Overall chief architect is not the best and easy to use software that I’ve ever use. It is very convenient and user-friendly.

With adding on features like attenders you can really walk into your home and have complete vision about it. My clients are really very happy after having a picture real view of their dreams

Rendering needs very high and systems and that involves a good cost

I can't imagine using any other program.

I love that I can use one-floor plan to create everything I need to provide to the customers, the foreman, the trades, and the designers to be able to have concepts come to light. Notes, dimensions, and materials are all easily accessible in the program.

There was a steep learning curve which I still don't feel that I have mastered completely. It works differently than other design programs I am accustomed to used and didn't feel like I naturally knew where tools were.

Horrible

Nothing, I like absolutely nothing about it!

Everything, I hate every single thing about this software. It is not smart whatsoever. Once you use smart software, CA will be so insignificant. You have very little room for customization, no phasing, the layout process is completely atrocious. Worst software in existence. Again, one you use good software CA will be a raisin for a brain compared to a highly respected scientist.

With Chief Architect, the system does most of the work for you so you can focus on the floorplan and even in the placement of objects in the rooms, the walkthrough view is also excellent for showing a client the finished project so there is buy-in for the proposed construction or remodel. Landscaping is also easy as the Cadastral can be transferred into the plan allowing for accuracy in placing building on lot

Found the software easy to understand and use especially with the 3d vies available which can be seen in split screen beside the floorplan, also with the detailed QS breakdown, estimating materials needs accurately is a cinch. The online tutorials and ideas will have you designing in no time

With all software there is a bit of a learning curve especially with the rapid changes in versions which add substantial changes to the software in terms of materials and objects that can be utilised.

i have had to crash lot of residential design proposal, chief architect have being productive, giving me a good presentable 3D model, within a short time was amazing, I really don't have to put in some details, it generate them graphically automatically.i have recommended this app. to a friend to avoid delay of presentation.

The trial version is very helpful especially for novice in the industry who would like to learn, creating my residential designs and models are very much faster with Chief architect, the rendering are good for quick business but might not be the best but very presentable.and files in chief architect not too heavy for my system memory, it works pretty fast.

creating and modifying complex geometries with chief architect not feasible, if feasible modify is difficult, even the roof generated might not be my taste, editing roof is difficult,shell structures, complex space frame and trusses are not easy with this application, while generating the your simple residential design I just have to go with the generated roof forms, it just not flexible enough for me, but i prefer it when i need a quick simple residential design model done, i will not recommend chief architect for a detailed 2D Drawing,or working drawing it is best for 3D modeling of simple forms of residential buildings.

They have a great customer support. They have helped me on multiple occasions. I have the SSA package and it is well worth the value. Must have they will solve any issue you have.

This software is easy to use easy to learn. You don’t have to attend their classes because they have a great library of videos to help with the learning curve. They also have a great community of people working to help you solve problems. They respond quickly and are always helpful.

Nothing to dislike for me! This is great software for anyone wanting to get into this kind of design.

WE like Chief Archeiect. We have support only a call away. AND there are many users out there who are willing to help and teach as we go.

We like that this software is a monthly subscription. We can suspend in downtimes. We like that is easy to use and that there is a large user base to get tips and tricks from.

There is an issue with the program holding measurements in that we input certain wall lengths and they somehow become skewed...It leaves a rendering our of square. This should be something inherently basic. Maybe we are missing something. We wish there were more LOG HOME related tools.

Chief Architect is a very powerful tool for creating plans and layouts for buildings. It is very easy to pickup and there is a number of official tutorials both on their website and YouTube that cover virtually everything the program has to offer. You can make as much or as little as you need in this program.

Some automatically generated walls and roofs come in incorrectly and can be very difficult to edit and manipulate. Often times there are work-arounds that suffice, but it can be overly cumbersome to edit.

I have used this product for almost 20 years on projects, and it’s still my go-to.

This is hands down the most user friendly architecture software I’ve used. It has what’s the perfect balance of features and ease of product use.

The graphic renderings can be difficult to fine tune, especially with respect to rooflines. This is typically just a problem using weird height vaulted ceilings.

