Creating a Fire or Flame


Reference Number: KB-01830
Last Modified: July 20, 2021

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



QUESTION

Chief Architect contains several fire materials, however, they are just images. How can I make these look more realistic?

Flames inside of a firepit
 


ANSWER

Creating a 3D flame in Chief Architect is very simple. The first thing you need is a shape with only a few surfaces for the flame material to be applied to.

In this example we will create the curling flame shown above by applying a fire texture to a hollow cylinder.


Creating the cylinder

  1. In a new plan, select Build> Primitive> Cylinder , then click and drag in floor plan to create a simple cylinder shape.

  2. Once the cylinder has been created, go to  3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview .



  3. Next, use the Delete Surface  tool hide the two end surfaces of the cylinder.



  4. Click Tools> Symbol> Convert to Symbol , choose Geometric Shapes as the Symbol Category, and click OK.


  5. Now place your new shape into a plan and resize it as needed.


  6. Apply a fire material, found in the library under Chief Architect Core Catalogs> Materials> Fire.

     

    Using this method, you can use different shapes to make your flame look however you'd like for your camera views.