Chief Architect

Chief Architect is 3D software purpose built for residential home design, and the word purpose built is doing real work: its building tools automatically generate roofs, foundations, framing, dimensions, product schedules and materials lists.

Automatic generation is the difference between a residential tool and a general CAD package. In a general modeller a roof is geometry the designer draws; here it is a consequence of the walls, so changing a wall changes the roof, the framing and the materials list together. That is why residential designers reach for this rather than a commercial BIM tool that assumes an engineer will resolve the details.

The behaviour extends throughout. Ceilings and floors form automatically. Windows and doors insert into walls, creating the openings and framing as they go. Cabinets bump to walls, countertops merge, and cabinets update when fixtures and appliances are placed.

The continually updating materials list is the commercially decisive feature, because a residential designer is usually also quoting the job, and a materials list that regenerates with the design removes the reconciliation step where estimating errors originate. The Style Palette transforms a room's colours, materials and architectural elements at once, and the free Chief Architect 3D Viewer app shares models with homeowners, structural engineers and subcontractors. A trial download is offered; pricing is not published on the captured page.