Very useful for my property management business

I'm a small business of property management and short-rental, I use the Home Suite version for my projects when preparing new properties. It's a very complete and versatile product. It helps to redesign the space you have in several version and choose the best of it.

It's not a very user friendly tool and for the version I use, I think the catalog could be better.

Poor. When I search the online tools for an answer to a question, I rarely get what I need. What I call something and what they call it are two entirely different things. They have a computer language that only computer minded people understand. It’s not intuitive or user friendly. Complete frustration doesn’t begin to describe it. I’m sure there are better, easier ways to do certain tasks but I’m not paying enormous rates to find out. My advice - don’t waste your money, time or efforts!

The graphics are good, better than hand drawing.

I am a kitchen & bath designer and have used Chief Architect for 11 years. The initial cost is high and the yearly “technical support” is up to $525. I am pretty much self taught because the training classes are ridiculously expensive. I have taken advantage of the free courses they offer but otherwise have figured things out by trial and error. In 11 years I have contacted technical support 18 times (less than twice a year). Sometimes they would answer my questions but mostly referred me to their online tools, one of which is other users answering questions - how [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]. Yesterday I contacted them to get an answer on what I assumed would be an easy question (I searched the online tools but got nothing). I needed a knee wall that started at 42” high and tapered to 34” high. Their response was that it was beyond technical supports capabilities, but, I could pay $125/hour for someone to help. Really??? Needless to say I responded with my displeasure. The $525/year does get me updates, but that is virtually it. For what I need, the Interiors program is over engineered. In my old program, when I needed a vaulted ceiling, I entered the height of one wall and the height of the other and voila, done. In CA it’s a complicated, multi (10+) step process. Likewise, rotating the direction of a wood floor should be as simple as 2 clicks, but no, another multi step process.

Great

I've used two versions of CA over the last 14 years. It was easy to learn; that is, I learned by trial and error and rarely going to see what others were doing on CA website. It has delivered very good, if not photo-realistic renderings when using the raytrace feature, and I can go through the design and working drawing phases of a residence in a matter of ten days or so for a very custom design comprising 9 24" X 36" sheets. I can't say enough good things about my experience. There have been some minor glitches with this software, but the autobackup feature prevents catastrophic loss. I'm considering getting the latest version. It's gone up in price since the old CA version 9.5 that I purchased, but I'm sure it will be worth the cost.

As I said there are always glitches in software as complex as this. There were times when I had to hide certain layers to determine that a specific piece of furniture was preventing the program from creating a 3D model, then modify the object or change it out, then replace the layer and try again. This is a small problem and they probably have fixed it on more recent releases. Many of the problems I believed I had I've solved over time by looking for a solution that was right in front of me. It is very difficult to create software tools that are always "intuitive" no matter how you approach them. For example you may expect to see a tool for doing some function nested within a group of similar functions, but it may be elsewhere. That's the way it is with all software. I will say that documentation could be better. Seems like every issue I have isn't in the index or table of contents, and I very much dislike being scooted to a webpage of issues and have to guess by their titles whether it might pertain to my problem. It's like this everywhere. CA isn't alone here.

I have been using Chief Architect since 2015. Before that I used AutoCAD for over 20 years. I've also used REVIT and Sketchup, but for what I do, which is Residential Design and Remodels, this program proved to be the most versatile. There is somewhat of a learning curve the first 6 months, but impressive when it comes to showing clients who have a difficult time envisioning 3D from 2D drawings. The customer support is really A+. They usually can figure out any problem I'm having or will consider a "work around" option that may still get me the desired effect.

The fact you can instantaneously see what you've drawn in 3D and that you can import models into the drawings as you need. Also it's constantly being updated with new useful features and better output results. KUDOS for the programmers. It's not flawless, but it is impressive for what the program can do. It has definitely made my work easier & faster. Also makes my services more marketable.

