Rene’s first and biggest reaction was that X18 feels much faster than X17, especially in managed Project mode. He specifically called out faster startup, library loading, project deletion, project copying, importing, exporting, opening files, drawing walls, placing objects, and opening 3D views.

There is no specific tool to activate. Rene demonstrated the improvement by closing and reopening X18, opening Project Browser items, deleting projects, copying a template project, drawing walls, and opening 3D camera views.

This benefits everyone, but especially trainers, power users, and firms using Project Management with large libraries and many project files.

On first launch, X18 creates thumbnails for User Library content so library items and material previews load faster later.

Open X18 after installing or migrating. Chief Architect automatically processes User Library thumbnails, especially noticeable for large libraries.

Power users with large User Libraries benefit from faster library browsing and object preview loading.

Rene clarified that X18 does not introduce new user-facing AI tools, but it still uses AI/neural-network-related rendering support such as Super Resolution, DLSS-style features, and AMD FidelityFX-style technology.

Open a 3D view, choose Edit Active View, and look for Super Resolution in the rendering/view settings. Rene noted this is already present from X17 and is not a new prompt-based AI feature.

Useful for rendering and 3D presentation quality, but not a new design-assistant AI workflow.

This is one of Rene’s favorite X18 features. Objects that use fill can now follow the fill style assigned to their layer, allowing the same object to display differently in different layer sets or Saved Plan Views.

Open Active Layer Display Options. Rene calls it ALDO. A new Fill row/column is available for layers. Double-click the fill setting to open Layer Fill Style, where you can set pattern, hatch, color, transparency, and related options.
For an object or wall type, open its specification dialog, go to the relevant Fill Style panel, and set the fill style to Use Layer.

This is a major documentation-control feature for designers creating different plan views: floor plans, electrical plans, framing plans, roof plans, cross sections, and presentation drawings.

Inside wall type definitions, X18 allows multiple wall layers to be selected and edited together. Rene used this with the new Edit Layer button.

Open a wall, go to Wall Types, click Define, select multiple wall layers, then click Edit Layer. Rene changed multiple wall layer fill styles to Use Layer and changed line styles for middle wall layers.

This speeds up template setup and wall type cleanup, especially when preparing walls to work with layer-based fills.

Layer-based fill styles carry into section/elevation workflows. Rene showed an auto-detailed section where the wall fill changed based on the layer’s fill style instead of remaining a solid plan-view fill.

Set wall layer fills to Use Layer, set the layer’s fill style in ALDO, then create a cross-section/elevation and use Auto Detail.

This helps make section details look more component-based without manually redrawing hatch patterns.

Roof planes and roof overhang display can now vary by layer set if their fill style is set to Use Layer.

Open roof plane or roof defaults, go to the Fill Style panel, change from Solid to Use Layer, then adjust the roof layer’s fill style in ALDO for roof plan versus roof framing views.

Useful for making roof plans, framing roof plans, and overhang graphics easier to read.

Rene demonstrated that symbol CAD blocks, such as toilets and fixtures, can also follow layer fill styles.

Select a fixture, open or edit the symbol/CAD block, and set its fill style to By Layer or Use Layer. Then change the layer’s fill style in ALDO.

Great for trade-specific drawings, such as plumbing plans, where fixtures need to stand out differently than in a general floor plan.

Framing members can display with different fill styles by layer set. Rene showed headers, plates, rafters, joists, and wall framing using different fills depending on the framing view.

Set framing member fills to follow layer settings, then adjust each framing layer’s fill style in the layer set used by the framing plan.

Contractors and builders benefit from clearer framing documents.

Room fills can follow layer styles, so a room can display with fill in one view and no fill or a different hatch in another.

Open a room, go to Fill Style, set it to Use Layer, then edit the Rooms layer fill in the current layer set.

Useful for presentation floor plans, area plans, stock plans, and diagrams.

Room labels now behave more like standard object labels, with more control over label display, alignment, offsets, macros, and view behavior. Rene showed room labels auto-centering and dynamically changing content as room size changes using his macros.

Open a room, go to the label-related settings, and configure room label alignment and macros. Rene also showed selecting a room label and using new edit toolbar controls to display or suppress the label.

