Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer 9.0 [OLD VERSION]

by Chief Architect

Product Features

• Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer provides an advanced yet easy to use set of tools for Home Design, Remodeling, Interior Design, Kitchens, Baths, Decks, Landscaping, Site Planning and Cost Estimation
• Artistic 3D rendering techniques for Watercolor, Glass House and Technical Illustration views; 3D Design Tools and Virtual Walk Thru Tools
• Powerful automatic building and design tools like one-click automatic roofs and automatic dormers, material painter, color chooser, deck designer tools and more
• Choose from over 7,000 built-in library items or import your own for unlimited possibilities
• Over 3,200 realistic landscaping plants with plant encyclopedia data

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.5 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002CNARIS
• Item model number: A90-DN-0AZ1
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 9, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,057 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #60 in Software > Home & Hobbies > Home Design

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Architectural Home Designer 9.0 is the latest release from Chief Architect, the professional software design company and the software of choice by more builders, architects and designers. Architectural Home Designer leverages the same professional quality from Chief Architect making it the most powerful and easy to use home design, remodeling and landscaping software.

Create your dream home with powerful and easy to use home design, remodeling and landscaping software. Click to enlarge.

Design the Kitchen of your dreams--move walls, create new cabinets, and add appliances to design your perfect workspace! Click to enlarge.

Powerful deck and patio tools allow you to design and visualize your new deck. Click to enlarge.

Design in 2D and 3D. 3D Views are automatic with a point-and-click of the camera tool. Click to enlarge.

Glass House View provides a full translucent view of your design. Click to enlarge.

Choose from over 3,600 plants with the Plant Chooser. Click to enlarge.

Exclusive All-in-One Home Design Solution

• Choose from over 2,500 Sample Plans
• Choose from built-in home style templates, create your own custom home design or use the House Wizard
• Powerful building tools like automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing and foundations
• Artistic rendering techniques for Watercolor, Glass House and Technical Illustration

Get Started Quickly and Easily

• The Quick Startup Options Guide will help you begin with "How-To" tutorials based on the type of your project
• Use the House Wizard for quick and easy layout of your rooms
• Select from the pre-designed Home Design and Landscaping Style Templates complete with colors, cabinets, decks and more
• The online help system provides detail information on all types of building projects
• Includes over 40 easy "step-by-step" tutorial training videos that will quickly get you started on your next home design project

Kitchen and Bath Design

• Design the Kitchen of your dreams--move walls, create new cabinets, add appliances--Design your perfect workspace!
• Plan the new layout of your bathroom with custom cabinets, sinks, showers and garden tubs. It's easy to visualize your ideas in 3D.
• Create custom cabinets in minutes by choosing your own colors, countertops, door styles and more
• Design your new kitchen or bath using the Cabinet Designer Tools
• Use the Cabinet Designer tools to create unlimited cabinet styles. Choose your own colors, countertops and door styles.

Interior Design

• Material Painter lets you apply colors and materials quickly and easily
• Choose from thousands of colors and textures or create your own materials using a digital photograph
• Design for your lifestyle and personality--change colors, add lighting and choose furniture to accent your new room
• Choose from a variety of interior items--including chairs, tables, sofas, fabrics, accessories and more. Resize, change colors and materials to meet your exact needs.
• Import your own symbols from 3D files types including .SKP, .OBJ and .3DS
• Smart Design Objects, Drag-and-drop from thousands of design objects in the built-in Library organized by category

Decks and Landscaping

• Powerful deck and patio tools allow you to design and visualize your new deck with 3D models and can help you estimate the costs
• Design single or multi-level decks complete with automatic deck framing
• Quickly lay out your deck with stairs and arrange furniture
• Deck foundations automatically generate to match sloped lots
• Plant Encyclopedia to learn more about the plants in your designs
• Choose from over 3,600 plants with the Plant Chooser
• Plant Hardiness Zone reference maps
• See what your plants will look like in 0 - 20 years
• Pathways--Use the Pathway tool to design curb-appealing landscaping using stone, pavers, or sidewalks--line with trees, shrubs, flowers and more

Chief Architect Product Comparison Which Chief Architect product best suits your needs? Review this product comparison matrix (PDF file).

