Creating a Half Height Wall
| Reference Number: KB-00607 Last Updated: 11-21-2014 07:49 AM
The information in this article applies to:
I would like to change the height of one wall in my plan to create a half or partial wall. When I use the Room Specification dialog and adjust the ceiling height, all of my walls change in height. How do I adjust the height of just one wall?
The easiest method of creating a half wall depends on which version of Chief Architect you are using.
In Chief Architect X3 and newer
In Chief Architect X3 and later, you can use the Straight Half Wall and Curved Half Wall tools to click and drag out a half, or partial height wall in your plan.
- Select Build> Wall> Straight Half Wall or Curved Half Wall from the menu, then click and drag to draw a half-height wall just as you would draw any other type of wall.
- Using the Select Objects tool, select the half wall and click on the Open Object edit button to display the Railing Specification dialog.
- On the Newels/Balusters panel, specify the Height, and click OK to apply the change and close the dialog.
You can specify the default height for all Half Walls in the Half Wall Defaults dialog.
In Chief Architect X2 and prior
The easiest way to create a half wall in Chief Architect X2 and prior is to draw railing and specify it as Solid.
- Select Build> Wall> Straight Railing or Curved Railing from the menu, then click and drag to draw a railing.
- Using the Select Objects tool, click on the wall to select it, then select the Open Object edit button to display the Railing Specification dialog.
- On the Railing tab, select Solid under Railing options. If the selected object is a wall rather than a railing, first check the box beside Railing.
- On the Newels/Balusters tab, specify the desired Height of the half wall in the Railing Height field.
- On the Materials tab, set the materials for the railing.
- Once you have finished making these changes, click OK to apply them.
You can set up your Railing Defaults so that solid railings are drawn every time you use the Straight or Curved Railing tool
To change the height of an individual wall
By default, a wall's height is defined by the floor and ceiling heights of the the rooms that the wall defines. To change the height of a single wall in your plan, select and edit it in any 3D view, changing its height can be done most accurately in a cross section/elevation view.
- Select 3D> Create Orthographic View> Cross Section/Elevation from the menu, then click and drag an elevation camera arrow directly at the wall in question.
- In the elevation view, click on the wall near its top edge.
- Notice the edit handles that display on the wall - one at each corner and one at the midpoint of the top edge.
- If you had clicked near the wall's bottom edge to select it, an edit handle would have displayed near the midpoint of the bottom edge instead.
If you select the room instead of the individual wall you can press the Tab key on the keyboard or press the Next button on the Edit Toolbar to cycle to the next object.
You can change this behavior to select the wall instead of the room first by modifying the setting on the Architectural panel of Preferences.
- Click on the edit handle at the midpoint of the top edge, then drag the top edge upward or downward to change its height.
- You can also click on the temporary dimension that shows the top edge height to open the Move Object Using Dimension in line text box and specify the exact needed height.
- Click on an edit handle that displays over a corner to move it up or down and produce a raked, or sloped wall.
- You can also place breaks in the top or bottom edge to create steps in the wall using the Break Line edit tool.
- To restore the default top and/or bottom heights, click on the wall to select it, then click the Open Object edit button. In the Wall Specification dialog, on the Structure panel check the boxes beside Default Top Height and/or Default Bottom Height, then click OK.