Renerabbitt

8 minutes ago, JonathanK said:

Weird...it's not an overly complicated shape.  You think something is wrong with the symbol, and that's causing the slow down?

I would report it, and in the meantime just make your half wall versus railing wall macro layer dependent in other words make your out of the box half wall go onto a unique half wall layer and so if the layer includes half then it's 1/2 wall if it includes railing it's a railing otherwise let it report automatic description

19 minutes ago, JonathanK said:

What's wrong with the 4095 box newel?

try it for yourself. change to a box newel and draw out your railing wall

Good idea to state when the slow down occurs. 
For me, selecting the railing makes the slow down happen..which is b/c of the 4095 box newel, not your macro.
Also have you considered displaying your railings like this?

On 8/21/2026 at 1:47 PM, robdyck said:

they now all become unknown.

I haven't been able to wrap my head around this logic, Chief is fully capable of dimensioning on a per-floor basis...0 is a fictitious number, 109.125 is no more true than 0..there is nothing keeping someone from throwing a rock on the ground on site and saying thats 0 , same goes for chief...objects can reference a finished floor, including windows and doors and framing members. I don't think you currently tell a framer the head height for the basement level is -29.125, haha.
But also...there is nothing stopping you from setting whatever floor you want to 0"

Also not a combative tone...im not autistic..but im some thing...some kind of dummy more likely..which is to say that some things confuse me, and i get frustrated when I am confused..this is not subjective..I am confused and frustrated with myself

I wasn't going to come back to this thread until I just got commissioned to bring forward a plan into my templates that had a walkout on level 0. 
The amount of work it took this person to "make it work" trying to depict foundation walls crawlspaces and footing alongside living space was nuts to me....and it still looked very sub-par.
I would be curious to see anyone's plan printout of their foundation plan and their walkout plan.
Not directed at you rob, but I think maybe I have a hardheaded expectation about what I want my plan to look like, and it just wouldn't be up to my standard trying to get it all on one level. The image Jason posted earlier in this thread..that is not a foundation plan to me, nowhere near one.
I'm really curious why this has been such a point of contention in my work as a trainer in this software. It makes so much sense on paper to me. Why wouldn't someone want this simplest approach? Isolating by level, isolating two systems that should be isolated from one another, not requiring any new defaults or layer sets or workarounds. Just the fact that you have fenestration interrupting a stem wall that for all intents and purposes does NOT belong on a foundation plan is not to my level of acceptable plan documentation. I don't think there is another program out there that would allow you to show a door opening in your stem walls where there is not a door opening. 
What about foundation vents? Couldnt be simpler, place them on level 0 using louvered windows.
Isolated area analysis, no problem..I could keep piling on the reasons if I thought about it more. Stepped foundations, mixed floor structures, keyed stem walls, sunken floors, auto rebuild foundations throughout the design process, showing a brick or stone stepped pony wall.
 

On 8/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, SHCanada2 said:

I don't know I think we should have a bake-off, and count the steps.

I'd bet my years salary I it's less steps in almost every scenario...starting from chiefs OOTB template
I would also bet its less steps starting from my template vs anyone else's. Fairly certain we are arguing over long standing preference, not fundamentals. One method simply has more capabilities, and that's in inarguable fact. It has its draw backs, which would largely all go away if we had a dedicated foundation "floor"
Also my note to Rob is meant for you as well.. I'm just being passionate, and using a competitive tone..mixed with this inexplicably weird discomfort with this convo, haha. I'm not trying to be in a pissing match though my language might say otherwise

On 8/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, SHCanada2 said:

but that is not how it is commonly shown here. It is commonly shown as a furred concrete wall on the sides and a regular wall on the end.

You quoted me mentioning a buckout so I'm not sure if you meant to quote a different part? this is a buckout or blockout

This is caused from drawing a door on level 0. this is a common condition where the plan-north facing wall is daylight, meaning there is no pony wall assembly. This buckout will be in your foundation plan. This would confuse the uninitiated framer and form workers. The only way to avoid that is lift the door above the height of the ponywall, or the ponywall below the height of the door..my forms crew would call me up and ask me if thats supposed to be a crawl access or something. my plan checker would kick that back
 

On 8/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, SHCanada2 said:

You would have to draw these different walls on your floor 1 (or show it differently),

We have to draw the same walls in both approaches...level 0 requires an extra step of designating a wall as a foundation wall, thus turning off auto build foundations. 
It also requires that you make a new layer set to isolate your footings as well as your pony wall. In some cases it requires you draw a pony wall whereas I would not need to draw that pony wall. This would be in the case that you need to represent the stem wall construction separate from the upper wall assembly. 

