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Home Designer Suite Changelog

What's new in Home Designer Suite 2024 25.1.0.45

Mar 30, 2023
  • Design Tools:
  • Display Coordinate Axes. Show the XYZ axes indicator and the project origin location in 2D and 3D views. Use toolbar toggles to display the Axis style and Origin Indicator.
  • Room Size. Reference room information like dimensions, perimeter, area, and volume from the Room Specification Dialog.
  • Virtual Reality. Leverage HTC VIVE™ and Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headsets to view your chief Architect Designs. In addition to experiencing the 360d area of a scene, teleport from point to point in a model to experience multiple virtual spaces. Choose to view your models in VR from a first-Person orientation or from and Overhead view; interact with each view type to experience the details of your design.
  • 3D Tools:
  • 3D Overview Floor Levels. Show multiple floors when creating 3D dollhouse views. + + +
  • Sky Model. Control settings for the sun, moon, horizon and their impact on a scene’s lighting from within the camera’s specification dialog.
  • Artificial Terrain. Use the Extend Terrain to Horizon feature in the Camera Specification dialog to display the ground in 3D beyond the boundaries of the plan view’s terrain perimeter.
  • Procedural Grass Areas. Use Grass Region tools to create areas that simulate 3D grass; specify the length, density, color, and other parameters to achieve more natural-looking grass in your scenes.
  • Focal Blur. Turn ON Depth of Field in perspective views; set focal points using the camera tools and set the intensity of the blur with F-Stop settings. + + +
  • Depth Cueing. Assign a ‘foggy’ or shaded effect to areas that are a specified distance from the camera to differentiate the foreground from the background of a scene. Define gradient values to control the intensity range of Depth Cueing.
  • Opaque Glass Color. Specify the color used for glass in Rendering Techniques where Opaque Glass is an option.
  • Cost Estimating / Materials List:
  • Control Materials List Formatting. Use defaults to control fonts and table styles for Materials Lists and Reports.
  • CAD / Elevations:
  • Replace Fonts. Use the Replace Fonts tool to substitute font types throughout your plan.
  • Hyperlinks in Rich Text. Embed hyperlinks in text objects; open the URL path using CTRL + click.
  • Windows / Doors / Cabinets: Attach Electrical to Partitions. Electrical objects like outlets and switches will snap to cabinet partitions in addition to cabinets.
  • Control Cabinet Hardware. Use the Center option to adjust cabinet drawer hardware location, also specify cases where two knobs will be used.
  • Control Partition Toe Kick. Choose to include or exclude a toe kick on cabinet partitions.
  • Door Size Controls. Define doors smaller than the doorway opening, perfect for shower and saloon-style door installations.
  • Libraries / Catalogs:
  • Library Browser. Use various filter tools based on User-Defined Tags, Object Properties and Types, and Favorites to find and manage objects in the Library Browser. View and browse through Search Online for Available Catalogs. Use the search tools inside Chief Architect’s Library Browser to discover and download content from the 3D Library.
  • Update Catalogs on Demand. Reference a catalog’s library browser icon to determine if an update is available. Use the context menu to update selected catalogs or use the Update Library Catalogs command to update all at once.
  • Unified Symbol Specification. Merged controls to manage imported 3D Symbol data and general specification options are accessible in a single dialog box.
  • Stairs / Ramps / Railings:
  • Offset Railings. Control post, newel, and railing locations; extend posts and and balusters below floor platform.
  • Radius Controls for Stairs. Input exact values for arcs in curved stairs.
  • Building Tools:
  • Toggle Between Flat and Vaulted Ceiling. Use an edit tool to quickly change a room’s ceiling type from flat to vaulted.
  • Skylights. Accurately define the size of skylights through the specification dialog. Set up skylight defaults to standard dimensions. Edit skylight shape using the skylight detail view tool.
  • Ridge Framing Control. Choose whether a ridge is automatically generated with a check box to turn it ON or OFF.
  • Automatically Build Trusses. Set up your defaults and use parametric features to automatically add floor and roof trusses to your design when you build framing.
  • End Truss Control. Specify whether an end truss will be generated over a wall in the Wall’s Structure Specification

