


While I am sure that Chief Architect provides an export option into dxf format, I am unsure who usable the resulting file would be to an engineer. Most Engineering firms with which I have worked use Autodesk products.

The only potential draw back is if you will need to involve an engineer to develope structural documents from your design plans. I started on pure CAD products and moved to AutoCAD, but I am now moving toward Chief Architect for ease of use and time of design considerations. I am not a licensed architect, but have won design awards in competition with licensed architects. I have managed an architects design department, and developed and managed a Design/Build companiies design departement, also serving as lead designer in both. However, I am still using AutoCAD for my construction documents simply because of familiarity. I am in the process of evaluating it now for my own business, and it looks good so far. I appears they have resolved this limitation. It just was not construction document friendly. In it's early days of development I rejected Chief Architect. The best advise I have seen in this strand of discussion is to find builders or designers who are engaged in similar endeavors as yourself, and learn from them. I have used several CAD programs over the years, starting on a main frame, and subsequently incuding VersaCAD, AutoCAD, AutoCAD with the Softdesk AutoArchitect overlay, and currently Chief Architect products. Even in the case of New York, there is no requirement for an architect to produce the plans as engineers are allowed to design and produce construction documents.Īgain, local jurisdictions, the local building official, has ultimate authority in setting all requirements for construction and building permits, so it is advisable to perform due dilegence in researching your local jurisdicion's requirements.Īs to the original question. The closest exception to my above statement is the State of New York, which requires all residential and commercial plans be "produced by" a licensed architect or engineer. It is always good advise to verify the requirments of the jurisdicion within which you intend to build. There are no states of which I am aware that "require" plans to be prepaired by an architect, although there are jurisdictions within states which may. Never on the top of my list of priorities. Ya I'm never gonna get rich but then again, that was I have a nice warm office to come to, crank the

Has gotten me sooo many jobs over myĬompetitors because my clients love a one stop shop where they can get fromĬonceptual to finish with one person. Being a builder who also designsĪnd drafts a lot of my own projects, 1. Wrote in I could not disagree with you more. Get closer to some of your own peers and learn from them is my advice. To remain a viable in their niche residential design and build. Victims around who can depend on one another its not so bad and on occasionĪ helpful reseller can be found but for a one man band? Have you heard ofĬA remains a one trick pony and ART has had to try to do their utmost best Its products are perpetually buggy and incomplete.
CHIEF ARCHITECT HOME DESIGNER PRO 2015 SOFTWARE
Own for sure but it is extremely complex to learn and when all is said andĭone Autodesk has too many product irons in the fire as the company operatesĪs a stock holding company and rarely produces quality software these days It is also little known that CA pioneered the way Revit works in 3D and dragĪnd draw and so on having been the software Revit was copied from beforeĪutodesk acquired it to ruin it even more I mean Revit has come into its Really it was painful but I hear she is now gone. Was being controlled by a big fat ugly nasty woman who had no experience inĪnything except we all suspected she played the Hollywood double for the When I worked with CA (which was literally developed by a rocket scientistĭuring an earlier recession that killed the aerospace sectors) the company Contact the builder's association andįind a builder that has the same market and same type of product you are Also learn how theĬompany has been responding to change the past couple of years. Instances can catch you unprepared with a way to respond. Urge you to invest the time and money to find one or more builders that haveĭone so and determine if the shortcomings you will discover are those youĬan live with as all software has its own way of doing things and in many My advice is to buy into Chief Architect -but- I would I was a reseller of Chief Architect back in the day and I know somethingĪbout Revit too.