Another major draw back on daylight basement sections above grade...don't you have to manually draw in floor joists?
Floor joists on level 0 would only show if you have it set to have a floor but even still, chief always shows floor joists for the current floor on the floor below. I dont think it will even generate floor joists, am I mistaken? Setting a room in the OOTB template to Has Floor with a wood frame I-joist and auto framing produces no perceivable floor joists on level 0

On 8/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, SHCanada2 said:

But you still have to draw it on floor 1(or do something to show it differently)

Yes, for drawing a walkout on level 0 you would have to adjust the floor heights of the room that supplies the garage footings/stepping, keep in mind that there is a lot less liability keeping auto foundations on and working for you as opposed to manual foundations. 
You would also need to copy the walls, if you had turned off auto build foundation before drawing your top level.
 

On 8/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, SHCanada2 said:

And there is not the copy and paste garage foundation walls issue if one draws on floor 0

Correct, but you are still having to manage the room height since you dont want your stem walls 8' under ground

We are arguing steps for a single use case but fundamentally one approach has more options. How does one handle using the post footing tool if I do not want a room divider in my walkout level? Especially if its within allowed deflection and offset
Two levels of pony walls, isolated floors means you can use one set of defaults across the board, text/callouts/notes/dimensions/layer set etc. 
How are people showing crawlspace vents? Crawlspace access?
This is automatic foundations, automatic dimensions, same layer set/text defaults as the walkout. I got to use a hotkey to change floors, didnt need to change the plan view, windows dont kill auto foundations. 

This is the floor above, same auto everything

Even the depiction of a raised slab butted to a mono slab is difficult. 

and then again there are just some things you simply couldnt get chief to do without splitting the level

CMU wall U block ledger? etc. etc.  

38 minutes ago, micromysore said:

We have a Chief Architect (.plan) files for a permitted project currently underway in construction in full swing 
However, we're currently making some updates (moving doors, moving non-load bearing walls, making color choices, removing / adding cabinets etc) and are looking for help visualizing the changes. Our current designer quit and we need help to continue to visualize the changes 
 

If this is in your wheelhouse, I'd love to learn more about your process for working with clients and your hourly rate.

-Dan 

reach out renerabbitt@gmail.com
Rendering artist for 30 years. Seasoned designer and chief architect technician. 10 years in e-design with infrastructure for seamless file and screen sharing. Fast enough in this software to work with you live 

You do have 5 listings on the front page of offering services...this certainly can upset some people not wanting to spam the offering services board just to be seen. 
Also, consider contributing content and information to the boards and you will gain positive upvotes to the extent that it wouldnt matter if you have a downvote

1 minute ago, ChiefTylerL said:

I hope this is helpful!

very, I couldn't find this setting. It would be nice if this was in the wall type 

32 minutes ago, joey_martin said:

I think.....T H I N K...this process is easier now then it used to be by using an elevation offset, but I want my main level sub-floor to be 0'-0" regardless of which "level" it is on in Chief.

 

Most of my career has been in remodel, I have built a few new homes,but I have never physically built a walkout basement new home. I have remodeled a ton of them(including my own)
Is there a reason for the 0' main level? 

11 hours ago, SHCanada2 said:

I'm struggling to know what the advantage of the floor 1 foundation is for this western canada scenario?

the blog I wrote illustrates a few of the advantages. For instance, I can show a wood framed wall with a furring wall, or I can show the pony wall(stem wall) with a furring wall, independently of showing a stem wall with no furring wall and showing the footing. 
This is all from drawing one wall type and leaving auto foundations on. One saved plan view, one layer set. I drew 4 walls and got this.
Regardless, drawing on level 1 allows for a lot more flexibility. Notice my stem wall doesnt show a buckout like it would if it were drawn on level 0

 

2 hours ago, Chrisb222 said:

issues caused by moving Absolute Zero to the basement

What issues? Genuinely curious

8 hours ago, PitMan71 said:

How do you get Chief to generate the foundation walls for porches and garages at level 2?

