Detailed Feature List

Create 3D presentation views and 2D technical views using camera tools for real-time representations of your designs. Use layers to turn off or on different elements, like framing. Camera views can be named, edited, saved, and copied. Use 3D Settings Controls to adjust the display options and settings.

Create 3D views and navigate, spin, rotate, pan, orbit, tilt, and move forward or backward. Use the View Direction Tools to quickly set the view to top down, left side, right side or bottom angles.

Show views being cut from the top, bottom, front, back, left and right side. Adjust the amount cut away from the model. Use the Cross Section Slider in orthographic and vector views, along with other rendering techniques and view types. Modeless Cross Section Slider dialog allows you to interact with the Cross Section Slider in real time to efficiently update 3D Views.

Create detailed walkthrough recordings along paths that you can save and share in standard video formats. Add key frames at any point on the spline to control view direction and speed; walk up or down stairs and to span walkthrough between floors. Each walkthrough contains lighting, rendering, and camera settings. Set up individual paths, each with their own look, including sunlight intensity and direction.

Create an automatic walkthrough path that orbits the exterior of your design.

Create daylight and seasonal light animations using a stationary walkthrough and a sequence of dates and times to illustrate how sunlight and shadows impact your designs. Include a timestamp for sequential frames to create a time reference for sun studies.

Control settings for the sun, moon, horizon, and their impact on a scene’s lighting from within the camera’s specification dialog

Assign 360 spherical images as backdrops. Control offsets, orientation, and Eye Level for spherical backdrops.

Export images suitable for post-processing in HDR format.

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.

Choose to Draw Lines on Top option in Standard, Duotone, Watercolor, Physically Based, and Clay styles to include the sketched line drawing technique. Use an edit tool to show line drawing over top rendering techniques.

Use the Denoise feature in the Physically Based Rendering Technique settings and with the menu command to clarify Ray Traced views during the sampling process or when sampling is complete for the scene.

Ray Trace rendering uses multiple core processors with lighting and materials that can be set for photo realistic rendering. Preview ray trace renders as they refine and iterate image quality; export the image at any time or define the total ray trace duration. Pause and resume Ray Traces and queue multiple scenes for processing. Export common image formats for presentations and marketing use.

View designs from any of the eight standard Isometric viewing angles.

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.

Use orthographic cameras to create elevation or cross section views. Back-Clipped Cross Section views control the cut distance generated for a cross section. Cross Sections can also be clipped at the sides to control the width of view.

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.

Set camera defaults and specifications to display foundation and items below grade as hidden lines or other line styles.

Use the Center Objects tool in Elevation Views to control the location of CAD objects.

Easily set up view callouts directly from the camera object. Show Elevation, Section, and Cross-Section cameras as Callouts in Plan Views. Add callout labels and descriptions; callouts remain when sent to layout.

Generate schedule callouts and labels for windows, doors, cabinets, and other items in Cross-Section and Elevation views.

Start projects from pre-defined Plan Templates or create your own. Use the Save as Template feature to convert an existing project to a new template.

Drag-and-drop room bubbles and arrange them before converting them to walls. Use the polyline-based Room Boxes of the Space Planner tools to customize room shapes and junctions. Controls for snapping and room overlap help make spatial design easier. Provides a quick way to lay out rooms that adjoin the project to illustrate how the completed project would look.

Use Flip Plan to create a mirrored version of your design. Use Rotate Plan to change the orientation of the floor plan on your screen.

Share your Chief Architect design files with clients using the free Chief Architect Viewer software.

View information for selected projects or files, like date created, date modified, file size, and other data.

Manage and navigate Layout pages, project files, floors, elevations, cross sections, 3D views, cameras, schedules and CAD details. Rename cameras, view multiple projects at once and easily access their details. Multi Select Views to edit, activate, duplicate or delete views from the Project Browser. Organize projects and views by creating folders and sub-folders. Easily navigate your saved views by displaying a preview window in the Project Browser that displays a thumbnail image of the selected view.

Pre-configure sets and optimize defaults for creating kitchen plans, framing plans, electrical plans, etc.

Use the Floor Above/Below tool to insert and exchange floors. Insert new Floors or levels between existing floors.

Quickly select all objects on a given layer using the Active Layer Display Options (ALDO) dialog.

Create a plan database to organize your plan portfolio.

Layout sheets are used to organize plans, elevations, CAD details, schedules, site plans, and other items for construction documents. The drawings can be scaled and printed at any size. All views are linked to the original model reflecting any updates you make. Reorder the Layout pages dynamically. Create templates for Layouts with borders and title blocks.

Set up default behaviors for views sent to layout to control properties like the label, scale, and border. Create multi-line formatted labels for View Boxes on Layout Pages. Relink plans, change active layer sets, and rescale views displayed in a layout box from its specification dialog. Select and edit multiple layout boxes to modify shared attributes at one time.

Edit line views sent to the layout, rescale views sent to layout, re-link views on the layout to reference different files.

Specify multiple Template pages in a Layout and assign individual pages to reference a template.

Create drawing schedules, like Table of Contents, for layouts by controlling each page’s attributes such as Label, Title, Description, Revisions and Comments.

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.

Control initial behavior by specifying default values like ceiling height, style, moldings, wall covering, floor materials. Define room attributes by room type. Preview of room construction in the dialog.

Specify which rooms should be included or excluded in the living area calculation.

Automatically generate a molding polyline derived from the room's perimeter. Reshape the polyline as desired and attach multiple molding profiles. Designate sizes for each profile and specify its height off the floor. 3D Molding Polylines create horizontal and vertical moldings that can be edited in 3D Views..

3D model includes Finished Floor and Finished Ceiling layers. Use these layers to add dimension details and define floor coverings, finishes, and sub-layers.

Specify raised floor platforms that are automatically framed.

Select multiple rooms to change their attributes simultaneously; change room type, convert from flat to a vaulted ceiling, set ceiling and floor heights, and modify the platform structure.

Define the display of the dimensions supplied with a room label. Edit units, fraction or decimal display and other settings much like standard dimension formats.

Draw and edit walls in 2D and 3D. Wall Styles include interior, exterior, railing, pony, half wall, curved, angled, raked, stepped. All styles are customizable with unique layers. Wall Types include structural wood, stucco, ICF, SIPS, glass, railings, partitions.

Specify interior and exterior railing styles with unique attributes like newels, balusters, panels, materials, handrails, and heights. Control the size and shape of panels, balusters, railings, and shoe. Use offset values to inset or overhang the railing from the platform edge.

Control heights of walls, add breaks and adjust in Cross Section and Elevation views. Define stepped foundations with vertical footing control.

Use the Select Same Load Same tool to quickly apply properties from one wall to another wall in your design.

Create recesses in walls like a shower niche or wall display. Define the niche depth, casing, arch, and other attributes similar to windows.

Place New, Existing, Demolition and Remodeling Walls on unique layers.

Add custom wall definitions to the Library for reuse.

Design wall areas specifying different materials and assemblies.

Manually control wall intersections by dragging the intersecting wall to snap to a specific layer of another wall.

Create any style of Cabinet using the smart parametric tools including Framed, Frameless, Curved, Angled and Bow. Adjust drawers, face frames, doors, styles, shapes, shelves, moldings, backsplashes, appliances, countertops and more. Use a specification dialog to define and customize your cabinets.

Save any Cabinet, group of Cabinets, or an entire room of Cabinets as an Architectural Block and store in the Library for future use. Unblock the cabinet grouping and modify as needed. For example, store kitchen islands or an entire kitchen in your library for future designs.

Specify the default spacing between cabinet shelves. Specify the type of shelving inside the cabinet and adjust the spacing manually per cabinet opening.