3D Models and Virtual Tours

• Design in 2D and 3D. 3D Views are automatic with a point-and-click of the camera tool.
• Glass House View provides a full translucent view of your design. Choose other Artistic rendering techniques for Watercolor and Technical Illustration views.
• Planning of furniture placement and traffic flow
• Create a Virtual Tour--draw your record line to Automatically Generate; or record your camera movements
• Visualize your home with day and night views
• Assemble a scale model of your design with Model Maker
• Generate shadows from the sun for realistic 3D views
• Point-and-click to remove wall surfaces, or use 3D Cross-Section Elevation Slider to quickly create a 3D slice of your desired view

Site Planning & Estimating

• Use Automatic Build Terrain and Terrain Perimeter tools to create flat, irregular shaped, or sloped lots--use a GPS to import or enter elevation data
• Create plot and perimeter plans; automatically generate a 3D model of your actual terrain
• Make your backyard design come alive using several easy-to-use terrain and landscaping tools. Add a pool or pond and visualize in 3D.
• Sprinkler Designer tools to easily layout sprinkler zones
• Fences and Driveways--With the Fencing tools you can choose a variety of fencing styles and custom gates. You will also find driveway, sidewalk and curbing tools
• Hill and Valley tools make it easy to add gardens, beds and slopes that automatically appear in 3D views. Choose from landscaping style templates or create your own.
• Cost Estimating--Don't be surprised by the cost of your project. Automatically generate a complete spreadsheet for your project costs, broken down by category. Calculate the amount of lumber for your deck or concrete required for that new patio.

Product Description

Architectural Home Designer 9.0 is all-in-one Home Design software and includes: Home Design, Remodeling, Decks & Landscaping, Interior Design, Site Planning & Estimating. It leverages the same professional quality from Chief Architect making it the most powerful and easy to use home design software. Quickly place and arrange walls, windows, doors, and cabinets. Choose colors, place furniture, create decks and landscaping. Powerful building tools like standard CAD tools, automatic roof generation, dormers, stairs, framing, foundations, and Plan Check make it easy. Choose from a Library of more than 3,600 plants and 7,000 items including windows, doors, lighting, furniture, interior/exterior fixtures, cabinets, and more. HOME DESIGN Choose from thousands of styles, colors, wallpaper, flooring, and materials. Move a wall, change a color, add a room, redesign a kitchen, create your own cabinets, and estimate costs before you build. REMODELING Experiment and create models and virtual tours. Arrange walls, windows, doors, decks, and automatically generate 3D models to visualize at any angle. Powerful building and remodeling tools include automatic roof generation, foundations, stairs, and more. INTERIOR DESIGN Choose or import thousands of items to customize your design. Point-and-click to change wall colors, flooring styles, countertops, and more. Choose from name-brand colors and materials or create your own. DECKS & LANDSCAPING Over 1,500 botanically accurate flowers, trees, and shrubs. Create gardens, pathways, hills, valleys, ponds, and more for your outdoor living area. Powerful deck tools allow you to design, visualize, estimate, and build your outdoor living project. SITE PLANNING & ESTIMATING Design your lot and plans with easy terrain tools. Identify your costs and materials for your next project before you begin. Design in 2D or 3D. Add, resize, and automatically dimension your plans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Home Design Software, August 22, 2009

By 

Gary Roberts - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer 9.0 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

First, let me say buyer beware. I also had a problem purchasing through J&R Music/Computer World. They essentially did a bait and switch by advertising the Architectural Home Designer version but by shipping the base version. The software arrived in a cardboard envelope and the software box was crushed. After opening, I was suspicious because it was not marked with the version. However, all the order, invoice, and packing information indicated the Architectural verison. I highly recommend the software, but purchase it from a different seller. I have not yet contacted J&R for various reasons.

I actually dealt directly with Chief Architect after discovering the switch. I wanted to see if I could just upgrade the base version without going through the hassle another reviewer mentions. Surprise! They immediately took care of the problem and sent me the correct version at what amounted to a $150 discount. EXCELLENT customer service experience, especially considering this was not really their problem. I have not had to use their technical support, but I have high expectations based on my customer service experience and other reviews of their support from various sources.

The software: I have 3 prior versions of this software. This version is a big improvement and includes a lot of additional features, but the basics for manipulating the objects and navigating the interface are the same. A big deal since I didn't want to invest a ton of time learning something completely new. The interface is very intuitive and there are several 'how to' videos included to help you do most common and a few complicated tasks. The help function is easy to navigate and gives very clear step by step instructions for building just about any structure, handling complicated roofs, etc.

