When I try to launch a Chief Architect program, I receive one of the following messages:
How do I resolve this?
Chief Architect software checks the status of your computer’s graphics card on launch and warns you if it detects problems that will affect its ability to run.
If you encounter one of these messages, your computer’s graphics card or chipset may not be able to generate 3D views – including 3D previews in dialogs, as well as side windows such as the Library and Project Browser.
You may be able to resolve the issue by downloading and installing the latest drivers from the graphics card manufacturer. For more information on updating drivers, please see the appropriate resource for your product below:
Note: In most cases, these messages occur when using outdated graphics hardware or graphics drivers; however they can also occur if you're trying to use a legacy Chief Architect program version on newer hardware that it wasn't designed to run on. One particular example is operating legacy Chief Architect products, like X9 or Home Designer 2018, on Apple Silicon (M-series) chips.
If your graphics card does not meet the minimum system requirements for your version or is listed on our Known Incompatibilities page, it is unlikely that updated drivers will resolve the problem.
In order to generate 3D camera views, your graphics card must support Shader Model 6.0 and DirectX 12 if you're using a Windows-based computer. Please see the "Identifying the Shader Model of Your Graphics Card in Windows" resource in the Related Articles section to learn more.
In some instances, such as when a computer has more than one graphics card, Chief Architect products may recognize, and use, the weaker graphics card. If your system has more than one graphics card and you suspect this to be the cause of this message, consider following the instructions in the applicable resource below:
