The Knowledge Base is a vast collection of help and how-to articles for Chief Architect's software products. Browse articles by content category or by searching for a specific topic. See our glossary for common home design and construction terms. Be sure to explore the getting started resources for a variety of other support tools.
Using a base cabinet you can change the drawer/door layout to your style, remove the sides from the cabinet to create an open vanity, and specify a shelf within the opening.
You can create custom furniture objects by utilizing the base cabinet tool. This article will cover how to create a custom console table by using the base cabinet and modifying its settings.
In Chief Architect Premier X16 and newer versions, CAD details can be copied between files using the contextual menu in the Project Browser.
The Reset Saved Camera tools can be used in Chief Architect X16, Home Designer 2025, and newer program versions to quickly reset the properties and position of an active saved camera view.
If several modifications have been made to a particular camera view, and you now want to copy, or replicate, them across other camera views, consider copying/pasting the view or setting the particular view as the default.
Railings and their individual components can be offset using the settings located within the Railing and Staircase Specification dialogs.
While most objects have one Defaults dialog that controls its initial properties and the layer it's drawn on, a variety of text-based objects have multiple Saved Defaults, allowing you to set them up for more than one requirement or task.
Saved Plan Views are preconfigured collections of the following settings, allowing you to quickly change them all at once as you create a variety of construction drawings: Default Set, Layer Set, Reference Display properties, and general plan view-specific settings.
Use the instructions in this article to backup Chief Architect content in the event a computer malfunction occurs. Additionally, it's helpful to have this same content backed up so that it can be transferred to another computer.
This article provides detailed and in-depth instructions on creating a structure using post-frame construction in X13 and newer program versions.
Here's how you can install Chief Architect on multiple computers, using only a single license, quickly and easily.
Click here to learn how to upgrade to the most current version of Chief Architect.
The minimum system requirements for Chief Architect are described here for all current and past versions.
Several properties relating to wall layers can be adjusted using the Wall Type Definitions dialog. Once these properties are specified, wall layers can be toggled on and off using the Layer Display Options dialog or Active Layer Display Options side window.
Each object in the program is assigned to a layer, which can be thought of as a transparency sheet on which objects are drawn, and nearly all views in the program use multiple layers, like stacking transparency sheets together.
The User Catalog is a folder in the Library Browser that you can add objects to. This can be helpful if you use a specific library object frequently or if you have created a custom object that you would like to save for future use.
Learn what your computer specifications are by accessing the DirectX Diagnostic tool on Windows or the 'About This Mac' section on macOS.
Review the features added in each new version of Chief Architect by reading these PDF files that detail the changes, and watching these online tutorial training videos.
Use the Curved Roof setting to create a bullnose verandah in your designs.
Access the Toolbar Customization dialog to customize toolbars and toolbar configurations to your liking to make working in the software more efficient.
Available in Chief Architect X16, Home Designer 2025, and newer versions, the Action History function and it's associated side window allows you to access recent undoable actions in the current plan or layout file.
