Home Designer Suite

I dont like giving negative reviews, but I was very disappointed in this product. I am a homeowner doing a remodel that requires submitting drawings to my HOA for review and approval. Im using a bunch of Anderson windows and Chief Architect doesnt tell you that you only have access to the Anderson window library in the premium product about 5 times more expensive. The windows in the library for this product cannot be modified to match the Anderson window profiles and have oversized frames for some types. I contacted their customer service and all they did was quote me list price for their better programs, and a rental for a level that still doesnt have access to the library that I need (Anderson). Bottom line for me: lost time and money with no usable drawings.

I purchased the 2020 edition and even the Get Started Guide doesnt work! After 35 years in tech support I know that the first thing you do with a new release is MAKE SURE the Get Started Guide works. I am returning mine to the company.

I have been a designer for the better part of 20 years. I am versed in most major CAD based design programs and have had a successful career doing it. In order to simplify the purchase of materials for an addition we are doing, I decided to purchase this software as it is supposed to calculate needed materials. NOTHING is intuitive about this software. EVERYTHING works differently than you would expect. They dont offer any guides on this software, they are all in the Pro version. If I can explain it best, I would put it this way. In an attempt to simplify things for people that dont know what they are doing, they have tried to automate the entire process. In doing so, have taken away the ability to actually tell the software to do what you want. Roofs are a particular nightmare. When I have an existing structure, I dont want the program automatically changing things every time I click something. That building has been there for 200 years. I will try and get my money back, we will see what happens...

3d walk through is great for visualization of the concept. Paint colors, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, even where a t.v. might look best on a wall. I also like how it doesnt end with the inside. I can layout flower beds, trees, patios, even landscape lights. You can truly get a look at the entire property inside and out.

As the other reviews say, this software is difficult to learn and use. It is more cumbersome than many other softwares, but that is not the reason for the low score. They do offer many videos and step by step guides on how to use and once you get started learning it, it starts to flow easier. You just need more experience in home building to be able to use this. The reason for the lower review is that everything I read said you can install this software on multiple computers at once, which is true. But what they dont tell you until after you buy it, is that while you can INSTALL it, you can only activate it on one computer at a time. Every time you want to use it on another computer, you have to deactivate the key and activate it on the other computer. If you want to use the software on 2 computers without deactivating, you have to have another key, which will cost you another $100. But no where in their advertising does it say this.

great

If you dont want JUST THE BASICS, dont buy it. Everything you want to do will cost you extra.

Facile dutilisation, donne de bons résultats.

I purchased this download from Chief Architect’s site on 6/27/19 and have played around with it every day since. It’s easy to use and the online guides are pretty helpful. If I can’t figure something out on my own I Google it and there’s always an answer from CA in the form of a guide. I’m still trying to figure out the functions and I wish I could designate hot keys, but I can cope without. I’ve been using the Sims 4 to satisfy my architecture and interior design hunger and this is a step up.

Plumbing fixtures and dimensions are not available. Makes it pretty hard to plan basic space requirements. the product is quite quirky and requires multiple actions to adjust the working drawing. In hind sight, I should have purchased the more expensive product from another company. Whats more aggravating... this product is non refundable.