chief-architect-x7-users-guide.

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Chief Architect X7
Users Guide

Professional Design & Drafting Software

Chief Architect, Inc.

6500 N. Mineral Dr.
Coeur dAlene, Idaho 83815
chiefarchitect.com

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19902015 by Chief Architect, Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this book or the accompanying software may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Chief Architect,
Inc.
Chief Architect is a registered trademark of Chief Architect, Inc.

The Sentry Spelling-Checker Engine

19942003 Wintertree Software Inc.
The City Blueprint and Country Blueprint
fonts are 19921999 Payne Loving Trust.
All rights reserved.
This software uses the FreeImage open
source image library. See
http://freeimage.sourceforge.net for details.
FreeImage is used under the FIPL license,
version 1.0.

This software uses the Ruby open source

library. See http://www.ruby-lang.org/ for
details.
This application incorporates Teigha
software pursuant to a license agreement
with Open Design Alliance.
Teigha Copyright 2003-2013 by Open
Design Alliance. All rights reserved.

All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of Chief Architect, Inc. or their respective
owners.

Created in the United States of America.

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Contents
Chapter 1: Installation
System Requirements..........................................................................7
Downloading Chief Architect .............................................................8
Installing Chief Architect....................................................................8
Installing Your Optional Hardware Lock.......................................14
Starting Chief Architect....................................................................14
Migrating Library Catalogs .............................................................15
Program Updates...............................................................................17
Installing on Multiple Computers....................................................18
Uninstalling Chief Architect.............................................................19

Chapter 2: House Design Tutorial

Before You Begin...............................................................................22
Getting Started...................................................................................22
Setting Defaults..................................................................................23
Drawing Walls ...................................................................................27
Creating Dimension Lines ................................................................30
Adjusting Wall Positions...................................................................31
Creating Rooms .................................................................................34
Creating a 3D View ...........................................................................40
Adding Floors.....................................................................................42
Adding Stairs .....................................................................................48
Placing Doors and Windows.............................................................52

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Chapter 3: Roof Tutorial

Getting Started with Automatic Roof Styles................................... 62
Hip Roofs............................................................................................ 65
Gable Roofs ........................................................................................ 65
Shed Roofs.......................................................................................... 66
Offset Gable Roofs............................................................................. 67
Gambrel Roofs ................................................................................... 68
Gull Wing Roofs ................................................................................ 69
Half Hip Roofs ................................................................................... 70
Mansard Roofs................................................................................... 71
Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch ................................................ 72
Roof Style Quick Reference.............................................................. 74
Roof Returns ...................................................................................... 75
Adding Gables over Doors and Windows ....................................... 76
Automatic Dormers ........................................................................... 77
Manually Drawn Dormers................................................................ 78
Crickets and Dormer Vents.............................................................. 85
Skylights ............................................................................................. 91
Using the Break Wall Tool to Modify Roofs ................................... 92
Adding a Roof to the Stucco Beach House ...................................... 95
Troubleshooting Automatic Roof Issues ......................................... 98

Chapter 4: Interior Design Tutorial

Controlling the Display of Objects................................................. 103
Working with Library Objects ...................................................... 105
Applying Room Moldings ............................................................... 108
Applying Wall Coverings................................................................ 110
Creating a Trey Ceiling .................................................................. 112

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Chapter 5: Kitchen and Bath Design Tutorial

Adding Cabinets ..............................................................................117
Placing Appliances...........................................................................122
Editing Cabinets and Appliances ...................................................124
Creating a Cabinet Island...............................................................125
Creating Architectural Blocks........................................................128
Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views...................................129

Chapter 6: Materials Tutorial

Setting Materials Defaults ..............................................................137
Using the Materials Panel ...............................................................139
Using the Material Painter .............................................................141
Blending Colors with Materials .....................................................144
Using the Material Eyedropper......................................................145
Using the Color Chooser .................................................................146
Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops ..................................148
Generating a Materials List............................................................154

Chapter 7: Landscaping Tutorial

Creating a Terrain Perimeter.........................................................156
Creating a Walkout Basement .......................................................160
Creating a Retaining Wall ..............................................................162
Adding a Driveway ..........................................................................164
Adding Terrain Features ................................................................166
Adding Library Objects to Your Plan...........................................171

Chapter 8: Deck Tutorial

Decks and Porches...........................................................................175

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Drawing Decks ................................................................................. 175

Drawing Stairs ................................................................................. 177
Changing Planking Orientation ..................................................... 178
Adding Exterior Furniture ............................................................. 178

Chapter 9: CAD Tutorial

CAD Detail Windows ...................................................................... 181
Exploding and Modifying a CAD Block........................................ 182
Creating a New CAD Block ............................................................ 185
CAD Detail from View .................................................................... 187
Creating a Plot Plan ........................................................................ 190

Chapter 10: Layout Tutorial

Getting Started ................................................................................ 199
Creating a Layout Template .......................................................... 200
Setting up Layout Page Templates ................................................ 201
Creating a Border and Title Block ................................................ 206
Sending Floor Plan Views to Layout .............................................215
Sending Elevation Views to Layout ............................................... 217
Sending Details to Layout............................................................... 220
Sending Perspective Views to Layout ............................................223
Printing to PDF................................................................................ 226

Appendix A: End User License Agreement

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Chapter 1:

Installation

This chapter will walk you through installing your Chief Architect software.

Chapter Contents

System Requirements
Downloading Chief Architect
Installing Chief Architect
Installing Your Optional Hardware Lock

Starting Chief Architect

Migrating Library Catalogs
Program Updates
Installing on Multiple Computers
Uninstalling Chief Architect

System Requirements
In order to install and run Chief Architect, your computer system must meet the following
minimum requirements:

Windows 8/7; Mac OS X v10.9 (Mavericks) or newer

2.4 GHz processor

2 GB of memory (32 bit); 4 GB of memory (64 bit)

5 GB of available hard disk space

512 MB dedicated video card or integrated graphics with 2012 or newer drivers

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Recommended minimum monitor resolution: 1152 x 864

High speed Internet for registration, license authentication, deactivation, video access, content downloads

DVD drive (if software purchased on DVD)

Internet access for license authentication is required once every 14 days.

For more information about system recommendations, visit our Web site at chiefarchitect.com.

Downloading Chief Architect

To download and install Chief Architect X7, begin by logging in to your online Chief Architect
account at chiefarchitect.com.
Browse to the Digital Locker page, select the version that you would like, click the Download
button, and save the file to your local hard drive. Select an easy to find Save in location on your
computer, such as your Documents folder or Windows Desktop, then click Save.

Installing Chief Architect

When the installer file is completely downloaded, browse to its save location and double-click
on it to launch the program installer.
If you have a Chief Architect Program DVD, insert it into your DVD drive:

In Windows, the Setup Wizard will launch automatically. If it does not, press the Windows
key on your keyboard, then select Computer. Right-click on your DVD drive and select
Open from the menu, then double-click on the file with your programs name and the .msi
file extension.

On a Mac, the DVD will open in a Finder window automatically. If it does not, right-click
on the disk icon on your desktop and select Open from the menu. Then, double-click on the
file with the .pkg file extension.

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Installing Chief Architect

Setup Wizard Welcome

1.

Depending on whether or not you have installed the program on this computer before, the
text in this window may vary. Click Next to continue.

Setup Maintenance

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

2.

If you have installed the program before, this window will display, allowing you to
reinstall or uninstall the program. If you are installing the program for the first time, this
window will not display.

License Agreement

3.

Read the License Agreement carefully. You must check the box beside I accept the terms
and conditions of this license agreement before installing. See End User License
Agreement on page 227 of the Users Guide.
Click the Advanced button if youd like to specify a non-default installation location
or exclude supplementary content from being installed.
Click Install to begin installing the software. The Setup Wizard will begin copying
files to your hard disk. This may take a few minutes.

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Installing Chief Architect

Choose Destination Location

4.

This window appears only if you click the Advanced button, and then the Change button,
in the previous windows. Choose the destination folder for the program. By default, the
program installs in the C:\Program Files\Chief Architect directory, in a folder with the
same name as your program version.
If you prefer a different location, click the Change button, then navigate to the desired
location on your hard drive.
You can also type the full pathname of the installation directory in the Folder name:
field.
Click OK to proceed to the next window.
Note: Regardless of the location that you specify here, the programs library content will be
installed in your computers ProgramData folder.

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Choose Items to Install

5.

You can use this window to specify what features you wish to install.
Click on a line item to select it. Information about its contents and hard drive space
requirements displays beneath the list of features.
Click the drop-down arrow beside a line item to specify how it is installed. By default,
Entire feature will be installed is selected for all line items.
Choose Entire feature will be unavailable to prevent a selected subfeature from
being installed. When this option is selected, a red X will display beside the line items
drop-down arrow. The top level feature cannot be excluded from installing. If you
decide to not proceed with the program installation, click the Cancel button.
Click Install to install the program and supplemental content as specified.

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Installing Chief Architect

Install

6.

The Setup Wizard will begin copying files to your hard disk after a few moments and a
green progress bar in this window will show the status of this process. This may take a few
minutes.

Setup Wizard Complete

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

7.

When all files have been copied, this dialog will display. Click Finish to launch Chief
Architect.

Installing Your Optional Hardware Lock

Hardware Lock Security is an alternative to the standard, internet based license security used
by Chief Architect Pro licenses and can be used on Windows operating systems only. If you do
not have Hardware Lock Security for your Chief Architect Pro license, skip this section and
proceed to Starting Chief Architect section of the instructions.
USB Hardware Locks

HASP

Super Pro

Your Hardware Lock

If you do have Hardware Lock Security, the hardware lock is your key for operating Chief
Architect Pro on supported Windows operating systems. You will not be able to operate Chief
Architect Pro unless this lock is attached to the computer you wish to launch the program on, so
please take care of it.

Before Installing Your Lock

Do not plug the hardware lock into your computer until you have completed the preceding Chief Architect installation instructions.

Installing Your Lock

1.

Attach your lock to any available USB port.

2.

Your Windows operating system should detect the lock and install it automatically.

3.

Launch Chief Architect.

Starting Chief Architect

You can use the Start menu or the shortcut on your desktop to start Chief Architect. When you
launch the program for the first time, the Product Activation dialog will open.
This dialog will also open if you have previously deactivated your license on the current
computer, or if you are converting a Trial Version installation into the full software version.

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Migrating Library Catalogs

Enter your Product Key, which is located in the account information from your download
or on a sticker inside your DVD case.

Click the Activate button to launch the program. Not available unless a valid Product Key
has been entered.

If your product key is not associated with a User Account on our web site, the Register Chief
Architect License dialog will open next.
So that you can take full advantage of our online resources, click the Register License button
and take a moment to associate your software license with a User Account on our web site,
chiefarchitect.com.

Migrating Library Catalogs

If you have Chief Architect version X2 through X6 installed on your computer, the Migrate
Library Catalogs dialog will display after you activate the license, allowing you to migrate
library content for use in Chief Architect X7. If multiple legacy versions are present, only the
content associated with the most recent will be migrated. See Library Content on page 807 of
the Reference Manual.

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Migrate Library Catalogs Dialog

1 A list of all Chief Architect Core, Chief Architect Bonus, and Manufacturer Catalogs
installed in your version X6 library display here.

Uncheck the box beside a library catalogs name to prevent it from migrating into the version X7 Library Browser.

2 Select All/Clear All

Click the Select All button below a list to migrate all catalogs in that list into the version X7
library.

Click the Clear All button below a list to migrate none of the catalogs in that list into the
version X7 library.

3 Uncheck User Catalog if you do not want to migrate your custom library content into

version X7. When this is checked, your version X6 custom library content will be
migrated and placed in your User Catalog.

Legacy Library Conversion

If you upgraded to Version X7 from a Chief Architect version between X5 and X1 and have
custom library content from that version on your Windows computer, the Legacy Library
Conversion dialog will display.

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Program Updates

To convert this custom content for use in Version X7, click Yes.
Library content from Chief Architect 10 or prior cannot be converted for use in Version X7
automatically; however, you can convert this content yourself. See Legacy Library
Conversion on page 811 of the Reference Manual.

Program Updates
From time to time, Chief Architect releases Chief Architect program updates that are available
for download free of charge from the Chief Architect web site, chiefarchitect.com.
When a program update is available, this dialog will display when the program is opened:

Click Yes to open your default Internet browser to the Program Updates section of the
Chief Architect Web site.

Click No to launch Chief Architect.

At any time, you can select Help> Download Program Updates from the Chief Architect
menu to launch your default Web browser to the Program Updates section of the Chief
Architect Web site.
Program updates are not patches: when an update is installed, the previous version is
uninstalled and then the new version is installed. Library content, Preference settings, and
information saved in the programs Data folder are not affected by program updates.

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

If you prefer that the program not check for program updates every time it launches, you can
disable this feature in the Preferences dialog. See General Panel on page 94 of the
Reference Manual.

Installing on Multiple Computers

A license of Chief Architect can only be active on one computer at any given time. If you have
been running the software on one computer and wish to run it on a different computer, or if you
wish to rename your computer, you must deactivate your license first.
For details, please refer to the End User License Agreement, found in both the program
installer and the Users Guide .pdf.
An active Internet connection is required to deactivate a Chief Architect license.

To deactivate a Chief Architect license

1.

Launch Chief Architect on the computer where the license is active.

2.

Select Help> Deactivate License from the menu.

3.

A message will confirm that you wish to deactivate the license. Click Yes.

4.

After a pause, the program will close.

License activations can also be deactivated in your User Account on our web site,
chiefarchitect.com
To manage license activations online
1.

Log in to your User Account on our web site, chiefarchitect.com.

2.

Browse to your Digital Locker: Software Downloads and Product Keys page.

3.

Click the link to Manage your Active Licenses.

4.

Click the Deactivate button to deactivate your license on the computer where it is
currently active, making it available for use on another computer.

If you have installed both the 32-bit and the 64-bit version of Chief Architect X7 Premier and
deactivate one of these, both will automatically become deactivated.
If you are using hardware lock security, you do not need to deactivate your license. Instead,
attach the lock to the computer you wish to use before launching Chief Architect. See Your
Hardware Lock on page 14.

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Uninstalling Chief Architect

Uninstalling Chief Architect

Chief Architect can be removed from a Mac by moving it to the Trash. This does not deactivate
the license, however, so you may want to deactivate your license before removing the program.
On a Windows computer, there are two ways that Chief Architect can be removed: from the
Control Panel and using the Setup Wizard on the program disk. Please note that if you do not
have an active Internet connection, your license will not become deactivated.
To remove the program using the Windows Control Panel
1.

Open the Windows Control Panel.

2.

Double-click Programs.

3.

Find Chief Architect and click Uninstall.

To remove the program using the Setup Wizard

1.

Launch your downloaded program installer or place the disc in the DVD drive and select
Install Chief Architect from the Chief Architect startup window.

2.

On the Setup Maintenance page, select Uninstall and click Next. A message will display,
asking if you would like to remove the selected application and its components.

3.

Click Yes to remove Chief Architect.

When Chief Architect is uninstalled, neither the Chief Architect Data folder nor the library
content is removed from the system. See Chief Architect Data on page 51 and Library
Content on page 807.
If an emergency forces you to reformat your hard drive, reinstall your operating system,
or resort to a system restore point, be aware that none of these actions result in a normal program uninstallation or license deactivation.

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

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Chapter 2:

House Design
Tutorial

This House Design Tutorial shows you how to get started on a design project. The tutorials that
follow continue with the same plan. When you are finished, you will have created a sample
plan named Stucco Beach House. You can then apply the tools and techniques learned to
your own plans.
In this tutorial you will learn about:

Before You Begin

Getting Started
Setting Defaults
Drawing Walls
Creating Dimension Lines
Adjusting Wall Positions

Creating Rooms
Creating a 3D View
Adding Floors
Adding Stairs
Placing Doors and Windows

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Before You Begin

Chief Architect may look differently on your screen than it does in the following tutorials.

Screen captures are taken from a smaller window to optimize image quality, so the size and
proportion of your interface may be different.

Some features, such as the Reference Grid, have been turned off to optimize image quality.
For more information, see General Plan Defaults Dialog on page 84 of the Reference
Manual.

Since toolbars can be customized, their default layout and location may differ. For more
information, see Toolbar Customization Dialog on page 131 of the Reference Manual.

As the program is updated, features may be added or removed. If you are using the latest
version of Chief Architect, you may see buttons and/or menu items that have been added or
removed since this tutorial was written. For more information, see Program Updates on
page 17.

Depending on your operating system and system settings, dialogs and toolbars may appear
differently than they do in the tutorials.

Getting Started
Begin by opening a new, blank plan.
To begin a new plan
1.

When Chief Architect launches, the Getting Started dialog displays. For more
information, see Startup Options on page 28 of the Reference Manual.
Select New Plan

to open a new, blank plan.

2.

You can also select File> New Plan

to open a new, blank plan.
For more information, see File Management on page 49 of the Reference Manual.
You should begin work on any new file by giving it a name. To do this:

3.

Select File> Save

from the menu to open the Save Plan File dialog.
Specify the location on your computer where you would like to save the plan.
Type a name for your plan.
Click Save.
It is a good idea to save your work on a regular basis as you proceed. To do this, you can:
Select File> Save

from the menu to open the Save Plan File dialog

Click the Save

button on the toolbar.
Type Ctrl + S on your keyboard.

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Setting Defaults

For more information about saving files, see Saving, Exporting, and Backing Up Files on
page 53 of the Reference Manual.

Setting Defaults
Default settings determine the initial characteristics of objects when they are first drawn. When
set up in advance, they can help you both save time and avoid mistakes. Before you draw walls
and create rooms, therefore, you should always make sure the defaults will meet your needs for
the current project. For more information about defaults, see Preferences and Default
Settings on page 69 of the Reference Manual.
While all defaults are important, there are several that can be considered critical because they
help determine the size and structural characteristics of the building. These critical defaults are:
Normal Room Defaults

Wall Defaults

Floor Defaults

Dimension Defaults

Framing Defaults

Annotation Sets

It is recommended that whenever possible, you set these defaults before drawing anything in
your plan. Changes made to these settings later on are possible, but may require extra work to
review and adjust heights and wall positions.
To access a files default settings
1.

Select Edit> Default Settings

to open the Default Settings dialog.

2.

Click on the arrow next to a category to expand it and show its contents.

3.

Click on the arrow again to collapse the category.

Select a defaults dialog that you would like to open and click the Edit button.
You can also open the defaults dialog by double-clicking on a line item.

Normal Room Defaults

The Normal Room Defaults dialog serves as the master defaults dialog for floor and ceiling
structure and finish definitions on all floors. These are particularly important because they
influence the overall height of the structure. For more information, see Floor and Room
Defaults on page 324 of the Reference Manual.
To set the Normal Room Defaults
1.

In the Default Settings dialog, click the white arrow beside "Rooms", then select "Normal
Rooms" from the list and click the Edit button.

2.

The settings in this are similar to those on the Structure panel of the Room Specification
dialog, but only four options are active here:

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3.

Specify the default Ceiling Structure.

Specify the default Ceiling Finish.
Specify the default Floor Finish.
Specify the default Floor Structure.
If you wish, you can also specify unique default Floor Finish definitions for Kitchen/Bath/
Utility Rooms, Deck Rooms, and Garage/Porch/Slab Rooms.

Floor Defaults
The Floor Defaults dialogs let you set the default floor and ceiling structure and finish
definitions for the each floor as well as the default ceiling heights and room moldings. The
Floor Defaults dialogs draw their default floor and ceiling structure and finish definitions from
the Normal Room Defaults dialog. For more information, see Floor Defaults Dialog on page
428 of the Reference Manual.
To set the Floor Defaults
1.

2.
3.

In the Default Settings dialog, select "Floor" from the list and click the Edit button to
open the Floor Defaults dialog for the current floor.
In a plan in progress with multiple floors, begin by navigating to the floor where you
would like to modify the floor defaults, then open the Default Settings dialog.
On the Structure panel, note the Ceiling Height. The initial value is 109 1/8 (inches).
Leave this value unchanged for this tutorial.
Click OK to close the Floor Defaults dialog.

To reset the Floor Defaults

1.

Select Edit> Reset to Defaults.

2.

Under Reset Scope, choose either a particular floor, or All Floors.

3.

Click OK and floor and ceiling heights for any room that was changed in the Room
Specification dialog will be restored to the Floor default values.

Framing Defaults
The Framing Defaults dialog influence how all of the major structural components of the
model are created: including floors and ceilings, walls, and the roof. For more details, see
Framing Defaults on page 564 of the Reference Manual.
To set the Framing Defaults

24

1.

In the Default Settings dialog, select "Framing", then click the Edit button to open the
Framing Defaults dialog.

2.

It is a good idea to review the settings on each of the panels; however, there are several
settings that should be set before you start drawing:

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Setting Defaults

3.

On the Foundation panel, set the Floor Joist Width and On-Center Spacing.
On the 1st Floor panel, Set the Floor Joist Width and On-Center Spacing.
On the Roof panel, set the On Center Rafter Spacing, Rafter Type, and the Height and
Width of the roof framing members.
When your Framing Defaults suit your needs, click OK.

Wall Defaults
The Wall Defaults dialogs let you specify the thickness, materials, and other characteristics of
the walls that are drawn by each of the Wall Tools. For more information, see Wall Type
Definitions on page 295 of the Reference Manual.
To set the Wall Defaults
1.

In the Default Settings dialog, click on the arrow next to "Walls", select "Exterior Wall"
and click the Edit button.

2.

For this tutorial, go to the Wall Types panel, select "Stucco-6" from the Wall Type drop
down list and click OK.
To learn more about defining Wall Types, see Wall Type Definitions
on page 295 of the Reference Manual.

Dimension Defaults
Dimension lines are important for both positioning walls and other objects and for annotating
your drawing. It is a good idea, therefore, to specify how you want dimensions to locate objects
as well as their appearance before you begin drawing.
To set the Dimension Defaults
1.

In the Default Settings dialog, click on the arrow next to "Dimension" to expand this
category, then select the type of dimension you want to modify. For this tutorial, select
Auto Exterior Dimensions, and click the Edit button.

2.

On the Locate Objects panel, specify how you want Auto Exterior Dimension lines to
locate walls: either at their outside surfaces or at their dimension layer.
Under the Walls heading, select Wall Dimension Layer and Primary Wall Side.
Specify how Openings are located. For this tutorial, Sides is used.

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3.

Review each of the panels and settings available for setting up your Dimension Defaults.

4.

For more information, see Dimension Preferences and Defaults on page 958 of the
Reference Manual.

Annotation Sets
While not directly involved in the structural properties of a drawing, if you intend to produce a
full plan set for your project you should consider using Annotation Sets to increase your
efficiency and productivity. An Annotation Set is a collection of saved defaults for text,
dimensions, and other similar objects. When you select an Annotation Set, you are simply
enabling a pre-defined group of defaults set up for a particular purpose. For more information,
see Annotation Sets on page 76 of the Reference Manual.

Other Defaults
You may want to review some of the other available defaults when setting up your template.
For example, you can modify your Cabinet defaults, where you can set up your materials for
Base, Wall and Full Height Cabinets so that any future cabinets placed in the plan will initially
use these default settings.
You can save this plan as a Template for use when creating new
plans. See Creating Templates on page 81 of the Reference Manual.

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Drawing Walls

Drawing Walls
Once your defaults are set, a new drawing can be started by drawing some exterior walls. When
drawing walls, do not try to size or position them precisely - they can be more easily positioned
after they are created. For more information, see Walls, Railings, and Fencing on page 253 of
the Reference Manual.
To draw exterior walls
1.

When drawing a structures perimeter walls, it is recommended that you make sure Grid
Snaps are turned on. You may choose to disable them, though, once the shell walls are in
position. See Snap Behaviors on page 158 of the Reference Manual for more
information.

2.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall

from the menu or click the
corresponding toolbar button, then click and drag from left to right to draw a wall. Walls
can be drawn in two ways:

3.

If you first click using the left mouse button, each wall section will end when the
mouse button is released. Place the pointer over an existing wall end and click and
drag to create a new connected wall section.
If you initially click using the right mouse button, you will draw continuously
connected walls until you click both mouse buttons simultaneously (or press the Esc
key). See Continuous Wall Drawing on page 271 of the Reference Manual.
There are a few things to make note of as you draw a wall.
The walls length displays in two places: above the wall and in the Status Bar at the
bottom of the screen. Its angle is also shown in the Status Bar:

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Wall angles are restricted to increments of 15 when Angle Snaps

are on. In most
instances, this makes drawing straight walls easy and is desirable; however, you can

4.

toggle Angle Snaps on and off by selecting Edit> Snap Settings> Angle Snaps
or pressing the F10 key. See Snap Behaviors on page 158 of the Reference Manual
for more information.
Continue drawing walls, creating a rough outline of the buildings exterior, as shown in the
following image.
Exact dimensions are not important yet, but keep the final size of the structure in mind
as you draw. The overall lengths of this buildings sides are 41 x 396".
It is helpful to draw exterior walls in a clockwise direction to ensure the proper
orientation of wall surfaces.
When the walls enclose an area completely, a Living Area label is created. See Living
Area on page 333 of the Reference Manual.

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Drawing Walls

Interior walls are drawn the same way that exterior walls are.
To draw interior walls
1.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Interior Wall

toolbar button.

from the menu or click the corresponding

2.

Draw an interior wall as shown in the following image.

