More of What’s New in Chief Architect X17 – Wrapping Schedules, Smart Dimensions, Framing Defaults & More

A Recap from Dan Baumann & The Designers Show Crew

If you caught the latest episode of the Designers Show, you know Dan and the crew dove deep into the newest features in Chief Architect X17 — and they had a lot to say.

This wasn’t your average “here’s what’s new” session. Dan, joined by Renee, Robin, Kevin, and John, brought their years of hands-on experience to the table and showed how these features actually work in real-world design scenarios.

For anyone using Chief Architect professionally — whether you’re drafting kitchens, framing houses, or setting up specs for builders — X17 delivers meaningful improvements. Here’s a look at what they covered.

Schedule Wrapping & Images: Small Change, Big Time Saver

Dan has spent more than a few late nights wrangling oversized schedules into layout pages. So when Chief Architect finally added schedule wrapping, he was all in.

Now, users can wrap schedules after a certain number of items and even add gutters between columns. (Yes, gutters — Robin got a solid laugh when Dan admitted he didn’t believe her at first.)

And it gets better: you can now insert images into schedules. That means doors, windows, cabinets — all with visual reference right inside the spec sheet. No more guessing which “Panel A” someone meant.

“This is one of those features that’s not flashy, but once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it.” — Dan

 

Custom Temporary Dimensions: Finally, Some Control

Chief Architect X17 makes a big leap with temporary dimensions, allowing users to customize them per dimension default.

What used to be an all-or-nothing system now lets designers:

• Choose exactly what object types should be included (doors, cabinets, openings, etc.)

• Set up different dimension styles per plan view

• Toggle between views without losing control over dimensions

Renee showed how to add the new Active Dimension Default button to the toolbar — a tip Dan said will “save more time than you’d think.” No more digging through dialogs to make a simple adjustment.

DLSS for Rendering: A Boost for NVIDIA Users

For those with RTX cards, Dan highlighted how DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) now integrates with Chief Architect X17. It lets designers render scenes faster and smoother using GPU-based denoising.

On large, complex models, the impact is significant.

“I toggled it on, and instantly my ray trace cleaned up — smooth as butter. This is a huge win for presentations or those quick client walkthroughs.” — Dan

Unfortunately, Mac users won’t see this benefit (yet), as DLSS is NVIDIA-only for now.

Appliance Placement Is Smarter Now — Much Smarter

Gone are the days of wrestling dishwashers into cabinet boxes just to get the layout to look right.

Chief Architect X17 introduces a smarter logic:

• Appliances now snap into place next to cabinets

• Countertops auto-generate above them

• Designers can use offset controls to fine-tune depth without affecting geometry

Dan and Renee walked through how this works with dishwashers and microwaves — and it’s much easier and more accurate than previous workflows.

Cabinets: Panel Tricks, Box Widths, and Some Labeling Headaches

The group also took time to dig into cabinet panel behavior — especially applied ends and how they snap for dimensioning.

Highlights:

• Applied ends can now be dimensioned more accurately (with the right settings toggled).

• Cabinet box thickness can be adjusted uniformly — though Chief still doesn’t support asymmetrical sides yet.

• Fixture labeling for appliances inside cabinets is... still a work in progress. (Robin and Renee had some choice words for this one.)

“It’s better, but still has some quirks. Hopefully, a patch irons it out.” — Dan

 

Framing Defaults: One of the Best Updates

One of Dan’s personal favorite improvements in X17 is the expanded framing defaults. In past versions, framing was either all manual or all generic. Now?

• Designers can set up defaults for lumber vs engineered vs steel

• Room-specific framing settings are now possible (finally!)

• Treated sill plates can be applied by default — a big win for basement and slab-on-grade construction

The group also discussed color-coding framing members (something Kevin was especially excited about), and Renee demonstrated how default-driven data can power smarter schedules and material lists.

Schedule Sorting, Room Perimeters, and Column Enhancements

Chief Architect X17’s schedules now allow:

• Multi-level sorting (e.g., by room type and area)

• New fields like room perimeter

• More useful data for painting estimates, base trim runs, and materials

Dan pointed out how even seemingly small additions like this help “keep your takeoffs clean, organized, and way less error-prone.”

Real Talk on Framing Automation

The conversation took a turn toward autoframing, with Mike in the chat mentioning that he recently sent a Chief model directly through Ready Frame. It worked surprisingly well — with only minor edits needed on rafters and blocking.

Dan, Renee, and Kevin agreed that Chief’s framing tools are stronger than most people realize, especially when paired with well-built templates.

“Get your model right upfront, and Chief can do a ton of the heavy lifting. Just don’t skip the setup.” — Dan

 

Upcoming Training Events (In-Person & Online)

Dan took a few minutes toward the end of the show to highlight some upcoming Chief Architect training opportunities:

Robin’s Portland Workshop

📍 September 12–14, 2025
👩‍🏫 Intro to Chief Architect
🧠 Perfect for beginners & early intermediates
🔗 Learn More at DesignerSanity.com

Dan’s Chief Experts Academy – LIVE in Bloomington

📍 October 6–9, 2025
📚 4-day training (Beginner through Advanced)
🎁 Includes handouts, templates, and member access
🔗 Register at ChiefExpertsAcademy.com

Coeur d’Alene – Annual Chief Event

🗓 Fall 2025
🍽 Community hangout Tuesday afternoon
📍 Downtown near the “rabbit statue”
📝 RSVP not required — just show up and say hi!

Final Thoughts

Before wrapping up the show, Dan shared a bit of personal reflection.

While the X17 release doesn’t look revolutionary at first glance, it’s full of little updates that solve real headaches. From wrapped schedules to smarter temp dims, this version makes it easier to move faster without sacrificing clarity.

“These aren’t gimmicks — they’re tools that fix the stuff that slows you down. And once you build your templates around them, you won’t want to go back.” — Dan

 

Watch the Replay

 Quick Links

• Chief Experts Academy – https://chiefexperts.com

• Designer Sanity Training – https://designersanity.com

• Chief Architect X17 Release Notes – chiefarchitect.com

• YouTube Channel – Designers Show

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See you at the next Designer Show — and as always, happy designing!
— The Chief Experts Team