Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer 9.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, let me say buyer beware. I also had a problem purchasing through J&R Music/Computer World. They essentially did a bait and switch by advertising the Architectural Home Designer version but by shipping the base version. The software arrived in a cardboard envelope and the software box was crushed. After opening, I was suspicious because it was not marked with the version. However, all the order, invoice, and packing information indicated the Architectural verison. I highly recommend the software, but purchase it from a different seller. I have not yet contacted J&R for various reasons.
I actually dealt directly with Chief Architect after discovering the switch. I wanted to see if I could just upgrade the base version without going through the hassle another reviewer mentions. Surprise! They immediately took care of the problem and sent me the correct version at what amounted to a $150 discount. EXCELLENT customer service experience, especially considering this was not really their problem. I have not had to use their technical support, but I have high expectations based on my customer service experience and other reviews of their support from various sources.
The software: I have 3 prior versions of this software. This version is a big improvement and includes a lot of additional features, but the basics for manipulating the objects and navigating the interface are the same. A big deal since I didn't want to invest a ton of time learning something completely new. The interface is very intuitive and there are several 'how to' videos included to help you do most common and a few complicated tasks. The help function is easy to navigate and gives very clear step by step instructions for building just about any structure, handling complicated roofs, etc.
To start, I wanted to reproduce my existing house. I very quickly created my property boundaries and correctly placed my house on the defined terrain. After a few more minutes, I had a rough copy of all 3 floors. About another hour and I had all the doors, windows and fixtures in (basic, not customized or exact) and all the dimensions accurate. (Obviously, you do have spend the time to take measurements or crib from a blueprint ahead of time!) This is an excellent tool for planning remodeling and doing 'what if' scenarios. Changing walls, door placement, fixtures, etc. takes literally seconds of pointing and clicking. While you can get things to the point where you can either get very accurate materials lists or enough information to save time and $$ with a contractor, it does take a bit of time investement. There are dozens of included object libraries and you can download (free usually) additional content like name brand fixtures, paints, cabinents, etc. from the Chief Architect site. You also have a ton of choices that allow you to customize all the properties of a particular object - countertop, cabinet face, and so on for color, texture, grain, etc.. In addition, Chief Architect maintains an on-line user community area for chat and Q&A. Definite plus.
One of the main reasons I purchased this was for the changes and updates to the landscaping portion. My yard is currently a disaster and has all kinds of variations in elevation and grading. I'm working with this feature now and it does take some time to figure things out, but I can already see that I'm going to have a very accurate template for mapping out a bunch of ideas we have. Changing elevations and messing with the terrain in the software is actually pretty easy once you figure out how the tool works. The hardest part of this is getting good measurements of the variations in my yard so that I've got an accurate starting point to transfer to the software. If you are starting with a clean slate and not trying to reproduce something that exists, it is obviously much easier. If I ever get around to it, I'll update this review with what I learn.
The only knocks I've found so far are: 1. I'm not very happy with the way stairwells are represented. You usually need to play around with the 'open below' room type and 'invisible' wall option to get things represented correctly; 2. It is sometimes a bit difficult to get odd lenghts to come in exactly when drawing or connecting objects. It usually depends on the viewing/image size and your mouse sensitivity, but there were a few occasions when I spent several minutes trying to get clipped corners on a deck and odd wall sizes to come out exactly as measured.
Overall a great product for the money. Lots of features and easy to use. Highly recommended.


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Architectural Home Designer 9.0 is the latest release from Chief Architect, the professional software design company and the software of choice by more builders, architects and designers. Architectural Home Designer leverages the same professional quality from Chief Architect making it the most powerful and easy to use home design, remodeling and landscaping software.

Exclusive All-in-One Home Design Solution
Choose from over 2,500 Sample Plans
Choose from built-in home style templates, create your own custom home design or use the House Wizard
Powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing and foundations
Artistic rendering techniques for Watercolor, Glass House and Technical Illustration

Get Started Quickly and Easily
The Quick Startup Options Guide will help you begin with "How-To" tutorials based on the type of your project
Use the House Wizard for quick and easy layout of your rooms
Select from the pre-designed Home Design and Landscaping Style Templates complete with colors, cabinets, decks and more
The online help system provides detail information on all types of building projects
Includes over 40 easy "step-by-step" tutorial training videos that will quickly get you started on your next home design project

Kitchen and Bath Design
Design the Kitchen of your dreams--move walls, create new cabinets, add appliances--Design your perfect workspace!
Plan the new layout of your bathroom with custom cabinets, sinks, showers and garden tubs. It's easy to visualize your ideas in 3D.
Create custom cabinets in minutes by choosing your own colors, countertops, door styles and more
Design your new kitchen or bath using the Cabinet Designer Tools
Use the Cabinet Designer tools to create unlimited cabinet styles. Choose your own colors, countertops and door styles.

Interior Design
Material Painter lets you apply colors and materials quickly and easily
Choose from thousands of colors and textures or create your own materials using a digital photograph
Design for your lifestyle and personality--change colors, add lighting and choose furniture to accent your new room
Choose from a variety of interior items--including chairs, tables, sofas, fabrics, accessories and more. Resize, change colors and materials to meet your exact needs.
Import your own symbols from 3D files types including .SKP, .OBJ and .3DS
Smart Design Objects, Drag-and-drop from thousands of design objects in the built-in Library organized by category

Decks and Landscaping
Powerful deck and patio tools allow you to design and visualize your new deck with 3D models and can help you estimate the costs
Design single or multi-level decks complete with automatic deck framing
Quickly lay out your deck with stairs and arrange furniture
Deck foundations automatically generate to match sloped lots
Plant Encyclopedia to learn more about the plants in your designs
Choose from over 3,600 plants with the Plant Chooser
Plant Hardiness Zone reference maps
See what your plants will look like in 0 - 20 years
Pathways--Use the Pathway tool to design curb-appealing landscaping using stone, pavers, or sidewalks--line with trees, shrubs, flowers and more

3D Models and Virtual Tours
Design in 2D and 3D. 3D Views are automatic with a point-and-click of the camera tool.
Glass House View provides a full translucent view of your design. Choose other Artistic rendering techniques for Watercolor and Technical Illustration views.
Planning of furniture placement and traffic flow
Create a Virtual Tour--draw your record line to Automatically Generate; or record your camera movements
Visualize your home with day and night views
Assemble a scale model of your design with Model Maker
Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D views
Point-and-click to remove wall surfaces, or use 3D Cross-Section Elevation Slider to quickly create a 3D slice of your desired view

Site Planning & Estimating
Use Automatic Build Terrain and Terrain Perimeter tools to create flat, irregular shaped, or sloped lots--use a GPS to import or enter elevation data
Create plot and perimeter plans; automatically generate a 3D model of your actual terrain
Make your backyard design come alive using several easy-to-use terrain and landscaping tools. Add a pool or pond and visualize in 3D.
Sprinkler Designer tools to easily layout sprinkler zones
Fences and Driveways--With the Fencing tools you can choose a variety of fencing styles and custom gates. You will also find driveway, sidewalk and curbing tools
Hill and Valley tools make it easy to add gardens, beds and slopes that automatically appear in 3D views. Choose from landscaping style templates or create your own.
Cost Estimating--Don't be surprised by the cost of your project. Automatically generate a complete spreadsheet for your project costs, broken down by category. Calculate the amount of lumber for your deck or concrete required for that new patio.

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