New in Home Designer Suite 2023 24.3.0.84 (Oct 3, 2022)

  • Program Overview:
  • Fixed a problem that prevented right-clicking on a group selection from opening a contextual menu
  • Corrected a case in which Control+Click did not bring up contextual menus on the Mac
  • Preferences:
  • Folders without write access can no longer be used for the Undo and Temporary folders
  • Toolbars and Hotkeys:
  • Fixed an issue that caused toolbar button images to appear blurry at very high display scales
  • Window and View Tools:
  • Fixed a problem that could cause the Library Browser to disappear after upgrading to Version 2023 and migrating content and settings
  • Editing Objects:
  • Fixed an issue in which Undo failed to remove a marker after extending an existing dimension line to locate a cross section line in an elevation view
  • CAD Objects:
  • Fixed a problem that could cause some CAD objects to display incorrectly on systems using display scaling greater than 100%
  • Walls, Railings, and Fencing:
  • Corrected a case in which drywall was missing at the end of a wall when stairs cut part of the wall
  • Corrected a case in which using Reverse Plan caused the program to become unresponsive
  • Rooms:
  • Fixed a problem that caused post footings to generate under layered decks when they should not
  • Fixed an issue that resulted in exposed flat ceiling edges not having the correct material applied to them
  • Fixed an issue in which the Floor Absolute Elevation could not be edited in the Floor 0 or Floor 1 Defaults dialog
  • Fixed a problem that caused Bay/Bow/Box windows with a Raised Floor to be included in the Living Area
  • Fixed a problem that prevented flooring materials from displaying in camera views in a particular case
  • Dimensions:
  • Fixed a problem that prevented Point to Point dimensions from being extended using the edit handles
  • Doors and Windows:
  • Fixed an issue that caused arched/shaped windows to have an incorrect wall cutout when a 0 thickness wall surface layer was present
  • Corrected an issue that caused deformation in Bow windows with a thin wall type
  • Fixed a problem that could cause a Bow window to disappear when the framing thickness of its walls was increased
  • Improved framing for Bay/Box/Bow windows that have been exploded
  • Cabinets:
  • Corrected a case in which False Drawer cabinet face items continued to display when the "Cabinets, Drawers & Doors" layer was turned off
  • Fixed an error that could occur when rotating a Custom Backsplash
  • Schedules and Object Labels:
  • Improved the resizing of tabbed Text objects
  • Fixed a problem that could cause 3D Elevations of plants in Plant Schedules to display as a solid color
  • Fixed an issue in which schedule callout labels could not be selected in plan view
  • Fixed a problem that prevented returns in multi-line text from showing in schedules
  • Roofs:
  • Fixed an issue that prevented roof planes from correctly displaying the default Arrowhead
  • Fixed an error that could occur if a skylight/roofhole was placed in the same location as another skylight/roofhole with its layer off
  • Corrected a case in which gable roof fascia extended past the fascia where a hip roof return was present
  • Framing and Trusses:
  • Fixed a problem that could cause Pony Wall framing to rebuild when Retain Wall Framing was checked
  • Fixed a specific case in which trusses would not build over a room set to Use Soffit Surface for Ceiling
  • Fixed a problem that prevented some trusses from generating in a specific case
  • Fixed an issue in which Force Truss Rebuild would only rebuild a single truss when multiple trusses were selected
  • Corrected a case in which the framing for a dropped ceiling did not appear in a 3D framing overview
  • Architectural Blocks:
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes caused automatic backsplashes to disappear when an Architectural Block was created
  • 3D Views:
  • Fixed a problem that could cause elevation callouts in plan view to show the wrong text when zooming
  • Fixed a problem that prevented the Text Below Line from displaying in Overview camera callouts
  • Fixed an error that could occur when creating a Full Overview after specifying a wall as a Pony Wall in a specific case
  • Fixed a crash that would occur creating a camera view on systems with Intel Arc graphics
  • Rendering and Ray Tracing:
  • Fixed an issue that caused only part of a CPU Ray Trace image to be created on a secondary monitor with different display scaling
  • Fixed a problem that caused backdrops to appear black when viewed through glass in Physically Based Renderings that included a referenced plan
  • Pictures, Images, and Walkthroughs:
  • Fixed a problem that could cause a duplicate watermark to appear in walkthrough recordings
  • Materials List:
  • Corrected a problem that prevented rows in the Master List from being deleted
  • Layout:
  • Fixed an issue that caused Live Views to appear blurrier on screen when display scaling was increased to greater than 100%
  • Fixed a problem that caused shadows/color to be offset in Plot Line when the display scaling was set greater than 200%
  • Fixed an issue in which a large amount of memory was being used to send Plot Line views to layout when display scaling was greater than 200%
  • Printing and Plotting:
  • Fixed an issue that could result in a cached watermark image being removed from the plan when its properties were edited

