Chris_Boswell

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Everything posted by Chris_Boswell

  1. I find that to get the terrain shape I really want, there's no substitute for spending lots of time to adjust the "Terrain Elevation Data Contour" lines around point-by-point. It is important to have high resolution for your contour lines, like elevation data contour lines that represent 1' differences rather than 1 line for every 2' or every 5'. Using the terrain modification tools helps for getting things just in the ballpark, but to really dial it in, you gotta do it by hand adding lots of extra points. It does take some study to get the hang of how terrain elevation contour lines describe the shape of the land, especially when it's fairly steep. When you do get it the shape you want, then apply a terrain feature texture over the desired dry stream bed area of like "stream stone" from the manufacturers catalogs.
  2. Chris_Boswell

    Villa Boswell

    First major project: Super energy efficient, dream home, ocean view, Half Moon Bay-CA
  3. From the album: Villa Boswell

    A vast, elegant master bedroom with spectacular ocean views, vaulted ceilings, lovely gas-log fireplace & private deck.
  4. From the album: Villa Boswell

    High vaulted ceilings, many large south-facing windows (passive solar heating in winter), lovely fireplace (quality, efficient, sealed, gas-log) and spectacular ocean views.
  5. Chris_Boswell

    Entry

    From the album: Villa Boswell

  6. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Generous chef's kitchen with granite counters, large island, 2 copper sinks, 2 work triangles, 2 skylights, custom bronze enameled appliances.
  7. Chris_Boswell

    Dining Room

    From the album: Villa Boswell

    Open, flow-through dinning room with custom, built-in upholstered bench seating, custom, expandable, kidney-bean shaped table, skylight above & ocean views.
  8. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Casual elegance, designer/continental style, open, light, warmth, TV hidden above fireplace, built-in 7 channel surround sound.
  9. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Main level zone HRV unit (of 2 zones), helps make this a super healthy, energy efficient home; along with being "Super Insulated" and "Air Tight". These are the 3 must haves of a "Passive House".
  10. From the album: Villa Boswell

    A heat recovery ventilator is a must for ultra energy efficient home that is ultra healthy and comfortable to live in.
  11. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Hydronic radiant heated normal density concrete subfloors for high thermal mass and efficient, comfortable home heating.
  12. From the album: Villa Boswell

    These ThermaSteel SIPs are custom prefabricated & numbered for rapid, easy, low waste construction. Very, economical, sustainable and energy efficient.
  13. From the album: Villa Boswell

    SIPs are good and ThermaSteel SIPs are even better. Super insulation and totally resistant to water, fire, rot, rust and vermin.
  14. From the album: Villa Boswell

    The lower, basement level includes an over-sized garage with tool bench, a mechanical room, a 1/2 bath, crafts shop & wine cellar/storage room.
  15. From the album: Villa Boswell

    The upper level could be considered as one very large master suite.
  16. From the album: Villa Boswell

    I designed this house to maximize living area within a very tight building envelope on a steep pie-shaped lot.
  17. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Looking at the west side you can see all 3 levels, though the house is technically 2 stories as the house is built on a steep slope with upper and lower levels off-set so at any point, it is only 2 stories tall.
  18. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Front (North-West) face of 411 El Granada Blvd., Half Moon Bay. Showing entrance portico and ocean views.
  19. From the album: Villa Boswell

    Looking south over Half Moon Bay, this 3,600sf, 4-Bd/3.5-Bth villa has spectacular long distance ocean views.
  20. There is now an alternative to the client viewer, that's easy to use, even for someone who is not very computer savy. It's an online service called Real5D. Real5D enables someone (like you or anyone) to do a tour through a "Virtual Reality" of your 3D design/model, interactively, online, in real time, in a very easy manner. It's very impressive, check it out at real5d.com. It also enables you do virtual meetings at the virtual model/site with others. I learned of Real5D when I met the CEO, Balazs Farago, of this new little, high-tech, startup company, based in San Francisco, at a friend's dinner party. He pulled out his laptop and gave me a demo: Real5D Introduction ("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SROgEPF5OxI"). The real5d.com website is interesting, lots of models to tour. Real5D uses multi-player, online, role-playing-game technology to turn your design/model into an online virtual reality. I sent Balazs a .3ds file of my latest project and his staff put it online for me, it's fantastic! You can tour a recent version of my latest design yourself at: Boswell-Boulder-Creek-house ("http://project.real5d.com/5d/projects/boulder_creek") I've had virtual meetings with people, online at the virtual site I designed and modeled using CA-X6. We talked, I pointed to things using a virtual laser pointer. It's totally legit. For it to work, you have to download a free, thin client app. and the Mac version is still in beta. But, I think this service could be very useful to architects and designers who use Chief Architect, like to share their portfolio with prospective clients or to have virtual on-site meetings with clients within the design/model to talk about design changes and so on.
  21. X6 is supposed to be able to import DAE and SKP file formats--both are types which SketchUp can export. I haven't got it to work yet, but if I can, that will be great for making custom shaped objects. -Chris