Draw and edit countertops manually. Add countertop holes, edge profiles, adjust the thickness and height off the floor. Dialog preview allows you to visualize a custom counter as you manipulate its properties.

Create cabinet fillers automatically between cabinets, or add them manually.

Choose to match the sides and back of a cabinet’s configuration to its front, or individually customize the layout of panels, doors, drawers and appliances for any side of a cabinet. Define the thickness of cabinet Sides and Backs.

Specify whether cabinets include top, bottom, and side pieces of the box. Use these controls to design open side cabinetry and recessed bottom cabinets.

Control the side, top, and bottom overlap value for any traditional overlay cabinet door, drawer, or panel.

Use layers and controls in the cabinet dialog to draw doors and drawers open in 2D and 3D views. Set percent open for cabinet doors and drawers individually. Set door swing angle up to 180d. Use edit toggle to quickly return all cabinets to closed or open in a view.

Apply a separate material to each cabinet element, including shelves, cabinet interior, toe kicks, individual doors and drawers, cabinet feet, moldings, and countertops.

Automatically clip cabinet counter overhang when it butts against appliances and partitions.

Define cabinet hardware for doors and drawers, apply unique hardware to individual face items. Hardware automatically rotates to match face item orientation and can be rotated manually through the specification dialog. Use controls to locate hardware at cabinet doors' vertical and horizontal centers, and to resize hardware.

Specify that moldings should automatically be flush with the cabinet box or the cabinet doors, drawers, and panels.

Cabinet catalogs include door and drawer styles, colors, wood species, and accessories that can be attached to parametric cabinet tools.

Create any style of Door, Doorway, and Window including Arched, Shaped and Mulled. Use the Smart Parametric tools. Doors styles include interior, exterior, sliding, barn, pocket, bi-fold, atrium, fixed, double-swing, shower, and garage. Hardware Library - Hinges, Handles and Locks. Window styles include interior, exterior, pass-through, single/double hung, sliding, casement, corner, recessed, louvered, bay, and box.

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.

Specify retractable walls (also known as stackers and Nanawall) using the panel configuration options for Sliding and Pocket Doors. Create bifold doors with multiple panel sections to create accordion door types.

Break parametric bump-out windows into their wall and window sub-components to be edited fully.

Create custom Mulled door and window blocks. Move, dimension, and label them as single units and add them to the Library. Mulled Units that contain Doors are automatically recognized as Door objects for Schedules and Schedule Labels.

Assign custom CAD Blocks to symbol windows, like Garden Windows, to control their display in Plan View.

Adjust curtains by the height off floor and height above casing. Blinds fit inside casing when attached to Windows.

Specify sills, lintels, and aprons for openings and set the height, width, and overhang. Attach custom symbols to Window or Door casing and set the height and width.

Create gable, hip, shed, Dutch gable, gambrel, mansard, and other roof styles automatically. Use the Auto-Rebuild Roofs feature to automatically update the roof as your design changes. Define roof attributes per eave wall including multiple roof pitches, overhangs, and roof returns.

Specify pitch, overhang, raise off plate for energy heels, curved roof information, framing details, fascias, gutters, exposed rafters and roof returns and many other options. Includes roof and ceiling framing and trusses. See the Framing section for details.

Design with both the 2D and 3D views up at the same time to visualize the changes in design.

Specify rafter spacing values for individual roof planes in a design.

Automatic ceilings are created once a roof is generated. Manual Ceilings can be drawn and modified to reflect non-standard ceiling designs; create cathedral, tray, coffered, and barrel ceilings.

Create roof assemblies with multiple layers, much like floor and ceiling platforms; great for specifying SIP roofs.

Apply Shadow Boards to the fascia of roof planes automatically. Specify molding profiles and stack moldings to create the desired molding build-up.

Specify tread width, length, tread number, overhang, and thickness. Set riser height, top and bottom height. Specify details about stringers, open underneath, runners, railing details, baluster and newel styles and shapes, brackets, handrails on walls next to stairs, around corners, and hand rail profile. Specify riser heights, tread width, start height, and bottom height.