New in Home Designer Suite 2022 23.1.0.38 (Jul 14, 2021)

  • Fill Screen to Selected Objects. Use this zoom tool to quickly set the screen view's extent to only those objects that are currently selected.
  • Delete Objects for Layouts. Use the delete objects tool to clear unnecessary elements like CAD, Images, Text, and Layout Boxes from your layout documents. These controls make it easier to transition between projects when copying layout files and in developing templates.
  • Navigation ALT Mode. While navigating 3D Views, use the right mouse button to swap to the Mouse-Tilt modes, making it quick and dynamic to traverse your scenes.
  • Adjust Material Scoping. When editing a material in a 3D view using the Adjust Materials tool, choose the scope of impact to adjust the material throughout your project, or create a copy on-the-fly for a subset of objects using the material. After editing a material's properties, quickly save the change with the Add to Library tool.
  • Edit Parametric Patterns. Modify the sizing and offset for the Herringbone and Grid pattern types to accurately match your final installation pattern.
  • Search Plan Materials. A search bar in the Plan Materials dialog makes finding entries faster than scrolling through the list.
  • Walkthrough Editing. Use key frame editing controls to quickly adjust and modify individual keyframes directly from the preview dialog and the edit toolbar. Join multiple walkthrough segments as one path and retain the keyframe details from the original pieces. Use the Complete Break tool to break an existing walkthrough into individual parts or use existing, longer walkthroughs to record sub-sections as smaller animations without generating a new path.
  • Walkthrough Preview Panel. While laying out your walkthrough path, see your changes and editing live before spending time recording the sequence.
  • 360° Exterior Walkthrough. Create an automatic walkthrough path that orbits the exterior of your design.
  • Dimension Unit Display Threshold. Set a threshold where dimensions display in inches when the value is less than the specified amount; for example, show dimension as 18" instead of 1' 6".
  • Snap to Dimension Lines. Use object snapping to snap text, CAD, labels, and other dimension lines to existing dimensions on the screen.
  • Locate Defaults per Dimension Tool. For each dimension tool, set up location snapping; for example, set the Center Line dimension tool to pick up only walls and fixture centers for kitchen and bath dimension defaults or only pier and post centers for deck or framing defaults.
  • Wall Width Dimension Controls. Choose to show or hide wall widths per dimension string, or set up your defaults to your preferred display for each dimension default.
  • Angled Dimensions. Set up behaviors for Angled Dimensions within Dimension Default.
  • Dimension to Foundation Wall Steps. Snap dimensions to elevation height transitions on stepped foundation walls in plan and elevation views.
  • Convert Wall Elevations to Section Views. Regardless of the camera tool used to create a Section View, Elevation, or Wall Elevation, it can be edited to behave like the other view types. Expand Wall Elevations to included parts of the scenes beyond a room (like vaulted ceilings or multi-room suites), or crop larger Sections to show smaller spaces.
  • Show Vaulted Ceilings in Wall Elevation Views. Wall Elevations for rooms with vaulted and sloped ceilings include the full wall height; the elevation can be set to crop at the top of the wall plate using the "Ignore Walls Above" setting.
  • Center CAD in Elevation Views. Use the Center Objects tool in Elevation Views to control the location of CAD objects.
  • Cabinet Door Size. Discover the overall size of cabinet doors and drawers while selected in the cabinet specification dialog.
  • Clipped Cabinet Overhang. Automatically clip cabinet counter overhang when it butts against appliances and partitions.
  • Opening Indicators. Display opening indicators for hinged and sliding windows and doors in camera views. Set up default behaviors to configure the indicators to your drawing standards.