To delete a wall
1.

While the Select Objects

tool is active, click on a wall with the pointer to select it.

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2.

Press the Delete key or click the Delete

edit button.

Creating Dimension Lines

Dimension lines locate walls, openings in walls, and other objects. In Chief Architect, you can
generate several types of automatic dimension lines and draw a variety of manual dimensions
such as Interior Dimensions, Point to Point dimensions, Baseline dimensions, and angular
dimensions. For more information, see Dimensions on page 957 of the Reference Manual.
To create automatic exterior dimension lines

30

1.

Select CAD> Automatic Dimensions > Auto Exterior Dimensions

2.

For a closer view of a certain area, click the Zoom

tool, click and drag a box around
the area you want to see in detail, and release the mouse button. That area fills the screen.
For more information, see Window and View Tools on page 859 of the Reference
Manual.

3.

To return to the previous zoom factor, select Window> Undo Zoom

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Adjusting Wall Positions

4.

If you cant see all the exterior dimension lines at once, select Window> Fill Window
Building Only

to center your plan on screen.

To draw an interior dimension line

1.

Select CAD> Dimensions> Interior Dimension

2.

Click and drag a line that intersects the interior wall and other walls you want to locate.

3.

Notice that Interior Dimension lines locate the interior side of exterior walls, while other
types of dimension lines locate the exterior side.

Note: Interior Dimensions locate the Main Layer of walls by default rather than wall surfaces. See Wall Type Definitions Dialog on page 298 of the Reference Manual. This
and other options can be changed in the Dimension Defaults dialog. See Dimension
Defaults Dialog on page 959 of the Reference Manual.

Adjusting Wall Positions

Now you can adjust the spacing of walls with more precision. There are several of ways to
move walls into position, but the fastest and most accurate uses dimension lines. For more
information about using dimensions to move objects with accuracy, see Moving Objects
Using Dimensions on page 986 of the Reference Manual.

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To move walls using dimensions

1.

Begin by selecting Window> Fill Window Building Only

be seen.

so the entire building can

2.

Click the Select Objects

3.

Click on a dimension line that indicates how far the selected wall is from another wall.
There are a couple of ways to determine which dimensions can be used for this purpose:

button, then click on a wall that you want to move.

Move the selected wall and see which dimensions update.

Move your pointer over a dimension. If it is an associated dimension, the icon will
change to a pointing hand

.
Selected Wall
Associated Dimension

Pointing Hand icon

4.

Click on the associated dimension and enter a new value. Remember: numbers entered
with an apostrophe denote feet and numbers entered with quotes denote inches. If neither
apostrophes or quotes are included, inches will be used.

5.

Use the Enter key on your keyboard to close the dialog and apply the change so that the
wall will move the specified distance.

6.

Repeat this process for the adjacent exterior wall, continuing in a clockwise direction. It
may help to refresh Auto Exterior Dimensions (Shift + A) between commands.
When using dimensions to reposition walls, you should always work in the same
direction, adjusting one wall section after another.

Dimensions can also be used to change the length of a selected wall. Bear in mind, though, that
the when a wall is resized in this manner its Start point will always be locked and its End point
will always be moved. When, adjusting all the walls in a floor plan, it is often easier to move
them than to resize them. See Editing Walls on page 279 of the Reference Manual.
When you are finished, your dimensions should match those in the following image:

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Adjusting Wall Positions

When your exterior walls are in position, you may find it helpful to delete the dimensions.
To delete all dimensions at once
1.

Select Edit> Delete Objects

to open the Delete Objects dialog. See Delete Objects
Dialog on page 249 of the Reference Manual.

2.

Select the All Rooms On This Floor radio button, then under the CAD heading:
Check Manual Dimensions to delete manually-drawn dimension lines such as those
drawn by the Interior Dimension
tool;
Check Automatic Dimensions to delete automatically generated dimension lines such
as those created by the Auto Exterior Dimensions
Click the Delete button, then Done.

tool;

Although using dimensions is generally the fastest and most accurate way to move walls, you
can also move them using their edit handles and edit tools.

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To move walls using their edit handle

1.

Click the Select Objects

tool then click on an exterior wall to select it.

2.

Click and drag the Move edit handle that displays at the position along the wall where you
clicked. Walls can be moved perpendicular to the direction that they are drawn.

3.

As you move the wall, the dimension lines that indicate how far it is from other walls will
update.

If you have difficulty positioning a wall at a particular location, try zooming in on it using
either the Zoom
or Zoom In
tool or by scrolling with your mouse wheel. You can also
use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge a selected wall up, down, left, or right on-screen.

Creating Rooms
Once the exterior of the house is in place, you can begin drawing interior walls and creating
rooms. Rooms are defined by the walls that enclose them and can be assigned a Room Type
that applies attributes such as flooring that are typical to that type of room. For more
information about rooms, see Room Types on page 329 of the Reference Manual.
To define rooms using interior walls

34

1.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Interior Wall

, then click and drag to draw interior
walls. As with exterior walls, you dont need to worry about exact placement as you draw.

2.

Select Build> Wall> Break Wall

in the following image.

and click to place two breaks at the locations shown

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Creating Rooms

3.

Click the Select Objects

button, then select the top wall section created by the breaks
and delete it. Repeat this process for the bottom wall section, so that only the middle
section remains, which is hatched in the image below for illustrative purposes.

4.

Draw a horizontal Interior Dimension

inside this new room, then use it to move the
vertical interior wall 9 7 3/4 from the opposing exterior wall.

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To change a walls type

1.

Select a wall with the incorrect wall type and click the Open Object
edit button to
open the Wall Specification dialog. See Wall Specification Dialog on page 301 of the
Reference Manual.

2.

On the Wall Types panel, click the Wall Type drop-down list and select the desired wall
type

3.

Click OK to close the dialog and change the selected wall to the chosen wall type. Repeat
this process for each of the walls that you want to change, as in the image below.

If you need to adjust how a wall intersection displays, see Wall Layer
Intersections Edit Handles on page 283 of the Reference Manual.

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Creating Rooms

Using Room Dividers

In reality, rooms are not always divided by a physical wall. The separation of two rooms may
be marked by a change in the flooring (carpet to tile, for example), or by a change in the
interior wall covering. In Chief Architect, a Room Divider or invisible wall can be used to
define rooms without creating an actual wall. For more information, see Room Dividers and
Invisible Walls on page 267 of the Reference Manual.
To create a room divider
1.

Select Build> Wall> Room Divider

following image.

2.

Using the Select Objects

and draw Room Dividers as shown in the

tool, select one of the Room Dividers, and click the Open

Object
edit tool. On the General panel of the Wall Specification dialog, note that
Invisible and No Locate are checked.
3.

Uncheck No Locate and click OK. When No Locate is selected, it will prevent dimensions
from locating the wall.

4.

Adjust the wall spacing of the interior, exterior, and Room Divider walls using Interior
Dimensions

, just as you did with exterior walls, to match the following image:

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Room Types
Rooms in Chief Architect are given special attributes when they are assigned a Room Type. For
example, porches use a concrete floor material and have a ceiling and roof, while decks use
floor planking and have no ceiling or roof. For more information, see Rooms on page 323 of
the Reference Manual.
To designate a Room Type for a room

38

1.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click in the small room at the bottom of the plan.

2.

Click the Open Object

3.

On the General panel, click the Room Type drop-down list and select Entry.

edit button to open the Room Specification dialog.

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Creating Rooms

4.

Click OK close the dialog and apply your change.

Double-clicking inside of a room when the Select Objects

tool is active will also open the
Room Specification dialog. For more information, see Room Specification Dialog on page
346 of the Reference Manual.

5.

Open each of the rooms and assign room types as shown in the following image.

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Creating a 3D View
You can create a 3D view of the model to see how it looks so far. For more information, see
3D Views on page 867 of the Reference Manual.
To create a camera view

40

1.

In floor plan view, click the Fill Window

window with the entire drawing.

button to zoom out as needed to fill the view

2.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Full Camera

3.

Click at the bottom of the floor plan view window and drag a line that stops at the Entry.
The point where you click (A) defines the point of perspective and the line (B) defines the
direction of perspective.

(or press Shift + J).

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Creating a 3D View

C
B
A

4.

Release the mouse button to create the 3D camera view. Where the mouse is released (C) is
the cameras focal point.

5.

You can use the Mouse-Orbit Camera

tool to change the cameras perspective. The
camera will revolve around its focal point (C). See Repositioning Cameras on page 889
of the Reference Manual for more information.

6.

To smooth out the edges and create a more realistic rendering of the model, you can select
3D> Camera View Options> Final View

or Final View with Shadows

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Note: Final Views often take significantly longer to generate than Previews, so a 3D view
will revert back to the Preview Settings as soon as anything is changed within the view.

7.

To return to floor plan view, select File> Close from the menu.

To create a floor overview

1.

In floor plan view, select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Floor Overview
. A floor overview displays the floor without a ceiling or roof.

2.

Select 3D> Move Camera With Mouse> Mouse-Orbit Camera

(which should be
selected by default) then click and drag the mouse on screen to change the camera
perspective. You can press the I (in) and the O (out) keys on the keyboard to zoom in and
out of the plan. For more information on modifying camera views, see Editing 3D Views
on page 894 of the Reference Manual.

Adding Floors
Creating new floors in a plan is easy, but it is best to do so only after the first floor plan has
been finalized. With this first floor of this plan completed, you can now add a second story and
basement. For more information about working with multiple floors, see Multiple Floors on
page 427 of the Reference Manual.
To add a second floor

42

1.

Select Build> Floor> Build New Floor

. The New Floor dialog displays.

2.

Select Derive new 2nd floor plan from the 1st floor plan and click OK to close the New
Floor dialog to display the Floor 2 Defaults. You could also create a blank second floor

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Adding Floors

plan and then drawn the second story walls manually; however, it is usually faster to
automatically generate the perimeter walls and then edit them as needed.
3.

Click OK and a floor plan for the second floor is created based on the exterior walls of the
first floor plan. The second floor perimeter walls will now require some editing. It will be
difficult to know where the second story walls should be without knowing where the first
floor walls are located.

4.

Select Tools> Reference Floors> Floor Reference Display

first floor walls are displayed for reference.

or press the F9 key. The

To merge two parallel walls into one

1.

Select the topmost horizontal wall, then click and drag its Move edit handle to move it.

2.

When the wall becomes aligned with another wall and can merge with it, it will stop at a
"sticky point."

3.

Release the mouse button. Note that if you keep dragging the mouse, the wall will break
free of the sticky point and you can continue moving it.

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4.

When you select the wall now, notice that the edit handles are located along its full length.

Note: Before merging walls, make sure Object Snaps are turned on. For more information, see Object Snaps on page 158 of the Reference Manual.

Use the techniques described above and in Drawing Walls on page 27 and Adjusting Wall
Positions on page 31 to create exterior walls as shown in the following image:

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Adding Floors

5.

Remember to Save

your plan as you work.

To create a foundation or basement

1.

2.

3.

Select Build> Floor> Build Foundation

. In the Build Foundation dialog:

Change the Minimum Stem Wall Height to 100 inches.

Click OK to close the dialog and create a foundation level for your plan.
For more information, see Foundation Defaults on page 440 of the Reference
Manual.
Select Derive New Foundation Plan From the First Floor Plan and click OK to close
the New Floor dialog. For more information, see Adding Floors on page 429 of the
Reference Manual.
You can select Window> Fill Window Building Only
plan on screen.

from the menu to center the

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Notice the "S" Markers, which indicate steps in the foundation stem
wall top heights. For more information, see Foundation Defaults on
page 440 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview

exterior 3D overview of the entire plan so far.

to create an

To add a second story balcony

Now that a second floor has been created, the tools and techniques described earlier can be
used to add a second story balcony that is aligned with the floor below.
1.

46

Press Ctrl + Tab on your keyboard to switch back to floor plan view and return to Floor 2.

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Adding Floors

2.

If they are not already displayed, select Tools> Reference Floors> Reference Floor
Display

3.

or press the F9 key to display the positions of the first floor walls on Floor 2.

Select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Railing

For best results, do not use the Deck Railing tool or specify the balcony room as a
Deck.

4.

Draw a balcony as shown in the following image:

5.

If Object Snaps
are on, the second story balcony railing will likely snap into
alignment with the walls on Floor 1 as they are drawn. If not, you can manually align
them:
With a railing selected, click the Align with Wall Below

edit button.

If Align with Wall Below

is not available, the selected railing either needs to be
moved closer to the wall below, or the railing is already aligned with the one below.
See Aligning Walls on page 285 of the Reference Manual.
6.

Use the Select Objects

tool to select one of the railings, then click the Open

Object
edit button. On the General panel of the Railing Specification dialog, increase
the Thickness to 8 1/8 and click OK.
7.

Repeat these steps for each section of railing that has a wall directly below it on Floor 1.

8.

Finally, add interior walls to the second floor. When you are finished, it should look similar
to this:

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Adding Stairs
Now that the structure has three floors, it will require stairs. For more information about stairs,
see The Stair Tools on page 525 of the Reference Manual.
To draw stairs with a landing
1.

Click Down One Floor

Reference Floor Display

48

to go to the first floor. You may want to press F9 to turn off the
.

2.

Select Build> Stairs> Straight Stairs

3.

Click and drag to draw a short stair section from right to left, as shown in the following
image:

(or press Shift + Y).

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Adding Stairs

4.

Draw another stair section from left to right, directly above the first:

5.

While the Straight Stairs

tool is still active, click in the space to the left of the two
stair sections to create a landing.

6.

Click on the landing with either the Straight Stairs

or Select Objects
and if needed, resize it using its edit handles to fit it against the wall.

tool active,

A stairwell is simply an interior room that has been assigned the Room Type Open Below.
See Room Specification Dialog on page 346 of the Reference Manual.

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To create a stairwell
1.

Select either of the two stair sections.

2.

On the edit toolbar, click the Auto Stairwell

3.

Click the Up One Floor

button to go to Floor 2. Notice that there is now a stairwell
room defined by railings directly above the stairs on Floor 1.

button to create a stairwell.

It makes sense to draw the basement stairs directly below the stairs to Floor 1. The Auto
Stairwell
edit tool could be used to create another stairwell; however, in this situation, it
will be better to use the existing interior walls to define the stairwell, rather than by the railings
that the Auto Stairwell tool generates.
To manually create a stairwell
1.

Click the Down One Floor

2.

Next, click on a stair section inside of the stairwell room and click the Select Next
Object
stair.

3.

50

button to go down to Floor 1.

edit button as many times as needed until the room is selected instead of the

With the room selected, click the Open Object

edit button and in the Room
Specification dialog, select "Open Below" from the Room Type drop-down list and click
OK.

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Adding Stairs

4.

Go Down One Floor

Reference Floor Display

to the foundation (Floor 0) level, and press F9 to turn on the

.

5.

Select Build> Stairs> Straight Stairs

and draw two stair sections directly below the
stairs you drew on Floor 1. Do not draw the landing just yet, though.

6.

Select each stair section and adjust its width and position using its edit handles so that it
fits within the walls forming the stairwell drawn on Floor 1.

7.

When the stair sections are positioned properly, click with the Straight Stairs
create a landing as you did on Floor 1.

8.

Next, use the Select Objects

tool to select the landing, click the Break Line
edit
button, and click along the landings edge to place a break. This divides the edge into two
sections with a corner handle between them, allowing you to reshape it so that it fits
against the foundation walls.

tool to

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9.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview

exterior 3D view of your plan.

to create an

10. When the 3D view has generated, select 3D> Rendering Techniques> Glass House
to view the entire model inside and out with partially transparent surfaces.
11. Select 3D> Move Camera With Mouse> Mouse-Orbit Camera
and click and drag
the mouse on screen to change the camera perspective. You can press the I (in) and the O
(out) keys on the keyboard to zoom in and out of the plan.

Placing Doors and Windows

Now is a good time to add some doors and windows to the model. For more information about
doors and windows, see Doors on page 357 of the Reference Manual and Windows on
page 385 of the Reference Manual.
To add a door
1.

52

If your views are still tiled, close the 3D view and maximize the floor plan view.

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Placing Doors and Windows

2.

Select Build> Door> Hinged Door

3.

Move the pointer to the entry and click on the front wall, left of its center, to place a door.

To add a window
1.

Select Build> Window> Window

2.

Move the pointer to the entry and click on the wall, right of center, to place a window.

To edit a door
1.

To better see the results when the door is edited, create a Perspective Full Camera
view inside the structure, pointed at the entry.

2.

Click the Select Objects

3.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Door Specification dialog. For more
information, see Door Specification Dialog on page 370 of the Reference Manual.

4.

On the General panel, set the Door Style to "Glass", the Width to 36", and the Panel
Frame Bottom to 8". Press the Tab key to update the preview image on the right side of
the dialog so that it reflects your change.

tool, then click on the door to select it in the 3D view.

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5.

On the Lites panel, set the Lites Across to 3 and Lites Vertical to 5.

6.

On the Hardware panel, set the Handle In from Door Edge to 2".

7.

Click OK to return to the 3D view.

To edit a window

54

1.

Next, click on the window to select it.

2.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Window Specification dialog. For
more information, see Window Specification Dialog on page 400 of the Reference
Manual.

3.

On the General panel, select Fixed Glass from the Window Type drop-down list and set
the Width to 54".

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Placing Doors and Windows

4.

On the Lites panel, change both the Lites Across and Lites Vertical to 4.

5.

Click OK to close the Window Specification dialog.

To save time, make these changes in the Door Defaults and Window
Defaults dialogs before doors and windows are placed. For more information, see Default Settings vs Preferences on page 70 of the Reference Manual.

To change the door swing

1.

Return to floor plan view and select the door.

2.

Click the Change Opening/Hinge Side

edit button.

To copy a window or door

1.

Return to the 3D view and select the window, or door, you wish to copy.

2.

Click the Copy/Paste

edit button. For more information about copying objects, see
Copying and Pasting Objects on page 166 of the Reference Manual.

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Doors and windows can be placed, selected, deleted, copied, pasted, and edited in either 2D or
3D views. If there is a window design that you will be using throughout a plan, you can create
it once, then just copy and paste it. An even better approach is to set your door and window
defaults to the desired settings before placing these objects. For more information, see Default
Settings vs Preferences on page 70 of the Reference Manual.
To create a doorway
1.

Return to floor plan view and Zoom

in on the entry room.

2.

Select Build> Door> Doorway

doorway at that location.

3.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Camera

exterior camera view of the doorway.

and click on the front Entry room wall to place a

and create an

To customize the doorway

56

1.

Select the doorway by clicking on its frame and click the Open Object
open the Door Specification dialog.

edit button to

2.

On the General panel, change the Width to 54" and the Height to 96".

3.

On the Casing panel, change the Exterior Casing Width to 10". Be sure to delete the (D)
from the text field. It stands for "default" and if it is not removed, it will continue to apply
the default casing width, regardless of the value you specify.

4.

On the Casing panel, click the Library button beside Casing Profile and select a molding
profile from the library.

5.

On the Arch panel, click the Type drop-down and select "Broken Arch" from the list. Set
the Height to 12".

6.

Click OK to close the Door Specification dialog.

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Placing Doors and Windows

To center a wall opening

1.

Return to floor plan view and select the doorway.

2.

Click the Center Object

edit button, then click inside the entry room, near the interior
wall containing the doorway.

3.

When a dashed centering axis displays in the room, click once to center the door. For more
information, see Using Center Object on page 222 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Return to the camera view to see the results.

Use the tools and techniques youve learned to add window and doors to the rest of the plan, as
shown in the following images. Hinged and Sliding Doors placed in interior walls become
interior doors and have different specifications than exterior doors. See Interior vs Exterior
Doors on page 358 of the Reference Manual.

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1st Floor

2nd Floor

When you have finished, Save

your work.

To take a final look

1.

58

Using the Full Camera

tool, create an interior camera view on Floor 1. Remember
that where you click determines the cameras perspective and where you release
determines the point about which the camera will rotate. A short drag distance is ideal,
however, the distance must be greater than one foot.

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Placing Doors and Windows

2.

Release the mouse button to create the 3D camera view then use the Mouse-Orbit
Camera

3.

tool to take a look around and see your progress so far.

You can also create a Floor Overview

on any floor.

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4.

When you are finished, be sure to Save

your work.

If you would like, you can continue working on this plan in the Interior Design Tutorial or
Kitchen and Bath Design Tutorial. You can also learn about materials in the Materials Tutorial
or find out more about roofs in the Roof Tutorial. To learn how to arrange views of your model
on a page for printing, see the Layout Tutorial.

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Chapter 3:

Roof Tutorial

The majority of Roof Tutorial describes some common roof styles that can be created using
settings in the Wall Specification dialog and can be completed independent of the other
tutorials. It also explains how to add gables over doors and windows, how to create dormers
automatically and manually, and how to create skylights.
The Adding a Roof to the Stucco Beach House section continues where the House Design
Tutorial left off and explains how to add a roof to that plan.
For more information about Roof Tools, see Roofs on page 463 of the Reference Manual.
In this tutorial youll learn about:

Getting Started with Automatic Roof Styles

Hip Roofs
Gable Roofs
Shed Roofs
Offset Gable Roofs
Gambrel Roofs
Gull Wing Roofs
Half Hip Roofs
Mansard Roofs
Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch
Roof Style Quick Reference
Roof Returns

Adding Gables over Doors and Windows

Automatic Dormers
Crickets and Dormer Vents
Manually Drawn Dormers
Skylights
Using the Break Wall Tool to Modify Roofs
Adding a Roof to the Stucco Beach House
Troubleshooting Automatic Roof Issues

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Getting Started with Automatic Roof Styles

This tutorial uses a simple, rectangular structure to explain how to create common roof styles
using roof style directives assigned to the exterior walls.
To begin a new plan
1.

If any plans are open, select File> Close All from the menu.

2.

Select File> New Plan

3.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall

and draw a rectangular floor plan,
measuring about 34 feet by 24 feet (approximately 10.4 m by 7.3 m), in a clockwise
direction. See Drawing Walls on page 270 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview

overview of the house.

to open a new plan.

to create a 3D

If you wish, you can select 3D> Toggle Textures

from the menu to turn off the
display of material textures and represent all materials using solid colors.
5.

62

Select Window> Tile Vertically

to see both views at the same time.

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Getting Started with Automatic Roof Styles

Roof Style Directives in Walls

By default, the program will generate a roof plane bearing on each exterior wall that does not
have a room-defining wall directly above it, and will use the pitch specified in the Build Roof
dialog. The result is a hip style roof; however, if you need a different condition over a particular
wall to produce another roof style, you can define it in that walls specification dialog.
Individual walls can be selected and edited in both 2D and 3D views. When multiple walls are
to be edited, however, it is usually quicker and easier to work in floor plan view: in part,
because you can hold down the Shift key and group-select walls. See Editing Walls on page
279 of the Reference Manual.
To set a walls roof directives
1.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click on a wall to select it.

To select multiple walls, hold down the Shift key on the keyboard and click on
additional walls to add them to the selection set.
2.

Click the Open Object

3.

On the Roof panel:

button to open the Wall Specification dialog.

The Roof Options control how the roof builds over the selected wall.
The Pitch Options control how steep the roof that bears on the selected wall is.
The Overhang setting lets you specify how far the roof above extends past the walls
exterior.
The Auto Roof Return settings let you specify and customize automatic roof returns.
Lower Wall Type if Split by Butting Roof lets you create a lower wall type that
follows the underside of an adjacent roof plane, if one is present.
The Roof Styles described in this tutorial use only the Roof and Pitch Options.

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To reset all roof directives

1.

Select Edit> Reset to Defaults.

2.

In the Reset to Defaults dialog, set the Reset Scope to All Floors, check Roof Directives
in Walls, and click OK.

Attic Walls
When a roof is generated, attic walls may also be generated. An Attic wall fills the space
between the walls that define a room and the roof above. The triangular-shaped wall of a gable,
for example, is created using an Attic wall.
If you do not want to see attic walls in floor plan view, you can turn off their display.
To turn off the display of attic walls
1.

In floor plan view, select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

key) to open the Layer Display Options dialog.

(or press the ~

2.

Find "Walls, Attic" in the Name column, remove the check from the Display column for
this item, and click OK. For more information, see Layer Display Options Dialog on
page 144 of the Reference Manual.

Deleting Roofs
Whether a roof was drawn manually or automatically generated, deleting roof planes is easy:

Select an individual roof plane and Delete

it.

Select Build> Roof> Delete Roof Planes

to delete all roof planes in the plan.

Select Edit> Delete Objects

and in the Delete Objects dialog, select either All Rooms
On This Floor or All Floors; place a check beside Roof Planes; and click OK to delete all
roof planes either on the current floor or in the plan.

If a warning message states that roofs cannot be deleted while Auto Rebuild Roof is on, click
the Yes button to turn off Auto Rebuild Roof and delete the roof.

Auto Rebuild Roofs

Auto Rebuild Roofs is a convenient feature in Chief Architect that automatically rebuilds the
roof in a plan whenever the exterior walls or floor/ceiling heights are changed. Auto Rebuild
Roofs is turned off by default, and this tutorial is presented with this feature disabled; however
the information presented here also applies when it is enabled.

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Hip Roofs

To turn on/off Auto Rebuild Roofs

1.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

from the menu.

2.

On the Roof panel of the Build Roof dialog, check or uncheck Auto Rebuild Roofs and
click OK.