Designers creating construction documents save time because room labels can become more automatic and require less manual moving.

A new edit toolbar control lets you quickly suppress an object’s label without opening the object dialog.

Select the object or label, then use the new label display/suppress button in the edit toolbar.

Useful during cleanup when one label is cluttering a plan or view.

X18 adds more project/client/designer information fields and lets users create custom fields that can be accessed with global macros throughout the plan and layout.

Open the project/client/designer information dialog. Rene added a custom field such as Scope of Work, entered text like “Remodel kitchen in the back of the home,” then inserted it using the macro dropdown under Global Project Info.

Huge for title blocks, project notes, specifications, standard annotations, and template-driven documentation.

Rene emphasized that custom project fields do not have to be limited to project info. They can drive repeated notes, specifications, framing notes, tile notes, and other reusable annotations.

Add fields such as Wall Framing, Bath One Tile Annotation, Chevron Tile Annotation, or Subway Tile Annotation. Then insert those fields into text objects, details, or layout annotations using the macro system.

Advanced template users can edit project-wide notes from one location instead of updating repeated text manually.

X18 can import Chief Architect As-Built files generated from the Chief Architect mobile as-built workflow. Rene described this as similar in concept to Canvas/Twidno-style LiDAR scanning, but integrated with Chief’s Room Planner/As-Built workflow.

Use an iPad or iPhone Pro with LiDAR and the Chief As-Built/Room Planner workflow. Scan rooms, make control measurement adjustments on the device, then in Chief use File > Import > Import Chief As-Built File. Rene expected it to import walls, windows, and doors.

Designers doing remodels and as-built surveys can move faster from field measurements into Chief.

X18 expands pinning in the Project Browser. In addition to pinning projects, you can pin documents, project folders, and files to the top of lists.

In the Project Browser, right-click a plan, layout, folder, or file and choose Pin. Use Unpin to remove it.

Helps keep active plans, layouts, and important folders easy to find in large managed projects.

When duplicating or saving a Saved Plan View, X18 can also duplicate the active layer set so the new view does not accidentally share and modify the old view’s layer set.

Use Save Active View As or duplicate a Saved Plan View from the Project Browser. In the dialog, enable Copy Active Layer Set. Rene showed a duplicated layer set named from the new view, such as “Framing Floor Plan 2.”

This prevents a common beginner mistake: creating a new Saved Plan View but accidentally changing the layer set used by another view.

Time Tracker exports and printed reports can include total hours.

Open the Time Tracker / Time Log, then export or print the log. Rene exported a sample and confirmed row totals were included.

Useful for designers billing time or reviewing project labor.

Time Tracker entries can be sorted by clicking headings.

Open the Time Tracker Log and click different column headings to sort entries.

Helpful for reviewing time by date, task, duration, or other columns.

You can edit an active Time Tracker entry without pausing or stopping the current log.

Open the active Time Tracker entry and use Edit to adjust information such as start time while the timer is still running.

Good for users who forget to start tracking at the exact time or need to correct an active entry.

X18 adds tools to convert Rich Text to regular Text and vice versa.

Select a text object and use the edit toolbar conversion tool. Rene demonstrated pasted text that came in as Rich Text and converted it to regular Text.

Useful when cleaning up imported or pasted notes and keeping annotation types consistent.

When drawing or editing near the edge of the screen, X18 automatically pans the view.

Start drawing a wall or editing an object and move the cursor near the edge of the drawing window. The screen scrolls automatically.

Especially helpful for users without a 3D mouse or for those drawing long objects across the screen.

Holding Shift while using arrow keys moves selected objects in larger increments than standard nudge.

Select an object. Press arrow keys for normal nudge. Hold Shift + Arrow Key for a larger jump. Rene found the larger jump followed the Reference Grid size.

Useful for controlled object movement without opening a dialog.

Print setup can match the paper size to the layout drawing sheet size automatically.

Open a layout, go to print settings, and use the setting Rene referred to as matching the print source/paper to the drawing sheet.

Saves layout users from printing Arch D/E sheets to the wrong paper size.

Rene read the feature as printing multiple layout sets as documents while preserving page order.

Workflow was not demonstrated. Rene was unsure how it differed from printer-level collation.

Potentially useful when printing multi-page layout sets for contractors or permit packages.

The Default Settings dialog now has a search bar to find settings quickly.

Open Edit > Default Settings and type a term such as “Room Labels” or “Cabinet” into the search bar.

Excellent beginner feature because it reduces hunting through nested defaults.

Line style dropdowns show tooltip names when hovering over styles.

Draw a line, open the Line Specification dialog, go to the line style dropdown, and hover over line styles.

Helpful when similar line styles are hard to identify visually.

The handout listed the ability to add custom patterns to the Library Browser for reuse.

Rene did not demonstrate the workflow because he thought similar behavior may have already existed.

Useful for firms standardizing hatch patterns and material graphics.

Distributed paths can now be saved to the Library Browser for reuse.

Create or select a distributed path, then add it to the library. Rene demonstrated a distributed path containing LED lights and noted it could later be swapped or reused from the library.

Useful for repeated lighting layouts, landscape elements, or decorative distributed objects.

The feature appears to allow searching the Library Browser by an item’s path/location using a path search prefix.

Rene tried several searches using path, material paths, and copied file paths but could not get the search to work.

Potentially useful for finding library items by folder or file location.

The feature description says you can use a plan scoping mode to replace identical objects across the entire plan from the Library Browser.

Rene attempted to replace lights using the Library Browser and scoping mode but was unsure what was new compared with existing Replace from Library behavior.

Potentially powerful for updating all matching lights, fixtures, or symbols in a project.

Molding polylines saved in the User Catalog can be edited directly from the Library Browser.

Select a molding polyline in the Library Browser and use its edit options to update, rotate, or otherwise modify the stored library item.

Great for library maintenance because you no longer need to recreate and re-add the molding polyline after correcting it.

Text shown in a library item’s Details panel can be copied using the context menu.

Turn on the Library Browser Details panel, select text such as tags or notes, then right-click/copy.

Useful for copying tags, notes, or metadata from custom library objects.

The feature description says X18 can show feedback about the active sun or moon location by enabling a sun/moon direction indicator.

Rene searched for sun angle and related controls but did not find or demonstrate the exact indicator workflow.

Potentially useful for shadow studies and orientation checks.

Chief Architect X18 supports WEBP image files, a modern compressed image format.

Import or use WEBP images where you would use other image formats. Rene did not demonstrate import, but explained WEBP can reduce file sizes compared with JPEG while preserving quality.

Useful for reducing the size of libraries, textures, and image-heavy plans.

X18 improves dark mode support, including icons and interface colors adapting to dark mode.

Go to Preferences, then the color/theme settings. Rene showed options such as Force Light Mode, Force Dark Mode, following the system setting, or using a custom color scheme.

Helpful for users who work in dark mode and want readable icons and interface elements.

Materials created with Material Builder can retain their builder settings, allowing you to reopen and edit those settings later.

Go to 3D > Material Builder, create a material such as a Tile Builder material, add it to the library, then reopen it in Material Builder to make changes.

Big improvement for designers creating custom tile, masonry, wood, and other generated materials.

Style Palettes now support additional object categories, including items Rene identified as Partition, Shelf, Shower Door, and Garage Door.

In the Library Browser, create a New Style Palette and review the available object categories. Choose the object type and properties to capture.

Useful for quickly applying consistent styles to more object types.

Doors, including garage and shower doors, can be included in Style Palettes.

Create a Style Palette from a door or door settings, choose which properties to include, then apply the style palette to matching doors.

Good for quickly changing door styles across a design.

A door can be manually classified as interior or exterior regardless of where it is placed.

Open a door specification dialog and set whether the door is Interior or Exterior. Rene checked the object properties and found the value reflected as is exterior door false.

Useful for schedules, labels, macros, and edge cases where Chief’s automatic door classification is not what you want.

Shelves and partitions can be captured and applied using Style Palettes.

Create or edit a Style Palette and select shelf or partition-related properties.

Useful for cabinet and closet designers standardizing interior cabinet components.