  • Refined Search in Library Browser. Use terms "AND", "OR", and "NOT", and create search groups using parentheses '()' in library searches to refine results.
  • Store and Edit Text in Library Browser. Add individual, unblocked pieces of text to the Library Browser for easy preservation and reuse in future projects.
  • Convert Planes to Polylines. Edit Roof and Ceiling Planes using the Convert to Plain Polyline tool to easily create a CAD line that is duplicate to the plane's shape.
  • Wall Hatching. Set up attributes for the Wall Hatching tool in your template plan so that it defaults to look the way you'd like it to for every project. Copy and Paste wall hatching throughout your design to easily indicate wall areas of note.
  • Horizontal Wall Framing. Use the automatic framing tools along with wall definitions to create wall types suited for some Pole Buildings and Timber Framing scenarios. Set up girt spacing within the wall's properties, including distance from the ground.
  • Balloon Framing. Set automatic framing tools to generate true balloon framing and offer flexible settings for specifying where to include or exclude this framing technique.
  • Wall Corner and Intersection Framing. Specify Standard, Reduced Stud (two-stud Advanced Framing Technique), or Laddered options for building wall framing at corners and intersections.
  • Calculate Materials for Roads. Include the volume of Roads, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Terrain Walls and Curbs in materials lists.
  • Auto-Save Untitled Projects. Projects that have not been named or manually saved for the first time are archived through the Auto-Save rules set up in user Preferences.
  • Dynamically-Updating Help. The Help viewer automatically updates to show the Help topic for the highlighted object, tool, or dialog. Dynamic help updates can be toggled on or off.

New in Home Designer Suite 2021 22.1.1.1 (Mar 4, 2020)

  • New features:
  • Auto‐Hide Exterior Walls While Navigating. Set navigation camera views to automatically hide the backs of walls that prevent seeing into a small room. Use the Hide Camera‐Facing Exterior walls tools to easily navigate small rooms.
  • Print to any Paper Size. Set up your prints and PDF to work with your favorite paper size.
  • Find in Library. Determine whether or not a selected object exists in the library browser using an edit tool, or through the Replace from Library dialog.
  • Stairs and Ramps. Draw stairs or ramps in designs and modify length, raisers, treads, and style of stairs. See stair preview in dialog to preview your modifications
  • One‐Click™ Stairs & Ramps. Auto place stairs from platform to platform. Place full length stairs with a single click. Stairs and Ramps automatically connect to the terrain when drawn from the ground to the structure.
  • Ramp Tool. Default Ramp is ADA compliant. Specify length, slope rise and run for non‐traditional ramps such as skateboard ramps.
  • Split landings into multiple segments using dialog box controls for U‐shape and L‐shape stairs.
  • Railing Widths. Use Wall Width for Railings controls automatically sets the width of rails to match wall width. Makes it easy to set up deck guard rails based on wall construction material sizes.
  • Find and Replace Text in Plan. Quickly search for and replace words or strings of text used in your project for the currently selected text
  • Create Elevation, Wall Elevation, and Cross Section Views for the interior and exterior of your design.
  • Waterfall Counters. Automatically specify the edge of a custom counter as “Waterfall” to create a solid section from the counter’s top to the floor.
  • Customize Door Glass. Independently set the top, bottom, left, and right sides for panel and glass panel doors. Create garage and entry doors with asymmetric windows. Choose to set all garage door panels to use glass.
  • Manual Roof Tools. Control pivot point for individual roof planes
  • Object Componenets. Find the components panel in the specification dialog for objects that are reported to the materials list. Adjust calculation methods and other details for the object from the Components panel