There are simple commands in AutoCAD that are not in Chief Architect that I wish could be there, like hatch, fillet, extend, trim, stretch, rotate, hatch, etc., so it's not the greatest to use when I do have to draft in 2D at times. You can do most of these but the way you have to get there is more time consuming. The result I get when I do a section through a building results in me having to create a DWG then editing it to remove extra lines I can see to get the final image I need. However, the time to do this is offset by not having to get the base drawing of the cross section done from scratch and I can see instantly if there is a problem with roof/ceiling heights, floors or any other issues. The training classes are too expensive for me and the SSA hurts my wallet but is worth having it.

In the X11 version, views glitch when I zoom in and out, window labels display 2 (") inches measurement symbols when the " use default formatting" box is checked, material regions work on occasion, curved roofs are very finicky. There are other issues as well but the list is too long for this comment box.

It is a great software with a great many features.

I don't like that major bugs and kinks are never ironed out of the software before the release of a new version. I wish they would fix what is broken first. Each new release for the past 3 years seems to be worse and worse....

Our experience has been great. We've been able to implement this quickly and train multiple users. We wouldn't do business without it.

Like any 3D CAD software there is a learning curve. If you've used other 3D software like CAD of 2020 Design software, this will be much more intuitive to you. Sure the controls are a bit different but the idea is the same. Draw walls, will in with cabinets or objects and render photo realistic drawings, or close. :) I love that these isn't a lighting issue like with other software. Chief Architect lights the room automatically and it looks great the first time. This is invaluable in a clients home to very quickly show what a project will look like.

There's very little to complain about with this software. I use another software to price cabinets so the ability to load a catalog "with pricing" would be great. But I use a spread sheet for that anyway so it's not a hinderance.

The speed of generating a 3D building for a client to see can be very quick, but the learning curve and the inherent limitations just made it not worth the effort. I spent 40+ hours trying to generate drawings for an existing house, while client made changes on the fly. I couldn't overcome the learning curve or the limitations in a timely fashion and not only didn't get paid, but lost the client.

As long as you want to do something already "canned" in the software, it's got some really sweet features. The immediate 3D renderings are outstanding!

There's very little about the program that is intuitive to the way CAD has been traditionally taught. And if you need to make an exception to what it "thinks is normal", OMG what a flippin' nightmare! IF you can get it to at all do what you want. The building of custom wall types: PITA! I didn't want a footing, but piers for a pole barn: PITA!!! Not even possible to eliminate the footings! Make a material change from sheet siding to lap board: PITA!!! Couldn't find a way to have it change ALL THE WALLS in 1 command. It would only allow me to change ONE stinkin' wall at a time. And THEN, I had to go back and do ALL of the gables, because gable walls aren't part of the walls of a house.

I recommend Chief Architect to all of my peers who own their firms as well. The technical support is beyond anything you could get from AutoCAD or SketchUp and the price makes it a much better product than Revit.

I use Chief Architect daily to draw designs for my clients and contractors. It's very easy to use and customize to specific clients or projects. I'm able to quickly and easily provide plans views, elevation views, and camera views in order to express an idea or check feasibility. I can present materials lists to my contractors, budgets to my clients, and keep track of how much time I'm spending on a project. If I ever have a question on how to do something, I can contact easily and get an answer quickly. I also sign in to the webinar trainings because there is always something new to learn or a faster, better way to do a task.

I wish more manufacturers participated and provided models for the software. I find myself using only CA available vendors on my projects when I need to act quickly. The rendering portion of the software could be more developed.

I liked the software up until it's latest version (x12). Unfortueantly the program is not backward compatible so drawings created in x12 can not be opened in earlier versions. People developing the software should be people that actually produce drawings for a living not some software geek that has no clue or concept about what it takes to do a full set of drawings. I would not recommend this software to any Architect that is doing working drawings. I would tell them to stick with AutoCAD.

Having used this program since version 10 and I would say that if you are looking to do presentation drawings this is a good program.

If you are a production architect like me don't buy this program. It is terrible in creating details and its x-ref and layout procedures are absolutely terrible. You will spend more time trying to put a printable drawing together than you did putting together the entire drawing.

