Terrain

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• Converting a Polyline into a Terrain Perimeter

  Converting a CAD drawing into a plan’s terrain perimeter allows you to create a perimeter that bounds the 3D terrain and defines the property.

• Creating a Stepped Retaining Wall

  Stepped retaining walls are a nice feature to add to your landscape. Chief Architect makes it easy.

• Creating a Tree House

  Create a tree-house by setting various plan defaults, setting the terrain pad height, and design the structure attached to tree trunk columns.

• Creating a Walk-out Basement

  The program will produce a flat building pad under your plan by default. Use these steps to slope terrain and create a walkout basement.

• Creating an In-ground Swimming Pool

  Using the Terrain Feature Tools, Polyline Solids and 3D Molding Polylines, you can create a custom ground level swimming pool.

• Creating Expansion Joints in a Sidewalk

  To model expansion joints in a sidewalk, create a single section of sidewalk and then replicate it with small gaps in between each section.

• Creating Stairs in Sloping Terrain

  You can create stairs that follow your terrain by drawing the stairs in an area defined by Retaining Walls and snapping the stairs to landings at each end.

• Deleting Objects From the Terrain

  If you delete one or more terrain objects without deleting the Terrain Perimeter, you will not immediately see any changes in your terrain model.

• Generating Contour Lines on the Terrain

  If you have added Hills and Valleys to your terrain at the same location as a Flat Region, the flat region will have priority over the hills and valleys.

• How Chief Architect Interprets Terrain Lines

  Placing similar elevation lines close to each other allows the terrain to be built with fewer unwanted elevation changes.

• How the Height of Floors Relate to the Height of the Terrain

  Chief Architect will automatically raise the floor platform off the terrain for you. The amount that the floor is raised depends on the type of ¬foundation.

• Importing Terrain Elevation Data from a DXF or DWG File

  Many surveyors save their surveys into a DWG, or DXF, file that contains the elevation information about a lot. Chief Architect can import and use this data.

• Making a Custom Driveway Surface

  There are several tools within Chief Architect that allow you to add more detail to the default driveway tool.

• Matching Building and Terrain Heights

  Floor height varies depending on the type of foundation that you choose to build, and the Elevation value that you enter in the Terrain Specification dialog.

• Placing a Retaining Wall in the Terrain

  Retaining walls are automatically drawn with footings and a terrain break, which creates a sharp drop in the terrain along the wall.

• Rebuilding Terrain

  The program does not generate contour lines and terrain automatically, in order for changes that you make to the terrain to take effect, you update the terrain.

• Using Real World Elevation Data to Create a Terrain

  Before entering your terrain data, change the terrain settings to avoid having the house float too low or too high in the terrain.