Cabinet side face configurations can be captured in Style Palettes.

Open a cabinet, adjust a side face such as the right side, set panel options such as auto-paneled or framed side panel, then create a Style Palette. In the Style Palette properties, Rene selected Copy Right Face Configuration.

Very useful for kitchen designers who need to apply finished ends or side panels quickly.

The Object Painter/Eyedropper can apply some properties from one stair or ramp to another.

Create two stairs or ramps, activate the Object Painter/Eyedropper workflow, pick up properties from one stair, and apply them to another.

Useful when matching stair/ramp materials and settings.

Mulled units now support more management tools, including setting defaults, using Match Properties/Object Painter, and using Add to Library As.

Create a mulled window/door unit. Select the mulled unit and use tools such as Set as Default, Match Properties, Object Painter, or Add to Library. Rene demonstrated copying custom fields into a mulled unit to fix schedule data.

Huge for users creating custom window groups and wanting reusable or schedulable mulled units.

Custom mulled units can be saved to the Library Browser and reused.

Build a custom mulled window group, including arch shapes and custom muntins, then use Add to Library. Place it later from the library.

Great for designers building custom window catalogs or repeated specialty openings.

Automatic cabinet fillers can be controlled globally and per cabinet.

Open Default Settings, search for Cabinet, go to General Cabinet Defaults, and control Create Automatic Fillers. On an individual cabinet, use Suppress Automatic Fillers to exclude or allow fillers.

Kitchen and bath designers get better control over when Chief creates fillers automatically.

Corner boards can be recessed into the sheathing layer.

Use the Corner Board tool, open the corner board, and enable Recess the Sheathing Layer.

Useful for more realistic exterior trim detailing, including corner boards and quoins.

Acute wall connections can automatically join with a square/blunt end instead of a pointed end.

Draw walls meeting at an acute angle. X18 handles the clipped connection more cleanly than prior behavior.

Useful for odd-angle wall conditions and cleanup.

Wall end connections have more control. You can choose whether walls automatically connect or remain disconnected.

Select a wall end or use the Wall Intersection edit tool. Rene showed an icon/control to disable or enable Auto Connect. If disabled, the wall end stays where placed instead of joining another wall.

Useful for tricky wall/railing intersections, butt conditions, and cases where Chief over-connects walls.

Wall caps can have offsets.

Open railing/wall cap settings and adjust wall cap offset values. Rene did not walk through exact fields in depth.

Useful for railings, half walls, and custom wall cap details.

Framing members such as beams, posts, and girder trusses can have a specified ply count.

Open a framing member specification, such as a roof beam, and adjust Ply Count and Ply Width. Rene tested values up to 10 plies.

Contractors and construction-document users can represent built-up beams more accurately.

Manual framing can be retained when automatic framing rebuilds.

Select framing members and mark them as manual/not automatically generated. Then rebuild automatic framing. Rene tested this with a post/girt concept and saw posts retained while new framing generated.

Important for users who manually edit framing and do not want Chief to wipe out their changes.

Framing members can be identified as automatic or manual, controlling whether automatic rebuild tools affect them.

Select a framing member and change its automatic/manual status in the framing member specification.

Useful for pole barns, custom framing, and advanced contractor workflows.

You can choose whether a truss is added at each roof peak when automatic trusses are generated.

Rene read the feature but did not demonstrate the setting.

Useful for truss layout control.

The materials list can report truss chords and webbing for each individual truss.

Rene read the feature but did not demonstrate the workflow.

Useful for estimating and construction documentation.

Roof subfascia length can be reported for materials-list calculations.

Rene only mentioned it briefly from the feature list.

Useful for estimating roof framing and trim materials.

You can control offset and spacing for roof lookout framing.

Rene read the feature but did not demonstrate the exact dialog.

Useful for modern framing details, overhangs, and ladder/lookout framing control.

Wall plate construction at corners can be Staggered or Flush.

Go to Default Settings > Framing > Automatic Framing > Wall, then find the plate connection style. Rene changed between Staggered and Flush and rebuilt framing to compare.

Contractors and documenters can better match regional framing standards.

