Chief Architect Design Software - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Tao_Rider · 05-26-2008, 09:41 AM

Good Morning All,

We've decided to purchase design software so that we can give sexier presentations to our clients. Mainly bathrooms, kitchens and general interior remodeling.

We are leaning toward the Chief Architect products. While researching, we've found three products that seem like they will work, but the price range is very wide. Any thoughts or answers from experienced Chief Architect software users are appreciated.

Home Designer Suite - 8. Less than $100.00. Looks like it provides the fluff we need for presentations. Reviews are fairly strong. Seems like there might be a problem in complicated roof designs or obtaining accurate material lists. Neither problem is an issue for us.

My thought is that this might be a good starting point. Price won't break the bank, it can down loaded, and it looks like we'd be using it successfully for presentations PDQ.

Question #1 Should we spend $400 more on the Home Designer Pro 8.0? The Pro 8.0 had a good online breakdown of what it does, but the Home Designer Suite description is vague. All we want to produce is a little eye candy for our potential clients, what is the value in the extra $400 for HD Pro?

Question #2 Are the skills learned in the HD Suite usable in the HD Pro and other upper end Chief Architect Design Software?

Anyway, if you've walked this path, I'd appreciate any insight.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

**framerman** · 05-26-2008, 10:32 AM

I don't have first hand knowledge of those programs, but I can tell you this.

If you have a program with 2 types of release, i.e. regular and pro, they will be almost the same with the pro version giving you extras. it will have the same interface as the regular. most of these programs are the exact same program, but with coding to disable certain things. If you want the pro version to upgrade, a simple "pay here" and here's your release code.

If you are asking if they can be similar between different platforms, yes and no. They will have a different interface, different terminology, etc. but essentially be similar in the core. Commands and how you get the program to do a certain thing is definitely going to be different.

Simple commands like line, fillet, arc and so on will usually be the same across all CAD programs.

I've heard good things about Chief Architect. I use something much more expensive (5K) than what you are talking about here, so I won't bother getting into what the program can do for you.

finehomes · 05-26-2008, 01:58 PM

I demo'd both chief and softplan and have been a softplan user now for just about two years. softplan is much easier to use and learn in my opinion. I tried and tried with the chief demo but it was just too confusing to me but with softplan I had a pretty good floor plan drawn up within a few hours of buying the program.

The nice thing with softplan is you can buy the lite program for under $1,000 (which is what I did) and that is credited towards your upgrade to the full version at anytime. I just upgraded a few months ago!

With either program, you are going to get out of it what you put into it. I know plenty of chief users that swear by it. I just couldn't grasp it and softplan came easily to me.

Sam

rbsremodeling · 05-26-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by finehomes

I demo'd both chief and softplan and have been a softplan user now for just about two years. softplan is much easier to use and learn in my opinion. I tried and tried with the chief demo but it was just too confusing to me but with softplan I had a pretty good floor plan drawn up within a few hours of buying the program.

The nice thing with softplan is you can buy the lite program for under $1,000 (which is what I did) and that is credited towards your upgrade to the full version at anytime. I just upgraded a few months ago!

With either program, you are going to get out of it what you put into it. I know plenty of chief users that swear by it. I just couldn't grasp it and softplan came easily to me.

Sam

I found it to be the opposite. Chief architect was easier for me. I find that if you have no drafting/architectual backround chief architect is very easy to grasp the basics.

finehomes · 05-26-2008, 06:40 PM

See...there ya have it!!! Someone from the other side that had an easier time with Chief. I just couldn't figure it out....but I also didn't spend much time other than a few days with the demo. It frustrated me enough that I went out and bought softplan and dove right into the manual to learn how to use it.

Any cad program is going to have a learning curve and you are going to get out of it what you put into it. Both chief and softplan have awesome rendering capabilities...but of course here two years later I couldn't do a full color rendering on SP if my life depended on it....because I haven't put the time into learning how. I need con docs more than anything...so that's where I have put my time into learning...so I can draw homes to build.

One of these days I will learn how to do renderings so I can use them in my marketing and get more homes to build!!!

Sam

J F · 05-27-2008, 03:48 PM

We use Chief and like it (5yrs now). We have the full (enterprise) package.

http://www.premierbasements.com/tmbs2.htm

http://www.premierbasements.com/design.htm

As stated above, it's all about the time and effort you put into whichever software you're using.

J

Tao_Rider · 05-31-2008, 03:13 PM

Thanks for the feed back guys. I'll let you know how it goes. Mike

rbsremodeling · 05-31-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tao_Rider

Thanks for the feed back guys. I'll let you know how it goes. Mike

Chief architect use to have a free trial download on the website

hatchet · 06-02-2008, 06:12 PM

The Better Homes and Garden software http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/ is pretty close to the same thing as Chief Architect (made by same people). I've imported a couple of the BHG files into CA with little to no problems. I've heard that it is a little more difficult to do roofs in the BHG version and of course it is missing some of the frills of CA. But for 100 it would be a cheap way to learn if CA is going to do what you want for future stuff.
I personally have no large issues with CA - other than their materials list.
I should also mention that I used to use Acad - started with Version 9 or something. CA is a lot different than a typical cad only program. My first use of CA it took me about 7-8 hours to do a complete house plan with roof. Now I can pump out a full set of plans and details in about 6-7 hours. The details I typically do in Acad - still have a tough time unlearning my Acad training and I can do straight cad details faster in Acad.

CertifiedFunds · 08-21-2008, 08:47 PM

I use Chief ver 10 and it works fine but is limited on the cad side. I will be changing to Autodesk Revit this year but if you don't really know how to use cad it may be to hard for you to use.

sutcac · 10-30-2008, 11:01 AM

I have used Chief Architect for more than ten years now through 6 or so versions and have never had a good reason to go elsewhere.

I agree that the rendering capabilities stink, but you can get around that now with Chief's new .3ds export and use other renderers. I have been pretty satisfied with my results with Kerkythea (see link to tutorial videos below) but other programs can use the .3ds export.

The big difference I think over the HD Pro thing is working drawings. IMO for the money, Chief is one of the most beatifully integrated packages that can go from 3D design, through to working drawings. But it is mostly geared toward conventionally built residential and light commercial. For this reason I think, it is not favored more by architects, but after all conventionally built stuff is like 90% or more of what ends up getting built.

Its materials list could stand a lot of improvement but it's not something I generally need or use as an architect. I think from the beginning they have at least tried to get on board with BIM since very early on.

modterry · 11-14-2008, 08:27 AM

this is nice package - I tried several and this one is fairly easy to use. Does some pretty good 3 d's

Does well with adding floor materials, walls,
Cabinet styles limited - wont make a great kitchen design center.

ScipioAfricanus · 12-25-2008, 11:32 AM

Well Mike you have had plenty of time to think about it, what was your decision?

Andy.

Static Design · 12-26-2008, 12:04 AM

They have a free trial version, I have played around with it some. I prefer autocad or sketch up, but it's a decent program to play around with.

Static Design · 12-26-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sutcac

I have used Chief Architect for more than ten years now through 6 or so versions and have never had a good reason to go elsewhere.

I agree that the rendering capabilities stink, but you can get around that now with Chief's new .3ds export and use other renderers. I have been pretty satisfied with my results with Kerkythea (see link to tutorial videos below) but other programs can use the .3ds export.

Is one of the best render programs I have used, but when the project gets huge you better have a computer capable of producing those awesome renderings. I have had some drawings take 23 hrs to render haha.