New in Home Designer Suite 2020 21.1.1.2 (Mar 28, 2019)

  • Windows / Doors /Cabinets:
  • Parametric Barn Door. Define a door with surface mounted hardware and that slides to open or close on the wall’s face.
  • “Fixed” Door Type. Create non‐operable doors, like sidelights for entryways, using the “Fixed” door
  • type. Door hinges and hardware are not included by default, but faux hardware can be turned ON if desired.
  • Shower Door. Parametric Shower Door Tool is an easy way to quickly place a glass slab door, ½” thick, without casing.
  • Door Defaults by Door Type. Set unique door defaults for different types of doors: hinged, pocket, bifold, sliding, barn, fixed, shower, and garage.
  • Door and Window Frame Toggle. Choose to include or exclude frame for openings with "Has Frame" controller.
  • Libraries / Catalogs:
  • Edit Parametric Items in Library Browser. Once saved into the Library, open and edit the properties
  • of Cabinets, Windows, Doors, and other parametric items.
  • Patterns and Fill Styles Library. Access your favorite patterns from the Library Browser. Easily apply fills and patterns to objects and materials from their specification dialogs and through the Fill Style Painter tool.
  • Stairs / Ramps / Railings:
  • Pony Walls and Railings Follow Stairs. Create Fully Housed Stairs using a pony wall with a railing on top and set to follow the slope of the stairs.
  • Building Tools:
  • Molding Specification. Easily manage moldings attached to an object through the Moldings panel and see a preview of their location in the room.
  • Control Moldings per Wall. Specify whether a wall has moldings attached separately from the other walls in an associated room.
  • Glass Wall Tool. Use the glass wall tool to quickly draw a new glass wall via the wall parent toolbar.
  • Glass Ponywall Tool. Wall tool to quickly draw a glass wall over a solid wall, perfect for showers.
  • Design Tools:
  • Multiple‐Select Editing. Group similar items to modify them at one time; for example, select all your cabinets and change them all with one command.
  • Store Callouts and Markers in Library.
  • Feature Description Suite Architectural Professional:
  • CAD / Elevations:
  • Find and Replace Text in Plan. Quickly search for and replace words or strings of text used in your project at one time.
  • Import / Export files in DXF and DWG file formats. Export Only ▪ Available in 2019
  • 3D Tools Specify Image Size. Set Pixel Resolution and Image Output measurements when exporting images. ▪ ▪ Available in 2019
  • Physically Based Rendering. Improve the quality of your scenes look where lighting, shadows, metal, and surface reflections are concerned with the Physically Based Rendering Technique (also known as PBR).
  • Export .DAE 3D files. Includes texture mapping that can be leveraged with external rendering
  • software.
  • Cost Estimating / Materials List:
  • Add detail to each individual component in the materials list for a comprehensive cost estimate breakdown. For example, assign components to your cabinets, such as doors, pulls, and hinges and assign costs for each item. Access these attributes from the Components panel of its specification dialog.
  • General / Support:
  • Custom Stylized Themes. Set up Chief’s User Interface with color and style themes of your choosing.
  • Set preferences for the look of dialogs, menus, buttons and other interface elements; import, export, and share saved themes.