Customize curved sections, flared treads, starter treads, winders, definable walk line, maintainable tread width, and landings.

Easily create staircases with different tread widths. Perfect for creating a stair that has exposed railing on the bottom, and is encased in walls at the top.

Split landings into multiple segments using dialog box controls for U-shape and L-shape stairs.

Creates stairwell and the platform to match the staircase.

Create Custom Landings to auto-connect Stair sections or Ramp sections together. Auto-connect multiple landings together to update their height values to suit the staircase. Use Landings to create custom winder stairs and starter treads. Choose auto adjust features for the height and thickness based on stair or ramp connection. Turn railings on or off per Landing edge.

Choose from newels and balusters in the Library Catalog or import your own.

Save preconfigured stair and ramp sections to the library browser. Click to place a copy into your design. Click and drag to draw a new variation using the style and settings from the library version.

Specify returns at each of a stair’s handrails and specify horizontal extension lengths to meet code requirements for stair handrails.

Set up a default foundation type, controlling stem-wall height, footing size, slab or pier information. Edit the foundations settings after it has been built.

Select Round Piers or Square Pads and control their size and position in the dialog. Toggle between round and square with a single click.

Generate automatic footings and supports under Bearing Walls, control footings for slabs, and define stepped footings with vertical pours. Control the pattern fill, layer, and line types for Wall Footings within the specification dialog.

Floors, walls, ceilings, roofs, openings, headers can be framed and updated automatically as the structure evolves. Define Trimmers and Headers based on opening sizes.

Choose to “Build All Framing” in your project, generating Roof, Wall, Platform, and Deck framing in a single click. Choose to generate all or a subset of automatic framing from the Build Framing Panel.

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.

Optimize framing designs for panelized construction and use with automated sawing machines. Export to .EZF format.

Specify roof overbuild conditions for a remodel or in new construction and automatically generate framing with shoe plates.

Floor, ceiling, and roof trusses. Create trusses that automatically conform and fit between platforms or overbuild using a truss base; manually edit and customize trusses. Truss options include scissor, attic, step down, girder, sub-girder, drop hip, jacks, kingpost, gable end, reduced gable, energy heel. See a preview of trusses in their specification dialog; previews update as parameters change.

Automatically generated truss details for floor, ceiling, and roof trusses. Each truss is labeled for easy identification.

Apply decorative or shaped end profiles to general framing members, similar to rafter tails.

Define number of plates and max length, stud thickness, king studs, spacing, bridging, miter ends, framing for short walls and knee walls. Balloon Wall Framing platforms extend through walls or walls through platforms. Steel Framing for walls, headers, joists, and rafters - automatically creates C-Channel and U-Channel shaped framing members for typical steel framing. Define the number of Rim Joists generated on a per wall basis.

Specify headers to be automatically generated at the wall top plate down with cripples to the window framing below. Specify rotated header framing members so the flat side is parallel with the ceiling, useful for non-loadbearing walls. Set headers to be flush with the wall’s interior or exterior and specify the gap between plies. Specify the distance of adjacent openings when combining your headers.

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, and sizing and spacing for top and bottom girts.

For each wall, view and edit wall framing, add dimensions or callouts. Use to produce framing schedules or wall details.

Use the Role option in the Framing Specification dialog to control how individual framing objects are represented in schedules.

Specify Standard, Reduced Stud (two-stud Advanced Framing Technique), or Laddered options for building wall framing at corners and intersections.

Automatically control the generation of butt or lap framing over a wall with the Bearing attribute.

Use polyline tools to generate holes for the floor or ceiling and automatically generate framing around them.

Define Plank overhang, width, gap, direction, border planks, beams and joists. Define widths, spacing, direction and type of planks. Automatically re-build framing as the design changes. Include or exclude beams, posts, and footings. Automatic framing includes blocking under border planks.