We beat the competition hands down on design time. Once the floor plans and roof are designed you have all the elevations interior and exterior to walk the clients through their new home. Adding details are easy once you get up to speed. We see Auto-CAD work from Architects and wonder if they still have an eight-track in their car

We are a design build firm and it helps us communicate in clear and concise detail with our clients. We can produce cleaner faster construction drawings than any of the local architectural firms we deal with. When I have a problem I submit a concern to the help desk and get an answer the same day. You are in control of the project from the start.

It's complex. After 10 years I'm still learning every time I watch one of the training videos.

Chief Architect offers a wide variety of features to build and render properties, particularly for the novice user. The variety of structures that you can build is endless and the ability to insert custom materials into the design is so easy. Clients love seeing their new homes transformed.

Start up time should not be underestimated. New users should plan on investing a considerable amount of time reading documentation and watching the videos that are available online. It's nice that they have all of this available, as well as a live support center, although honestly, I found more luck figuring things out myself. Also, the roofing capability needs work. Except for the simplest roofs, users will need to manipulate the structures manually which is not an easy or intuitive task. I have lost data. I am talking an entire file was deemed worthless because of corrupted fixtures. Frequent back ups are advised. Finally, some features are overly complicated and it takes a while to figure them out. I have wasted a good amount of time sometimes just figuring out the simplest things.

I purchased an updated version chief architect X6. I have used previous versions for years on a PC and was assured it would run great on a Mac. I downloaded the software to my Mac which was running the minimum system requirements (Mavericks) listed on the chief architect website. I had issues with this software working from the start, i.e. when I would open or try to edit a dialog box it would open a new window behind all previous open windows. Since this computer was a few years old I mistakenly thought it was an issue with my computer. I purchased a new Mac to run the software and ran into the same issues as before. I put up with these problems for more than a year before I contacted chief architect looking for a fix for their software. I was informed by a chief architect tech that this was a known issue that their software developers were aware of and had fixed in later versions and that the only solution to this issue was to upgrade the software. After being transferred to a sales associate I was informed that I would have to pay over money to chief architect to get a version of the software that would work. I told him that I have already purchased software from chief architect and that they need to fix the issue with the version I have or they should stand behind their product and upgrade it for free. I made a complaint with the senior supervisor/manager who informed me that since they could not re-create the issue in house and that I am now currently using an updated Mac with the (Sierra) operating system they would not stand behind there software. Under system requirements for X6 it lists that you need a minimum operating system of (Mountain Lion / Mavericks) nowhere does it say if you have a newer operating system that their software will not work. I would like to see chief architect stand behind the product I've spent thousands of dollars on. So far this has been one of the worst customer experiences I've ever had and I definitely feel I have been ripped off by chief architect.

I have loved using Chief Architect and know I have a lot more to learn to get better at the software and make it function better for me.

I use this program daily to model floor plans for clients. It is easy to manipulate and customize to show clients their space.

It takes some time to learn and ins and outs of how to do certain things in the software. For basic modeling though it is super easy to learn.

Overall, Chief Architect is a super cool software. It takes time to learn and I'm still re-learning all the bells and whistles. You have to systematically build your design in order for things to come out right. Their pricing is for serious home builders and designers.

It's super software and so much better than using Autocad. Once the principals are set up you can really get into designing a home quickly. I've helped so many people visualize their dream home with 3D and it gets them so excited. It's fun to work with once you know what the software can do and know where everything is on the toolbars, which also can be customized. Being able to remove surfaces is very handy to see what is happening into the framing and potentially the problems with the design and structure. It's fantastic !

Well, it does have a learning curve. Even when I upgraded I found they changed some simple things and made it harder to accomplish which was disappointing. It seems like every year they want you to upgrade. Most of the upgrades at first were in the rendering capabilities which is more for design and not necessary for building the plans. I was happy with the older version until I lost my dongle and had to seriously upgrade quite a few versions and had to practically relearn the whole program. - it changed that much.

None

Great for technical users who want at once have 3D view. Easy way to draw simply to very complex arch. details.

Not this time. Products from 2017/2018 stinks... Support is doing great job with this. Software is not following after new graph. cards drivers. No compatibility with windows 10 updates. Causing so many problems...after 10 years of using ChA products, I try something else. By, by Chief!