Hip Roofs
When roofs are automatically generated, a roof plane is built over every exterior wall in the
plan that does not have another wall drawn above it. The result is referred to as a hip roof.
To create a hip roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

3.

Check Build Roof Planes and click OK to generate a hip roof.

from the menu to open the Build Roof dialog.

Gable Roofs
If you would like a gable over a particular wall rather than a roof plane bearing on it, you can
specify it as a Full Gable Wall in the Wall Specification dialog. To create basic gable roof,
two walls should be specified as Full Gable Wall.

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To create a gable roof

1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

Click the Select Objects

tool, select the vertical wall on the left, hold down the Shift
key, and select the vertical wall on the right. The two walls should be group-selected.

3.

Open the Wall Specification dialog and on the Roof panel, check Full Gable Wall and
click OK. See To set a walls roof directives on page 63.
Alternatively, you can click the Change to Gable Wall(s)
edit button.
To remove the Full Gable Wall attribute from a selected wall, click the Change to Hip
Wall(s)

4.

edit button.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

Planes, and click OK.

to open the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof

Shed Roofs
To create a single, sloping roof plane, or shed roof, two walls must be specified as Full Gable
Walls, and one must be a High Shed/Gable Wall.
To create a shed roof

66

1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls.

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Offset Gable Roofs

3.

Select the lower horizontal wall and open its Wall Specification dialog. On the Roof
panel, check High Shed/Gable Wall and click OK. See To set a walls roof directives
on page 63.

4.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

to open the Build Roof dialog, specify a Pitch of 2
in 12, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK.

Offset Gable Roofs

An offset gable is a type of gable roof with different pitches on each of the two roof planes and
an ridge that is offset from the buildings center line. Assign a different pitch to the two roof
planes in the Wall Specification dialog for the wall supporting each one.
To create an offset gable roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls.

3.

Select the lower horizontal wall and open its Wall Specification dialog. On the Roof
panel, leave the Roof Options unchecked and change the Pitch to 12 in 12. See To set a
walls roof directives on page 63.

4.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

to open the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof
Planes, specify the Pitch as 2 in 12, and click OK.

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Chief Architect X7 Users Guide

Gambrel Roofs
A gambrel or barn style roof has two pitches on each side of the ridge. The first (lower) pitch
on either side is steeper than the pitch near the ridge.
To create a gambrel roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls.

3.

Click the Select Objects

tool, select the horizontal wall on the top, hold down the Shift
key, and select the horizontal wall on the bottom. The two walls should be group-selected.

4.

Open the Wall Specification dialog and on the Roof panel, change the following settings:

5.
6.

68

Make sure that the Pitch value is followed by (D), which means that is set to use the
default.
Check the box beside Upper Pitch.
Specify the Upper Pitch as 6 in 12 and the Start Height as 156".
To learn more, see Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch on page 72.
Click OK to close the Wall Specification dialog. See To set a walls roof directives on
page 63.
Open the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof Planes, specify the Pitch as 12 in 12, and
click OK.

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Gull Wing Roofs

Experiment with alternate pitches and overhangs. Also, try varying the height at which the
second pitch begins so that you can see the effect it has on the gambrel roof design.

Gull Wing Roofs

A gull wing roof has two pitches on either side of the ridge, as a gambrel does; but the first
pitch of a gull wing is shallower than the steeper upper pitch.
To create a gull wing roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls.

3.

Click the Select Objects

tool, select one of the horizontal walls, hold down the Shift
key, and select the other horizontal wall. The two walls should be group-selected.

4.

Open the Wall Specification dialog and on the Roof panel, and change the following
settings:

5.

Make sure that the Pitch value is followed by (D), which means that is set to use the
default.
Place a check in the box beside Upper Pitch.
Keep the Upper Pitch as 12 in 12 and change the Start Height to 125".
To learn more, see Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch on page 72.
Click OK to close the dialog. See To set a walls roof directives on page 63.

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6.

Click the Build Roof

tool, specify a Pitch of 3 in 12, check Build Roof Planes, and
click OK in the Build Roof dialog.

Experiment with the height at which the second pitch begins so that you can see the effect it has
on the gull wing roof design.

Half Hip Roofs

A half hip roof has two gable ends. At the top of each gable is a small hip that extends to the
ridge.
To create a half hip roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls. In addition, change the following Pitch Option settings:
Check the box beside Upper Pitch.
Specify the Upper Pitch as 3 in 12 and set the Start Height at 170".

3.

70

Click the Build Roof

dialog.

tool, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK in the Build Roof

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Mansard Roofs

Mansard Roofs
A mansard roof is a hip roof with two pitches on the roof sections above each exterior walls: an
extremely steep lower pitch and a gently sloping upper pitch.
To create a mansard roof
1.

Begin with the basic rectangular structure described in Getting Started with Automatic
Roof Styles on page 62.

2.

Click the Select Objects

tool, select one of the exterior walls, hold down the Shift key,
and click on the remaining walls to select them as a group.

3.

Open the Wall Specification dialog and on the Roof panel, and change the following
settings:

4.
5.

Check the box beside Upper Pitch.

Specify the Upper Pitch as 1.5 in 12 and the Start Height as 132".
To learn more, see Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch on page 72.
Click OK to close the dialog. See To set a walls roof directives on page 63.
Click the Build Roof
tool, specify a Pitch of 24 in 12, check Build Roof Planes, and
click OK in the Build Roof dialog.

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Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch

When creating a roof style with lower and upper pitches, you can determine the exact Starts at
Height or In From Baseline values that you need in an elevation view.
To find the start of an upper pitch
1.

Generate the roof using only the first, lower pitch. Be sure to define all the roof
information for each wall (gable, hip, first pitch, etc.).

2.

Create a cross section view that includes the roof plane that will have the second pitch. See
Cross Section/Elevation Views on page 881.

3.

Select CAD> Points> Place Point

, click to place a temporary point near the location
where you want the second pitch to start, and then either:
Using the Point-to-Point Dimension
tool, drag a dimension line from the floor on
Floor 1 (which has a height of 0 by default) to the temporary point.
Using the Point-to-Point Dimension
tool, drag a dimension line from the baseline
to the vertical plane of the temporary point.

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Finding the Start of an Upper Pitch

4.

Enter either of these values in the Wall Specification dialog. You can press the Tab key to
update the other value. Click OK to close the dialog.

5.

Open the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof Planes and click OK to rebuild the roof.

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Roof Style Quick Reference

The following chart provides a quick reference for building the roof styles described in this
tutorial. The chart shows which walls to change and what to change on the Roof panel of the
Wall Specification dialog for each wall. These parameters are based on a 34x24-foot model.
For different size plans, adjust these numbers.

Roof
Type
Gable
Roof

Shed
Roof

Offset
Gable
Roof

Gambrel
Roof

Gull Wing
Roof

Half Hip
Roof

Mansard
Roof

74

Wall to Change

Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2
Vertical Wall 1
Vertical Wall 2
Horizontal Wall 1
Horizontal Wall 2

Set as
Full
Gable

Set as
High
Shed
Gable

Lower
Pitch

Upper
Pitch

Start
Height

12 in 12
12 in 12

6 in 12
6 in 12

156
156

3 in 12
3 in 12

12 in 12
12 in 12
3 in 12
3 in 12

125
125
170
170

1.5 in 12
1.5 in 12
1.5 in 12
1.5 in 12

132
132
132
132

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
12 in 12
3 in 12
X
X

X
X

X
X
6 in 12
6 in 12
12 in 12
12 in 12
12 in 12
12 in 12

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Roof Returns

Roof Returns
A roof return is a small decorative roof plane that connects to the low side of a gable roof
overhang and extends below the upper triangular portion of the gable wall. While you can build
these manually, the following pictures illustrate the three styles of roof returns that can be
produced automatically in Chief Architect.

Gable Return

Hip Return

Full Return

The first two are called Gable and Hip returns, since the returns themselves end in either a
gable or a hip. The third is called a Full return because it extends under the entire gable,
connecting both sides. Full roof returns are sometimes referred to as water tables.
The Auto Roof Return settings are found on the Roof panel of the Wall Specification dialog.
Roof returns can be specified for any wall, but they will only generate on Full Gable Walls.

Specify the horizontal Length of the returns in inches; the distance to Extend the returns past
the main roof overhang; the style of roof return; and whether the returns are sloping or flat. As
long as your model has a roof, the specified roof returns will be generated when you click OK.
For more information, see Roof Returns on page 517 of the Reference Manual.

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Adding Gables over Doors and Windows

You can add a gable roof over a door or window.
To create a gable roof over a door or window
1.

Select a door or window, then click the Gable Over Door/Window

edit button.

2.

Click the Build Roof

dialog.

3.

A gable is created with an overhang of one foot on each side of the door or window.

tool, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK in the Build Roof

To remove a gable roof over a door or window

1.

Select the door or window and click the Delete Gable Over Opening

2.

Click the Build Roof

dialog.

3.

When you rebuild the roof, the gable will be removed.

edit button.

tool, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK in the Build Roof

To create a gable over several doors and/or windows

76

1.

Select a door, window, or mulled unit.

2.

Hold down the Shift key and click on additional doors and/or windows to add them to your
selection set.

3.

Click the Gable Over Door/Window

4.

Click the Build Roof

tool, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK in the Build Roof
dialog to create a gable over the selected wall openings.

edit button.

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Automatic Dormers

Automatic Dormers
The Auto Dormer
and the Auto Floating Dormer
tools offer a quick and convenient
alternative to drawing dormers manually. With just a few clicks an entire dormer is placed,
complete with roof, roof hole, walls, and window.
There is a limit to how low the roof pitch can be set when creating dormers. Generally, 9 in 12
is the lowest pitch that will provide enough elevation to contain a dormer.

Auto Floating Dormer

An Auto Floating Dormer
can be placed anywhere within a roof plane, as long as there is
enough space to contain it. Floating dormers are sometimes referred to as decorative because
they do not tie in with the structure of the building or require support walls.
Select Build> Roof> Auto Floating Dormer
and click within an existing roof plane to
place a floating dormer at that location. Once a dormer is created, it can be moved, resized and
opened for specification. For more information, see Editing Auto Dormers on page 513 of
the Reference Manual.
An Auto Floating Dormer cannot initially be placed so that its walls align with an
exterior wall. Once it is created, its front wall can often be aligned with an exterior
wall below; however, its side walls must remain inside the exterior walls.

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Auto Dormer
The Auto Dormer
tool places a standard dormer, which has the same space and structural
requirements as a manually drawn dormer. If you have not drawn dormers manually, you may
benefit from learning how. For information, see Manually Drawn Dormers on page 78.

Dormers can only be placed in roofs that are large and steep enough to contain them. You
may need to change the pitch and/or size of a roof plane before an automatic dormer can be
placed. If a warning message stating that some walls are outside the roof plane appears
when you try to place an automatic dormer, try decreasing the Height value in the Dormer
Defaults dialog.

A knee wall must be present for the dormer to connect to. A knee wall will create attic
space and offer structural support. A wall must be present, but it does not necessarily have
to be designated as a Knee Wall in the Wall Specification dialog.

Dormers cannot be in conflict with the ceiling on the same floor. If you need to create an
open, attic condition, check Ignore Top Floor in the Build Roof dialog and generate roof
planes based on the floor below the dormer. If necessary, you can then use Raise Off Plate
in the Build Roof dialog to move roof planes up. See Build Roof Dialog on page 470 of
the Reference Manual.

Once placed in your model, an automatic dormer can be repositioned and its width adjusted
using its edit handles. Double-click on an automatic dormer to open the Dormer Specification
dialog, which looks just like the Dormer Defaults dialog but only affects the selected dormer.
You can also select the dormer window separately; resize it with its edit handles; and open it for
specification. For more information about dormers, see Dormers and Crickets on page 511 of
the Reference Manual.

Manually Drawn Dormers

To create dormers in an upper floor, create a new floor for your plan and modify this floor with
knee walls and windows to form gables. This example starts with a new 40 x 30 foot plan.
As with automatic dormers, roof pitches of 9 in 12 or greater generally work better than
shallow pitches when creating dormers because they provide enough vertical space to build the
dormer within.
To create a new plan

78

1.

Select File> Close All from the menu to close any open plans.

2.

Select File> New Plan

to open a new plan.

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Manually Drawn Dormers

3.

Select File> Save

from the menu, save the file to an easy to find location, such as
Documents, and give the plan a short, descriptive name like Dormer Tutorial.

4.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall

feet by 30 feet, in a clockwise direction.

5.

Click the Fill Window Building Only

6.

As in the Gable Roofs example, specify the left and right vertical walls as Full Gable
Walls. See To set a walls roof directives on page 63.

and draw a rectangular floor plan, 40

button to zoom in on the house.

7.

Select Build> Floor> Build New Floor

8.

Choose the Derive new 2nd floor plan from 1st floor plan option in the New Floor
dialog and click OK. In the Floor 2 Defaults dialog, which opens next, click OK without
making any changes.

9.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

to open the Build Roof dialog. On the Roof panel,
check Build Roof Planes, change the Pitch to 12 in 12, and click OK.

To create two knee walls

A knee wall is a short wall on an upper floor that is cut off by a roof plane rather than building
up to full ceiling height. They are often used to separate loft areas from attic space.
You can create a custom wall type for the knee walls, such as a wall with only a
framing layer and one sheetrock layer. See Wall Type Definitions Dialog on page
298 of the Reference Manual.

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80

1.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Interior Wall

and draw a horizontal interior wall from
left to right. Position this knee wall so that it is 5 feet from the top exterior wall.

2.

Draw another horizontal interior wall and position it 5 feet from the bottom exterior wall.
You can reposition the knee walls using dimensions. For more information, see Moving
Objects Using Dimensions on page 986 of the Reference Manual.

3.

Group select both interior walls and click the Open Object
edit button. Check the box
beside Knee Wall on the Roof panel of the Wall Specification dialog and click OK.

4.

Select CAD> Dimensions> Automatic Exterior Dimensions

dimension lines for your plan, which should now look like this:

to create exterior

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Manually Drawn Dormers

To draw the dormer walls and windows

1.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall

and draw two rectangular boxes on the
outside of the lower knee wall, as shown in the following image.

2.

Position the front walls of each dormer box 2 feet from the bottom exterior wall. The front
dormer walls are those parallel to the bottom wall.

3.

Use dimension lines to position the dormer side walls so that the dormers are 6 feet from
each vertical exterior walls wall and 8 feet wide.

4.

Select Build> Wall> Break Wall

and click along the lower knee wall to place wall
breaks where it intersects each of the dormer side walls.

5.

Delete the segments of the knee wall located behind the dormers, as in the following
image:

6.

Select Build> Window> Window

window.

and click on each dormer front wall to place a

When Midpoint
Object Snaps are enabled, a "sticky point" will exist at the
midpoint of the dormer front wall when you move your mouse along the front wall.
For more information, see Object Snaps on page 158 of the Reference Manual.

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You can also use the Center Object

edit button to center each window along the
wall after it has been placed.See Using Center Object on page 222 of the Reference
Manual.
To build the roof
1.

Group select the two dormer front walls with windows and open their Wall Specification
dialog. On the Roof panel, check Full Gable Wall and click OK.

2.

Group select the four dormer side walls and open their Wall Specification dialog. On the
Roof panel, confirm that Pitch is 12 in 12, and click OK.
Earlier, a pitch of 12 in 12 was specified in the Build Roof dialog: that pitch will be in
use here by default and will work well for these dormers.

82

1.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click in the narrow room between the top knee
wall and the top exterior wall to select it.

2.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Room Specification dialog. On the
General panel, select "Attic" as the Room Type and click OK.

3.

Do the same for the lower attic room.

4.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

5.

In the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK to rebuild the roof.

6.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview

overview of the house and see the results.

from the menu.

to create a 3D

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Manually Drawn Dormers

7.

Notice that there are small gaps in the dormer side walls. This gap is caused by the
difference between the position of the knee walls and the point at which the ceiling
intersects the roof plane. This location is marked by the black dotted Ceiling Break Line in
floor plan view.

8.

Select each of the knee walls and move them back so that they are in alignment with the
ceiling plane. When Object Snaps are enabled, the walls will snap into position when they
are close to the Ceiling Break Lines.

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9.

Create a 3D view to see how the roof and dormers look now.

You can move the interior walls closer to or further from the outside walls to change the
dormers elevation, or change the pitch for the roof to make the dormers longer. You can create
dormers in more complex plans the same way, but you may want to experiment with wall
placement and pitch to achieve the desired effect.

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Crickets and Dormer Vents

Roof crickets, sometimes called saddles, are raised roof planes built to divert water or snow.
When a roof is generated automatically, crickets will not be produced, but they can be drawn
manually using the Roof Plane

tool.

Dormer vents can be created using a similar technique.

To create a manually drawn chimney cricket
1.

Create a basic rectangular structure with a hip roof. See To create a hip roof on page 65.
In this example, the display of Roof Plane Labels is turned off. See Roof Plane
Labels on page 481 of the Reference Manual.

2.

Select Build> Fireplace

and click on one of the exterior walls to place a masonry
fireplace at that location in the wall.

Midpoint
Object Snaps or the Center Objects
edit tool can be used to center
the fireplace along the wall, if desired. See Using Center Object on page 222 of the
Reference Manual.

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3.

Make any required changes to the fireplace.

In this example, the default 48" wide fireplace is used, but its Depth edit handle is used
to offset the fireplace 6" towards the exterior. See Chimneys on page 462 of the
Reference Manual.
4.

Select CAD> Line> Draw Line

fireplaces firebox.

and draw a CAD line along the inside surface of the

You can also draw the CAD line near the desired location and then move it into place
using dimensions. See Moving Objects Using Dimensions on page 986 of the
Reference Manual.
Make sure that the CAD line extends past the fireplace in both directions.

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5.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

from the menu, and in the Build Roof dialog, specify
the Pitch, Framing, and any other attributes that you will need for the cricket.
In this example, a Pitch of 12:12 and 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" rafters are specified. See Build
Roof Dialog on page 470 of the Reference Manual.
Do not check Build Roof Planes. Here, the Build Roof dialog is being used to set the
defaults for manually drawn roof planes. See Roof Defaults on page 465 of the
Reference Manual.

6.

Select Build> Roof> Roof Plane

from the menu, then:

Click on the CAD line near one of its endpoints and drag to draw a roof baseline
perpendicular to the line, towards the structures interior.
Release the mouse button and move the mouse parallel to the CAD line and in the
direction of the fireplaces center and click once.
The roof plane that is created will draw its height from the top of the roof below at the
point where you first clicked to begin drawing.
Note: In this example, the cricket roof plane is assigned an angled fill pattern to
make it easier to see.

7.

Use dimensions to resize the new roof plane so that it measures half the width of the
fireplace from its low edge to its ridge. In this example, that distance is 24".

8.

Use Roof Intersection Points to find the intersection point for the edge of the roof plane
opposite the fireplace. See Locating Intersections on page 484 of the Reference Manual.

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If the program creates an Intersection Point that is not located on the roof plane edge,
move that edge so that it is closer to the fireplace and the roof plane is more narrow
and try again..
9.

Use the roof planes edit handles to:

Angle the low edge of the roof plane up to the Intersection Point.

Drag the short edge of the roof plane outward until it disappears and the roof plane
becomes a triangle.

10. Use the Copy/Paste

edit tool in combination with the Reflect About Object
edit
tool to create a copy of the cricket roof plane. See Reflect About Object on page 232 of
the Reference Manual.

Copy/reflect the roof plane about the fireplace to produce a roof plane that slopes in
the opposite direction as the original.

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11. Use the Point to Point Move

edit tool to move the new roof plane so that its ridge
edge is adjacent to the original roof planes ridge. See Point to Point Move on page 217
of the Reference Manual.

12. Center the cricket behind the fireplace:

Shift+select the two cricket roof planes.
Click the Center Objects

edit button.

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Move the mouse pointer over the fireplace. When a center axis displays over the
fireplace, click once.

13. Create a 3D view to see the results.

Remember to restore the settings in the Build Roof dialog if you intend to draw
more structural roof planes in your plan.

The cricket created above can easily be converted into a dormer vent. Begin by closing the 3D
view and returning to floor plan view.
To create a dormer vent
1.

Select the fireplace positioned in front of the cricket and click the Delete

2.

Go Up One Floor
Display

3.

90

button.

and select Tools> Reference Floors> Reference Floor

Select Build> Wall> Exterior Wall

and draw a wall inside the area of the roof cricket
on the floor below, parallel to its front.

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Skylights

If you draw the wall in the wrong direction and its siding layer faces the interior, select
it and click the Reverse Layers

edit button.

4.

Click on the wall to select it and click the Open Object

edit button. On the Roof panel
of the Wall Specification dialog, check the box beside Roof Cuts Wall at Bottom and
click OK. See Roof Panel on page 307.

5.

With the wall still selected, use its edit handles to move it the desired distance from the
eaves of the roof cricket.

6.

Create a 3D view to see the results.

A selection of attic vents is available in the Library Browser. See Vents on page 390 of the
Reference Manual.

Skylights
Skylights can easily be added using the Skylight

tool. In floor plan view, select Build>

Roof> Skylight
then click and drag a rectangular shape within an existing roof plane.
When you release the mouse button, a skylight is created and can be repositioned and resized
using its edit handles. For more information, see Skylights and Roof Holes on page 508 of
the Reference Manual.

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Using the Break Wall Tool to Modify Roofs

Many homes have more than one roof type built above a single exterior wall. One common
example is a reverse gable roof, created when a house has gable walls that are perpendicular to
one another, as in an L-shaped home.
We can create a reverse gable roof on an L-shaped home using the Break Wall
To create an L-shaped home
1.

Select File> Close All from the menu.

2.

Select File> New Plan

3.

Draw an L-shaped house with the following dimensions:

to open a new plan.

Left wall - 30 feet long

Upper wall - 45 feet long.
Right wall 18 feet long.
Lower wall extending left from the right wall - 25 feet long.
Vertical wall connecting two lower walls - 12 feet long.
Lower wall extending right from the left wall - 20 feet long.

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Using the Break Wall Tool to Modify Roofs

To create a reverse gable in this plan, three gable walls are required: two running vertically and
one horizontally.
To add a gable roof to the plan
1.

Check Full Gable Wall on the Roof panel of the Wall Specification dialog for these three
walls:
The far left vertical wall
The far right vertical wall
The bottom left horizontal wall

2.

Click the Build Roof

button to open the Build Roof dialog, check Build Roof Planes,
and click OK to build the roof. The roof will look like this:

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The gable wall on the left produces roof planes that extend too high and interfere with the roof
over the front extension of the house. To avoid this, use the Break Wall tool to divide the left
wall into two different sections. The upper section can then be specified as a Full Gable without
affecting the lower section.
To use the Break Wall tool
1.

Select Build> Wall> Break Wall

and click the far left wall at a point even with the
lower right wall. Extension snaps should help you place the break at the right place. See
Extension Snaps on page 159 of the Reference Manual.

2.

Open the lower portion of the wall for specification and on the Roof panel of the Wall
Specification dialog, clear the Full Gable Wall checkbox and click OK.

3.

Click the Build Roof

button, check Build Roof Planes, and click OK to build a roof
based on the new wall specifications.

You now have two full gable roof sections meeting to form your L-shaped roof. Your plan
should look like the following image:

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Adding a Roof to the Stucco Beach House

Notice the step in the ridge line. This can be corrected by resizing the lower gable wall. Select
the vertical wall to the right of the bottom gable wall and move it to the left 2 feet, reducing the
length of the gable wall from 20 to 18 feet. When you are finished, rebuild the roof.

This completes this Roof Tutorial. You can use any combination of the techniques described
here to create a wide variety of roof designs.

Adding a Roof to the Stucco Beach House

With a basic understanding of how automatically generated roofs work, you can return to the
Stucco Beach House plan and add a roof. Select File> Save As
name, such as "Beach House Roof Tutorial" before continuing.

and give this plan a new

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Individual walls can be selected and edited in both 2D and 3D views; however, when multiple
walls must be edited, it is usually quicker and easier to work in floor plan view: in part, because
you can hold down the Shift key and group-select walls. See Editing Walls on page 279 of
the Reference Manual.
To edit the default roof
1.

Close any 3D views that you may have open and work in floor plan view.

2.

Starting on Floor 1, use the Select Objects

Kitchen wall:

3.

Click the Open Object

edit button and specify this wall as a Full Gable Wall. See
Gable Roofs on page 65.

4.

Click Up One Floor

5.

Using the Select Objects

tool to select the top horizontal exterior

to go to the second floor.

tool, select the Balcony room, then click the Open

Object
edit button. On the Structure panel of the Room Specification dialog, uncheck
Roof Over This Room, then click OK.

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6.

Assign the Full Gable Wall and Extend Slope Downward settings to the exterior walls,
as shown in the following image. See To set a walls roof directives on page 63.
Full Gable Wall

Full
Gable
Wall

Full Gable
Wall
Extend
Slope
Downward
Full Gable
Wall

7.

Full Gable
Wall

Extend
Full Gable Wall
Slope
Downward

Once these roof directives have been assigned, the roof can be generated.

To turn on automatic roof generation

to open the Build Roof dialog.

1.

Select Build> Roof> Build Roof

2.

On the Roof panel, check Auto Rebuild Roofs and Build Roof Planes. See Build Roof
Dialog on page 470 of the Reference Manual for more information.

3.

Set the Pitch to 3 in 12.