Comprehensive CAD objects and editing tools: Points, Lines, Polylines, Splines, Arcs, Circles, Ovals, Boxes, Arrows, Fence, Trim Extend, Parallel, Perpendicular, Reflect, Replicate, Transform, Fillet, Chamfer, and several others.

Snap indicators – center, end point, tangent, and several others. Snap to objects or a grid. Snap to Reference Floor layer (a floor above or below the current floor).

Accurately move or copy objects. See visual indicators of starting and ending locations while using the Point-to-Point Move and Point-to-Point Resize tools.

Quickly convert CAD to 3D Solids, Molding Polylines, Countertops, Slabs, Landings, Distributed Regions and Paths, Holes in Roofs and Platforms. Convert Arcs and Circles to Polylines. Convert polylines to Revision Clouds and Material List Areas. Convert to Elevation and Terrain data, Sprinklers, Garden Beds, Terrain Walls and Curbs, Roads, Road Markings, and Sidewalks.

Create custom solids with a variety of shapes. Edit polylines using Polyline Subtract, Polyline Union, and Polyline Intersection. Create solid faces, extrude and revolve them to create custom objects. View and rotate a 3D preview while adjusting the attributes of 3D shape objects. Edit any edge or face of a solid object in any direction. Edit solid objects in plan views and 3D Views, regardless of the view in which it was originally created.

Perform Union, Intersection, and Subtraction editing on combinations of 3D Solids and perform these edits on objects created in different planes (plan view vs. elevation). Use the fillet and chamfer tools on any edge of a 3D Solid object.

Quickly edit polyline corners, like custom counters, with fillets or chamfers with the click of a button.

Details for residential structural elements. Detailed assemblies for floors, roofs, decks, walls and foundations. Over 500 details are included in the premium SSA catalogs.

Draw customized details and diagrams, print them to scale, and save for reuse in the Library. Specify insertion points to control how details are added to a design.

Duplicate CAD Details from one project and add them to another using Copy/Paste tools in the Project Browser. Set up templates to include your favorite CAD Details.

Set up unique layer groupings for display and printing. Create separate Layer sets for Electrical Plans, Framing Views, or Space Planning. Edit, copy, and rename existing layer sets; use the Layer Set toolbar to quickly swap active Layer Sets or swap Layer Sets using Default Sets.

Select a layer assigned to an object using the Layer Eyedropper tool, then apply that layer to a different object with Layer Painter.

Quickly and easily modify the layer properties for any object from the Edit Toolbar.

Use the Reference Display controls to show layer sets from other plan files. Display remodeling changes and construction options by showing layers from one design overlaid in a different file in both 2D and 3D views. Create ‘ghosted’ camera views that include As-Built and Addition designs together.

Baseline, Running, Centerline, Angular, End-to-End, Interior, Point-to-Point, and Temporary dimensions. Use One-Click Auto Dimensions™ for exteriors.

Select any object, and enter a corresponding dimension number to move the object a set distance. Use simple arithmetic formulas while editing dimensions to easily move objects in a design.

Adjust wall lengths by selecting dimensions or temporary dimensions that run parallel to the wall. Display Wall length as you draw; press TAB to input an exact dimension.

Create a construction line grid with callouts for referencing between floor levels and across elevation views to mark key planes in your project. Dimension and snap to lines, modify callout display, and use layers to control printing. Use automatic ordering to set up sequential labeling for construction line callouts. Define different rules for individual sets of construction lines.

Manage dimension extension settings and control multiple elements at once with table interface. See interactive previews of dimension settings.

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”.

Replace dimension value with text or insert additional text before or after the dimension value for any dimension string.

Use a Bluetooth or Wireless compatible device to automatically measure a space then input the distances directly into dimension strings.

Define multiple dimension styles and attributes for your specific needs, such as defaults for floor plans, cabinet elevations and site plans. For each Default, define the attributes for number height, unit of measure, arrow, fonts and including the behavior of each dimension tool, including Temporary Dimensions.