The feature description says materials can be specified for top and bottom rows of wall plates and girts for horizontal framing.

Rene searched through automatic framing and material/type settings but did not find the exact material control workflow.

Useful for accurately identifying treated plates and horizontal framing.

Pony wall intersections can be edited separately for upper and lower wall types.

Select a pony wall intersection and use wall intersection controls for the Upper Wall and Lower Wall. Rene tested this with brick pony walls and foundation/return conditions.

Useful for brick ledges, foundation offsets, and conditions where upper/lower wall layers need different cleanup.

X18 adds more framing defaults for openings, including headers, sills, king studs, and related opening framing.

Open framing defaults or window/door opening framing defaults. Rene noted there is “a lot more going on” but did not demonstrate each field.

Useful for contractors and construction-document users who want more accurate opening framing.

Window sash can be inset anywhere within the wall width.

Open a window, locate Sash Inset, and enter an inset distance. Rene tested 4 in.

Useful for deep wall assemblies, recessed windows, custom trim details, and using windows creatively for special conditions.

Joist Direction Lines now include more direct framing control, including direction behavior, width, framing defaults, and other parameters.

Use Framing > Joist Direction, draw the joist direction line, then open the Joist Direction Line Specification dialog. Rene changed joists from 2x6 to 2x8 and later to 16" I-joists.

Contractors and plan drafters can control floor framing more directly from the joist direction object.

Platform corners can use staggered or flush rim joist intersections.

Rene read the feature but did not demonstrate the exact dialog.

Useful for more accurate platform framing.

Deck ledger boards have more control, including offset from the building and connection behavior.

Create a deck, open deck/framing/support settings, locate ledger board settings such as Offset from Edge and Connect Rim Joist to Ledger Board. Rene tested an offset to create a gap between the ledger and wall.

Very useful for contractors dealing with brick, siding, spacers, and realistic deck attachment conditions.

Railings can define the number of posts or newels instead of only using maximum spacing.

Open a railing, go to post/newel spacing settings, switch from spacing to Count, and enter the desired number. Rene tested 4 posts.

Great for deck and railing layout where post locations must be controlled visually or structurally.

You can control material applied to footings on foundation walls.

Rene only described it briefly. The implied workflow is in foundation wall/footing material settings.

Useful for materials lists, vector fills, and clearer foundation documentation.

X18 adds true 3D cladding, allowing siding, roofing, board-and-batten, lap siding, shingles, standing seam, and similar materials to have actual 3D relief instead of only texture/bump-map appearance.

Rene added toolbar buttons using Customize Toolbars, searching for 3D Cladding and Interactive Cladding Editor. In a 3D view, select the cladding tool, click a material surface, and adjust settings such as height, row overlap, row angle, offset rows, repeat distance, auto lap, profile, texture direction, and texture variation.

Big visual upgrade for exterior renderings and cross sections.

Provides direct editing controls for 3D cladding in the model.

Add the Interactive Cladding Editor toolbar button, then use it in a 3D view to edit the selected cladding surface.

Designers can tune exterior materials live instead of relying only on flat textures.

3D cladding can create actual battens on board-and-batten siding.

Apply or select a board-and-batten material, activate 3D cladding, and adjust batten width and related cladding settings. Rene tested a 2 in. width and showed a window cutting through the battens.

High-impact exterior rendering and elevation improvement.

Moldings can be centered on the polyline rather than offset inside or outside.

Select a molding polyline, open its specification, and set horizontal position to Center on Polyline.

Helpful for pipes, rails, trim paths, and custom molding workflows where the path line should be the true center.

Selected lights can be turned into a new light set.

Select lights, click Create/Edit Light Set from Selection, name the set, then choose that light set in Edit Active View under lighting/light set settings.

Major interior rendering workflow improvement for designers controlling scene lighting.

Lights can use Kelvin color temperature presets or values.

Open a light or light set, go to Temperature and Color, and choose a Kelvin value such as 2700K or 5000K.

Interior designers can better represent warm, neutral, or cool lighting.

3D reference displays can use a Vector rendering technique.

Set up a referenced plan, edit the reference display settings, and choose Vector as the rendering technique for the 3D reference display.