To start, I wanted to reproduce my existing house. I very quickly created my property boundaries and correctly placed my house on the defined terrain. After a few more minutes, I had a rough copy of all 3 floors. About another hour and I had all the doors, windows and fixtures in (basic, not customized or exact) and all the dimensions accurate. (Obviously, you do have spend the time to take measurements or crib from a blueprint ahead of time!) This is an excellent tool for planning remodeling and doing 'what if' scenarios. Changing walls, door placement, fixtures, etc. takes literally seconds of pointing and clicking. While you can get things to the point where you can either get very accurate materials lists or enough information to save time and $$ with a contractor, it does take a bit of time investement. There are dozens of included object libraries and you can download (free usually) additional content like name brand fixtures, paints, cabinents, etc. from the Chief Architect site. You also have a ton of choices that allow you to customize all the properties of a particular object - countertop, cabinet face, and so on for color, texture, grain, etc.. In addition, Chief Architect maintains an on-line user community area for chat and Q&A. Definite plus.

One of the main reasons I purchased this was for the changes and updates to the landscaping portion. My yard is currently a disaster and has all kinds of variations in elevation and grading. I'm working with this feature now and it does take some time to figure things out, but I can already see that I'm going to have a very accurate template for mapping out a bunch of ideas we have. Changing elevations and messing with the terrain in the software is actually pretty easy once you figure out how the tool works. The hardest part of this is getting good measurements of the variations in my yard so that I've got an accurate starting point to transfer to the software. If you are starting with a clean slate and not trying to reproduce something that exists, it is obviously much easier. If I ever get around to it, I'll update this review with what I learn.

The only knocks I've found so far are: 1. I'm not very happy with the way stairwells are represented. You usually need to play around with the 'open below' room type and 'invisible' wall option to get things represented correctly; 2. It is sometimes a bit difficult to get odd lenghts to come in exactly when drawing or connecting objects. It usually depends on the viewing/image size and your mouse sensitivity, but there were a few occasions when I spent several minutes trying to get clipped corners on a deck and odd wall sizes to come out exactly as measured.

Overall a great product for the money. Lots of features and easy to use. Highly recommended.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Overpriced for the feature set, March 2, 2010

By 

D. Rowland (Morgan Hill, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer 9.0 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

This program shows great promise at first until you dig into it deeper. I bought the software primarily for its landscape capabilities but also because of the home design software. It can easily create single story homes quickly and easily but multilevel homes are much more difficult. If you plan to replicate your existing plan you will be quickly be frustrated because all homes have features which are not automated in the feature set of this version. I have a 20 year old home with lots of roof hips and cathedral ceilings which proved very difficult. I eventually gave up after many, many hours (days) because I moved on to the exterior landscape which is why I bought the software.

I was really disappointed with the landscape capabilities. Again if you're trying to replicate your existing landscape forget it. It's just not that flexible. Duplicating my existing landscape took days. I had to find workarounds for everything. For example you would think making a pool would be easy for a landscape program but it's not because there are no tools for it. There is a ridiculously tedious work around detailed on the Chief Architect website but it's a total afterthought. I also have a simple wrought iron fence around the pool that was nearly impossible to replicate. The user will also be frustrated with the plant libraries. I live in California where oak and redwood trees are common. The depiction of these species is unrecognizable. The library seems east coast centric.

One of the more frustrating problems was the software's inability to rotate my plan 90 degrees. When I rotate the plan it rotates the first floor leaving the foundation and second floor in place. You can individually rotate these layers but they never register with each other. When I contacted tech support about this they offered to sell me a $400 upgrade to a pro version. I have experience with a less capable program from a competitor but I'm definitely no pro. If you plan on becoming more than an advanced beginner you will probably need the $500 version. I gave it three stars because I eventually succeeded replicating my existing landscape and creating a newer renovated one.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Product and Service, August 22, 2009

By 

Dennis "Kino Bay" (Laveen AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chief Architect Architectural Home Designer 9.0 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

My initial experience with the buying experience was not good. I had purchased the product through a third party (JR Music) that advertised on Amazon. It was listed for $59.99 which was a great price. Well when the the product was shipped it was 2 lower versions of the software which is not what I ordered or advertised. Called JR Music and the stated it was wrong product advertised and the only thing they can do was refund money (2-3 week process). Called Amazon and explained to them. They verified that it was a mistake and Amazon made it right by giving me enough discounts and the correct version of software to equal the price advertised. Now a days that it rare. Thank you.

As far as the product, I am very happy with the setup and the instructional videos. This is not a software for beginners but if you understand the basic software icons and have some knowledge of the building process, it is a worthwhile product. It does take time and practice to find all the items in building what you want, but as they say "Rome was not built in a day".