Set up Automatic Exterior Dimension behaviors based on your active dimension defaults. Easily create exterior dimensions for different views, different scales, and different snap locations.

Automatically dimension interior rooms and elevations to the National Kitchen and Bath Association dimensioning standards using pre-defined default sets.

Use the Story Pole Dimension tool to automatically generate labeled markers for key locations and dimensions between them in Elevation and Cross-Section views. A new story pole label is generated for each dimension mark added. Set "Reach" values to control the distance points are located.

Create Electrical, Plumbing and Heating / Ventilation plans. Electrical – place lights, switches, outlets, low voltage, and wiring. Circuit Connection tools draw the connections and circuits for your electrical layout. Connect components together to create circuits. Adjust the lines and arcs of the circuit design. Connections will automatically change switches for 3-way and 4-way. Specify Electrical, Fixture, and Furniture items to attach to ceilings and roofs and auto-rotate to match the pitch of roofs or vaulted ceilings.

Use Light Sources in addition to light fixture symbols to enhance the lighting in a scene. Light Fixtures have light sources for Render and Ray Trace Views.

Define custom lighting with shadows and intensity; turn lighting on or off per fixture to control whether a light is used for a 3D scene. Use dimming controls to customize the intensity of lights for individual scenes.

Define Lighting groups to control which lights are ON at any time. Assign Lighting Sets to view defaults, individual cameras, and Ray Trace Views.

Define a North Pointer and Sun Angle. Specify latitude, longitude, date and time; generate shadows in 2D and 3D. Sun Angles are listed by date and time stamps in dialogs for easy identification.

Display angles as Azimuth Bearings, Quadrant Bearings, Degrees, Minutes, or Minutes + Seconds.

Input accurate length, bearing and setback information.

Input elevations data for Terrain by drawing splines, lines, and points. Attach elevation value to each object, then automatically generate the terrain contours. Define the terrain's elevation relative to the subfloor using a marker. A Clear Terrain tool is available to remove contouring and adjust elevation data.

Hills, Valleys, Elevated Regions, Flat Regions.

Stepping Stones, Streams, Garden Curbing, Pre-defined Garden Beds, Blocked garden beds.

Include the volume of Roads, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Terrain Walls and Curbs in materials lists.

Design Straight and Curved Decks. Define roof and ceiling attributes for a covered deck. Control the orientation and size of deck planking, gap, width, overhang, direction, border planks, beams and joists. Full Deck framing – see framing section for more details. Polygon Deck tool, specify the number of sides and the size of a deck.

Place sprinkler heads and connect them to create irrigation runs and zones.

Import photos of plants and add them to the Library Browser to use in your designs. Add plant growth information and adjust transparency attributes.

Detailed plant information – common and scientific name, type, sub-type, characteristics, height range, zones, sun and water needs, bloom time, and leaf and flower color.

Use sliding scale and grow the plants up to 20 years from the current maturity.

Place and edit objects directly in 3D and 2D Plan View or Elevation View. Design simultaneously in 2D and 3D for any of the views.

Apply colors, materials and textures to objects or components of the object. Apply colors as solid or stain. Use the Default Painter tool restore items to their default material.

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.

Modify the sizing and offset for the Herringbone and Grid pattern types to accurately match your final installation pattern.

Use Emissive material properties to contribute light to PBR Ray Traced scenes. Surfaces that are assigned materials with emissivity will glow and add brightness to your 3D Views. Ideal for rope lights, tube lights, and object surfaces where lighting diffuses over a large area. Emissive materials can also be attached to light bulb surfaces and replace light source values in the Electrical Specification Dialog.

Use the interactive material editor to adjust a material's scale, rotation, and origin in 3D Views. Scoping tools allow you to change all materials in the plan at once or make a copy of the material and then make interactive adjustments.

Use class definitions to define your materials: General, Plastic, Brushed Metal, Shiny Metal, Pre-Defined Metal, Matte, Mirror, Polished, Transparent, and Translucent. Preview the Material classes for standard rendering or ray trace.