4.

You can go to the Materials panel to change the material of your roof. Here, an Earth Roof
Tile material.

5.

Click OK to close the dialog and generate a roof.

The additional walls that are created are attic walls. See Attic Walls on page 64.

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6.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview

exterior view of your plan.

7.

Remember to Save

to create an

your plan as you work.

When you are ready, you can continue working on this plan in the Interior Design Tutorial.

Troubleshooting Automatic Roof Issues

Creating a roof automatically can require experimentation and practice. Here are some
suggestions for troubleshooting a problematic roof design.
Bear in mind that some complicated roof plans can only be produced by manually drawing and/
or edited roof planes. See Automatic vs. Manual Roofs on page 464 of the Reference
Manual.

Roof Directives in Walls

As discussed in this chapter and in the Roofs chapter of the Chief Architect X7 Reference
Manual, the program will automatically generate a roof plane bearing over each exterior wall in
a plan to produce a hip roof. If you require a different condition over a particular wall, such as
a triangular gable or side wall of a shed roof, you can specify that condition on the Roof panel
of the Wall Specification dialog. See Roof Panel on page 307 of the Reference Manual.
Specifying roof directives that do not reflect what you require directly above a selected wall,
however, can often result in drastic and unwanted changes to your roof. For example, when two
parallel walls are specified as Full Gable Walls, a single ridge will be created between them.

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If a wall that is perpendicular to these walls is also specified as a Full Gable Wall, the roof
becomes more complex with an additional ridge, two valleys, and two hips.

If you are seeing hips or valleys in your roof where you do not expect them, revisit the Roof
panel of the walls supporting the affected roof planes.
To review how to restore wall directives back to their default state, see To reset all roof
directives on page 64.

Roof Heights
The heights of all automatically generated roof planes are based on the heights of the walls that
they bear on. Wall heights, in turn, are determined by the ceiling heights of the rooms that they
define. See Floor and Ceiling Heights on page 336 of the Reference Manual.
For example, the hip roof over a simple rectangular structure with a consistent ceiling heights
(in this case, 109 1/8") has four roof planes.

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This roof will become considerably more complex if one room inside is given a lowered ceiling
height (in this case, 97 1/8").

If you generate a roof and it seems to be more complicated and has more roof planes than it
should, take a look at the ceiling heights of the rooms in the plan. Often, the correct way to

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create a lowered ceiling condition will be to set the ceiling at the default height create a
lowered Ceiling Finish. See Lowered Ceilings on page 341 of the Reference Manual.

Controlling Roof Ridges

A single roof ridge will generate for as long as the bearing walls that support the roofs on either
side of the ridge are the same distance apart. When alcoves or bump outs are introduced along
either bearing wall, the ridge is likely to become broken.
For example, a simple rectangular structure with Full Gable Walls at each end generates a roof
with a ridge that runs from Full Gable Wall to Full Gable Wall.

If a bump out is added that affects the length of either Full Gable Wall, or if an alcove is added
anywhere along the length of the structure, the ridge will no longer follow a straight line.

There are a number of ways to maintain a single ridge line in the presence of alcoves or bump
outs:

Use the Break Wall

tool to control the length of a Full Gable Wall section. See Using
the Break Wall Tool to Modify Roofs on page 92.

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102

Increase the Minimum Alcove Size to specify what size alcoves are roofed. See Roof
Panel on page 471 of the Reference Manual.

Use the Extend Slope Downward roof directive to allow the roof over a bump out to
extend lower then the ceiling height in that area. See Roof Directives in Walls on page
288 of the Reference Manual.

Specify the area inside of an alcove as an "Open Below" room with a roof but no ceiling,
and Use Soffit Surface for Ceiling specified. See Room Types on page 329 and Structure Panel on page 348 of the Reference Manual.

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Chapter 4:

Interior Design
Tutorial

The Interior Design Tutorial picks up where the Roof Tutorial left off. The basic structure of
the plan is complete, but the plan still needs lights, outlets, and fixtures to be a functional home.
In addition, the interior could use some creature comforts such as furniture, wall coverings and
moldings. You may want to save this tutorial using a new name to archive your previous work.
In this tutorial, you will learn about:

Controlling the Display of Objects

Working with Library Objects
Applying Room Moldings

Applying Wall Coverings

Creating a Trey Ceiling

Controlling the Display of Objects

Every object that you create in Chief Architect exists on a layer that lets you control whether it
displays as well as some aspects of its appearance. For example, the roof that was created in the
House Design Tutorial will only be in the way in this tutorial, which discusses the plans
interior. To avoid this, the "Roof Planes" layer can be turned off in floor plan view. For more
information, see Layers on page 139 of the Reference Manual.

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To control the display of objects

1.

First, select File> Save As

and give this version of the plan a new name, such as
"BeachHouse - Interior Tutorial"

2.

Select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

or press the ~ key to open the Layer
Display Options dialog.
Press the letter R, find the "Roof Planes" layer and remove the check from the Display
column. Click OK.
To quickly locate and turn off the "Doors, Labels" and "Windows, Labels" layers, type the
word "label" in the Name Filter field above the list of layers.
To restore the full list of layers, remove all text, including spaces, from the Name
Filter field.

3.
4.

Floor 1 with the display of door and window labels and roof planes turned off

5.

104

You can set up layers to meet your specific needs for different tasks using Layer Sets. For
more information, see Layer Sets on page 142 of the Reference Manual.

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Working with Library Objects

Working with Library Objects

Chief Architect comes with a library that contains thousands of library objects that can be used
in a plan. For more information about the library and library objects, see The Library on page
801 of the Reference Manual.
To use the Library Search to locate a symbol and place it in the plan
1.

Move up to Floor 2 using the Floor Up

2.

Select View> Library Browser

or press Ctrl + L on your keyboard to open the
Library Browser.
In the text field, type "bed" and notice that search results will display below as you type.
All items with "bed" in any part of their search attributes are included, so in this example,
the search results include a variety of items besides furniture.

3.

4.

5.

tool.

To narrow the search results, click the Search Filtering Options

button, then
Check the box beside Entire Word.
Click the arrow beside Type then check the box beside Furnishings (Interior). Now
only items with the word "bed" in their attributes and are interior furnishing will be
included in the search results.
Click on a bed in the search results list to select it for placement.

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When a library object is selected for placement the mouse pointer icon indicates
the type of library object selected, a preview outline of the object follows your
pointer as you move it, and basic information displays in the Status Bar at the bottom of
the program window.

6.
7.
8.

Click in the master bedroom to place the bed.

To see where the selected item is located in the Library Browser, right-click on it and select
Show in Browser from the contextual menu.
To switch from a list of search results to the Library Browser tree view, click the
Browse

button to the right of the text field.

Using the techniques described above, place fixtures in the bathrooms on Floors 1 and 2.

Floor 1

Floor 2

If existing walls and/or other objects do not allow enough room for a library
object to be placed, place the library object where there is enough room
and move the object into place while holding down the Ctrl key on the keyboard.

Once a library object has been placed into a plan, it can be edited in a variety of ways.
To modify a symbol from the library
1.

106

Click the Select Objects

button or press the Spacebar and click on the bed to select it.
When selected, the bed displays ten edit handles. For more information, see Editing BoxBased Objects on page 201 of the Reference Manual.

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Working with Library Objects

Resize edit
handles

Extend edit
handles

Move edit
handle

Rotate edit
handle

2.
3.

Use the Rotate edit handle to rotate the bed.

Use the Move edit handle to move the bed up against the right wall.

4.

You can modify the materials for the bed by using the Select Objects

button tool to

select the bed, and clicking the Open Object

edit button to open the Furniture
Specification dialog. See Symbol Object Specification Dialogs on page 825 of the
5.
6.

Reference Manual.
On the Materials panel, select the component of the object that you want to apply a new
material to: for example, the Bedspread.
Click the Select Material button to open the Select Material dialog, where you can search
or browse the Library to find and apply a new material to the bedspread portion of the bed.
Here, a light brown fabric is used.

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7.

Repeat this process for any of the other materials on the bed you may want to adjust, then
click OK to apply the changes which will be visible when you create a camera view.
You can also apply materials to objects in 3D views using the Material Painter tool.
To learn more, see Using the Material Painter in the Materials Tutorial.

You can replace a library object in your plan with a different item from the library using the
Replace From Library
edit button. This can be particularly helpful if you have multiple
copies of the same object throughout the plan, as you might with a fixture like a sink or toilet,
and would like to replace them all at once.
To replace a library object
1.

While the Select Objects

2.

Click the Replace From Library

dialog.

3.

Select one of the Replacement Options to replace the current object only, all identical
objects in the room, or all identical objects on the current floor.
Click the Library button to select a replacement item from the library.
Click OK to return to the Replace From Library dialog, then click OK once more.

4.
5.

tool is active, click on the bed to select it.

edit button to open the Replace From Library

Applying Room Moldings

In Chief Architect, you can specify base, crown and chair rail moldings for any room. The
library contains a selection of molding profiles; and in addition, you can create your own
profiles and save them for future use. For more information, see Trim and Molding on page
639 of the Reference Manual.

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Applying Room Moldings

To add crown molding to a room

Moldings can be added in floor plan or any camera view. So that you can see the results more
quickly, begin by creating a camera view of the master bedroom. See To create a camera
view on page 40 for information about using the Full Camera

tool.

1.

Click the Select Objects

button or press the Spacebar, then click in a blank space on
the floor of the room to select it.

2.

Click the Open Object

master bedroom.
On the Moldings panel:

3.

edit button to open the Room Specification dialog for the

Uncheck Use Floor Default, and then click the Add New button.
In the Select Library Object dialog, either search or browse to find a chair rail profile
that you like. When you find one, select it and click OK. For more information, see
Select Library Object Dialog on page 820 of the Reference Manual.
If you wish, you can specify the Height and Width of the selected molding. In this
tutorial, a Height of 2 inches is specified.
Select "Chair Rail" from the Type drop-down list.

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Notice that the From Floor value equals the rooms Finished Ceiling Height on the
Structure panel. Set this value to 32" inches.
Click OK to close the Room Specification dialog.
Crown moldings can be applied to a room in the same manner. Base moldings are already
applied in most room types by default, but can be edited, removed or added here, as well.

When you have finished, remember to Save

your work.

Applying Wall Coverings

Wall coverings can be used in addition to a walls surface material to create accents like
wallpaper borders or wainscoting. For more information about wall coverings, see Wall
Materials on page 276 of the Reference Manual.
To apply a wall covering
1.
2.

110

Select the master bedroom and click the Open Object

Specification dialog.
On the Wall Covering panel:

edit button to open the Room

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Applying Wall Coverings

Click the Add New button to open the Select Material dialog.
Select an appropriate material for your wall covering, and click OK. In this example, a
Natural Beadboard material is used.
Change the Height to 28 inches, and change the Floor to Bottom value to 3 1/2 inches
to allow for the distance between the base and chair rail moldings.
Click OK to close the Room Specification dialog.

Additional wall covering materials can be downloaded into the Manufacturer Catalogs. See Downloading Library Content on page 809 of the Reference Manual.

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Creating a Trey Ceiling

There are several different ways to create a trey ceiling in Chief Architect: Polyline Solids,
Primitive objects, and even Soffits can be used to create the lowered ceiling surfaces. Creating
a room within a room is another method that works well for some styles of trey ceiling.
To create a trey ceiling with fan
1. Select File> Close to close the currently active camera view and return to the floor plan.
2. Select a ceiling fan in the Library Browser and place it near the middle of the master
bedroom. For information about how to do this, see To use the Library Search to locate a
symbol and place it in the plan on page 105.

3.

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Select Build> Wall> Polygon Shaped Room

Room dialog.

to open the New Polygon Shaped

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Specify the Number of Sides as 8, and the Side Length to 48".

Click OK, and then click near the center of the ceiling fan to create the polygon
shaped room.

The program automatically creates an invisible wall to prevent the

new room from becoming an island room. For more information,
see Room Definition on page 325 of the Reference Manual.
4.

Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall

, then hold down the Shift key on your
keyboard to drag a marquee around the octagonal room to group select its walls

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5.

Click the Open Object

edit tool to open the Wall Specification dialog. On the General
panel, check the boxes beside Railing and Invisible, then click OK.

6.

Click the Select Objects

Bedroom area to select it.

7.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Room Specification dialog. On the
Structure panel, set the Finished Ceiling Height to 98" and click OK.
Next, select the small octagonal room and open its Room Specification dialog.

8.

button or press the Spacebar, then click in the main Master

On the General panel, uncheck Show Room Label.

On the Structure panel, verify that this rooms Rough Ceiling Height is still set to the
default of 109 1/8".

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9.

Also on the Structure panel, click the Ceiling Finish button, and change the surface
material in the Ceiling Finish Definition dialog. For more information, see Floor and
Ceiling Platform Definitions on page 338 of the Reference Manual.
Go to the Moldings panel:

Uncheck Default, then click the Add New button to open the Select Library Object
dialog and choose a crown molding profile.
Set the profiles Height to 10", its Width to 4", and its Type as "Crown Molding" and
click OK.
Create a 3D view to see the results. See To create a camera view on page 40 for information
about using the Full Camera

tool.

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If you would like, you can continue adding interior elements from the Library Browser before
continuing to work on this plan in the Kitchen and Bath Design Tutorial.

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Chapter 5:

Kitchen and Bath

Design Tutorial

This tutorial continues where the Interior Design Tutorial left off. You should save this tutorial
using a new name to archive your previous work.
The tools and techniques used to design kitchens and bathrooms are very similar. This tutorial
focuses on kitchen design. When youre finished you can use what youve learned to finish up
the bathrooms as well. In this tutorial you will learn about:

Adding Cabinets
Placing Appliances
Editing Cabinets and Appliances
Creating a Cabinet Island

Creating Architectural Blocks

Editing Cabinets and Appliances
Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

Adding Cabinets
Begin by selecting File> Save As

, and name the plan BeachHouse - Kitchen Bath Tutorial.

To place a base cabinet

1.

Zoom

in on the Kitchen area in floor plan view.

2.
3.

Select Build> Cabinet> Base Cabinet

.
Click to place a base cabinet anywhere in the kitchen.

Once a cabinet is placed, it can be edited like other objects.

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To select and edit a cabinet

1. Cabinets can be selected using one of the following methods.
Click on the cabinet while the Select Objects

2.

tool is active.

Click on the cabinet while any of the Cabinet Tools

are active.
Right-click on the cabinet when another tool is active.
When the cabinet is selected, edit handles and a front indicator display. The arrow that
displays when the pointer is held over an edit handle as well as the Status Bar indicate
what function that handle will perform. See Editing Box-Based Objects on page 201 of
the Reference Manual.
Move edit
handle
Extend edit
handle

Front
indicator

Resize edit
handles

Rotate edit
handle

Move a cabinet using the Move edit handle. By default, you can move a cabinet
parallel to its sides or its front and back edges. To allow unrestricted movement, hold
down the Ctrl key or click and drag using the right mouse button.
Resize two sides of a cabinet using a Resize edit handle, located in each corner.
Extend a cabinets edge on one side using an Extend edit handle.
Rotate a cabinet using the Rotate edit handle, which is always offset to one side.
A temporary dimension updates as the cabinet is moved or resized.
3.

When a cabinet is selected, you can also click the Open Object
edit button to open its
specification dialog and make a wide variety of changes to the cabinet. For more
information, see Cabinet Specification Dialog on page 682 of the Reference Manual.

To lay out base cabinets for this tutorial

1. Place and position six base cabinets and edit their widths as shown in the following image:

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Adding Cabinets

Two of the cabinets are 36", two are 24" wide, one is 33" and one is 27" wide.
A cabinet snaps to another if they are in alignment, facing the same direction, and of
the same type.
Note: The display of cabinet module lines has been turned on in the following images.
See Displaying Cabinets on page 670 of the Reference Manual for more information.

To create corner cabinets

1. Select the 36" wide base cabinet on the left.

2.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Base Cabinet Specification dialog. On
the General panel:
Specify a Width greater than the Depth. The selected cabinets width should already
have been changed to 36", which works well with a 24" depth. If it isnt, change it to
36" now.
Click the Special drop-down list and select "Corner".
On the Front panel, uncheck the box beside Diagonal Door.
Click OK to change the cabinet into a corner cabinet.

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3.
4.

With the cabinet still selected, use its Rotate edit handle to rotate it so its back faces the
wall corner if necessary.
A different approach can be used to create a corner cabinet in the right corner. Begin by
selecting the cabinet on the right and pressing the Delete key or clicking the Delete
edit button.

5.
6.

Select Build> Cabinet> Base Cabinet

, then move your mouse pointer into the corner.
When the cabinet preview changes to a corner cabinet, click once.
Uncheck Diagonal Door for this new cabinet as described in step #2, above.

To move a row of cabinets, select one cabinet, then click and drag the Move edit
handle towards the other cabinets. The selected cabinet will push the others. See
Bumping/Pushing on page 215 of the Reference Manual.

To place wall cabinets

1.
2.

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Select Build> Cabinet> Wall Cabinet

.
Click above the left corner base cabinet to place a wall cabinet as shown.

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Adding Cabinets

3.

4.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Wall Cabinet Specification dialog:
On the General panel, specify a Width of 33".
On the Door/Drawer panel, change the Door Style to "Framed", and check the box
beside Glass Doors.
On the Moldings panel, click the Add New button to add crown molding to the
cabinet.
In this example, a crown molding profile with a Height of 2 1/2", a Width of 2 1/2",
and a Vertical Offset of - 2 1/2" is used. For more details, see To add crown molding
to a room on page 109.
Click OK to apply these changes to the wall cabinet.
With the wall cabinet still selected:
Click the Copy/Paste

edit button.

Click the Reflect About Object

edit button.
Move your mouse pointer into the center of the room so that the room becomes
highlighted.
When you see a dashed vertical line running through the center of the room, click
once. The dashed line is a reflection axis, and a copy of the cabinet will be created on
the opposite side of the kitchen, aligned with the original.

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Note: The display of cabinet face indicator lines has been turned on in the following
images. See Displaying Cabinets on page 670 of the Reference Manual for more information.

With the wall cabinets in place, you may want to add soffits to enclose the space between them
and the ceiling.
To place soffits
1.
2.

Select Build> Cabinet> Soffit

then click above the wall cabinets to place soffits.
Adjust their width and orientation to match the wall cabinets below.

When objects are very close to one another in floor plan view, it may be difficult to
select the intended object. When an object is selected, click the Select Next Object
edit button or press the Tab key to select a nearby object. See Select Next Object on
page 181 of the Reference Manual.

For more information about cabinets, see Cabinets on page 661 of the Reference Manual.

Placing Appliances
Appliances come in two basic varieties, freestanding and built-in. For more information about
library objects such as appliances, see The Library on page 801 of the Reference Manual.

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Placing Appliances

To place a freestanding appliance

1.
2.
3.

4.

Select View> Library Browser

to open the Library Browser.
In the Core Catalogs, browse to Architectural> Appliances> Refrigerators, locate a
refrigerator, and select it.
On the left side of the kitchen, click in the empty space below the base corner cabinet to
place the refrigerator.

In the Appliances catalog, find an electric range and place it in the empty space on the right
side of the kitchen.

To place a built-in appliance

1.
2.
3.
4.

Select View> Library Browser

to open the Library Browser.
In the Core Catalogs, browse to Architectural> Fixtures> Sinks, locate a sink, and select it
for placement. In this example, the Self Rimming Offset 32" sink is used.
Click on the base cabinet near the top of the screen that is 33" wide to insert the sink into
that cabinet.
In Core Catalogs> Architectural> Appliances> Dishwashers, select a dishwasher for
placement, and click on the cabinet to the right of the sink.

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Only one front mounted fixture can be inserted in this manner. Additional
front fixtures can be added in the Cabinet Specification dialog. For more
information, see Front Panel on page 685 of the Reference Manual.

Editing Cabinets and Appliances

Like most objects, cabinets and appliances can be edited in their specification dialogs. This
method allows a higher degree of customization than using just the edit handles.
To edit cabinets in the Cabinet Specification dialog
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.
6.

Select the cabinet to the left of the sink and click the Open Object
edit button to open
the Base Cabinet Specification dialog.
Click on the upper separation between the countertop and the drawer in the preview image
on the right side of the dialog. Notice that clicking anywhere on the preview takes you to
the Front panel.
Click the Add New button to open the New Cabinet Face Item dialog.

Click the Item Type drop-down list and select "Cutting Board." Assign an Item Height of
1 inch and click OK to return to the Cabinet Specification dialog.
A new Cutting Board face item, as well as a new Separation, will be added below the
separation that you selected.
Click OK to close the Base Cabinet Specification dialog.
Shelves can also be specified for a cabinet with an opening. For more information, see Cabinet Shelf Specification Dialog on page 695 of the Reference Manual.

These steps can be used to create a wide variety of cabinet front configurations, such as a bank
of drawers.
To edit appliances in the Fixture Specification dialog
1.
2.

124

Select the refrigerator and click the Open Object

Specification dialog.
On the General panel, change the Depth to 28.

edit button to open the Fixture

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Creating a Cabinet Island

3.

Check the box next to Reverse Symbol and click OK.

Finally, add some narrow base cabinets to fill in the gaps beside the appliances. You can also
add a wall cabinet and soffit above the range.

Creating a Cabinet Island

A cabinet island with custom countertop can also be created using the Cabinet Tools. For more
information, see Editing Custom Countertops on page 670 of the Reference Manual.
To create a cabinet island
1.
2.

Select Build> Cabinet> Base Cabinet

kitchen area.

, then click to place a base cabinet in the

Select the cabinet and click the Open Object

edit button to open the Base Cabinet

Specification dialog.

On the General panel, specify a Width of 33" and a Depth of 27".

On the Front panel, create three Double Drawers with an Item Height of 7 1/2".

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For more information on customizing the cabinet face, such as using the
Split Vertical and Split Horizontal settings, see Front Panel on page 685 of
the Reference Manual.

On the Door/Drawer panel, set the Drawer Handle to Knob.

Click OK to close the dialog and apply your changes.
3.

126

With the Base Cabinet still selected, click the Copy/Paste

edit button, then:
Click and drag the Move edit handle downward on screen until the preview outline
snaps directly below the existing cabinet.
Release the mouse button to create a copy of the original cabinet, as in the image
below:

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Creating a Cabinet Island

For the next portion of this tutorial, the display of cabinet labels is turned off. To do this, select
Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options
. In the Layer Display Options dialog, locate the
"Cabinets, Labels" layer, remove the checkmark in the Disp column, and click OK.
To create a custom countertop
1.

Click the Select Objects

select it.

2.

Click the Generate Custom Countertop

edit button. A new Custom Countertop
polyline will be created, replacing the cabinets countertop, and will be selected.
With the new custom countertop selected, use its edit handles to reshape it so it covers all
of the island cabinets.
Click on the bottom vertical edge of the countertop polyline to make it the Selected Edge.
For more information, see Selected Edge on page 179 of the Reference Manual.

3.
4.
5.

button, then click on the island cabinet closest to the sink to

Click the Change Line/Arc

edit button to change the Selected Edge from a straight
line into a curved arc.
Use the triangular Reshape edit handle located along the arcs radius to adjust the
curvature of the arc.
To temporarily suppress snapping, you can hold down the Ctrl key while you drag the
Reshape handle.

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6.

Create a Full Camera

view to see the results.

A Custom Countertop can also be drawn using the Custom Countertop

tool and have an
edge molding applied to it. For more information, see Custom Countertops on page 669 of
the Reference Manual.

Creating Architectural Blocks

Groups of items can be blocked together and saved to the library for use in other plans.
To create an architectural block
1. While in floor plan view, group select all objects you would like to include in the
architectural block.
2. One way to group select the objects is to hold down the Shift key and select additional
objects to add them to the selection set. There are many other ways to select and group
select objects. For more information, see Selecting Objects on page 178 of the Reference
Manual.

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Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

3.

Click the Make Architectural Block

edit button.

To add an object to the library

1. Select the architectural block.
2.
3.

Click the Add to Library

edit button to add the architectural block to the User Catalog
in the Library Browser.
Right-click on the new item in the User Catalog and select Rename from the contextual
menu to change the name from "Untitled" to something descriptive like "Kitchen Bar".

If you want, you can organize the content in your User Catalog by creating folders and then
moving items into those folders. For more, see Organizing the Library on page 814 of the
Reference Manual.
To explode an architectural block
1. Select an architectural block.
2.

Click the Explode Architectural Block

edit button.

Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

Like other objects, cabinets can be edited in cross section/elevation views. This method of
editing is powerful because it allows objects to be easily edited in vertical space. Next well
edit wall cabinets and add a range hood. For more information about working in 3D views, see
Working in 3D on page 898 of the Reference Manual.

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To create an elevation view

1.

In floor plan view, select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Wall Elevation
and drag a line of sight pointed directly at the range.

2.

Zoom

. Click

in as needed.

To edit the cabinets in an elevation view

1.
2.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click on the wall cabinet above the range.
Click on the cabinets bottom edit handle and drag it upwards.

3.

When the temporary dimension indicates that the cabinet height is 18 inches, release the
mouse button.
Note: If you do not see Temporary Dimensions when an object is selected, select
View> Temporary Dimensions to toggle this feature back on.

To place a range hood

1. Find a range hood in the Fixtures catalog and select it for placement.
2. Click above the range to place the hood.
3. If necessary, you can adjust its position and size using its edit handles.
4. When you are finished, Close the elevation view and return to floor plan view.