New in Home Designer Suite 2019 20.1.0.43 (Mar 1, 2018)

  • 3D Viewer Export. Save designs to the cloud and share them for using on mobile devices and websites using the Chief Architect 3D Viewer App.
  • Library Search Bar and Context Menus. Quickly search for library items by keyword, object type, or style. Choose to search for items in an entire catalog or in specific folders only. Customize search attributes for User Catalog content.
  • Find in Plan from the Materials List. Select items from the materials list and choose to Show in Plan to identify and locate them in your designs.
  • Save 360° Renderings to the Cloud. Easily save your 360° renderings to the Chief Architect Cloud, and share them or embed them into web pages.
  • Multiple Camera Defaults. Specify default values for each camera type; control, layer assignment, active Rendering Technique, and more.
  • Group Select and Edit Cameras. Select multiple cameras at one time and edit their properties, like height off floor or the Rendering Technique used.
  • Save 360° Renderings to the Cloud. Easily save your 360° renderings to the Chief Architect Cloud, and share them or embed them into web pages.
  • Multiple Camera Defaults. Specify default values for each camera type; control, layer assignment, active Rendering Technique, and more.
  • Group Select and Edit Cameras. Select multiple cameras at one time and edit their properties, like height off floor or the Rendering Technique used.
  • Custom Watermarks. Create watermarks and display them on your work. Control location, size, angle, transparency, and include images in your watermark design.
  • Automatic Dutch Gable Roofs. Easily create a Dutch Gable style roof using the Automatic Build Roof tools; simply set the wall properties as “Dutch Gable”, adjust the values and build the roof.
  • Multiple Framing Types. Choose from a wide selection of framing types when designing your structure; from lumber to steel, to engineered materials like LVL, PSL, and VSL. Framing labels reflect the type of material specified.
  • Access to Full Selection of 3,600+ Plant Images.
  • Rotate Symbols in 3D. In 3D views easily rotate symbol objects around the X, Y, or Z axis using the rotate edit handles for the selected side. Choose to automatically refresh the CAD Block for symbol objects as they are rotated or modified.
  • Insert Items Inside Cabinets. Attach custom shelves, storage, and hardware items into cabinet boxes and specify their behavior per face item.
  • Specify Number of Lights Used per Scene. Choose to display more than 8 light sources in your 3D views. Set the maximum number of lights used in the Camera Specification dialog.
  • Stretch CAD Tool. Similar to Edit Area; create a marquee that contains or excludes CAD endpoints and move the selection to stretch and scale the components within the selection area.
  • Selected Edge Highlight Indicator. See visual cues to identify the active edge of a selected object with highlight colors along the edge and filled edit handles.
  • Reshape Views Sent to Layout. Like other Polyline based items, add breaks and curved edges to Layout viewports to control cropping of their display on a layout page.
  • Railing Over Solid Wall. Generate Pony Walls with a railing as the upper wall type.
  • Turn off Posts for Railings. Easily specify whether railings or fences include posts with the “No Posts” control.

New in Home Designer Suite 2018 19.3.0.49 (Aug 9, 2017)

  • Program Overview:
  • Fixed a crash that could occur on the Mac using a trackpad to close a view
  • File Management:
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when opening a corrupted plan file
  • Preferences and Defaults:
  • Fixed a crash that could occur opening the Preferences dialog if a specific video codec was installed on the system
  • Toolbars and Hotkeys:
  • Removed Ctrl+Q/Cmd+Q from the list of hotkeys to resolve a conflict with the system application hotkey for quitting the application in macOS To remove it from your hot-keys list, delete the Hotkeys folder located in your Home Designer 2018 Data folder
  • Editing Objects:
  • Fixed an error that occurred when using the Make Parallel/Perpendicular edit tool in a section view in a specific case
  • CAD Objects:
  • Fixed an error that occurred when editing CAD objects in an elevation view in a specific case.
  • Walls, Railings, and Fencing:
  • Fixed an instance where fence posts floated off the terrain.
  • Fixed an issue that caused changes to a wall type definition in a large plan to be very slow to update in some cases.
  • Corrected a case in which a manually edited attic wall caused an "extents of the view being generated are unusually large" warning to display in error.
  • Rooms:
  • Shelf Ceilings can now be seen in Doll House Views.
  • Fixed a problem that prevented a plant shelf from generating correctly in a specific case.
  • Dimensions:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause dimensions to become disconnected from foundation cutouts when Undo was used.
  • Text, Callouts, and Markers:
  • Fixed a problem that caused the Cmd + Enter key combination on a Mac to move the cursor down four rows instead of one in the Rich Text Specification dialog.
  • Doors:
  • Corrected a case where the panel number specified for garage doors from the library did not update correctly.
  • Windows:
  • Fixed a problem that caused the backsplash on a cabinet to disappear when a Wall Niche was on the opposite side of the wall.
  • Cabinets:
  • Fixed a problem that caused glass panel parametric cabinet doors to continue to dis-play when the “Cabinets, Doors & Drawers” layer was turned off.
  • Foundations:
  • Fixed an issue that caused stem walls to incorrectly generate under Porch rooms when a Monolithic Slab Foundation was created.
  • Stairs, Ramps, and Landings:
  • Fixed a problem that caused gaps in railings where ramps butted into each other.
  • Fixed an issue that caused a wall positioned below a staircase to generate through the stairs in some cases.
  • Fixed a problem that prevented the New Shaped Stair dialog from opening when it should in some programs.
  • Added Panels settings to the Newels/Balusters panel of the Staircase Specification dialog in most Home Designer programs.
  • Roofs:
  • Fixed a problem that resulted in a gap in the automatically generated roof over a room with a raised ceiling in some cases.
  • Fixed a specific case where the automatic roof was not generating over a Stairwell room when it should have.
  • Fixed a problem that allowed the edges of the upper floor platform to stick through the roof in some cases.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented frieze moldings from building correctly when the Flush Eave option was used.
  • Fixed a series of issues that caused shed roofs to automatically generate with incorrect overhangs.
  • Framing:
  • Fixed a roof framing issue that could result in errors when generating 3D views.
  • The Library:
  • Fixed an error that could occur when selecting the Style filter in the Library Browser in certain instances.
  • Architectural Blocks:
  • Corrected an error that could occur when trying to place certain architectural blocks from the library.
  • Fixed a problem that prevented edits within an architectural block from being affected by Undo.
  • Materials:
  • Addressed a problem that caused program unresponsiveness in a specific case by setting limits on how many pattern lines can be drawn on a single
  • D surface.
  • 3D Views:
  • Fixed an issue that caused the side edges of walls to be missing in Wall Elevation views.
  • Fixed a problem in section views that caused the line color of patterns on clipped surfaces to display incorrectly along the surface edges.
  • 3D views generated on systems with some older Intel HD Graphics chipsets are no longer missing 3D data.
  • Fixed an issue that caused 3D views, including dialog previews, to go black when moved from one monitor to another in the Mac version of the software.
  • 3D Rendering:
  • Fixed a case where switching from the Glass House to Vector View Rendering Technique caused pattern lines to not display.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented cabinet module lines from displaying in Vector View and Technical Illustration Rendering Techniques.
  • Importing and Exporting:
  • Fixed an issue that prevented certain Room Planner files from importing.
  • Printing and Plotting:
  • Fixed an error that occurred in Print Preview and the Print View dialog when certain line styles were present in certain situations.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause a printer to print to a different paper size than specified

New in Home Designer Suite 2018 19.2.0.39 (Mar 29, 2017)

  • 360° Panoramic Rendering. Export 360° panoramas.
  • View 360° Images. Use Chief VR Cardboard or the new Chief Architect 360° Panorama Viewer to rotate and view panoramic images.

