Powerful Home Design Software for Building Professionals

Create custom plans and Blueprints with a complete Materials List
Add details to your designs with a complete CAD Software tool set
Create designs for clients to visualize as a 3D model in minutes
Produce dramatic, photo-realistic 3D Renderings
Create a Virtual Walk-Thru to share with Clients
Design in 3D with drag & drop Architectural Software Objects
Choose from a Library of more than 18,500 items for your designs
Establish more business, be more productive, and ensure more satisfied customers using Chief Architect on your next design project!


Products Shop Traning

Chief Architect is the industry leader for residential architectural home design software. We have focused the past decade on making this program easy to use for the building professional. Chief Architect will help you be more productive, and we guarantee it.

In today’s environment you need to be both competitive and productive with your design work and your clients expect professional designs. Establish more business, be more productive, and ensure more satisfied customers using Chief Architect on your next design project!

Chief Architect was designed from the ground up for residential architectural design. With our Getting Started Guide, you can design your first house in 30 minutes out of the box, guaranteed. Chief Architect enables you to communicate and illustrate a 3D model of your project.

Home Design Software Programs

Anyone with a dream and a computer can draw floor plans, house elevations, and stunning 3D pictures using these home design software programs. The programs can’t take the place of an architect and most aren’t recommended for creating working drawings. They can, however, help you visualize your house and some rival the professional-grade CAD (computer aided design) software programs architects use. Some programs are even FREE!

1) Broderbund 3D Home Architect
Over the years, Broderbund has offered a variety of very good home design programs that let you customize preset floor plans or create your own original. Broderbund has discontinued its home design software suites, but you can still find many of the Broderbund titles. You won’t receive full technical support for discontinued versions, but this software is so easy to learn, you might not need extra help.

2) Punch! Home Design Series
A single, beginner-friendly interface incorporates 32 programs with powerful tools,including CAD for 3D home and landscape design. You can plan your electrical and plumbing systems, design doors and windows, create custom trim, and much more. Buy the complete software suite, or choose the programs you need the most.


3) Abracadata Design Your Own Home for Mac
If you have a Mac, your choices are limited. Abracadata’s Design Your Own Home is a simple drawing program for a Macintosh operating system. The cost is sensible, but if you’re looking for free, also be sure to check DesignWorkshop Lite, which is listed below.

4) Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer
Better Homes and Gardens partnered with Chief Architect, Inc. to create home design software that is easy enough for the layperson. Unlike the professional-grade “Chief Architect” software, Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer requires no special training. Save money on an older version, or look for the most recent update.

5) Google SketchUp
Download the free SketchUp program from Google and you can draw 3D images of your building project. After you’ve created your 3D image, you can print it out or upload it to a “3D Warehouse” to share with others. The Warehouse also has drawings you can add to your own 3D picture.

6) DesignWorkshop Lite (FREE)
The cost-free DesignWorkshop Lite software program lets you build your own 3D models of architecture, landscapes, exhibits, or any kind of spatial design. For a small price, you can also order complete documentation, tutorials, and additional example building models.DesignWorkshop Lite has a dual platform for both Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

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