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Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

Additional drawing tools are available in Cross Section/Elevation views that can be used to add
detail to kitchens and, as in the following example, baths.
To add tile to a bathroom wall
1.

Go Up One Floor

2.

Select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Wall Elevation

, then click and drag a
camera arrow in the Master Bath, in the direction of the bathtub

3.

In the Wall Elevation view, select Build> Wall> Wall Material Region
then click
once on the wall to fill its entire surface.
Use the edit handles to resize the Material Regions top and bottom so that it starts above
the bathtub and extends up 4.

4.

to Floor 2.

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5.
6.
7.

8.

With the Material Region still selected, click the Open Object
edit tool to open the
Material Region Specification dialog.
On the Structure panel, click the Material Layers Edit button.
In the Material Layers Definition dialog:
Click in the Thickness field for Layer 1 to select that layer for editing.
Click the Select Material button.
In the Select Material dialog, search for or browse to the 3/16" Dusk Tile subway tile
material in the Core Catalogs.
Click OK to close both dialogs and apply your change.

9.

Select Build> Wall> Wall Material Region

, then click and drag to draw a new
rectangular region above the first.
Using its edit handles, stretch it across the wall and make it 6" in height.
Assign a mosaic tile such as Glass Tile 02 to this region.
10. Create one more Wall Material Region above the last that is 18" in height and uses the
Dusk Tile material.

If you want to adjust how the tile materials are mapped to the wall surface,
see Determining the Origin on page 840 of the Reference Manual.

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Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

Dimensions can be added to objects displayed in Cross Section/Elevation views, including

cabinetry. To begin, return to your Floor Plan view, if you havent already.
To add dimensions in a cross section/elevation view

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

On Floor 2, select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Wall Elevation

, then in the
Master Bath, click and drag a view towards the cabinet containing the sink.
With the Wall Elevation active, select Edit> Default Settings> Dimension> Dimensions
and click on the Edit button to display the Saved Dimension Defaults dialog.
With the current active default highlighted, click the Edit button to open the Dimension
Defaults dialog.
On the Primary Format panel, select " from the drop-down list.
On the Locate Objects panel, under the "Cabinets" heading, check the options that you
want dimensions to locate. For this example, select Sides, Countertop, Backsplash, Toe
Kick and Moldings, then click OK.

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6.

Still in the Wall Elevation view, select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options
to
open the Layer Display Options dialog. Locate the "Cross Section Lines" layer, remove
the checkmark in the Disp column, and click OK.

7.

Next, select CAD> Dimension> Manual Dimension

dimension line over the cabinet, from top to bottom.

, and click and drag to draw a

Finishing Touches
A wide variety of furniture, accessories, and other items is available in the Library Browser at
Core Catalogs> Interiors, which you can use to furnish this and other plans.
To use the Cross Section Slider and Final View tools

134

1.

In floor plan view, click Fill Window

2.

Create a Full Camera

view that begins on the exterior of the structure, near the
kitchen, and release the mouse button in the kitchen. See To create a camera view on
page 40.

3.

Use the Mouse-Orbit Camera

tool to adjust the cameras perspective. If you want,
you can turn off the display of the backdrop in the 3D View Defaults dialog. For more
information, see 3D View Defaults Dialog on page 873 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Select 3D> Camera View Options> Cross Section Slider

Slider dialog.

to open the Cross Section

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Working in Cross Section/Elevation Views

5.

Select the flat cut line and use the Position slider to specify the location of the cutting
plane. See Cross Section Slider on page 897 of the Reference Manual.

6.

Select 3D> Camera View Options> Final View

7.

Be sure to Save

to create a higher quality final view.

your work.

If you would like, you can continue working on this plan in the Materials Tutorial. To learn
how to arrange views of your model on a page for printing, see the Layout Tutorial.

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Chapter 6:

Materials
Tutorial

Materials display on the surfaces of objects in 3D views and can make a 3D view appear highly
realistic. When applied to most objects, material quantities will also be calculated in the
Materials List.
This tutorial continues from where the Kitchen and Bath Design Tutorial ended. You may want
to save this tutorial using a new name to archive your previous work. In this tutorial you will
learn about:

Setting Materials Defaults

Using the Materials Panel
Using the Material Painter
Blending Colors with Materials

Using the Material Eyedropper

Using the Color Chooser
Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops
Generating a Materials List

Setting Materials Defaults

Material default settings determine the materials used by different objects when they are
initially created. Setting the correct material defaults before beginning a project may help you
save time. For more information, see Preferences and Default Settings on page 69 of the
Reference Manual.

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To set material defaults

138

to open the Default Settings dialog.

1.

Select Edit> Default Settings

2.

There are a two options. You can do either or both:

Select an item in the tree list and click the Edit button to open the defaults dialog for
that type of object. The default dialogs for architectural objects such as doors and
windows have a Materials panel that allows you to set the material defaults for object
components. See Using the Materials Panel on page 139.
Select Materials and click the Edit button to open the Material Defaults dialog. Here
you can set the material defaults for many different objects, including some that do not
have default dialogs. See Material Defaults on page 830 of the Reference Manual.

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Using the Materials Panel

3.

When you are finished, click OK to close the defaults dialog, then click Done to close the
Default Settings dialog.

Once an object has been placed in a plan, the materials applied to it can be changed in a number
of ways.

Using the Materials Panel

Most objects materials can be assigned in their specification dialog in both 2D and 3D views.
The materials used by a door, for example, can be edited on the Materials panel of the Door
Specification dialog. For more information, see Materials Panel on page 834 of the
Reference Manual.
To change material on an object using the Materials panel
1.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click on the double door leading from the master
bedroom to the deck on Floor 2 to select it.

2.

Click the Open Object

edit button to open the Door Specification dialog.

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3.

4.
5.
6.

140

Select one of the doors components from the list on the left.

Click on the name of a material component in the tree list to select it.
Click the Select Material button to open the Select Material dialog.
Find and select a material and click OK. to apply it to the selected component.
You can continue to specify component materials. The preview in the dialog updates as
changes are made. When finished, click OK to close the specification dialog.
Create a Full Camera

view of the door to see the results.

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Using the Material Painter

The materials used in individual rooms can also be specified. Rooms can be selected in both
floor plan and 3D views:

In floor plan view, click in an empty space within a room. When selected, the whole room is
highlighted. If you accidentally select an object other than the room, you can press the Tab
key on the keyboard until the room is selected.

In camera views and overviews, click on the floor of the room to select it.

To edit a room using the Materials panel

1.

Select the master bedroom and click the Open Object

to open the Room

Specification dialog.

2.
3.
4.

In the tree list on the Materials panel, select "Molding" under the Crown Molding
component and click the Select Material button.
In the Select Material dialog, select a material and click OK to close the dialog.
Click OK to close the Room Specification dialog.

5.

The results can be seen in a Full Camera

view.

Using the Material Painter

The Material Painter
3D view.

tool allows you to select a material and then apply it to an object in a

There are five Material Painter Modes which specify how broadly or narrowly the selected
material will be applied to surfaces in your plan. In this tutorial, the Component Mode is used.
For more information, see The Material Painter on page 831 of the Reference Manual.

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To apply a material using the Material Painter

1.

While still in the 3D view of the door, select 3D> Material Painter
there is a checkmark next to Material Painter Component Mode

142

and confirm that

.

2.

Click the Material Painter

button to open the Select Material dialog. Browse to
Flooring> Carpeting, select a carpet material, and click OK.

3.

Move your cursor into the 3D view and notice that it displays a spray can icon

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Using the Material Painter

4.

Click on the floor of the master bedroom to apply the selected material to that surface,
which is a component of the room.

You can also place an area rug symbol from the library in a room and assign to it
whatever material you wish. See Placing Library Objects on page 818.

With the Material Painter

tool you can apply a material to nearly any surface, including
many that cant be individually selected like the base molding on a wall or the frame of a
window. When either the Component
or Object
Modes is active, you can continue to
apply the selected material to objects until a different tool is selected.
To add artwork to a frame
1.

A variety of frames can be found in the Interiors library category. Place a wall or desk
frame in your plan and create a camera view in which it can be seen.

2.

Select 3D> Material Painter and confirm that there is a checkmark next to Material
Painter Component Mode

3.

Click the Material Painter

button to open the Select Material dialog and choose a
painting, photo or print from the Artwork library.

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4.

Move your cursor over the middle area of the frame and click to apply the selected
artwork.

The artwork displayed in a frame can also be specified in the frames specification dialog. See
Symbol Object Specification Dialogs on page 825 of the Reference Manual.

Blending Colors with Materials

Instead of using the Material Painter to replace a material with a new one, you can use it with
the Blend Colors With Materials
feature to blend a color with a textured material such as
the carpet in the master bedroom and create a new material. For more information, see Blend
Colors With Materials on page 833 of the Reference Manual.
To blend a color with a texture
1.

In a 3D view, select 3D> Material Painter> Material Painter

2.

In the Select Library Object dialog, select a solid color for the carpet from the Generic
Colors library, then click OK.

3.

When you move your cursor into the view, it displays a paint roller icon
When Blend Colors with Materials

is active and a solid color is loaded in the

Material Painter, your cursor displays the paint roller icon

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Using the Material Eyedropper

If you see the spray can icon

4.

instead, select 3D> Material Painter> Blend

Colors With Materials

or click the Blend Colors With Materials edit button to
turn this feature on.
Click on the carpet to blend the selected color with the carpet texture. The result is a new
material with the textured appearance of the carpet as well as the color you selected.

Using the Material Eyedropper

The Material Eyedropper

tool allows you to load a material that can be seen on a surface

in a 3D view into the Material Painter

tool and then apply it to another surface. For
example, in the master bedroom the wood material assigned to the crown molding is different
than the material assigned to the chair rail and base molding.They can easily be made the same
using the Material Eyedropper

tool.

1.

Return to the Camera view.

2.

Select 3D> Material Painter> Material Eyedropper

pointer displays an eyedropper icon

and notice that the mouse

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3.

Click once on the crown molding to load the wood material. Notice that the mouse pointer

4.

changes to a spray can

, indicating that the loaded material is ready to apply to another
object.
Click on the chair rail and base moldings to apply the loaded material.

Using the Color Chooser

With the Color Chooser
you can load any color that is displayed on your monitor and save
it to the library for use in your plans.

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Using the Color Chooser

To create a new material using the Color Chooser

to open the Color Chooser dialog.

1.

Select Tools> Color Chooser

2.

Place your mouse pointer over the eyedropper at the right of the dialog, then click and drag
the eyedropper to an open image on your screen.

3.

Release the mouse button to load the color, then click the Create Material button in the
Color Chooser dialog. Click OK to close the Color Chooser dialog.

4.

The new "Custom Color" is now saved in the User Catalog with its R, G, B colors specified
in its name. It can be renamed and moved, and is available for use in any plan.

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Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops

Chief Architect allows you to customize your 3D views by importing your own materials,
image objects, and backdrops that display in 3D views. For more information about images, see
Pictures, Images, and Walkthroughs on page 1097 of the Reference Manual.
Note: The following steps make use of image files that are not included with the program.
You can use your own image files to create materials, images, and backdrops.

Creating Materials
You can create your own custom materials and save them in the library for use in any plan.
Many materials are represented in 3D views using textures, which are digital images that have
been specially edited to tile seamlessly when applied to a 3D surface. Bear in mind, therefore,
that not all images will necessarily serve as effective material textures.
To add a new material to the library

148

1.

Select View> Library Browser

or press Ctrl + L to open the Library Browser.

2.
3.

Right-click on the User Catalog and select New> Material

from the contextual menu.
In the Define Material dialog, give the new material a short, descriptive Name.

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Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops

4.

On the Texture panel, click the Browse button to open the Select Texture File dialog,
where you can choose an image file saved on your computer to be the new materials
texture.

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5.

Select an image file and click the Open button to return to the Define Material dialog.

6.

Specify the Scale of the texture, which controls how large the image will appear on the
surfaces it is applied to.
On the Properties panel, specify the Material Class and attributes of the material. A Matte
material will most closely resemble cloth, which is what this material will be used for.
Click OK to add the new material to the User Catalog.

7.
8.

For more information, see Define Material Dialog on page 846 of the Reference Manual.

Creating Images
In Chief Architect, image objects are more than just 2D pictures. Images have size and height
attributes and can contain transparency information. In floor plan view, they display only as 2D
symbols; but in 3D views, the visual information that images contain can be seen.
To create an image and save it to the library
1.

150

Right-click on the User Catalog folder, then select New> Image

from the contextual
menu to open the Image Specification dialog. For more information, see Image
Specification Dialog on page 1101 of the Reference Manual.

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Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops

2.

On the Image panel, click the Browse button and browse to an image file saved on your
computer. Here, an image of a cat that has transparency data associated with it is used;
however, you can use any image.

3.
4.

Click Open to return to the Image Specification dialog.

On the Image panel, enter the Height or Width, adjusting one will adjust the other,
maintaining the correct proportion. Enter a Height Above Ground value to specify the

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elevation at which the image displays. A value of 24 inches works well in this case as well
be placing the image on a piece of furniture.

5.

6.

Specify the transparency settings on the Transparency panel. Since this example is a png
file with transparency already applied, selecting Use Transparency From the Image File
is the best choice.
Click OK to close the Image Specification dialog and add the new image to the My
Images category in the Images library.

Images can be placed in a plan just as plants, furnishings and fixtures are: by selecting the
image and clicking any floor plan view, camera view or overview.

Importing Backdrops
Backdrops are images that display behind 3D views. In Chief Architect, you can take a photo
of a site, save it to the library as a backdrop, and display it behind 3D views to create a realistic
rendering of your model and its surrounding view.
To import a backdrop and save it to the library
1.

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Select File> Import> Backdrop

and browse to an image on your computer.

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Custom Materials, Images, and Backdrops

2.

Select the image and click Open to add it to the User Catalog.

To apply a backdrop to 3D views

1.
2.

Select 3D> 3D View Defaults

to open the 3D View Defaults dialog.

On the Backdrop panel, click the Select Backdrop button to open the Select Library
Object dialog.

3.

Click the Select Backdrop button and in the Select Library Object dialog, find and select
your new backdrop in the User Catalog and click OK.

4.

Click OK to close the 3D View Defaults dialog.

You can see your custom material, image, and backdrop by creating a Full Camera

view.

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Generating a Materials List

To conclude this tutorial, well generate a materials list for the house. You can generate a
materials list for a single room, an area of the plan on one floor, or the whole plan. For more
information, see Materials Lists on page 1245 of the Reference Manual.
Note: The Materials List is only a rough cost estimate. Always compare the Materials List
with a manual take-off before providing a quote or ordering materials for a project.

To generate a materials list for the whole plan

1.

Select Tools> Materials List> Calculate Materials for All Floors

generated for all floors of the house.

2.
3.

Locate the an item, such as one under the Fixtures category.

Click in the Price column and type in a value. Notice that the subtotal and Total both
update to reflect the pricing change. You can specify prices for every material in your plan,
allowing you to generate a cost estimate.

4.

If you wish, you can select File> Export Materials List

and save the list as a Tabdelimited .txt file, comma-delimited .csv file, Excel .xml file, or .html file.
Close the materials list by selecting File> Close Window from the menu. A dialog will
give you the opportunity to name and save the Materials List before closing, if you wish.

5.

. A materials list is

You can generate a materials list to estimate the cost of an entire plan or just a portion of a plan.
For more information, see Materials Lists on page 1245 of the Reference Manual.
To calculate a materials list for an individual room
1.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click in a room to select it.

2.

With the room selected, click the Calculate Materials for Room

edit button or select

Tools> Materials List> Calculate Materials for Room

. The program calculates a list
of the objects and materials contained in the selected room.
To calculate a materials list for just the deck
1.
2.

In floor plan view, select Tools> Materials List> Calculate from Area
.
Click and drag a rectangle surrounding the an area to display a materials list for the area
within the rectangle. The resulting materials list only includes objects and materials
located within the rectangle.

3.

When you have finished, remember to Save

your work.

When you are ready, you can continue working on this plan in the Landscaping Tutorial.

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Chapter 7:

Landscaping Tutorial

This tutorial describes how to use Chief Architects Terrain Tools. In it, you will learn how to
add elevation information to your terrain, how to create terrain features, and how to add plants
and other objects from the library.
It is a good idea to become familiar with the Terrain Tools before beginning your own terrain
project.
In this tutorial, you will learn about:

Creating a Terrain Perimeter

Creating a Walkout Basement
Creating a Retaining Wall

Adding a Driveway
Adding Library Objects to Your Plan

This tutorial continues from where the Materials Tutorial left off, so you may want to save this
plan using a new name to archive your previous work.

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Creating a Terrain Perimeter

The Terrain Perimeter is a closed polyline that defines the boundary of the terrain that generates
in 3D views, and of the contour lines that generate in floor plan view. It can also be used to
represent a lot boundary. See Terrain Perimeter on page 702 of the Reference Manual.
To create and resize a terrain perimeter
1.

On Floor 1 of your plan, select Terrain> Create Terrain Perimeter

from the menu or
click the corresponding toolbar button. See Toolbar Arrangement on page 125 of the
Reference Manual.
If this menu option is not available in a given plan file, a terrain perimeter already
exists.

156

2.

Select Window> Fill Window

to fill the screen with the Terrain Perimeter.

3.

Select View> Temporary Dimensions

and make sure temporary dimensions are
turned on. When they are enabled, a checkmark displays at the bottom corner of the tool
icon.

4.

Select the Terrain Perimeter by clicking on either the left or right vertical edges. Notice the
temporary dimension indicating that the selected edge of the Terrain Perimeter is 100 feet
from the opposite edge.

5.

Click on the temporary dimension and enter 150 feet using an apostrophe to denote feet
(150), then press Enter. The program will default to inches if no apostrophe is included.
For more information about using dimensions to relocate objects, see Moving Objects
Using Dimensions on page 986 of the Reference Manual.

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Creating a Terrain Perimeter

6.

Select the top edge of the Terrain Perimeter and use the temporary dimension to position it
200 feet from the opposite edge using the same technique.

7.

Click Window> Fill Window

to fill the screen with the Terrain Perimeter.

The Reference Grid, or Virtual Graph Paper, is a visual aid that helps create a
sense of scale when drawing. The Reference Grid is turned off for these tutorials
but can be turned on or off in the Plan Defaults dialog. See General Plan Defaults Dialog on page 84 of the Reference Manual.

Your house may already be centered on the Terrain Perimeter. If it is not, you can move it.
To move the terrain perimeter
1.

Select the Terrain Perimeter and place your pointer over the Move edit handle.

2.

Move the Terrain Perimeter so that the house is centered.

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In addition to adjusting the size of your rectangular Terrain Perimeter, you can also use the
Change Line/Arc

and Break Line

edit tools to modify its shape.

To edit the shape of the terrain perimeter

1.

To place a break on the right segment of the Terrain Perimeter, creating a new corner edit
handle at that location, and two separate edges on either side of that handle, use the Break
Line

158

edit tool.

2.

You can then use the new edit handles to adjust the size and shape of the Terrain Perimeter.
For more information, see Editing Closed-Polyline Based Objects on page 196 of the
Reference Manual.

3.

Select the bottom edge of the Terrain Perimeter, and click the Change Line/Arc
edit
button, and notice that this segment changes in to an Arc, which can then be modified
using its edit handles. For more information on modifying arcs, see Editing Arc Based
Objects on page 186 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Changes to the shape of the Terrain Perimeter can be seen in 3D views as well as in floor
plan view.

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Creating a Terrain Perimeter

To tile floor plan view and a camera view, select Window> Tile Vertically
.
When a 3D view is active, press the I key or the O key to move the camera In or Out.

While you can work with two views tiled, you may see slower performance when you do. To
avoid this, simply close a 3D view when you are done viewing or working in it.

Displaying Lot Line Information

When plans are submitted for approval, bearing information for the lot perimeter is often
required.
To display bearing information in floor plan view
1.

Select the Terrain Perimeter and click the Open Object

2.

On the Line Style panel of the Terrain Specification dialog, check Show Length and
Show Angle, then click OK. See Terrain Specification Dialog on page 717 of the
Reference Manual.

edit button.

3.

Select Edit> Default Settings

to open the Default Settings dialog, browse to CAD>
General CAD and click on the Edit button to open the CAD Defaults dialog. See To
display bearing information in floor plan view on page 159.

4.

Click the radio button to Display Line Angle as Quadrant Bearing and click OK.

5.

Click Done to close the Default Settings dialog, and move the Terrain Perimeter so that it
looks similar to the image below.

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See Creating a Plot Plan on page 190 in the CAD Tutorial for information about creating a
plot plan using a propertys legal description.

Creating a Walkout Basement

Our terrain is currently flat because there is no elevation data in the plan. For more information
about elevation information, see Elevation Data Tools on page 705 of the Reference Manual.
You can display all of the tools in the Terrain menu on your toolbars by using the Terrain Configuration. See Toolbar Configurations on page 127 of the Reference Manual.

To add elevation information to your plan

1.

Select Window> Fill Window

2.

Using the Select Objects

Object

3.

160

to fill the window with the Terrain Perimeter.

tool, select the Terrain Perimeter and click on the Open

edit button to display the Terrain Specification dialog.

On the General panel, make sure Flatten Pad and Auto Calculate Elevation are
unchecked, and change the Elevation to 12 inches.

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Creating a Walkout Basement

4.
5.

Flatten Pad flattens the building pad around the house. When this is unchecked, the
terrain can slope where it intersects the house.
Auto Calculate Elevation places the house at average terrain height. When this is
unchecked, the buildings height relative to the terrain can be specified.
The Elevation is the distance between the default floor height of Floor 1 and a terrain
elevation of 0". In this example, an Elevation of 12 inches is used to lower the terrain
12 inches below the first floor.
Click OK to close the Terrain Specification dialog.
Next, Select Terrain> Elevation Data> Elevation Line
shown in the following image.

and draw elevation lines as

When the ends of an Elevation Lines are drawn near one another, they will snap
together to form a polyline.

6.

To enter elevation information, click the Select Objects

Line.

button and select an Elevation

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7.

Click the Open Object

edit button and on the Elevation panel of the Elevation Line
Specification dialog, enter an Elevation value.
Values entered are in inches unless the foot ( ' ) mark is added.
Negative values should be preceded with a hyphen (-).

8.

Select Terrain> Build Terrain

and notice the contour lines that are created in floor
plan view in between the Elevation Lines that you drew.

9.

To make it easier to draw, you may want to turn off the display of these lines. Select
Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options
to open the Layer Display Options dialog.
Remove the check from the Disp column for the layer Terrain, Primary Contours and
click OK. See Layer Display Options Dialog on page 144 of the Reference Manual for
more information.

Creating a Retaining Wall

Adding a retaining wall helps create a flat building pad near the garage. For more information
see Retaining Walls on page 714 of the Reference Manual.
To draw a retaining wall

162

1.

Go to Floor 1.

2.

Select Terrain> Wall and Curb> Straight Retaining Wall

sections as shown in the following image.

. Draw two straight wall

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Creating a Retaining Wall

3.

4.

Select Terrain> Terrain Wall and Curb> Curved Retaining Wall

and draw a
curved retaining wall that connects at both ends to the two straight sections. Dont worry
about the angle now: it will be adjusted in a moment.
Select the curved section then click the Make Arc Tangent

edit button to open the

Radius of Tangent Curved Wall dialog. Click OK to make the curved wall section tangent

to both straight sections. For more information, see Make Arc Tangent on page 284 of
the Reference Manual.

5.

Draw two Elevation Lines

just inside the retaining wall to define the height of this
area when terrain is generated. These Elevation Lines can stay at their default height of 0.

6.

Take a look in a Full Overview

. Your plan should look similar to the image below.

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Open 3D views are redrawn whenever changes are made to the plan, even if the
3D views are not active. Closing 3D views when they are not needed will help maximize your computers performance.

Adding a Driveway
A driveway can now be added to the plan.
To add a driveway to the plan
1.

Select File> Close to return to floor plan view. You should still be on Floor 1.

2.

Click the Fill Window

3.

Select Terrain> Driveway> Spline Driveway

button to fill your screen with the Terrain Perimeter.

then click and drag to draw one or

more driveway sections. Driveway sections drawn using the Driveway

when drawn end to end.
4.

164

tool will merge

Click and drag the Driveways edit handles to customize its shape as desired. See Editing
Spline Based Objects on page 204.

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Adding a Driveway

5.

Next, draw a Terrain> Road> Straight Road

Sidewalk

and Terrain> Sidewalk> Straight

to complete the design.

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6.

Finally, take a look at your plan in a Perspective Full Overview

Select 3D> Camera View Options> Final View
the quality of the view.

to see the results.

to smooth surface edges and improve

Adding Terrain Features

A beach, a water line, and a pathway to the house can be created using Terrain Features. For
more information, see Terrain Feature Tools on page 710 of the Reference Manual.
To create a beach

166

1.

Close the overview and return to floor plan view.

2.

Select Window> Fill Window

then select Window> Zoom Out
working space outside the Terrain Perimeter.

3.

Select Terrain> Feature> Rectangular Feature

extends to the boundaries of the Terrain Perimeter.

to give us some

and draw a Terrain Feature that

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Adding Terrain Features

4.

Select the Terrain Feature and click the Open Object

edit button to open the Terrain

Feature Specification dialog.

On the General panel, the Height should be at 0 inches.

