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.
Create a plot plan polyline by imputing distance and angles into the New CAD Line dialog, then convert the polyline into a terrain perimeter.
Walkout basements are a type of daylight basement typically located on sloped terrain. They feature walls that are above ground at the lower end of the slope so that a door can be positioned above the terrain at that end. You will need to create sloped terrain and adjust the Building Pad Elevation and/or terrain data so that the terrain is at the appropriate height relative to the structure at both the high and low ends of the slope.
Using the Terrain Feature Tools, Polyline Solids and 3D Molding Polylines, you can create a custom ground level swimming pool.
To model expansion joints in a sidewalk, create a single section of sidewalk and then replicate it with small gaps in between each section.
Create a polyline solid with a partially transparent lattice material to go under a deck or stairs, or to fill in a porch area.
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.
Displaying any shadow for a building in plan view is easy when you design with Chief Architect.
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.
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.
Images of plants can be imported into Chief Architect and modified to display in your camera views just as the plant images contained in our library catalogs.
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.
Floor height varies depending on the type of foundation that you choose to build, and the Subfloor Height Above Terrain value that you enter in the Terrain Specification dialog.
Saving your houses or other structures as 3D symbols allows you to place multiple buildings in a single plan to create 3D views of an entire neighborhood, subdivision, or lot with multiple structures.
Place break points in a retaining wall to adjust it to your liking.
Retaining walls are automatically drawn with footings and a terrain break, which creates a sharp drop in the terrain along the wall.
Reasons why materials would flicker when a camera is rotated include: structure placement, large terrain, materials occupying the same space, and video card specific issues.
Before entering your terrain data, change the terrain settings to avoid having the house float too low or too high in the terrain.