New in Home Designer Suite 2018 19.1.0.47 (Mar 9, 2017)

  • Design Tools:
  • Customize Room Names.
  • Customize the available rooms list to suit your most common needs and regional naming conventions.
  • 3D Tools:
  • Enhanced Render Features.
  • Ambient Occlusion, Bloom, Normal Maps and Bump Maps are all elements that can be leveraged in Rendered Views.
  • Export 360° Spherical Views. Rendered cameras can be shared and embedded in websites for interactive navigation. Export Render Views at a resolution of up to 8192 x 4096.
  • Copy Saved Cameras. Duplicate perspective and overview cameras in the same plan, or between existing plans, to easily replicate angle, direction, and other camera attributes.
  • Windows/Doors/Cabinets:
  • Cabinet Mounted Electrical. Attach outlets and switches to the sides of cabinet boxes, soffits, and panels. Outlets will automatically snap to, and move with, cabinets with which they are associated.
  • Control Counter Overhang. Control the overhang distance of automatic countertops for each side of a cabinet.
  • Comments and Notes per Object. Use the Object Information panel to easily add and manipulate Code, Comment, Description, and Manufacturer fields through items' specification dialog.
  • Stairs/Ramps/Railings:
  • Auto L-Shaped and U-Shaped Stairs. Use the L and U stair tools to automatically drop stairs with landings into plans; stairs will orient and snap to adjacent walls.
  • Visual Feedback while Placing Stairs. While in stair mode, see feedback of stair's location and orientation before dropping into the design. Stairs will snap to, rotate, and align with nearby walls when dropped in a view.
  • Stair Railings. Railings specified for stairs can be customized with different rail styles (balusters, open, middle rail, panels)and multiple rails.
  • Landing Controls. Modify railings on landings independently from stairs.
  • Dialog preview allows you to visualize your landing as you manipulate its properties.
  • Railing top and Bottom Rail. Specify railings and fences with symbol panels, then define whether a hand railing and shoe rail will be included.
  • Building Tools:
  • Short Ceilings for Rooms within Larger Rooms. Create plant shelves, shorter closets, or other rooms that have a lower ceiling than the greater space and control the ceiling platform and materials automatically.
  • General/Support:
  • Touch Screen Optimization. Smooth and accurate touch controls for pinch zoom, pan, rotate and other controls for Windows computers (not supported by Mac OS).
  • Migration Tools. Easily bring forward settings from previous versions.

New in Home Designer Suite 2017 18.3.0.47 (Jun 27, 2016)

  • Sun and Shadow Controls per Camera. Using the "Sun Rotates with the Camera" setting, you will always have a bright scene without being in shadow.
  • Cross-Section Slider with Multiple Cutting Planes. Choose up to six cutting planes in the Cross-Section Slider view and adjust the cutting distance for each plane to create unique and detailed views.
  • Paint One Wall. Quickly change the material on the surface of a single wall in a room.
  • 3D Mouse Support. Use a 3Dconnexion Mouse as your input device to efficiently navigate camera views.
  • 3D Navigation Overhaul. As you navigate in 3D, the camera follows your movement.
  • Cabinet Face Item Locking. Lock editing on cabinet face items as you modify a cabinet to more easily control the manipulation of the cabinet front. Size of appliances inserted into cabinet fronts are given higher priority, preventing them from being resized less frequently as the cabinet's face items are modified.
  • Cabinet Doors on Narrow Cabinets. Specify doors or drawers on cabinets narrower than 6".
  • Objects Bump at Casings. Move cabinets, furniture, or other objects and bump to stop their movement when encountering door and window casings.
  • Export Entire User Library. Easily backup and transfer User Library at the top level of the User Library Tree.
  • Symbol Object Specification Editable from Library. Edit specifications like Height Off Floor and Label for unlocked library items and save with the object in the Library Browser.