On the Materials panel, select the Terrain Feature component in the tree list. Click the
Select Material button and choose a sand material from the Landscaping folder.
Click OK to close the Select Library Object dialog then click OK to close the Terrain
Feature Specification dialog and return to floor plan view.
5.

With the Terrain Feature still selected, use the Break Line
in the front of the rectangular feature.

edit tool to place two breaks

6.

Next, select one of the segments you have created, and click the Change Line/Arc
edit
tool, and use the triangular edit handle to adjust the shape of the curved segment, and
repeat this procedure for the remaining front segments of the Terrain Feature, as in the
image below.

7.

Take a look at the new beach in a Perspective Full Overview

. Notice that only the
portion of the Terrain Feature that is included within the Terrain Perimeter is modeled.

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To create a body of water

168

1.

Return to floor plan view, select Terrain> Water Feature> Round Pond
and draw
another spline feature, within the existing beach Terrain Feature and resize it similar to the
following image:

2.

Select the pond and click the Open Object

edit button. On the General panel of the
Terrain Feature Specification dialog, raise the Height to 1 inch. This will position the
water material above the beach.

3.

Click OK and take a look in a Perspective Full Overview

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Adding Terrain Features

4.

Using the techniques described above, you can create nearly any type of landscaping
features that you might want, such as raised garden beds, landscaping walls, stone patios
and ponds.

To use an Elevation Region

An Elevation Region contains absolute elevation data for an enclosed region and is ideal for
creating a flat surface in your terrain.
1.

Select Terrain> Elevation Data> Elevation Region

, then click and drag to draw a
rectangular region to the right of the structure in front of the door.

2.

Select the Elevation Region and click the Open Object

edit button. On the Elevation
panel of the Elevation Region Specification dialog, enter an Elevation of -8" and click
OK.

3.

Create a Perspective Full Overview

to see the changes that this makes to the terrain.

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4.

Return to floor plan view and select Build> Stairs> Click Stairs
, then click outside of
the doorway to create a set of stairs from the door down to the newly created Elevation
Region.

A typical walkout basement has an upper flat area where you enter the house on the first floor,
and a lower flat area where you walk out to ground level from the basement. You can create the
lower flat region by replacing the Elevation Line at that location with an Elevation Region that
has the same Elevation value of -110".

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Adding Library Objects to Your Plan

To add fencing and a gate

1.

Select Build> Fencing> Straight Fencing

then click and drag to create a basic fence.

2.

If the Library Browser is not open, select View> Library Browser

3.

In the Core Catalogs, browse to Architectural> Fences & Railings> Picket Gate, and click
on the fence at the location you want to add the gate.

to open it.

Adding Library Objects to Your Plan

The library contains many objects that can be added to a landscaping plan such as plant images,
exterior fixtures, and outdoor furniture. There are two ways to find objects in the library: by
browsing and by searching. For more information about library objects, see The Library on
page 801 of the Reference Manual.
To browse the Plants library category
1.

If the Library Browser is not open, select View> Library Browser

2.

In the Core Catalogs, browse to Plants> Trees> Deciduous.

to open it.

3.

Note the many tree species to choose from. Many of these folders contain subfolders with
different varieties of that species.

If you know exactly what tree you would like to place in your plan, browsing to it is an efficient
way to find and select it; however, with so many options available it is often helpful to perform
a search.

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To search using the Plant Chooser

1.

With the Library Browser still open, click the Plant Chooser
button at the bottom of
the Library Browser to open the Plant Chooser dialog. This dialog can also be opened by
selecting Terrain> Plant> Plant Chooser

2.

On the Plant Information panel, enter palm in the Common Names field, and click the
Search button to see the search results on the right.

3.

Above the search results, move the radio button to Common Name.

4.

Select a Coconut Palm from the search results, then:

Click the View Item button to open the Plant Information dialog, where you can read
size and growing information about the selected plant.

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Adding Library Objects to Your Plan

5.
6.

Click the Close button to close the dialog, locate the plant in the Library Browser, and
select it for placement.
Click in floor plan view or a 3D view to place the selected plant at that location. You can
continue placing the selected plant image until another tool or library object is selected.
Once you have placed a grouping of plants, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and
drag a marquee around the plant objects and click the Make Architectural Block
tool to block these items together.

7.

edit

Repeat this process for any additional plants that you want to place in your design.

Finishing Touches
1.

In the Library Browser

2.

The Exteriors catalog contains a selection of landscaping, deck and patio accessories,
outdoor furniture, and other objects that you can place in your plan.

, expand the Core Catalogs.

3.

Additional objects, such as Sprinkler Heads, exterior fixtures, and other objects such as
rocks can also be added to customize your landscaping design.

4.

When you have finished your landscaping design, create a Perspective Full Camera
view to see the results.

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Chapter 8:

Deck Tutorial

The Deck Tutorial continues where the Landscaping Tutorial left off, and explains how to
create a deck off the back of the house and connect it to the terrain with an exterior staircase.
You may want to save this tutorial using a new name to archive your previous work.
In this tutorial you will learn about:

Decks and Porches

Drawing Decks
Drawing Stairs

Changing Planking Orientation

Adding Exterior Furniture

Decks and Porches

Decks and porches are exterior rooms that are defined by the deck railings and exterior walls
that enclose them. When an exterior room is drawn using the Deck Railing
tool, the room
is automatically assigned the exterior room type of Deck. For more information, see Room
Types on page 329 of the Reference Manual.

Drawing Decks
Railings and Deck Railings are drawn just like walls. For more information, see Railing and
Deck Tools on page 260 of the Reference Manual.

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To draw a deck
1.

In floor plan view, select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

to open the Layer
Display Options dialog. Click in the Disp column to remove the checkmark for both the
"Terrain, Elevation Data" and "Plants" layers and click OK. See Layer Display Options
Dialog on page 144.

2.

Make sure Angle Snaps

and Object Snaps

3.

Go to Floor 0 and Zoom

in on the back portion of the house.

4.

Select Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing

5.

Draw five Deck Railings as shown in the following image. The angled railings are drawn
at a 45 angle to the others. For more information, see Drawing Walls on page 27.

are turned on.

The Status Bar at the bottom of the program window will state a walls length and
angle as it is being drawn.
Notice that when a room is created using Deck Railing
specified as a Deck and given a room label.

6.

Click the Select Objects

7.

Click the Open Object

, the room is automatically

button, then click in the Deck room to select it.

edit button to open the Room Specification dialog:

On the Structure panel, note that by default, Roof Over This Room and Ceiling Over
This Room are unchecked for Deck rooms. You can select these options if you would
like; however, for this tutorial they will remain unchecked.
8.

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Create a Full Camera

view showing the first floor deck and notice that the program
automatically generated planking, posts, and beams.

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Drawing Stairs

Drawing Stairs
A set of stairs can now be drawn to connect the deck to the terrain. For more information, see
Stairs, Ramps, and Landings on page 523 of the Reference Manual.
To draw deck stairs to the terrain
1.

Select Window> Tile Vertically

to see a side by side of both the 2D and 3D views.

2.

In the floor plan view, and on Floor 0, select Build> Stairs> Click Stairs

3.

Click just to the outside of the deck platform, as shown in the following image:

4.

In most cases when using the Click Stairs

tool, an opening will be added
automatically to the deck railing at the top of a staircase.

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5.

If an opening is not created, select Build> Door> Doorway

in either floor plan or a 3D
view, then click on the deck railing to create an opening in front of the staircase.

Changing Planking Orientation

The angle of the deck planking can be controlled in the Room Specification dialog.
To create angled deck planking
1.

Click the Select Objects

select it.

button, then click in the Deck room in floor plan view to

2.

Click the Open Object

3.

On the Deck panel of the Room Specification dialog:

edit button.

Uncheck the Automatic checkbox next to Plank Direction, and then change the
Plank Direction to 45 and click OK.
For more information about the settings on this panel, see Deck Panel on page 352
of the Reference Manual.
4.

If you would like, you can also turn on the display of the deck planking in floor plan view.
To do this, select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options
the "Framing, Deck Planking" layer.

5.

When deck planking is displayed in floor plan view and you wish to select the Deck room,
you will most likely select a plank instead. When this happens, click the Select Next
Object

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and turn on the display of

edit button or press the Tab key until the room is selected.

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Adding Exterior Furniture

Adding Exterior Furniture

A selection of exterior furnishings is available in the Library Browser and can be accessed
either by browsing or using the Search feature. For more information, see The Library
Browser on page 802 of the Reference Manual.
To add furniture to the deck
1.

Select View> Library Browser

to open the Library Browser.

2.

Browse to Chief Architect Core Catalogs> Exterior> Outdoor Living> Outdoor Furniture
and select a chair for placement. In this example, a Wicker Dining Chair from the
Furniture Sets folder is selected

3.

In floor plan view or a 3D view, click on the deck to place a chair symbol. You can
continue clicking to place more chairs.

4.

Use the Library Search to find an outdoor grill, select it for placement, and place it on the
deck.

5.

Next, add some exterior lighting and any other desired exterior elements to your deck
design.

6.

Finally, create a Full Camera

view to see the results.

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Chapter 9:

CAD Tutorial

In this tutorial youll learn about:

CAD Detail Windows

Exploding and Modifying a CAD Block

Creating a New CAD Block

CAD Detail from View
Creating a Plot Plan

CAD Detail Windows

CAD Details are special view windows for drawing, saving, and organizing any 2D drawings
associated with the current plan, such as section details, plot plans, and schedules. Like other
views, CAD Details are saved with the plan or layout they are created in and can be printed. If
a CAD Detail is created in a plan file, it can also be sent to layout at a specified scale. See
Sending Views to Layout on page 1206 of the Reference Manual.
To create a new CAD Detail window
1.

Select CAD> CAD Detail Management

to open the CAD Detail Management dialog.
An alphabetical list of all CAD Details saved with the current plan displays on the left side
of the dialog.

2.

Click New to open the Create New CAD Detail dialog.

3.

Type a short, descriptive name for the CAD Detail, such as "Foundation & Wall Detail"
then click OK to open a new, blank CAD Detail window.

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Your new CAD Detail window is ready for you to add CAD objects, text, dimension lines,
schedules, and more.

Exploding and Modifying a CAD Block

CAD Detail windows are an excellent place for you to draw and organize your detail drawings.
Drawings like foundation details can be created from scratch using the CAD Tools, but you can
also save time by choosing a CAD block from the library, placing it into a CAD Detail window,
and then modifying it to suit your needs.
A CAD block simply is a group of 2D CAD objects, text objects, and/or other CAD blocks that
have been grouped together so that they behave as a single object when selected.
To place a CAD block from the Library Browser
1.

Select View> Library Browser

and either search or browse to locate a CAD block.

For this tutorial, the "Basement Foundation: Finished 4" CAD block from the CAD
Blocks and Details Bonus Catalog is used. For information about obtaining Bonus
libraries, see Downloading Library Content on page 809 of the Reference Manual.
2.

Select the CAD block in the library and then click in the CAD Detail window to place it at
that location.

A selection of CAD Details is available in the Chief Architect Core

Catalogs, however, additional CAD Details can also be downloaded
from the website.

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Exploding and Modifying a CAD Block

As with other objects, CAD blocks can be selected and edited. A few of the available editing
methods are described in this tutorial, and more information can be located in Editing
Objects on page 101 of the Reference Manual.

Reflecting a CAD Drawing

Like other objects, CAD blocks can be reflected.
To reflect a CAD drawing
1.

Select CAD> Line> Draw Line

block.

, then create a vertical line to the right of the CAD

2.

Next, using the Select Objects

3.

Click on the Reflect About Object

edit tool, then click on the CAD line that you just
placed to reflect the CAD block over to the other side of the line.

tool, click to select the CAD block.

Exploding a CAD Block

If you click on a CAD block, you will notice that the entire CAD block is selected. This allows
you to easily move, rotate, reflect, or copy and paste the entire object; but it also means that you
cannot select its individual elements unless you explode the CAD block.
To explode a CAD block
1.

Using the Select Objects

tool, click to select the CAD block.

2.

Next, click on the Explode CAD Block

separate elements.

edit button to explode the CAD block into its

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Editing the Elements of an Exploded Block

If you click on a CAD block that has been exploded, it will no longer behave like a single
object. Instead, each of its elements can be modified independent of the others.
To move an edge of a closed polyline using dimensions
1.

Zoom
in on the lower portion of the CAD Detail, and using the Select Objects
tool, click on the right side of the lower Concrete filled polyline.

2.

Notice that the blue CAD line is selected first. We can Delete
again select the right side of the closed polyline.

3.

Move your mouse over the Temporary Dimension of 7 5/8". When the pointer turns in to a
hand, click to activate the Move Objects Using Dimensions in-line text box. Type in an
exact value of 8" and press Enter on the keyboard to apply this change.

4.

Repeat this process on the upper closed polyline with the Concrete Fill Style applied so
that both are 8".

that blue CAD line, and

Once the rectangular closed polylines with the Concrete Fill Style have been resized, they
overlap other polylines.
To display an object behind all other objects
1.

Select the upper right closed polyline that is overlapping, and click on the Open
Object

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edit tool.

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Creating a New CAD Block

2.

On the Line Style panel of the Polyline Specification dialog, in the Drawing Group
selection, move the radio button to Back Group and click OK.

Creating a New CAD Block

A CAD block can be created from any collection of CAD objects, text, or other CAD blocks including those that originally came from a CAD block that was exploded. CAD blocks can
also be added to the library for future use.

Specifying an Insertion Point

By default, a CAD block will have a placement snap point, referred to as its Insertion Point, at
its center. You can specify a custom Insertion Point to make it easy to place the drawing with
precision using a particular feature as a reference instead of its center point.
To specify insertion point locations
1.

Select Edit> Snap Settings and make sure that all Object Snaps
Object Snaps on page 158 of the Reference Manual.

are enabled. See

2.

Select CAD> Points> Place Point

then click on the top right corner of the rectangular
polyline representing the concrete footing to place a point at that location.

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3.

Place a second CAD Point

at the upper portion at the top right corner of the polyline
representing the concrete stem wall. For more information, see Select Insertion Point on
page 1076 of the Reference Manual.

Blocking and Adding the Library

Once a CAD drawing has everything it requires to meet your needs, you can block it; and, if the
drawing is one that you can use for other projects, you can add it to the library for future use.
Here, we will create a CAD block composed of two nested blocks with custom insertion points.
To create a CAD block and add it to the library
1.

First, lets set up our Preferences so it is easy to select two portions of our CAD drawing
separately. Select Edit> Preferences

,and choose the Edit panel.

Under Marquee Selection, click the radio button beside Select Contained Objects,
then click OK. See Edit Panel on page 106 of the Reference Manual.
2.

Select Window> Fill Window

3.

Using the Select Objects

the detail drawing.

4.

Click the Make CAD Block

edit button to block all of the selected text, lines, and
polylines in to a single CAD block.

5.

With the CAD block selected:

tool, click and drag a marquee around the lower section of

Click the Select Insertion Point

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CAD Detail from View

Move your mouse pointer over the top right corner of the concrete footing and when
you see the Endpoint snap indicator, click once.
The CAD blocks Move edit handle will now display at the location of its custom
Insertion Point.
6.

Repeat this process with the upper portion of the drawing.

7.

Now, group select both upper and lower CAD blocks and use Make CAD Block
edit
tool to block them together, forming a single CAD block composed of two nested blocks.

8.

Finally, click the Add to Library

edit tool to add it to the User Catalog in the library.
You can then rename it and move it in to a folder to suit your organizational style. See
Adding Library Content on page 811 of the Reference Manual.

CAD Detail from View

CAD Detail from View is a powerful feature that converts the current line-based view into a 2D
CAD drawing located in its own CAD Detail window. This drawing is composed of CAD lines,
arcs, and polylines that you can edit, and is no longer dynamically linked to the model. For
more information, see CAD Detail from View on page 1082 of the Reference Manual.
To create a CAD Detail from View
1.

In floor plan view, select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Backclipped Cross
Section

, then click and drag a camera arrow within the interior of the structure.

Keep in mind that this type of view will only include objects or portions of objects
located between the starting and stopping points of the cameras Line of Sight.

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For more information, see Cross Section/Elevation Camera Tools on page 882 of the
Reference Manual.
2.

Select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

, and turn off the display of any layers
that you do not need for the purposes of a foundation wall detail, such as all fixtures,
furnishings, and cabinets, then click OK.

3.

Zoom in on the right corner of the basement.

4.

Next, select CAD> CAD Detail from View

CAD drawing in a new CAD Detail window.

5.

The new CAD Detail window will become the active view and you can edit it to suit your
needs. For more information, see CAD Details on page 1081 of the Reference Manual

to convert the current view in to a 2D

Adding and Positioning a CAD Block

Now we are ready to insert the modified foundation CAD Block into the CAD Detail and
precisely position it.
To add and position the CAD block

188

1.

Zoom
wall.

in on the CAD Detail that represents the lower right portion of the foundation

2.

Next, in the Library Browser, browse to your custom modified CAD Block, select it, and
click in the view to place it.

3.

Select the CAD Block and click on the Explode CAD Block

edit tool.

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CAD Detail from View

4.

Select the lower CAD Block and use its end handles to move it until it snaps into position
over the CAD lines representing the footing in the larger drawing.

5.

You can also use the Point to Point Move

edit tool to do this. First, click on the CAD
blocks Insertion Point, then click on the top right corner of the CAD lines representing the
footing in the larger drawing. For more information, see Point to Point Move on page
217 of the Reference Manual.

6.

Repeat this process to place the upper CAD block.

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7.

The Layout Tutorial discusses how to send views such as this one to layout, so make sure
to Save

your plan.

Creating a Plot Plan

A plot plan is essentially a map of a propertys legal description. Plot plans usually have a
North Pointer and can also include other features such as the location of buildings and setback
lines.
When a propertys shape is more complicated than a basic rectangle, you may find it easiest to
draw the plot lines yourself, rather than try to edit the terrain perimeter to meet your needs.
A plot plan can be drawn in floor plan view or, if you prefer, in a CAD Detail. See CAD Detail
Windows on page 181.
To create a CAD Detail for the plot plan
1.

If you want to draw your plot plan in a CAD Detail, select CAD> CAD Detail
Management

190

and click New.

2.

Type a short, descriptive name for your detail, such as "Plot Plan" and click OK.

3.

Select Edit> Default Settings

, and in the Default Settings dialog, double-click on
"Active Defaults" in the tree list.

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Creating a Plot Plan

4.

5.

In the Active Defaults dialog:

Select "Plot Plan Annotations" from the Currently Using drop-down list.
Notice the changes to the Current Active Defaults settings. They now set to use
defaults designed for drawing plot plans.
Click OK to close the dialog and apply these changes to the current view.
When to the CAD Detail window, notice that Plot Plan Annotations is selected in the
Active Annotation Set Control in the toolbars. For more information, see Annotation
Sets on page 76.

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To create a plot plan polyline

1.

Select CAD> Points> Input Point

to open the New CAD Point dialog. See Input
Point on page 1041 of the Reference Manual.

2.

Select Absolute Location and define the points position at (0,0) and click OK. This is the
current point that serves as the Start Point for the first line of the plot plan. See Point
Tools on page 1040 of the Reference Manual.

3.

Select CAD> Lines> North Pointer

, then click and drag to create a North Pointer. For
more information on this tool, see North Pointer on page 919 of the Reference Manual.

4.

Select CAD> Lines> Input Line

to open the New CAD Line dialog. Notice that the
Start Point is at (0,0): the location of the Current CAD Point. See Input Line on page
1045 of the Reference Manual.

5.

Click the Num Style button and in the Number Style/Angle Style dialog:

6.

Select Decimal Feet for the Number Style;

Select Quadrant Bearing for the Angle Style. See Dialog Number/Angle Style
Dialog on page 122 of the Reference Manual.
Click OK to return to the New CAD Line dialog

7.

Select Relative to Start Point and check the box beside Polar.

8.

Enter the length of the first side of your property boundarys legal description in the
Distance field, and the angle of that line in the Angle field. To enter an angle using
Quadrant Bearings, type:
The primary direction (N or S), followed by a space; then,
The angle in degrees, minutes, and seconds with a space after each value; then,

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Creating a Plot Plan

The secondary direction (E or W).

9.

Click Next and enter the Distance and Angle of the next property line.

10. Continue until all property lines are entered, then click OK to close the New CAD Line
dialog. The resulting polyline should be closed, with the end point of the last line the same
as the start point of the first.
Note: The angle of a given line can be described differently depending
on which end is used as the start point. Some property descriptions proceed in the same direction around the perimeter, whereas some do not.

To correct an error
1.

If a line is entered incorrectly, click OK to close the New CAD Line dialog.

2.

Select Edit> Edit Behaviors> Edit Object Parts

within a polyline.

3.

Click on the incorrect line to select it, then click Delete

4.

Click the Edit Object Parts

5.

Place a CAD point at the end of the last correct line using the Place Point
a new current point.

6.

Select CAD> Lines> Input Line

dialog.

to edit individual line segments

.

toggle button again to turn it off.

tool to create

and continue entering data in the New CAD Line

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To create a curved property line

1.

Click on a property line to select it, then click the Change Line/Arc
this line into an arc.

edit button to turn

2.

If necessary, use the triangular Reshape edit handle to make the arc concave or convex.

3.

Click the Open Object

4.

On the Selected Arc panel, click the Lock Chord radio button, then specify the length of
the Radius and click OK.

edit button to open the Polyline Specification dialog.

A curved property line can also be created by entering data in the

New Arc dialog. See Input Arc on page 1055 of the Reference
Manual.

To display line length, bearing and radius

194

1.

Select Edit> Default Settings

2.

In the Default Settings dialog, expand the CAD category, select "General CAD", and
click the Edit button.

3.

In the CAD Defaults dialog, check Display Line Angle as Quadrant Bearing.

4.

Click OK, then click Done to close the Default Settings dialog, as well.

5.

Click the plot plan polyline to select it, then click the Open Object

6.

On the Line Style panel of the Polyline Specification dialog, check Show Length, Show
Angle, and All Angles.

edit button.

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Creating a Plot Plan

To create setback lines

1.

Select Edit> Preferences

, and on the Behaviors panel of the Preferences dialog,
select the Concentric Edit Mode. See Behaviors Panel on page 108 of the Reference
Manual.

2.

In the Jump field, type in the required setback distance, such as 10, and click OK.

3.

Click the plot plan polyline to select it, then click the Copy/Paste

4.

Place your cursor over a corner edit handle, then click and drag towards the center of the
polyline. When a second, inner polyline appears, release the mouse.

5.

Select the inner polyline and click the Open Object

edit button.

edit button to open the Polyline

Specification dialog.

6.

On the Line Style panel, select a dashed line style from the drop-down list, uncheck Show
Length and Show Angle, then click OK.

7.

When you have finished creating your concentric copy, select Edit> Edit Behaviors>
Default

to restore the default edit behavior.

To place the setback polyline on a new layer

1.

Select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

dialog.

to open the Layer Display Options

2.

Click the New button at the bottom of the dialog to open the New Layer Name dialog.
Type a short, descriptive name such as "Lot Line Info", then click OK.

3.

Click OK to close the Layer Display Options dialog.

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4.

In floor plan view, select the setback line and click the Open Object

edit button.

5.

On the Line Style panel of the Polyline Specification dialog, click the Layer drop-down
list and select the new layer you just created, then click OK.

To add a Plan Footprint to your Plot Plan

1.

Select CAD> Plan Footprint

. In the Plan Footprint dialog, a drop-down list allows
you to select the Floor you want to create your plan footprint from.

2.

Select a floor, then click OK to create a CAD object representing the building footprint in
the CAD Detail window. See Plan Footprint on page 1083 of the Reference Manual.

3. You can control what information displays in the Plan Footprint selecting it and clicking
the Open Object

edit button. On the General panel:

Uncheck both Use Current Layer Set to Display and Display Plan Details;
Check the box beside Display Footprint Polyline.
4.

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On the Fill Style panel, select Angle Hatch from the drop down menu, and set the spacing
to 15", then click OK to apply the changes.

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Creating a Plot Plan

5.

The Plan Footprint can be moved into place on the Plot Plan using its edit handles or edit
tools.

To convert to a terrain perimeter

In order to create a terrain perimeter out of your plot plan, it must be copied from the CAD
Detail in to your floor plan view.
1.

Using the Select Objects

tool, click on the CAD polyline that forms the perimeter of

your plot plan in the CAD Detail window and select Edit> Copy

2.

Next, click the window tab associated with the floor plan view to activate it, and go to
Floor 1.

3.

Select Edit> Paste> Paste

polyline.

4.

Select the newly pasted plot plan polyline and click the Convert Polyline
See Convert Polyline on page 233 of the Reference Manual.

5.

In the Convert Polyline dialog, select Convert To: Terrain Perimeter, then click OK.

then click in the drawing area to place a copy of the

edit button.

If the Terrain Perimeter option is greyed out, then a Terrain Perimeter already
exists in your plan. You will need to locate and delete it before you can convert the
polyline.

6.

Make any needed changes in the Terrain Specification dialog and click OK. See Terrain
Specification Dialog on page 717 of the Reference Manual.

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7.

To increase the size of the text displayed along the Terrain Perimeter polyline, select
Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

8.

In the Layer Display Options dialog:

Search for or scroll down to the "Terrain Perimeter" layer and click to select it.
Click the Text Style drop-down arrow, select "Plot Plan Text Style" from the dropdown list, and click OK.

