Chief Architect 10: an architect's toolbox

摘要

DURING ITS ALMOST two decades of development, Chief Architect has evolved into a versatile, full-featured CAD program. At first glance, it's classic 2D CAD and 3D modeling software. But users quickly come to realize that they can - and should - be working exclusively in 3D. The main purpose of the 2D module is to satisfy old-timers and to import files created by older versions and other software. Although v10 can design a 30-story building, it's really meant for the brick-and-stick architectural segment and for single-user environments. It can, of course, save files to a network server, but only one person can safely use the same file at the same time. The full version can be used to design a house or small commercial building, handle sitework and add landscaping and roadwork. Users can add details and display their work in 2D, 3D and photorealistic, cutaway and ghosted views. There are 18,000 symbols in the box, many parametric. Once a design is ready to go to bid, the program generates a bill of materials and superb construction documents. The program comes with hundreds of plans with which to start a design, Users can search by price range, size, number of bedrooms, etc., to find what they need (figures 1 and 2). Links between the documentation and the design are impressive. Specify concrete beams, and the bill of materials program not only calculates the extra concrete needed, it also figures out the extra form area required. With the Bill of Materials dialog boxes, users can adjust categories on the fly.