Useful for showing neighboring buildings, alternate models, additions, or large-lot developments in a controlled visual style.

Technical Illustration views can use individual layer and object properties to control line style and color.

Rene read the feature but did not work out the exact settings live.

Useful for stylized 3D views and presentation graphics.

Fill styles can use gradients, including linear and radial gradients.

Open an object’s Fill Style settings and choose Gradient. Rene tested radial gradient fills and noted they are available for fills, but not material pattern fills in vector views.

Useful for landscape graphics, presentation plans, and more polished 2D plan graphics.

While drawing dimensions, you can temporarily suppress snapping to intermediate objects.

Draw a manual dimension. Rene used the S key while dragging the dimension line. Holding S bypassed cabinet snaps, then releasing S allowed snapping to resume.

Huge for dimension cleanup, especially in kitchens, baths, and cabinet-heavy plans.

Schedules/notes can use numbering formats such as uppercase letters instead of only numbers.

Open the schedule or note numbering settings. Rene changed a window schedule from numeric numbering to Uppercase Letters, producing labels like Window A and Window B.

Useful for braced wall panels, keyed notes, window schedules, and any schedule needing letters instead of numbers.

X18 reports or matches font family and font face/subfamily more specifically, such as semibold variants.

Rene encountered this when opening a layout and X18 tried to match a font such as “Inter 18 Semibold” by family and face.

Useful for template migration and consistent text appearance.

Label attributes can be transferred using Style Palettes and the Object Painter.

Create a Style Palette or use Object Painter settings that include label-related properties. Rene pointed out new properties such as Label, Label Alignment, and Label Layer.

Major template-transfer improvement for advanced users using macros and custom labels.

Default fills can be assigned by room type.

Go to Default Settings > Floors and Rooms > Room Types, select a room type such as Chase, and assign a fill style such as a 6x6 angled grid.

Useful for automatically displaying certain room types with standard graphics.

X18’s export/import of managed projects is much faster in Rene’s testing.

Use Export Project, optionally export and delete, then reopen/import the exported .caproj from a shared location such as Dropbox.

Important for collaboration, backups, training, and moving projects between machines.

Room schedules can display a 2D preview/outline of a room’s perimeter and fill.

Open a room schedule and add the 2D Symbol column. Rene first searched for “perimeter” but corrected himself and used 2D Symbol.

Useful for visual room schedules or area summaries.

Schedules can report objects from selected floor levels, including multiple non-contiguous levels.

Open a schedule specification and choose which floor levels to include.

Useful for multi-story projects where schedules need to include only certain floors.

Cabinet hardware can be included in schedules.

Rene mentioned the feature briefly but did not demonstrate the schedule setup.

Kitchen and bath designers benefit when documenting pulls, knobs, and hardware selections.

Schedules can include 2D preview symbols for cabinets, architectural blocks, doors, and windows.

Open a schedule, add the 2D Symbol column, and Chief displays 2D previews for supported objects.

Makes schedules easier to read visually, especially for windows, doors, cabinets, and blocks.

Schedules can specify fraction formatting and scale, including diagonal and stacked fractions.

Open a schedule, go to number formatting, and choose fraction style such as Horizontal or Diagonal.

Useful for matching office dimension/fraction standards in schedules.

Multiple wall hatch segments can be added to a wall, with control over overlap and draw order.

Use the wall hatch tool to add more than one hatch segment to a wall. Adjust fill/background and draw order settings.

Potentially useful for showing multiple wall conditions, demo/new work, or layered annotations.

Callouts have fill controls.

Open a callout and adjust its fill style settings.

Useful for making callouts more visible or matching office graphics.

Callouts can be created without an outline shape.

Open the callout specification and choose a no-border/no-outline shape option.

Useful when you want linked callout behavior without a visible bubble or border.

Story Pole Dimensions can now use saved defaults, allowing preferred formatting to be applied consistently.

Open Default Settings > Dimensions > Auto Story Pole Dimensions or the story pole dimension defaults area. Rene later confirmed X18 now has a list of different Story Pole defaults.

Useful for consistent elevation/story-pole annotation standards.