To accurately position a building

1.

Select CAD> Point> Place Point

, and then click at a reference point along the
perimeter of the building, such as at a corner.

2.

Select CAD> Points> Input Point

3.

198

to open the New CAD Point dialog.

Select Relative to Current Point;

Using the X Position and Y Position fields, specify the distance that a known point on
the property line should be from the Current CAD Point on the building perimeter.
Unless you want to specify the location in distance and bearing, Polar (CCW from
horz) should remain unchecked.
Unless you want to specify the location in distance and bearing, Polar (CCW from
horz) should remain unchecked.
When you click OK, a point is created at the specified location. Use this point as a
reference to accurately position the Terrain Perimeter polyline.

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Chapter 10:

Layout
Tutorial

This tutorial will explain how create a layout template, send views to a layout page, then save
the document in PDF format.
In this tutorial you will learn about:

Creating a Layout Template

Setting up Layout Page Templates
Creating a Border and Title Block
Sending Floor Plan Views to Layout

Sending Elevation Views to Layout

Sending Details to Layout
Sending Perspective Views to Layout
Printing to PDF

Getting Started
Chief Architect uses two file types: plans and layouts. Plan files (.plan) are used to design a 3D
model of a structure, while layout files (.layout) are used to arrange views of that model on a
sheet along with text, callouts and other annotation to produce professional quality construction
documents. For complete information about layouts, see Layout on page 1201 of the
Reference Manual.
The previous tutorials explore aspects of creating a 3D model in a plan file. This tutorial will
describe how to create a layout file and arrange views of the model - including floor plans,
cross section/elevations, presentation views, and CAD Details - on the layout pages.

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Creating a Layout Template

Template files save default, layer, and print settings and then apply them to new, blank files saving you the time and work of specifying them every time you begin a new project. In your
Layout Template File, you can also set up one or more Page Templates with the borders and
title block information that you typically use. For more information about plan and layout
templates, see Template Files on page 80 of the Reference Manual.

200

1.

Create one or more Page Templates. See Setting up Layout Page Templates on page 201.

2.

Set up your Drawing Sheet and create a title block and border for each Page Template that
requires them. See Creating a Border and Title Block on page 206.

3.

Select Tools> Layer Settings> Display Options

to open the Layout Page Display
Options dialog. Here you can set up line weights, styles, and colors for the layers in your
layout template. See Layout Page Display Options on page 1202 of the Reference
Manual. These settings do not affect objects within layout views - they only affect CAD,
Text, Dimensions, layout page and revision tables, and layout box borders placed on the
layout pages. Click OK when you are finished.

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Setting up Layout Page Templates

4.

Select Edit> Default Settings

from the menu to open the Default Settings dialog.
Make any changes to the Text, CAD and General Layout Defaults that you may need. See
Preferences and Default Settings on page 69 of the Reference Manual.

5.

Select File> Templates> Save as Template

. The Save Layout File dialog opens to the
Templates directory specified in the Preferences dialog. For more information, see
Folders Panel on page 97 of the Reference Manual.

6.

Save your new layout template with a short, descriptive name such as "My 18 x 24
Template".

7.

When prompted, click Yes, specifying that you would like to use your new template as the
default.

8.

Your template layout file will close and a new untitled layout file will open.

9.

This tutorial will explain how to set up page templates as well as create a title block and
border in your template file. Since only one layout file can be open at a time, select File>
Close to close the new, untitled layout so you can return to work on your saved template.

Setting up Layout Page Templates

Layout Page Templates allow you to create one or more title blocks and borders and then assign
them to the layout pages of your choice. Unlike regular pages with content, Layout Page
Templates do not print as part of a print range. See Layout Page Templates on page 1224.
In this example, two Page Templates will be created: one for the cover sheet and one for the
sheets that follow it.
To create multiple page templates
1.

Select File> Open Recent Files and select your new layout template from the menu to
open it. See Creating a Layout Template on page 200.

2.

Click on the Project Browser docked to the right side of the program window to make it
active.
If the Project Browser is not open, select View> Project Browser

to open it.

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If your program version does not have the Project Browser feature, select Tools>
Layout> Page Down
to go to Page 0 and proceed to step 3.
Click the arrow next to the "Pages" folder to expand a list of the pages in the layout
file that are currently in use. In a new layout, only Pages 0 and 1 will be listed.

Notice the icons beside each page. Page 0 is specified as a Page Template, while Page
1 is a page with content.
Page 1 is listed as a page with content because it has a Layout
Page Table placed on it. See Layout Page Tables on page 1227.

3.

Right-click on Page 0 in the Project Browser and select Edit Page Information
the contextual menu.

from

If your program version does not have the Project Browser feature, go to Page 0 and
4.

select Tools> Layout> Edit Page Information

.
In the Layout Page Information dialog, change the title to "Standard Sheet Template" and
click OK.

5.

Right-click on Page 1 in the Project Browser and select Edit Page Information

If your program version does not have the Project Browser feature, select Tools>
Layout> Page Up
6.

202

to go to Page 1 then.select Tools> Layout> Edit Page

Information
.
In the Layout Page Information dialog:

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Change the Title to "Cover Sheet Template".

Check the box beside Use as Page Template and click OK.
Notice that Page 1s icon in the Project Browser has changed and now indicates that it
is a Page Template rather than a page with content.
Using the same steps, you can create additional Page Templates for every discipline and sheet
type that you typically use in your own layout template file.
Once multiple Page Templates have been created, they can be assigned to non-template pages:
either blank or with content. You can wait and do this when you actually send views to layout
for a project, or you can save time and set aside pages for specific purposes beforehand.
Here, a fairly typical variation of the US National CAD Standard page numbering convention
is used.
To use multiple page templates
1.

Select Tools> Layout> Change Layout Page and go to Page 2.

2.

Select Tools> Layout> Edit Page Information

dialog:

. In the Layout Page Information

Specify the Title as "Cover Sheet".

Click the Page Template drop-down and select "Cover Sheet Template" from the list.
Click OK and notice that page 2 is now listed as a blank page in the Project Browser.
3.

Select Tools> Layout> Page Up

to go to Page 3.

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4.

Select Tools> Layout> Edit Page Information

Specify the Label as "A1.#".

If you type a pound sign # in the Label field, the characters before it
will be treated as a numbering prefix, and the # will be replaced by
the current page number on the layout sheet. See Layout Page Numbering on page 1223 of the Reference Manual.

5.

Specify the Title as "Site Plan".

Confirm that the "Standard Sheet Template" is selected in the Page Template dropdown list.
Click OK and notice that in the Project Browser, Page 3 is listed now and that:

It uses its Label, "A1.#", and that the # has been replaced with a 1.
It uses its Title, "Site Plan".
Note, too, that the sheet no longer has a title block and border. Instead, it displays a
single revision table. This is because at the moment, the only object on its template,
Page 1, is a revision table.

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6.

Repeat the steps above to edit Pages 4 and 5 so that they also use the "Standard Sheet
Template" and the Label "A1.#", and have the Titles "Foundation Plan" and "Floor 1
Plan", respectively.

7.

Modify Pages 6 and 7 so that they use the "Standard Sheet Template" use the Label
"A2.#"., and have the Title "Elevations".

In your own layout template file, you can assign sheet numbers that you typically use in
advance and use the numbering convention of your choice.
If you need to add additional disciplines, types, and/or pages, they can be easily inserted at any
time: either in a specific project or in your layout template file.
To insert new layout pages
1.

Select File> Open Layout

2.

Right-click on a Page Template, page with content, or blank page in the Project Browser.

and open the layout file that you wish to insert pages into.

3.

Select Tools> Layout> Change Layout Page and go to the page that is either before or
after the location where you wish to insert a new page.
Select Insert Page Before
to add a page before the current page. The current page
number as shown in the Change Layout Page button will increase by one but the
page number defined by its Label will not change.
Select Insert Page After
to add a page after the current page. The current page
will not be affected but any pages that follow it will have their page numbers increase
by one.

4.

Right-click on the new page in the Project Browser and select Edit Page Information

If your program version does not have the Project Browser feature, select Tools>
5.

Layout> Edit Page Information

In the Edit Page Information dialog,

Specify the Title.

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If the page is to be a page with content, specify its Label and choose a Page Template
from the drop-down list.
If the page is to be a template, check the box beside Use as Page Template.
Once your Page Templates have been defined as such, you can create a border and title block
for each that matches how it will be used.

Creating a Border and Title Block

Before sending views to layout, it is recommended that you set up your drawing sheet and then
use the CAD, Text, and editing tools to create a border and title block for your layout pages on
one or more Page Templates. For information about the Drawing Sheet, see Drawing Sheet
on page 1186 of the Reference Manual.

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To set up the layout sheet

to open the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog.

1.

Select File> Print> Drawing Sheet Setup

2.

Specify the Orientation and Size of the Drawing Sheet.

3.

The Drawing Scale for layout files should always be 1 in = 1 in (1 mm = 1 mm in metric

files). For more information, see Drawing Sheet Setup Dialog on page 1182 of the
Reference Manual.

4.

You can also specify the drawing sheets Margins if you want.

5.

Click OK when you are finished.

6.

Select Window> Fill Window

so that you can see the entire drawing sheet.

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7.

Select File> Save

The layout template files that are installed with Chief Architect have a title block and border
already drawn in them on Layout Page 0, which is the default Layout Page Template. You can
use these as they are, modify them to suit your needs, or delete them and create your own.
You can also create multiple Page Templates, which allows you to control the appearance of the
title block and border on each page. In this tutorial, two variations of the existing title block and
border will be placed onto separate Page Templates. See Setting up Layout Page Templates
on page 201.
To copy a title block and border
1.

Select Tools> Layout> Page Down

to go to Page 0.

2.

Select View> Drawing Sheet

3.

Select Edit> Select All to select all of the objects in the view.

4.

Select Edit> Copy

5.

Select Tools> Layout> Page Up

6.

Click the Select Objects

7.

Select View> Drawing Sheet

8.

Select Edit> Paste> Paste Hold Position

to turn off the display of the Drawing Sheet.

.
to go to Page 1.

button, then click on the Revision Table and Delete

it.

to turn the display of the Drawing Sheet back on.

.

Note that the new title block and border is positioned inside the Drawing Sheet exactly
like the original.
In this example, the Cover Sheet Template will not use the same title block and border as the
Standard Sheet Template. It will instead feature general notes, a table of contents, and space for
presentation views.
To modify a title block and border for a cover sheet

208

1.

Select Tools> Layout> Page Down

to go to Page 0.

2.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click on the border that surrounds the part of the
page reserved for content to select it.

3.

Click on the right vertical edge to select it, then click on the Temporary Dimension that
states how far the selected edge is from the opposite edge.

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Creating a Border and Title Block

If you do not see a Temporary Dimension when the edge is selected, select View>
4.

5.

Temporary Dimensions
and try again.
Type a new, smaller value and then press the Enter key to make the polyline smaller. In this
example, 2 6" is used. See Moving Objects Using Dimensions on page 986 of the
Reference Manual.
Select the left vertical edge of the rectangular polyline that surrounds the Title Block, then:
Click on the Temporary Dimension that states how far that edge is from the right edge
of the Content Area polyline.
Type a new, smaller value then press Enter to make the gap smaller and the Title Block
polyline, larger. In this example, 1/8" is used.

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6.

Click the Select Objects

button, then:

Click and drag a rectangular selection marquee inside of the Title Block border that
partially encloses each of the CAD and Text objects that make up the title block.
Click the Delete
edit button to delete the selected objects.
Select the left edge of the Title Block border and notice the width shown by the
Temporary Dimension. In this example, it is 4 1/4".
7.

8.

210

Select CAD> Text> Rich Text

Text Specification dialog.

and click once in the drawing area to open the Rich

On the Text panel, type your notes.

On the Appearance panel, check the box beside Border.
On the Options panel, uncheck Auto Width and specify a Width of 4".
Click OK to close the dialog and create the text at the object where clicked.
Select Edit> Snap Settings and make sure that Object Snaps - and particularly,
Endpoint Snaps - are enabled.

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9.

Click on the new text object to select it, then click the Point to Point Move
button. See Point to Point Move on page 217 of the Reference Manual.

edit

Click on the top left corner of the text object.

Click on the top left corner of the Title Block border polyline.
The text will move so its top left corner snaps to that of the border polyline.
10. With the text still selected, press the Right and Down arrow keys two times each.

When an object is selected, you can use the arrow keys to Nudge it in any direction.
The Nudge distance is equal to files the Grid Snap Unit, which is 1/8" by default in
Imperial layout files. See Nudging on page 217 of the Reference Manual.
The text is now centered in the Title Block border, with a 1/8" space on each side.
A table of contents is often included on the cover sheet.

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To add a table of contents

1.

Select Tools> Layout> Layout Page Table

create a layout page table at that location.

, then click once in the drawing area to

2.

Click on the new table to select it, then click the Open Object
Layout Page Table Specification dialog:

edit button. In the

Specify the tables Name. In this example, "Table of Contents" is specified.

Organize and rename the Column Headings. In this example, the Description and
Comments columns are Removed.
On the Attributes panel, you can control the display of border and grid lines.
3.

Use the Point to Point Move

wish.

edit button and Nudge keys to position the table as you

Because the non-template pages of the layout are currently blank,

no pages are listed in the table. When views, text, or CAD are
added to each page, the table will become populated.

Additional modifications to the Cover Sheet Template can be made using the CAD and Text
Tools. These as well as other tools can be used to create a new border from scratch if you wish
To create a new layout border
1.

Select Tools> Layout> Page Up

to go to an empty page.

Alternatively, you can group-select the title block and border on a Page Template as
described in To copy a title block and border on page 208 and then Delete
selected objects.
are enabled, particular Endpoint

the

2.

Make sure that Object Snaps

snaps.

3.

Select Edit> Preferences

, then go to the Behaviors panel of the Preferences dialog.
For more information, see Behaviors Panel on page 108 of the Reference Manual.
Under the Edit Type heading, select Concentric.
Specify the Jump value as the distance you would like your border to be drawn from
the edge of the drawing sheet.
In this example, 1/2" is used.

4.

Select CAD> Boxes> Rectangular Polyline

, then click and drag a rectangle
beginning at one corner of the drawing sheet and ending at the opposite corner.
Watch for the red snap indicators that will display at each corner when Endpoint snaps
are enabled.

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5.

Select the rectangular polyline, then click and slowly drag a corner edit handle towards its
center. When you reach the your specified Concentric Jump distance, the polyline will
resize so that its edges are that distance from the drawing sheet edges.

6.

You can create a double border in a similar manner. With the polyline still selected:

7.

Click the Copy/Paste

edit button.
Click and drag one of the corner edit handles towards the center. A concentric copy of
the polyline is made when you reach the Concentric Jump distance.
When you are finished concentrically resizing and copying your border objects, it is a good
idea to restore the Default Edit Type. To do this, select Edit> Edit Behaviors>
Default

You can adjust the line weight, style and color for any CAD object in its specification dialog.
See Line Style Panel on page 1049 of the Reference Manual.
To create filleted corners
1.

Select one of the rectangular polylines and click the Fillet Lines

edit button.

2.

Click the Set Fillet Radius

edit button and in the Fillet Radius dialog, specify a Fillet
Radius value and click OK. A value of 1" fillets one inch of each intersecting edge.

3.

Click the Fillet All Corners

polyline.

edit button to apply the specified fillet to all corners of the

To create a new title block

1.

Select CAD> Boxes> Rectangular Polyline

, then click at the bottom right corner of
the border and drag up and to the left to create a rectangular polyline.

2.

Select the new polyline and use Temporary Dimensions to resize it. In this example, a
polyline 3/4" high and 1 1/2" wide is created.

3.

With the polyline still selected, press the Left arrow key twice to Nudge the polyline to the
left. Press the Up arrow key twice to Nudge it upward.

4.

If you would like, use the Fillet Lines

described above.

edit tool to curve the polylines corners, as

You may want to adjust the Fillet Radius to a smaller value before doing so.
5.

With the polyline still selected, click the Copy/Paste

6.

Click and drag its Move edit handle straight upward.

When you release the mouse button, a copy of the original polyline is created directly
above the first.
Use Temporary Dimensions to position the new polyline relative to the original.

edit button, then:

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7.

Use Temporary Dimensions or the new polylines edit handles to adjust the its height.

8.

Select CAD> Text> Rich Text

9.

On the Text panel, type the word "SHEET:".

Click OK to close the dialog and create the text at the object where clicked.
Select the new text object and drag it into the second to bottom Title Block box.

, then click to open the Rich Text Specification dialog:

10. If necessary, click the Open Object

edit button and adjust the texts size. See
Resizing Text on page 1013 of the Reference Manual.
Repeat these steps to produce a title block with all of the information that you require. A
company logo can be added to the title block by importing and embedding an image. For more
information, see Importing Pictures on page 1107 of the Reference Manual.

Page numbers, layout page labels and titles, the current date, drawing scale, designer and client
information, and more can be inserted into text objects using Text Macros. For more
information, see Text Macros on page 1029 of the Reference Manual.
To use a Text Macro in a title block
1.

Select CAD> Text> Rich Text

Text Specification dialog.

and click once in the drawing area to open the Rich

2.

On the Text panel, click the Insert Macro button and select Global> Layout Info> Layout
Page Number from the menu.
Notice that the characters %page% now appear in the text field.

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3.
4.

Click OK to close the dialog and create the text at the object where clicked.
Position the new text object in the bottom Title Block box, under the word "SHEET:".
When you are finished creating the new title block and border, specify the page that they
are on as a Page Template. See Setting up Layout Page Templates on page 201.

When your layout template is finished, be sure to Save

it and then select File> Close.

Sending Floor Plan Views to Layout

In order to send any view to layout, first open both the destination layout file and the plan file.
It is recommended that these two files have the same name and be saved in the same folder in
your computer. See Organizing Your Files on page 51 of the Reference Manual and
Managing Layout Links on page 1219 of the Reference Manual.
To send a floor plan view to layout
1.

Select File> Open Plan

2.

Select File> Save As

and open a plan such as the Walkout Basement Tutorial plan.

and save the file using a new name.

3.

Select Window> Fill Window

4.

Click the Active Layer Set Control drop-down and select "Plot Plan Set" from the list.
Selecting this layer set turns off the display of layers that arent necessary for a site plan,
such as cabinets, millwork and door and window labels. See Layer Sets on page 142 of
the Reference Manual.

5.

Select File> Print> Drawing Sheet Setup

and make sure that your Drawing Scale is
correct in the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog. This will be the scale of the view once it is
sent to layout. For a plot plan, a scale such as 1/8 or 1/16 inch = 1 ft works well.
The information in the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog is view-specific.
When you open the dialog in floor plan view, its settings only apply to
floor plan views of the current file. When you open it in a cross section view
or CAD detail window, its settings apply only to the current view or detail
window.

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6.

Select File> Send to Layout

to open the Send to Layout dialog.

Under Send Position, choose to Send to Layout Page 3 and leave Show Layout
Page checked so that when you click OK, the layout window will become active.
Under Send Options, select Entire Plan/View.
Uncheck Make Copy of Active Layer Set. This means that once sent to layout, the
view will use the Plot Plan Set and changes made to this layer set will affect the view.
For more information about Layout Layer Sets, click the Check
Knowledge Base button in the Information message that displays
when you click OK in this dialog.

7.

Confirm that the view is being sent to layout using the same Scale as in the Drawing
Sheet Setup dialog.
Click OK to send the view to layout. An Information message may display with
information about the layer set referenced by the new view on the layout page.
Click OK to close the message box and continue working.

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Click the Check Knowledge Base button to launch your default web browser to an
online Knowledge base article with useful information about layout layer sets.
Check the box beside Do not show this message again to prevent this message from
opening in the future. See Message Boxes on page 40 of the Reference Manual.

8.

Once sent to layout, the view can be selected and moved using its edit handles or edit
buttons, and its edges can be edited like a CAD box. See Editing Box-Based Objects on
page 201 of the Reference Manual.

9.

Select Window> Select Next Tab or press Ctrl + Tab to return to floor plan view.

10. Click the Active Layer Set Control drop-down arrow and select Default Set from the list
of available layer sets. See Active Layer Set Control on page 144 of the Reference
Manual.
It is important to switch from the Plot Plan Set so that you do not
make unwanted changes to the site plan view on the layout page.

Sending Elevation Views to Layout

Cross Section/Elevation
can also be sent to layout.

, Backclipped Cross Section

and Wall Elevation

views

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To send an elevation view to layout

218

1.

Select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Cross Section/Elevation

, then click and
drag to create a side elevation view. See Cross Section/Elevation Views on page 881 of
the Reference Manual.

2.

You may want to Zoom

3.

Use the CAD and Text tools to add any annotations that the view might require, such as
roof heights, pitches, material specifications, or other notes.

4.

Select 3D> Save Active Camera

so that the camera and your annotations are retained
and listed in the Project Browser. See Saving and Printing 3D Views on page 900 of the
Reference Manual.

5.

Select 3D> Edit Active Camera

, and in the Cross Section/Elevation Camera
Specification dialog, give the Cross Section view a short descriptive name, such as
"Exterior Elevation - Right".

6.

Select File> Print> Drawing Sheet Setup

and specify a Drawing Scale for the
elevation view in the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog. 1/4 in = 1 ft should work well. Click
OK to close the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog.

in on the house.

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7.

Select File> Send to Layout

to open the Send to Layout dialog.

Under Send Position, choose to Send to Layout Page 6 and leave Show Layout
Page checked so that when you click OK, the layout window will become active.
Under Send Options, select Current Screen.
In this example, Make Copy of Active Layer Set is left unchecked. Once sent to
layout, the view will use the Section View Set and changes made to this layer set will
affect the view.
For more information about Layout Layer Sets, click the Check
Knowledge Base button in the Information message that displays
when you click OK in this dialog.

Confirm that the view is being sent to layout using the same Scale as in the Drawing
Sheet Setup dialog.
When Orthogonal Views such as Cross Section/Elevation views are sent to layout, you
can specify line weights for surface edge lines and pattern lines. You can also leave

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8.

9.

these boxes unchecked to use the line weight settings assigned to the individual
objects and patterns in the view. See Send To Layout Dialog on page 1207 of the
Reference Manual.
Click OK.

Return to the elevation view, then select File> Close to close the view. In the Update View
to Layout dialog, click OK. If you had made changes in the elevation view, clicking OK
would update those changes to the layout view. In this case, no changes were made, so it
doesnt matter.

10. Return to floor plan view. A camera symbol now displays, indicating the position of your
saved elevation camera.
11. Repeat this process for any additional desired elevation views. If sending more than one
elevation view to the same page, keep in mind that the elevation views will need to be
selected and repositioned so that they are not stacked on top of one another on the page.
If you would like to make changes to the lines in an elevation view, select CAD> CAD Detail
From View
to make a copy of the view that is composed of editable lines and polylines in
a CAD Detail window. CAD Details can be sent to layout; note, however, that changes made to
the model do not affect these views.

Sending Details to Layout

Foundation, roof, cross section, and other details play an important role in professional
construction documents. The steps used to send details to layout can also be used to place
schedules, legends, keys and other items on the layout page. For more information, see CAD
Details on page 1081 of the Reference Manual.

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To send a detail to layout

1.

Return to floor plan view.

2.

Select CAD> CAD Detail Management

to open the CAD Detail Management dialog.
Click the New button, type a short descriptive name for your detail, and click OK.

3.

A new CAD Detail window opens. You can create a CAD detail from scratch using the
CAD tools, or you can place a CAD block from the library.

4.

In this example, a detail drawing from the CAD Blocks library category is placed. This
block can be exploded and edited as needed. See CAD Blocks on page 1075 of the
Reference Manual.

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5.

Select File> Print> Drawing Sheet Setup

and specify a Drawing Scale for the CAD
detail in the Drawing Sheet Setup dialog. 2 inches = 1 foot works well in this case.

6.

Select File> Send to Layout

to open the Send to Layout dialog.

Confirm that the view is being sent to layout using the same Scaling as in the Drawing
Sheet Setup dialog.
Select Entire Plan/View under Send Options.
In this example, Make Copy of Active Layer Set is checked. Type a short, descriptive
Name for the layer set that the layout view will use, such as "Page 8 Detail Set". Once
sent to layout, the view will use this layer set, so any changes made to the Default Set
will not affect it.
For more information about Layout Layer Sets, click the Check
Knowledge Base button in the Information message that displays
when you click OK in this dialog.

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Sending Perspective Views to Layout

Under Send Position, choose to Send to Layout Page # 4 and leave Show Layout
Page checked so that when you click OK, the layout window will become active.
7.

While layout page 8 is active, select Tools> Layout> Layout Page Information
open the Layout Page Information dialog. Specify:

to

A Label of "A5.#" to maintain your page numbering convention. See To use multiple
page templates on page 203.
A Title such as "Sections and Details".
Select "Standard Sheet Template" from the Page Template drop-down list.
Notes, legends, schedules, and other details can placed into separate CAD Details and send
them to layout in the same manner.

Sending Perspective Views to Layout

Perspective views add visual appeal and clarity to your documentation. They are converted to
bitmap images when sent to layout, which means that they increase your file size considerably.
As a result, you should send perspective views to layout sparingly.
To send a perspective view to layout
1.

Return to floor plan view.

2.

Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Full Camera

and create a 3D view.

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224

3.