Manage all the materials used in the design. Replace materials used in a plan with a material from the Library Catalog. Select a group of materials to merge.

Use the pattern editing view to create new hatch patterns and fill style or edit and update existing ones.

Screen capture an image and apply in the design, such as a photo of tile for a custom backsplash.

Using the Center Object tool, choose the Point-to-Point Center button to center an object between two other items. For example, center a cabinet between two windows.

Import custom 3D objects from popular brand catalogs or other sharing sites and store them in the Library Browser for use in your designs.

Quickly convert one or more 3D elements to a Symbol Object. Assemble cabinets, 3D solids, soffits, moldings or other 3D items into a custom item, and convert only those that are actively selected to a Symbol that can be stored in the Library Browser and reused in designs.

Automatically generate groupings of an object in an area or along a path (garden beds or cable lighting, for example). Set variances like size, position and angle for a more naturalized look.

Access thousands of Objects / Items, both Manufacturer and generic. Download, import and create new objects. Search for objects in the Library or use the advanced search features to filter the results. Number of Library Items is displayed in the status bar.

Check for updates for catalogs distributed by Chief Architect from the menu, or using the Update Library Catalogs tool button. Catalog Downloads automatically restart if Chief Architect is closed then re-launched. Notification dialog lists which catalogs have been updated after the updated catalog process is complete.

Search for Library items by keyword, object type or style. Instant Search bar is integrated into the Library, just start typing in the search bar to find objects in the Library. Use terms “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT”, and create search groups using parentheses ‘()’ in library searches to refine results. Customize Library Search Attributes, view or modify key words for searching on Library objects. Use the search tools inside Chief Architect’s Library Browser to discover and download content from the online 3D Library.

When viewing library search results in Tile Mode, right-click to access the 'Sort By' options to view the objects in the most relevant way.

Convert and access your favorite patterns in the Library Browser, edit properties like color, scale, and orientation, and copy and rename them as necessary. Easily apply fills and patterns to objects and materials from their specification dialogs.

Add individual, unblocked pieces of text to the Library Browser for easy preservation and reuse in future projects.

Select objects in the plan and replace with an object in the Library. Replace single items or all identical items in a plan.

Apply and replace library items using scoping. For example, replace cabinet hardware on a single drawer, on an entire cabinet, for all cabinets in a room, on a floor level, or in the whole plan.

In addition to adjusting the Symbol Properties for objects, edit the specifications like Layer and Label and save with the object in the Library Browser.

Store components attached to an object or Architectural Block (like cabinet doors, hardware, millwork, and moldings) in the Library Browser as separate and unique items using the Add to Library As Edit Tool.

Automatic Materials List with columns for equipment, unit costs, percent markup, and labor costs. Change order of the columns. Generate a list for the entire plan, single room, or defined area using a polyline. Materials List updates as design changes to reflect product, quantities, prices, and general costs of the goods and services required for your project.

Select items from the materials list and choose to Show in Plan to identify and locate them in your design.

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.

Leverage Ruby Scripting to create custom formulas for calculations in the materials list. Leverage reference codes for elements in the program to write custom text macros and Ruby scripts.

Create Schedules for Doors, Windows, Cabinets and Materials, Fixtures, Appliances, Furniture, Electrical, HVAC, Notes, Plumbing, Plants, Room Finish, Walls, Molding Polylines, Roof Planes,Ceilng Planes, Skylights, Millwork, Sprinklers, and Shapes. Automatically Customize the information contained in the Schedule and label controls for Schedules.

Use the Object Information Panel in an item’s specification dialog to assign custom fields which can be displayed in Schedules.

Generate schedules that include multiple types of objects, and specify in which schedule grouping individual objects belong; for example, specify Glass Sliding Doors as Window Schedule objects or separate objects into “Existing” and “New” schedules.

