New User having problems entering specific dimensions

[Rliebs]

Hi,

I just purchased Home Designer Architechtural 2014 2 days ago. I am a contractor of 30 years, so I know trade terms. I have 20 hours of study already in....videos, tutorials, and reference manual. Since the salesman said I can be up and running in an hour...I am frustrated more than a little. I will save my rant about intuitive program, Knowing that those with experience can make this work,..... I know I am confronting a learning curve.

Per attachment I am drawing a very simple Bath...this drawing took 15 mins., with the purpose of helping to explain my quandry. My problem is editing dimensions to specific detail....I can get close...but not exact. Close will never work for me. To begin, I start new plan, navigate defaults just fine...all easy enough. I lay out a simple square to represent the exterior of home, and then draw interior walls in the general shape of room just fine.

Auto interior dimensions are hit, I delete what is not wanted, move what is wanted, and am left with only interior dimensions for the bath....all fine. I then begin to edit by selecting the wall as object, and manually enter a dimension. All works fine for straight walls with no partitions(like the tub/toilet separating wall), but a problem arises with a partition and the exterior window wall. All of a sudden the function I was just using, no longer works.

Tutorial videos made available in HDA do not cover this subject....I have 20 hours of study in....so I am making a sincere effort. Reference manual talks of moving objects page 438, selecting objects page 76, editing walls page 120, wall length page 119/131, connecting walls page 116. From this study I found a note that said sometimes it is easier to move an object rather than resize it! Now you tell me Sherlock! So clearly some commands are acknowledged to have limited function.

I am new to this, and I know the program can work. For my usage, I do not need 20 ways to complete the same task. All I want now is a single method of entering dimensions that works every time. Per notes in the reference manual, I have tried SELECTING THE SURFACE, but the system keeps defaulting to the outside of wall??? I know I am missing a small detail, but am chasing my tail from page to page of the reference manual and cannot see what that detail I am missing is.

So, I am asking a knowledgable user can direct me to most surefire method to edit dimension lines on a specific side of a wall. Be advised I also tried moving the wall by sliding...again sometimes the function allows the wall to slide, and sometimes not? I get within fractions of an inch using the fine control tool....but cannot slide to get an exact dimension within 1/8". So if I cannot slide to get an exact dimension, and cannot enter specific dimension, then what does work?

I also need to know the page links to making a wall niche, and how to control an angled wall?
Last I downloaded a MFR catalog for floor tile. It does not appear I can control the floor pattern, only select tile....is this correct? I know patterns are provided, but it appears the user is not able to select a specific tile type, then select color, then select pattern.

Obviously some of you have unlocked the keys to making this program work, the weak link is my learning curve. Any help is appreciated.

Thank you for the consideration.