In the camera view, use the Move, Orbit and Tilt Camera tools available in the 3D menu to
adjust the view to your liking. See Editing 3D Views on page 894 of the Reference
Manual.

4.

Select 3D> Camera View Options> Final View

to redraw the view at a higher quality
according to your settings in the Preferences dialog. See Previews vs Final Views on
page 911 of the Reference Manual.

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5.

Select File> Send to Layout

to open the Send to Layout dialog. When perspective
views are sent to layout, the options are limited because these views are sent as static
images rather than dynamic views.

Send to Layout Page # 2 and leave Show Layout Page checked.

6.

Click the Select Objects

button, then click on the view sent to page 2 to select it.

7.

Notice that in the Status Bar, it is described as a Picture File Box rather than a Layout
Box.
Use the boxs edit handles to resize and crop the image as needed:
Click and drag a corner Resize handle to change the size of the picture box while
maintaining its aspect ratio.
Click and drag a side Reshape handle to crop the extents of the picture within the box.
For more information about editing picture boxes, see Editing Pictures, Metafiles,
and PDF Boxes on page 1115 of the Reference Manual.

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Repeat this process for any other camera views you may want to send to layout, including
views using artistic Rendering Techniques such as Watercolor. For more information, see
Rendering Techniques on page 925 of the Reference Manual.

Printing to PDF
A PDF, or Portable Document Format, file saves all of the printable information associated
with a document such as a layout and makes it available for both viewing and printing without
using the software originally used to create it. PDFs are easy to create and provide you with an
efficient way to share your work with others or send documents to a print service.
Chief Architect has a built-in PDF writer, which you can select as your printer in any of the
programs Print dialogs. Alternatively, you can print to PDF using a PDF writer installed on
your computer. For more information, see Printing to a PDF File on page 1188 of the
Reference Manual.

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Appendix A

End User License

Agreement

Chief Architect, Inc.

End User Software License Agreement for
Chief Architect Software
NOTICE TO USER:

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: THIS IS A CONTRACT. BY INSTALLING, COPYING OR

USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ALL THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT, ON YOUR OWN BEHALF AND ON
THE BEHALF OF THE ENTITY BY WHOM YOU ARE EMPLOYED OR REPRESENT. IF
YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT INSTALL,
USE OR COPY THE SOFTWARE. INSTEAD, RETURN THE SOFTWARE WITHIN THE
SPECIFIED GUARANTEE PERIOD TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A REFUND
OF YOUR PURCHASE PRICE.

This Chief Architect, Inc. End User License Agreement ("License Agreement", or "EULA") is
a legal agreement between you (an individual or entity) and Chief Architect, Inc., and sets forth
the terms and conditions under which you are licensed to use the Software. "Software" means
(A) all of the contents of the CD-ROM(s), DVD(s), electronic download, online media, or any
other media which is accompanied by this Agreement, including, but not limited to (i) Chief

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Architect or third party software, (ii) printed, "online" or electronic explanatory materials
("Documentation"), (iii) digital images, sample plans, textures, images, symbols, photographs,
videos or other artistic works ("Graphical Files"), (B) hardware or software security key, if any,
and (C) modified versions, updates, upgrades, downloadable content, additions and copies of
the software, if any, licensed to you by Chief Architect, Inc. (collectively, "Updates").
1. GRANT OF LICENSE TO USE SOFTWARE: Chief Architect, Inc. grants you a nonexclusive, non-transferable (except as provided below) license ("License") to use the Software
in object code only (and specifically not in source code) subject to the following terms and
conditions:
(a)Software: Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, Chief Architect, Inc. grants you the right to
use one copy of the Software on only one computer at one location at any one time. This
software is licensed for use by you and only you. You may not share your license of this
software with any other person, and you agree not to allow any other person to use your license
of this software. In order to use this software, each person much purchase their own valid
license;
(b)Storage/Network Use: You may store or install the Software on a network server or other
storage device only to install and run the Software on an internal network. You must, however,
purchase and dedicate a separate license of the Software for each computer and each user of the
Software installed or accessed from a network server or other storage device. A single license
for the Software may not be shared or used concurrently on different computers;
(c)Backup: You may make a backup copy of the Software for archival purposes. If printed
Documentation accompanies the Software, it may not be copied. If the Software is
accompanied by Documentation in electronic form, you may print out one (1) copy for your
use which, in turn, may not be copied. A copy of the Software must include all copyright
notices and this License Agreement;
(d)If you receive one copy of the Software electronically and a second copy on media or by any
other means, the second copy may be used for archival purposes only and may not be
transferred to or used by any other person. This license does not grant you any right to any
enhancement or update unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Chief Architect, Inc.;
(e)The Student Edition of the Software must be used only by a student for qualified educational
purposes only and only while actively studying at a qualified educational institution. The
Student Edition of the Software shall not be used for commercial purposes, or any purposes
other than academic school projects;
(f)The NKBA Exam Version of the Software must be used only by a registered NKBA Exam
applicant and only for the purpose of preparing for and taking the NKBA Exam. The NKBA
Exam Version has a limited timeout period and cannot be upgraded. The NKBA Exam Version
of the Software shall not be used for commercial purposes;

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(g)Academic Licenses are licensed for use by educational institutions for educational purposes
only. If the Software is licensed as an Academic License and you are not a qualified
educational institution using the Software for qualified educational purposes, then your
license(s) of the Software are invalid.
2. OTHER RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS:
(a)Reverse Engineering: You may not modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile,
disassemble, or modify the Software in any way or use any other method to convert the
Software or any component of the Software into human-readable code, create derivative works
based upon the Software, Documentation, or Graphical Files or allow anyone else to do so;
(b)Renting: You may not rent, lease, sub-license, lend, duplicate or distribute the Software,
Documentation, or Graphical Files without the prior written consent of Chief Architect, Inc.,
which, if given, is subject to the transferee's consent to the terms and conditions of this License
Agreement;
(c)Copying: You may not copy or reproduce the Software, Documentation, or Graphical Files
(except for personal back-up purposes);
(d)Upgrades: If the Software is being licensed to you as an upgrade, renewal, or update to
software previously licensed to you, you must cease using the software previously licensed to
you, including any and all copies installed on your computers, once you have successfully
installed and commenced use of the upgrade, renewal, or update software. You may not
transfer, sell, or loan the software version previously licensed to you to any other person or
entity. Any unauthorized attempt to transfer or sell the software previously licensed to you will
result in automatic termination of your current software license. You may, however, maintain a
copy of the software previously licensed to you for your own archival purposes only;
(e)The Student Edition has a limited timeout period and cannot be upgraded;
(f)Proprietary Notices: You may not remove any proprietary notices or labels from the
Software, Documentation, or Graphical Files;
(g)Protection: You may not utilize any computer hardware or software designed to defeat any
hardware or software copy-protection device, should the Software be equipped with such
protection. You may not disable any copy-protection or security control features of the
Software;
(h)Licensing and Authentication: This Software uses security technology to authenticate your
software installation and protect your license from unauthorized use. You agree to allow the
Software to send this security information to the Chief Architect security servers for
authentication. You may not disable any such security, licensing, or control features of the
Software;
(i)Public Access: You may not copy the Software, Graphical Files, or any component of the
Software onto any public network. You may not, in any manner, make it accessible to others,

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including via internet Web site, telecommunication transmittal, electronic bulletin board, cloud
service, or any other form of electronic distribution system;
(j)Distribution: This Software and all components of the Software are licensed for your use
only. You may not share or distribute the Software to any other party or entity. You may share
only images, textures, and symbols used by your design with other valid licensed users of the
software; however, you may not share or distribute these files or exported versions of these
files to any other party or entity for use as library content with other software programs. Use of
Chief Architect Graphical Files as library content within other software programs is a violation
of this License Agreement.
3. TRANSFERRING YOUR SOFTWARE: You may permanently transfer your license to
another person or entity only upon written approval by Chief Architect, Inc., and according to
the following terms and conditions:
(a)You must fill out, sign, and return to Chief Architect, Inc. the Certificate of Transfer of
Ownership prior to any transfer of the Software. This is available through the Chief Architect,
Inc. Customer Service Department. Call Chief Architect, Inc.'s Customer Service Department
prior to any transfer in order to receive this document;
(b)The transferor or transferee must pay to Chief Architect, Inc. a license transfer fee for each
license transferred to complete the process of transfer of ownership. Note: Support and
Software Assurance is non-transferrable;
(c)You may permanently transfer a current, valid and eligible license for the Software, for
which full price was paid. If you received a discount or rebate on the Software, you must pay to
Chief Architect, Inc. the difference in price between your discounted price and the full price of
the Software for each license transferred. You must deliver the Software to the transferee in its
entirety and must not retain any copy of the Software on any computer or storage media,
including backup or archival copies;
(d)You may transfer an Additional License and still retain other licenses of the Software only
by paying to Chief Architect, Inc. the difference in price between the full retail price of the
Software and the net price paid (including discounts and rebates) for each Additional License
transferred;
(e)If you own multiple licenses and you wish to transfer a license, the license to be transferred
shall be the license for which you received the largest discount or rebate;
(f)Your License will automatically terminate upon any transfer of the Software;
(g)If the Software being transferred is an Upgrade, you must cease using all prior versions of
the Software, Documentation, and Graphical Files as well. You must uninstall all versions of
the software and you may not use or retain any copy of any prior version of the Software;
(h)You may not transfer any earlier versions of Software which have been upgraded;

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(i)You may not transfer a license of the Software that was purchased under the Chief Architect
National Accounts program;
(j)You may not transfer a Not For Resale (NFR) license of the Software. You also may not
transfer a Presentation license, a Student license, or an Academic license of the Software;
(k)You may not transfer any NKBA Exam Version license of the Software;
(l)The recipient of the transfer shall agree to all the terms of this License Agreement as a
condition of the transfer.
4. TITLE: Title, ownership, rights, and intellectual property rights in and to the Software,
Documentation, Graphical Files, and any other accompanying materials shall remain with
Chief Architect, Inc. or the respective third party. Title, ownership, rights, and intellectual
property rights in and to each of the Sample Drawings and any accompanying materials shall
remain with each Licensor from whom Chief Architect, Inc. licensed each Sample Drawing
and any accompanying materials. Unauthorized copying of the Software, Documentation,
Graphical Files, or Sample Drawings, or failure to comply with the foregoing restrictions, will
result in the automatic termination of this License Agreement. Unauthorized duplication of the
Software, Documentation, Graphical Files, or Sample Drawings constitutes copyright
infringement and in the United States is punishable in a federal criminal action by a fine of up
to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five (5) years. In addition, federal civil penalties allow
the recovery of actual damages based on the number of unauthorized copies produced or
statutory damages of up to $100,000 for willful copyright infringement.
5. THIRD PARTY CONTENT: All trademarks and logos belong to their respective owners. All
Graphical Files and Content, including symbols, images, textures, backdrops, text, and videos
are the copyright subject matter of Chief Architect, Inc. or third parties. The Graphical Files
and Content included with the Software are provided for use with the Software only. You shall
not use the Graphical Files or Content included with the Software for any other purpose outside
of the Software plan files. You shall not sell or distribute the Graphical Files or Content for any
purpose whatsoever. You shall not use the Graphical Files or Content with other software.
Chief Architect, Inc. and third party content, symbols, text, or textures shall not be copied,
redistributed, or sold separately from the Software. Chief Architect, Inc. and third party product
content is provided for representational purposes only. Chief Architect, Inc. and third parties
assume no responsibility for any discrepancies between actual product appearance and that
represented in the Software, or between actual pricing, characteristics, and specifications, and
that mentioned anywhere in the Software or Documentation.
6. MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE PERIOD: The Software has a money-back guarantee for
satisfaction. During the money-back guarantee period (the "Guarantee Period") following your
first purchase of a license of the Software, you may request to return the Software,
Documentation, Security Device (if any), and packaging, along with the original purchase
receipt, for a refund of the purchase price, less any applicable shipping fees, taxes, duties,
discounts, and rebates paid. This money-back guarantee does not apply to license transfers.

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You agree to contact Chief Architect, Inc. in order to obtain and perform proper return material
authorization ("RMA") steps prior to returning the Software. You also agree to uninstall and
deactivate the Software and all of its related files and content from your computer prior to
returning the product.
If, after returning the Software, Documentation, Security Device (if any), and packaging for a
refund, you repurchase any version of the Software again, you are, by the act of repurchasing
the Software, acknowledging satisfaction with the Software, and by doing so agree to purchase
and keep the Software license permanently without the option to return it for a refund.
7. GRANT OF LICENSE TO USE SAMPLE DRAWINGS: Chief Architect, Inc. has licensed
from third parties (the "Licensors") sample drawings that may be included in the Software.
These Sample Drawings are provided to you by Chief Architect, Inc. solely for demonstrative
and illustrative purposes to help you more quickly learn and better understand the functional
capabilities of the Software, and are licensed to you solely for these limited purposes. You may
not reproduce, distribute or use these Sample Drawings for any other purpose without the prior
written consent of Chief Architect, Inc. and the Licensor(s) from whom these Sample Drawings
were licensed by Chief Architect, Inc..
8. LIMITED SOFTWARE WARRANTY: Chief Architect, Inc. warrants that for a period of
sixty (60) days from the date of your purchase of a license of the Software as evidenced by an
original copy of your receipt, the media upon which the Software is furnished will be free from
defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE
EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTIES, CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. MAKES NO
WARRANTIES AS TO THE SOFTWARE, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR IN
ANY COMMUNICATION WITH YOU. CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. SPECIFICALLY
DISCLAIMS ANY OTHER WARRANTY INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH REGARD
TO THE SOFTWARE, AND THE ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS. CHIEF
ARCHITECT, INC. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR USE OF THE SOFTWARE
WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL
BE ERROR-FREE. If this Software license was purchased in the United States, the above
exclusions may not apply to you as some states do not allow the exclusion of implied
warranties. In addition to the above warranty rights, you may also have other rights, which
vary from state to state.
9. CUSTOMER REMEDIES: The entire liability of Chief Architect, Inc. and your exclusive
remedy under the warranty provided as to Software set forth above will be, at Chief Architect,
Inc.'s sole discretion: (i) to replace the media; (ii) to attempt to correct or work around software
media errors, if any; or (iii) if the above remedies are impracticable to refund the license fee
you paid, if any, for the Software. The latter remedy is subject to pre-authorized return of the
Software, Documentation, Security Device (if any) and packaging to Chief Architect, Inc. or to
the Authorized Chief Architect, Inc. Dealer or Reseller from whom the Product was obtained
together with an original copy of your receipt.

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Repaired, corrected or replaced software media and documentation shall be covered by this
limited warranty for the period remaining under the warranty that covered the original Software
or, if longer, for thirty (30) days after the date Chief Architect, Inc. shipped the repaired or
replaced software media or documentation to you. Only if you inform Chief Architect, Inc. of
the problem with the software media or documentation during the applicable warranty period
and provide evidence of the date you acquired the Software will Chief Architect, Inc. honor this
warranty.
10. NO WARRANTY AS TO THE SAMPLE DRAWINGS, SAMPLE PLANS, LIBRARY
CONTENT, OR VIDEOS: CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTY
WHATSOEVER AS TO THE SAMPLE DRAWINGS, SAMPLE PLANS, LIBRARY
CONTENT, OR TRAINING VIDEOS WHICH ARE PROVIDED TO YOU SOLELY FOR
DEMONSTRATIVE AND ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES. CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC.
MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE DIMENSIONS IN THE SAMPLE DRAWINGS,
SAMPLE PLANS, LIBRARY CONTENT, OR VIDEOS ARE ACCURATE AND FREE OF
DISCREPANCIES. CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE
LIBRARY CONTENT, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, OR SAMPLE PLANS COMPLY WITH
ANY BUILDING CODES. THE LIBRARY CONTENT, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND
SAMPLE PLANS ARE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS," AND CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC.
AND THE LICENSORS OF THE LIBRARY CONTENT, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND
SAMPLE PLANS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE
LIBRARY CONTENT, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND SAMPLE PLANS, WHETHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED OR ARISING BY CUSTOM OR TRADE USAGE, AND,
SPECIFICALLY, MAKE NO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
11. DISCLAIMER AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
SOFTWARE AND OTHER TECHNICAL SOFTWARE ARE TOOLS INTENDED TO BE
USED BY TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALS ONLY. THEY ARE NOT
SUBSTITUTES FOR YOUR TRAINED, EXPERIENCED AND PRACTICAL JUDGMENT.
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SOFTWARE AND OTHER TECHNICAL SOFTWARE ARE
INTENDED TO ASSIST WITH ARCHITECTURAL, PREMISES OR PRODUCT DESIGN
AND ARE NOT SUBSTITUTES FOR INDEPENDENT TESTING OF STRUCTURAL
INTEGRITY, ENGINEERING, SOUNDNESS, SAFETY, AND UTILITY. DUE TO THE
LARGE VARIETY OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE SOFTWARE, THE
SOFTWARE HAS NOT BEEN TESTED IN ALL SITUATIONS UNDER WHICH IT MAY
BE USED. CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY MANNER
WHATSOEVER FOR THE RESULTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE
SOFTWARE. PERSONS USING THE SOFTWARE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
SUPERVISION, MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF THE SOFTWARE AND THEIR
EMPLOYEES OR CONTRACTORS WHO USE THE SOFTWARE. THIS
RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE DETERMINATION OF
APPROPRIATE USES FOR THE SOFTWARE AND THE SELECTION OF THE

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SOFTWARE AND OTHER PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE INTENDED RESULTS. PERSONS

USING THE SOFTWARE ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING THE
ADEQUACY OF INDEPENDENT PROCEDURES FOR TESTING THE RELIABILITY
AND ACCURACY OF ANY PROGRAM OUTPUT, INCLUDING ALL ITEMS DESIGNED
OR MEASURED BY USING THE SOFTWARE.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC., ITS DEALERS,
RESELLERS, DISTRIBUTORS, OR THE LICENSORS OF THE GRAPHICAL FILES,
SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND SAMPLE PLANS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
WHETHER ARISING FROM TORT OR CONTRACT, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA,
LOST PROFITS, COST OF COVER, OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION, GRAPHICAL FILES, OR
THE SAMPLE DRAWINGS AND SAMPLE PLANS. CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC., ITS
DEALERS, RESELLERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND THE LICENSORS OF THE
GRAPHICAL FILES, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND SAMPLE PLANS ASSUME NO
LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INADVERTENT
DISCREPANCIES, CONSTRUCTION INTERPRETATIONS OR CONSTRUCTED
RESULTS. THESE LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY EVEN IF CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC., ITS
DEALERS, RESELLERS, DISTRIBUTORS, OR THE LICENSORS OF THE GRAPHICAL
FILES, SAMPLE DRAWINGS, AND SAMPLE PLANS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LICENSE FEE
REFLECTS THIS ALLOCATION OF RISK. FURTHER, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
LIABILITY OF CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC., ITS DEALERS, RESELLERS,
DISTRIBUTORS, AND THE LICENSORS OF THE GRAPHICAL FILES, SAMPLE
DRAWINGS, AND SAMPLE PLANS UNDER ANY PROVISION OF THIS AGREEMENT
EXCEED THE LICENSE FEE PAID TO CHIEF ARCHITECT, INC. FOR THE SOFTWARE,
DOCUMENTATION, GRAPHICAL FILES, AND THE SAMPLE DRAWINGS AND
SAMPLE PLANS. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES,
THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
12. TERMINATION: This license shall terminate automatically if you fail to comply with the
terms, conditions, and limitations described in this license. No notice shall be required from
Chief Architect, Inc. to effectuate such termination. Upon termination, you must immediately
uninstall and deactivate the Software. You must also return or destroy all copies of the Software
and Documentation.
13. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS: The Software and Documentation are
provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS for U.S. Government customers. Use, duplication or
disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1 )(ii) of
The Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or
subparagraphs (c)(i) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights at 48

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CFR 52.227-19 as applicable. The manufacturer is Chief Architect, Inc., 6500 N. Mineral Dr.,
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83815.
14. GOVERNING LAW: This License Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Idaho without regard to conflicts of law principles. This License Agreement shall not be
governed by the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods,
the application of which is hereby expressly excluded. If either you or Chief Architect, Inc.
employs attorneys to enforce any right arising out of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall
be entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
15. ENTIRE AGREEMENT: This agreement constitutes the complete and exclusive agreement
between you and Chief Architect, Inc. with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes
all prior oral or written understandings, communications or agreements not specifically
incorporated herein. This agreement may not be modified except in a writing duly signed by an
authorized representative of Chief Architect, Inc. and you. THE ACCEPTANCE OF ANY
PURCHASE ORDER PLACED BY YOU IS EXPRESSLY MADE CONDITIONAL ON
YOUR CONSENT TO THE TERMS SET FORTH HEREIN.

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Index
Numerics

3D Views
Create ................................................ 40

Cabinets
Base ................................................. 117
Corner .............................................. 119
Creating ............................................ 117
Editing .............................................. 118
Module Lines ............................ 119 , 122
Soffits ............................................... 122
Wall, placing ..................................... 120
CAD
Point, Current ............................ 190 , 192
Camera
Views, Creating ................................... 40
Carpet
Adding .............................................. 142
Chair Rails
Adding .............................................. 109
Concentric
Copies, Creating ............................... 195
Corner
Cabinet ............................................. 119
Cross Section Slider ........................ 134
Cross Section/Elevations ................ 129
Crown Molding
Adding to rooms ................................ 109

A
Absolute Location
New line end .............................. 190 , 192
Adding
Floors ................................................. 42
Foundations ........................................ 42
Library Objects .................................. 171
Appliances ......................................... 122
Artwork
Adding ............................................... 143
Auto
Calculate Elevation ............................ 161
Check for Program Updates ................. 17
Dormers, Creating ............................... 77
Exterior Dimensions ............................ 30
Stairwell ............................................. 50
Auto Rebuild
Roofs ........................................... 62 , 97

B
Backdrops
Importing ........................................... 152
Basements........................................... 42
Blend Colors with Materials............. 144
Break
Wall .................................................... 92

D
Deck
Railing .............................................. 176

Decks
Drawing ............................................ 176

Defaults
Material ............................................ 138

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Dimensions ......................................... 30
Auto Exterior ....................................... 30
Doors
Adding ................................................ 52
Copying .............................................. 55
Editing ................................................ 53
Placing ............................................... 52
Dormers ............................................... 81
Automatic ........................................... 77
Manually Drawn .................................. 78

E
Elevation
Lines ................................................ 161

F
Final View .......................................... 134
Flatten Building Pad ........................ 161
Foundation
Creating .............................................. 42
Furniture ............................................ 178

G
Gable
Over Door/Window .............................. 76
Roofs .................................................. 65

Gambrel Roofs .................................... 68

Gull Wing Roofs.................................. 69

H
Half Hip Roofs ..................................... 70
Hip
Roofs .................................................. 65

238

I
Image
Specification Dialog ........................... 151

Images
Creating ............................................ 150
Installation ............................................. 7
Interior
Dimensions ......................................... 31
Invisible Walls ..................................... 37

L
Library Objects
Placing .............................................. 105
Library Search................................... 105

M
Mansard Roofs .................................... 71
Material
Defaults ............................................ 138
Eyedropper ....................................... 145
Material Painter ................................. 141
Blending ............................................ 144
Materials
Applying ............................................ 139
Artwork ............................................. 143
Blending ............................................ 144
Changing .......................................... 139
Creating ............................................ 148
Materials Defaults ............................. 137
Materials List ..................................... 154
Materials Panel.................................. 139
Merging Walls...................................... 43
Molding .............................................. 108
Mouse-Orbit Camera..................... 42 , 52

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P
Plant Chooser .................................... 172
Plot Plan
Setback Lines .................................... 195
Terrain Perimeter ............................... 197
Point
see also CAD point
Ponds .................................................. 168
Program Updates
Auto Check ......................................... 17

R
Reference
Display ............................................... 43
Replace from Library ........................ 108
Retaining Wall, creating ................... 162
Roof Type Quick Reference .............. 74
Roofs
Auto Dormer ....................................... 77
Gable ................................................. 65
Gambrel ............................................. 68
Gull Wing ............................................ 69
Half Hip .............................................. 70
Hip ..................................................... 65
Mansard ............................................. 71
Manual Dormers ................................. 78
Offset Gable ....................................... 67
Returns .............................................. 75
Shed .................................................. 66
Rooms
Creating ............................................. 34
Room Labels ...................................... 38
Room Types ....................................... 38
Selecting ........................................... 141
Rugs
Area rugs, creating ............................. 143

S
Select

Room ................................................ 141

Shed
Roofs .................................................. 66
Skylights
Creating .............................................. 91
Soffits................................................. 122
Stair Designer ..................................... 48
Stair Landing
Creating .............................................. 48
Stairs
Drawing ............................................ 177
Stairwell ............................................... 50
Create manually .................................. 50
Starting the Program.......................... 22
Startup Options .................................. 22

T
Terrain Perimeter
Plot Plan ........................................... 197
Title Blocks ....................................... 213

U
Updates
Auto Check ......................................... 17

W
Wall
Cabinets, placing ............................... 120
Coverings ......................................... 110

Walls
Drawing .............................................. 27
Merging .............................................. 43
Retaining, creating ............................ 162

Water Features.................................. 168

Windows
Copying .............................................. 55
Editing ................................................ 54

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Placing ............................................... 53

240