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04-13-2012, 10:40 PM #1Registered User Promoted
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Home Design Concept to Reality Workflow
Hi -
I am a non-professional that has been visualising my ideal house for the past twenty years and actioning the design this year. I'm looking for the best tools and process in bring this to reality and am looking for some guidance.
1: I am fairly technical but have very limited CAD or architectural experience. I would prefer to use Home designer from a budget perspective and don't need to learn anything too detailed just for one house
2: I am based in Zambia so don't have access to good local talent to help me. I want to get something done over the next year as a concept then hand it to a professional to come up with the plans.
3: I am quite familiar with ray based render tools and would really like export my model in 3d (something I understand I can't do with home designer?) and come up with photo realistic renderings of my model - outside of the chief architect range of products. ie 3ds etc
So my question is:
Based upon the above statements => What tool and process would be ideal for me to create my concept to a reasonably detailed level, then hand such file(s) across to a professional to create the plans that could just be then just given to a builder?
firstly apologies if this is the wrong thread - I've been looking for the answers to the following for a couple of weeks, secondly if my question shows my relative knowledge and experience in the subject.
Shaun
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04-13-2012, 11:43 PM #2
Try:
Home designer Pro $500 , Chief Architect 10 (professional series) 4 versions behind but still great ,there is one for $500. Try personalarch.comLast edited by kenoeightspot; 04-13-2012 at 11:45 PM. Reason: Need to add more
William Page Architects A.I.A.
pagearch@whidbeyisland.com
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook
Intel i7 CPU Q720@1.60 boost to 2.80 GHZ
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04-14-2012, 03:54 AM #3
William/Shaun:
while PRO is decently capable especially for a one-time use it can't export to third-party software to create ray-traces.
it does have decent 3D render features (based on Chief X4) its not capable of doing raytraces
while Chief 10 was also decent it doesn't run well (maybe not at all) on Win7
so Shaun needs to consider which PC platform he has and/or wants to use
I would recommend finding a valid license on EBAY for X2 as it is much more current
I would suggest avoiding X3 due to the complicated mess they made of the library system (fixed in X4)
the seller should be willing to assist in verifying with CA that the license can be transferred and upgraded
be aware that the transfer fee can be substantial if the license is for a second seat etc
being current is a consideration for asking questions on this forum
if the version is too old then there will be fewer users able to assist
another consideration is to get Chief X4 lite for $1900
which I think has ray-tracing capabilty
there is a comparison chart on CA's website
I have recommended a one-time user to consider buying Chief Premier
even tho it costs $2600 as it could save the home-owner that much or many times more over designer/architect fees
if the user is willing to climb the learning curve
which is there for HD PRO as well
at the end of the project it can be sold for approx 75-80% of the cost
on EBAY or this forum etc
there is a decent re-sell market for used versions of Chief
if they aren't too old
LewLew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"
Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com
CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)
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04-14-2012, 05:47 AM #4
If you were to hire me to finish up the plans, I would start over and reproduce your plans using my organizational methods. I would guess most anybody you would hire would take this approach. I think it would somebody longer to figure out your methods than to use their own.
So choose software that you would feel most comfortable with in getting your design ideas across to whoever you choose to finish the plans.D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
San Diego, Ca.
Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
Intel Core i7 920
6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX
The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.
We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.
If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall
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04-15-2012, 05:40 PM #5Kevin Moquin, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Portland Maine
Chief X5
Asus G74SX i7 2630QM @ 2.0 GHz, 12GB, GeoForce GTX560M 3GB, Windows 7
kma | kevin moquin architect
kma on Facebook
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04-16-2012, 07:36 AM #6
Scott, agree with you, I have never been able to use anyone else's plan and finish it, the plan usually also has some kind of problem with it. Everyone has their own way of doing it.
Perry
P.H. DESIGNS L.L.C.
Eastvale Calif.
Alienware, liquid cooled
Ver 10-"X6 x64 SSA
WIN 8.1 PRO 64 bit
Nvidia GTX780 3GB.
i7 920 2.67-- 12 GB Ram
40" led monitor
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04-16-2012, 07:43 AM #7
one of the services my partner and I offer is to "fix" the plans if needed
we charge by the hour
LewLew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"
Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com
CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)
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04-16-2012, 09:34 AM #8Registered User Promoted
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I think you might benefit from my learning experience looking for a similar product. Like you, I am working on a major remodel of my own house and/or possibly designing a new house. I work in construction and have been using CAD for almost 30 years. I was an AutoCAD dealer in the 1980s.