You would have to manually edit foundation walls in this configurations even if it you srew it on level 0.
Just copy your garage and porch walls, go down a level, paste/hold position, change to foundation walls, and adjust the foundation rooms relative heights. It takes less than a couple of minutes

Going to leave this here. ill leave it public for 3 days then it goes back to the membership area. l
I draw a walkout basement on level 1

just leaving this here,
https://www.rabbittdesign.net/rabbitt-blog/chief-architect-walkout-basement-foundation-floor-0-floor-1

16 minutes ago, mkennedy2000 said:

Rene, that looks pretty slick, I may just buy that from you? But my real mission is getting the details into layout. I want to snap my details into place. I can probably use a 0,0 trick of some sort to accomplish what I want OR I can copy paste OR, well who knows, I'm sure it will come to me. My angst is a little ill-defined as yet, I'll figure out what I'm trying to improve as I go.

My friend this system is yours, just shoot me an email. Let's go grab a beer?

7 minutes ago, GLOBE-Res said:

I don't want Automatic dimensions to dimension interior walls that touch the exterior walls.  I can't seem to turn that off.

Any suggestions?

Official X18 added the capability of adding individual door types, such as sliding doors, barn doors etc.. This change rendered the check box "Only Apply Properties to Doors of Same Type" non-functional. This is a retroactive change, so now all of my style palette tools that effect doors of different types other than the type the palette was created with no longer function. 
Will report this. Thank you, this creates a lot of work for me, making it so that I have to add every single door type to every single style palette and painstakingly go through all of the settings one by one. This amounts to hours of work to repair

5 hours ago, DRAWZILLA said:

I'm pretty sure it's one that \Chief provides in their macros that come with the program using their label system.

5 hours ago, DRAWZILLA said:

I'm pretty sure it's one that \Chief provides in their macros that come with the program using their label system.

it shows n/a for me, the OOTB one

1 hour ago, DRAWZILLA said:

I am also wondering why, when I remove the ceiling in a room, it still says 97" ceiling in the label and not n/a like it used to using chief's built in labels.

 

 

this is a problem with the macro that you are using. if its your macro, post it here and we can fix it

2 hours ago, Joe_Carrick said:

This would also need to be in the "Room Types" defaults so each room type could be different.

 

Mainly I'm interested simply to get the automatic placement in the room(s), but I might also want to vary other parameters such as layer or color.

 

I would think this could be fairly simple to program - just the source of the label to be used.

I think your suggestion should just be allow rich text in room labels which we've been hammering for years.
Because you could just write conditions for room type and accomplish the same thing and would be less work than going through every room type to produce a unique label. 
Also I will mention it again, I am perfectly happy to login to your machine and show you exactly how I have this done using a custom font and how simple it is once you have it setup.
Its a helper manual that remaps anything you want to another part of a font family. And I can do this for any font you want in a matter of minutes. So while we are holding your breath for RT in room labels you can have the perfect system without all of this manual work that you are doing with your labels.
If you are at the raining in idaho I'd be happy to set this up for you

you didnt need to use import, you can just double click the caproject file and it will open in X18 if you said yes to making x18 associated with caproject files.
Its pretty quick, right click your project in x17, hit export. Then find it where you exported and double click it to open in x18

16 hours ago, TCB_BdnMY said:

full tall wall framing plan and section of the front area along

I just handle this with details. I have a detail system that is largely automated. then callouts and big bubbles on a minimal cross section. my details stack up to look like cross sections
A lot less work then trying to get the model to behave

for what its worth

13 minutes ago, TCB_BdnMY said:

"thick wall" just be really odd framing?

yup, hence the quick and dirty, haha..talking to a GC that hasnt produced an accurate framing plan in decades..it takes too long. my details handle that, my framers handle that too, deferred truss submittals..engineers approach

one could also build a room instead, vaulted ceiling, doorway, just takes a smidge longer but will actually build the framing more accurately

quick n dirty method