Your clients want to see more than a floor plan and elevation, right? Renderings help; but, what about a 3D model they can experience and virtually interact with? Export and share your designs using the Chief Architect 3D Viewer. With the 3D Viewer, they can view the design and model on their phone, tablet or computer – it’s a free app we developed exactly for sharing your designs with your clients.
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Industry News
3D Viewer App: A New Way for Builders and Designers to Engage and Communicate their 3D design with Clients

TheBuild.tv Launches for DIY Home Renovation Education

Dreaming of renovating your home, but not sure what to expect? Thebuild.tv by Anthony Carrino may just be the new series you’ve been waiting for.
(more…)The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture: Through the Eyes of an Apprentice

By Kerry Hansen
Like many, when we learned that after nearly 90 years, the iconic School of Architecture at Taliesin would be closing its doors later this year, our hearts skipped a beat. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the founding visionaries of Modernist architecture and a towering figure in American culture. For a first-hand perspective on the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin West, we turned to Michael Rust, an architect based out of Chandler, Arizona. Rust, a member of the Taliesin Fellowship for over a decade, was the recipient of the third Master of Architecture degree ever issued by the prestigious school. Michael’s architecture is featured on the cover of Chief Architect Premier X11 and X12, and atop our booth at the International Builders’ Show.
(more…)Keeping up with the Latest Home Design Trends

Each year, I’m intrigued by all of the blogs, social media posts and emails that flood my feed featuring the hottest trends for home design. We’ve seen it all, from floral everywhere to gray everything. Are these trends something that most designers track and incorporate into their latest work? Are we driving ourselves crazy trying to stay on top of the latest trends, or is it a necessary component of keeping a competitive edge in the market?
(more…)2020 Interior Design Trends

By Kerry Hansen
The maximalist interior of the Mondrian Doha Hotel’s rooftop pool.
“There are three responses to a
piece of design – yes, no, and WOW!
Wow is the one to aim for!”
Milton Glaser
(more…)The Construction Industry’s Top 5 Challenges in 2020

What are the biggest challenges your business will face over the next year? If you said finding skilled labor and completing projects on time, you aren’t alone.
With housing starts at a high and labor shortages expected to continue, we set out to identify the biggest challenges that businesses are facing in the coming year and what they’re planning to do to address them. We heard from 35 building industry professionals who provided us with a pulse on what they are preparing for in the coming year.
(more…)Projected Backlog for New Clients

By Dani Forbush
What does a hot real estate market mean for professionals in the building industry? A significant backlog of work. Since 2012, there has been a steady increase in housing prices. That increase continues as inventory and labor availability shrink.
(more…)Capturing As-Built Measurements for Remodel Projects

How do remodeling professionals capture as-built measurements? Paper, Napkin, App, or Laptop software? Chief Architect software surveyed remodelers and found 75% measure as-built homes by hand using paper and pencil. The compounding effects of repetition have made this an efficient process. If the system works, why change?
What is an As-Built plan?
The As-Built plan refers to the original condition of the house before remodeling. Remodeling projects and home additions start with as-built measurements, also called red-line drawings or record drawings. It’s vital to map out the as-built plan as precisely as possible.
(more…)Fine Homebuilding California House Collaboration

Fine Homebuilding Magazine has been the gold standard reference, covering quality home design and construction for over 30 years. I remember as a youngster sifting through the stacks of my dad’s coveted back issues, soaking up the details and anticipating the next “Great Moments in Building History” featured on the last page. It wasn’t long after I purchased my first fixer upper that I started an archive library of my own. (more…)
Winning Spaces from the 2018 NKBA Design Awards

January’s KBIS event marked another success on the books. This year, in addition to manning our booth and hosting the annual User Breakfast, our team was delighted to contribute to one of the favorite KBIS announcements: the 2018 NKBA Design Awards! See the full spread of winners and project information in the January/February issue of NKBA Innovation + Inspiration.
We used Chief Architect’s 3D Modeling, Rendering, and Video Walkthrough Recording tools to replicate the winning designs, then recorded animations that virtually explore the spaces.