Choose to include CAD polylines and polyline based objects like backsplashes, counters, material regions, slabs, and terrain objects in schedules. Report the number of lines and perimeter.

Select a row from a schedule and choose to open the specification for the item(s) represented in the row, edit and update them in your project and your schedules.

Create a series of shorter schedules by specifying the starting number for each schedule in the sequence.

Export Materials List with accounting codes, descriptions, quantities, and pricing. Accounting codes conform to the NAHB Standards.

Include pricing data per board when you generate framing linear length and buy lists. Set up separate pricing models for each report type.

Control font, size, weight, color, position, justification, and more.

Use the Find and Replace tool to modify the selected text only.

Arrows recognize text justification (left, right, center) and automatically orient appropriately. Add tails using flag parametric objects. Use edit handles to automatically generate new leader lines on text objects.

Place Callouts and Markers in Plan, Elevation, Layout, and Detail views. Adjust fill color, line style, line weight, and double-headed Callouts. Callouts and Markers have unique layers. Use multiple default styles for Arrows, Markers, and Callouts.

Type your own customized labels objects; include macros to make them dynamically update with the item. Control label size, orientation, and on which layer it displays.

Automatic labels for layout views will display the camera name for elevation and section views or the floor plan name for plan views. Create custom labels that will move with the views as you set up your layout.

Default Sets control a subset of defaults including Dimensions, Text, Arrows, Markers, Callouts, and Layers. Default Sets can be used to quickly change your defaults and streamline the annotation process.

Generate numbered note markers with associated descriptions can be displayed in a schedule table. Include interactive note markers in camera views that can be selected and edited, and exported to 3D Viewer mobile app for client review.

Add links to website or other files using the text tools.

Create New, Edit, Copy, Delete, and Test custom macros from within the Text Macro Management dialog.

Encircle objects with revision clouds, or draw your own. See a preview of the Revision Cloud you are creating or editing from within its specification dialog. Define Revision Cloud defaults to easily manage clouds with your Saved Views.

Save to a PDF file for outsourcing print jobs.

Displays printable area, paper edges, and line weights.

Import or Export DXF and DWG files.

Image import - specify transparency color and add plant data or image information for materials and backdrops. Display Metafile on plan, elevation, and layout views. Specify fill style to show through and transparency on the image.

Import/Export Saved Plan Views, Default Sets, Layer Sets, Hot Keys, Wall Types, Line Styles, Defaults, Macros, and Ruby Scripts. Share with other users or transfer them from plan to plan.

Group import texture image files and convert them to materials automatically.

Choose to migrate your settings after the initial installation of X13. If you forgot to migrate a file, or want to review the X13 Out-of-Box settings, you can do so and then migrate your custom settings like toolbars and hotkeys later.

Chief Architect can be installed and run natively either on Mac or Windows operating systems with a single license. Includes native ARM support for Mac M1 processors.

Free download version of the Client Viewer and your projects with peers, sub-contractors, and customers, allowing them full access to view (but not modify) your work. Include relevant Saved Plan Views to make communicating and sharing ideas easier.

Tabbed view windows can be torn or undocked from the main user interface and moved between monitors independently.

Toolbar buttons and high definition icons scale to fit screen resolutions and increased DPI (128px vs 20px)

Turn on the Action History window to interact with the list of commands and actions that have occurred. Perform multiple undos/redos at once by navigating the Action History list.

Adjust grid to display a reference in any increment, great for modular design, space planning, and as an indication of scale.

Export an archive of a project that combines all files into a single .ZIP for easy storage. Use the Backup Plan feature to overwrite files into an existing folder instead of requiring an empty directory.

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.

A collection of tools on a toolbar set organized by discipline: Default, Terrain, Kitchen & Bath, Space Planning, and Mechanical Electrical Plumbing.

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 an Overhead view; interact with each view type to experience the details of your design.

Export energy calculations to U.S. Department of Energy’s REScheck™ software.

Deactivate a license remotely from your Chief Architect online account in order to access the program from another computer.