com/design-contest-kitchen-bath-interiors/

The entry deadline is October 15.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Remodel/Additions Design Contest.

1st Place – Alan Lehman of Lehman Design Studio

2nd Place – Cody Corbin of Drafting & Design Solutions

3rd Place – Mark Lemond of Sinatra Homes

View all of the great submissions:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.4939941859368360

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

Hello and thank you for the question.  We do have an option for you.  Please give sales a call for assistance at 208-292-3400 or email sales@chiefarchitect.com

Kind regards,

Derek Pedersen

Chief Architect Software

Our Next Contest is Remodel/Additions!

Share one of your Remodel/Addition Designs for a chance to win Chief Gear. Use any Chief Architect software product to create your original design.

You have the chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in this contest. Discover how to enter and more through our blog: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/design-contest-remodel-addition/

The entry deadline is August 13.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Residential Design Contest.

1st Place – John Rahall of JHR Design

2nd Place – Alan Lehman of Lehman Design Studio

3rd Place – Aaron Swearengin of Oak River Design Group

View all of the great submissions:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.4859551820740698

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

Hello Chris,

Thank you for the question and for your interest in renting Chief Architect .  I have sent you a direct email reply as well.  We can help with your request.  Please contact me direct at 208-292-3414 or email derek@chiefarchitect.com.

Kind regards,

Derek Pedersen

Chief Architect Sales

Today we are excited to announce the official release of Chief Architect X13!

• Watch the new features summary video.
• See a detailed new features list.
• Is your SSA current? Download X13 Today!
• Learn More

Our Next Contest is Residential!

Share one of your Residential Designs for a chance to win Chief Gear. Use any Chief Architect software product to create your original design.

You have the chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in this contest. Discover how to enter and more through our blog: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/blog/design-contest-residential/

The entry deadline is July 16.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Kitchen/Bath and Interior Design Contest.

1st Place – Rodante Bernabe of R. H. Bernabe Enterprises

2nd Place – Lara Wasylyshen of Lacey Homes

3rd Place – Petra Tobias of Pinnacle-Interiors with Love

View all of the great submissions:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.4755325767829971

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

As much as a Tip & Technique, this is a reminder that securing your work as a backup is always good practice, and there is no time like the present!

It is easy to save over a plan that you created in an earlier version, then regret the edit.

As you take a moment to transition between upgrade versions (like moving from X12 to X13), consider investing in some external storage to save all the project work you've done in the older version.

Content that might be worth saving:

• Project Files like your Plans and Layouts
• Customized Templates
• User Catalog
• Custom Textures
• Downloadable Catalogs
• Custom Macros

You can use tools like "Backup Entire Plan" to manually create .ZIP archives of entire projects and their referenced files.

You can also view the file locations for the catalogs you've installed along with other resources in Preference>General>Folders>All Program Paths:

Here are some articles that feature File Management concepts that might help you get started.

In 1998, as Chief Architect began ramping up training services to include video and classroom resources, we found and embraced Mike Nuess into our company family. If you have spent any time building your skills while watching training videos, it is likely that that you've encountered Mike's voice with his calm and reliable countenance and thorough explanations. He has been a long-time institution in our small corner of the software world and one that will be greatly missed but easily remembered.

We all lost Mike on Sunday, June 13, 2021.

Mike played many roles as part of our family. He was the 'voice' of Chief Architect's training videos for many years; he also regularly contributed as a classroom trainer, feature presenter, and one-on-one expert at trade-show events and company functions. He mastered the program and offered insights to help make it better for us all. Mike's knowledge in the building industry goes much, much deeper than design software. His passion for sustainable practices fueled the pursuit, publication, and creation of projects that aimed to fulfill these values. You can learn from his findings in a legacy of information that he created on his website: https://www.teleologics.org/

Those of us who worked with Mike will miss a man who was kind, thoughtful, and intentional, who stopped in for easy chats and soft chuckles, and who was always interested in sharing, teaching, and bettering his world. Those who didn't meet Mike will benefit from his past teachings and the future sharings of his insights and works.

Please join us in pausing for a moment to remember Mike Nuess.

From all of us at Chief Architect, we want to say: Thank you, Mike! We are grateful for what you have given us and let us carry away with us as we grow. You will be missed, Sir.

Chief Architect X13 Beta is now available to existing Chief Architect customers with SSA valid through June 29, 2021. Log into your digital locker to find the download and install it today!

• View the full list of new features: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/whats-new/
• Watch an overview video of new features: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/5513/what-s-new-in-x13-full-list.html 

Our Next Contest is Kitchen/Bath and Interiors!

Share one of your Kitchen/Bath and Interior Designs for a chance to win Chief Gear. Use any Chief Architect software product to create your original design.

You have the chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in this contest. Discover how to enter and more through our blog: https://chiefarchitectblog.com/design-contest-kitchen-bath-interiors/

The entry deadline is June 18.

The results are in! Congratulations to our 3 winners in the Remodel/Additions Design Contest.

1st Place – Javier Montenegro of DSGN Smith Studio

2nd Place – Rodante Bernabe of R. H. Bernabe Enterprises

3rd Place – Jorge Arreola of Greymark Construction Company

View all of the great submissions: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ChiefArchitect&set=a.4671056596256889

We enjoyed viewing everyone’s design and want to thank you all for sharing with us and our community!

Varying prize packages will be awarded.

Rendering Techniques & Best Practices — Vector, Watercolor, Clay, Others — Free Live Webinar

Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 12:00 PM PDT

Chief Architect offers nine different rendering techniques that range from artistic to realistic. In this session, we'll review the various techniques and how to adjust the settings. With the new clay rendering technique, we'll explore the different options to create unique render views absent of specific materials — allowing you to focus on the space and not material selections.

One of our design professionals will be hosting this session, covering the following outline, and taking your live questions.

• 3D rendering technique (filter) settings
• Clay rendering options — ray trace and how to define a color using layers
• Line drawing over rendering to add definition
• Render configuration tips

Sign Up!