What are the building standards and what type of construction will you be using for your home? This may be very different than the standards in North America and it may be important that the software is adaptable to this construction. Are there building codes involved?
What computer and operating system are you using?
I think what you want is something that will let you play with your ideas and then see how it would look. I assume you also want to be able to make changes easily and try that out.
I can tell you that Home Designer lets you do that pretty well. IF you need more, they give you full credit on that toward Chief Architect. That is my original plan. Home Designer Pro seems exactly like Chief X4 with less functions available. I can open my HDP drawings directly in Chief. The professionals that said they would take your ideas and start over make sense, particularly if you have extensive requirements for codes, permits, etc. East Africa must have changed a lot recently if that is true.
I have tried Softplan 2012, playing with the demo for 50 hours or so. I can see where a residential builder might prefer that to Chief but the ability to move things around and play with different ideas seems more difficult than Chief.
Unless you have played with ideas on paper a bunch, you are likely in the early idea stage and even a lower end product from Chief like Home Designer Architectural (around $200) might get you started. Chances are you are going to start over several times anyway.
Do you need to print drawings? I am used to printing good sized drawings and only being able to print 18x24" with HDP is a problem for me.X5 Premier x64
HP-Z400 W3565 24Gb 2xFireProV5900 NEC-PA301W-SV, HP-LP3065, HP-ZR24
GTCO Rollup III, Ricoh W3600, HP Designjet 750C, Epson Pro 4000
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04-16-2012, 09:45 AM #9
Do you need to print drawings? I am used to printing good sized drawings and only being able to print 18x24" with HDP is a problem for me.
Greg:
just create the drawings at 1/8" scale for 18 x 24
then enlarge 200% at the print shop for 1/4" scale on 36 x 48
or create 1/8" for 12 x 18 (prints nicely on a 13 x 19 printer)
then enlarge 200% at the print shop for 1/4" scale on 24 x 36
LewLew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"
Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com
CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)
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04-16-2012, 09:48 AM #10D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
San Diego, Ca.
Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
Intel Core i7 920
6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX
The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.
We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.
If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall
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04-18-2012, 07:43 PM #11Registered User Promoted
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- 5
Spot on GregB - yes, I fully expect my plans will just be guidelines and are really for me to flesh out what I want from the requirements list I have built. I fully expect then a professional will rebuild it from the ground up to follow correct architectural practices and building codes. The house will either be in SE Asia or the Carib. This part of the world has next to no building codes, which is actually in my opinion for home building a great thing!
Thanks to all for the great replies. I think I will go with Home Designer Architectural (win7) for the moment and upgrade if need be if I need more.
Is there any reason why I couldn't give the file to someone that has HD Pro who can then send it to Chief X4 to export as a 3ds / 3d dxf file for me to render in a professional render package? That would be really my only requirement for Chief.
On the thought of Sketchup - yes, I reasonably conversant in this package (I have pro 7) but it is seems a lot less architecturally focused and flexible than Chiefs packages.
I especially like this software for the fact that the community was so quickly supportive of my questions. That speaks volumes!
Shaun
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04-18-2012, 08:14 PM #12
Shaun:
no need to use HD PRO first
Chief premier can open AHD plans directly
the chiefer can even set the edit flag so that if they make changes to the plan you will be able to open/edit the plan they send back
(with some minor limits)
LewLew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"
Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com
CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)
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04-18-2012, 08:21 PM #13Registered User Promoted
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Thanks Lew - I was looking at the comparison Matrix that said Architecural had only basic editing capabilities within X4. Probably getting myself confused ;-)
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04-19-2012, 03:03 AM #14
could be .....
my understanding is that most of the HD products can read and edit a Chief plan (with the edit flag set) up to the limits of their features
IOW - if the chiefer adds a feature that isn't supported by the HD product, it can be viewed but not edited
but I believe that going to PRO first probably won't offer any additional benefit
probably best to discuss with CA's customer service
LewLew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"
Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com
CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)
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04-16-2012, 11:08 AM #15
Did you look at SketchUp Pro for $495. The free one has limited import/export capabilities:
- Exporting and Importing
- Export 3D models: KMZ, DAE
- Export 2D rasters: JPEG, TIFF, PNG
- Import: DAE, KMZ, 3DS, DEM, DDF and image formats
http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/p.../whygopro.html
(Edited)Ash Shaker
Architect
Ash Tree Architecture
Elkridge, MD, USA
CA X5