Renerabbitt

32 minutes ago, Breeze_Design said:

Kitchen tools,

see video

1 hour ago, Steve-C said:

 

I plan on upgrading to the Mac Studio when and if they ever release the darn thing. They have been dragging their butts on new releases for that device for years. My system has 24gb of memory, and i never use PBR images.

yes 24gb of unified memory is really low. This is shared memory, so much of that gets hogged by loading textures regardless of raytrace being turned on or not.
Thats like running with 15gb of RAM and 9 gb of VRAM..that is really low in this program especially if you are running other programs.
For instance, i have 8 browser tabs open, some standard services running and chief open with no plan open and my system shows 28% utilization on 128GB of RAM

1 minute ago, JonathanK said:

window is actually built?  Doesn't make sense to me

totally different development departments and different animals. It's very easy for the content team to pump out cabinet lines vs touching the extremely complex window code that none of the dev team wants to touch. (Supposedly one of the most difficult and complex bits of code in the whole software)
I agree though that I would love some window improvements

1 hour ago, Steve-C said:

noticable drop in graphics performance

This is unified memory, so without your specs its hard to say but I would venture a guess that youre hitting mem limits. Also the Pro chip is not going to be anywhere near the max chip with double the raytrace speed...for what you do, I would upgrade

4 minutes ago, GeneDavis said:

camera orbital move in PBR, and even in standard view mode.

Your current machine is totally fine for chief. I would venture a guess that you either have a corrupted model or you need a driver update. I would update the driver and create an example project using the OOTB template to test your machine, a 3070 is good enough. Set your raytrace settings to use DLSS
 

1 hour ago, Joe_Carrick said:

Sounds like a bug.  But in reality it's reporting the wall layer's material, not the room's material.

What happens if you edit the wall layer?

Joe is right, change your walls layers, from the wall type, not from an individual walls material panel and it will report correctly, the wall never actually reports a painted layer to upper_layers in the console which is where the material is calc'ing its list from

17 minutes ago, Michael_Gia said:

at the moment it's half baked.

I would 100 percent agree with this in terms of the terminology used. It is terrible. Hitting delete as the fastest way to share with a team is absolutely ridiculous. No "Save As" howver incorrect it may be, is breaking decades of learned behavior.
"Make a Copy With Links To New Folder" is one of the most ridiculous grammatically incorrect menu items ever. When what is doing is one of the best features of managed mode, copying a file, along with any plan/layout files it shares a link with, into a new folder to create a new independent and linked iteration.
The function in PM is not half baked, its really brilliant, but the support and terminology makes it a mystified workflow. I've been pushing for a change and not sure if I am getting any traction

3 hours ago, Michael_Gia said:

control or command S

Thursday is my day for arguing, haha.
I was very specific about my language here, I was not comparing it to "Save" I was comparing it to backing up a project.
Save As is not the same as backup, one includes all of the texture files you would need in a 3d view or elevation view if you were to share with someone that didn't have all of the same textures as you.
Even if you didn't need the textures, you would also need to hit save as for the layout as well, or easier would just be to backup the file.
Open is still an actionable thing you have to do, just like import. For either, you can double click your file and it will open. Even though open is a faster action, waiting for a cloud service to sync and index loose files(Backup-unmanaged) takes longer than waiting for it to sync one file(caproj-managed).

In PM, I hit the delete key, that's 1 key press, i click export and delete, i target my location and click okay. I don't find that this could be much easier than that action. With it comes a ton of extra features that you cannot otherwise get in unmanaged mode. In unmanaged mode, to get the same result, you would hit the file menu, then back up and restore, then backup with textures, then target your location. I might be off on the names, its been a while, but I'm fairly certain that it is more clicks. 
In managed mode, I can just share the caproj file, in unmanaged mode, you would need to share the folder containing all of your files.
People are arguing over 1 click or so, truly, yet unmanaged mode comes with a gang of additional features that you cannot do in unmanaged mode.
 

16 hours ago, lisabrooksga said:

The Backup & Restore method is the officially supported approach and avoids all the duplication and broken link issues.

This is all Ai Rubbish really, please reference this video. PM absolutely works in a multi-user-multi machine setup and I have been doing it for over a year now with no problems and all of the benefits of PM

16 hours ago, lisabrooksga said:

And even if it fundamentally works, Chief won't support it so we are going to stick with the traditional file based for now. We have rarely had issues with plans and layouts getting discombobulated anyway.

Absolutely zero difference between exporting your project to dropbox(X17 with PM) and backing up your project to dropbox(X16) cept for one remains a single archive file(X17 .caproj) and is ultimately a better system than having PM turned off.
When Chief says they don't support working in the cloud, they are specifically talking about working with cloud based files, as opposed to working with local files that are synced to the cloud from a client server like dropbox caching from your machine
Reference this video

On 4/27/2026 at 12:21 PM, LeeDrafter said:

However, I'm wondering if there is a better way to work on plans simultaneously like this? Thanks for any advice or conversation.

Global macros could help for controlling annotations for all projects. Change your global annotation and all plans annotations will change with it

1 hour ago, SteveWuo said:

multiple roof planes and hiding surfaces

That would be the most efficient way

1 hour ago, Doug_N said:

Renew Domain <https://squarespace2.statichost.page/0xf1231301a2c49.html>        

also you might want to remove this in case its a phishing link ..eek

LOL, they got the date wrong but if you feel like giving me $12 I can go get a coffee
 

Quick CA Short… diving into polyline solids + extrusion tools in #chiefarchitect 

This one walks through building from a simple polyline and pushing it into a full form using extrusion… then dialing it in with union, intersection, and subtraction tools so everything cleans up exactly how you want  Also jumping into the revolve object tool to get that soft tapered form working the right way.

These tools came in around X14 and can feel a little heavy at first… but once they click, they open up a ton of flexibility for shaping custom geometry fast 

End result… a tapered stucco fireplace chute that dives cleanly into the wall, miters correctly, and still gives you control to soften edges with the fillet tool. No custom symbol needed… just smart use of the modeling tools.

If you’re working in #cad / #bim and want faster, cleaner #buildingdesign and #architecturedesign workflows, this is a solid one to have in your back pocket 

More #chiefarchitecttips and #designworkflow coming… tagging the crew @Chief Architect #architecturaldrafting #residentialdesign #3dmodeling #rendering #designautomation

2 hours ago, CUChris81 said:

This is super unfortunate, like I said, PBR renderings are something my clients are requesting with increased frequency. =(

M5 will not be instantaneous but it will certainly be fast enough for most, I would go for the max or ultra.

1 hour ago, mtldesigns said:

It appears back in 2023 we had a option to pick Master Bedroom or Master Bathroom in our Room Types

AIBD, NAR and MLS have all removed the term and replaced with Primary or Owners instead of Master.

NKBA makes no formal statement but you won't find master in any of their new guidelines, they use Primary.

IRC and IBC have never cared about any designations beyond simply calling it bedroom and bathroom.

46 minutes ago, DefinedDesign said:

Hi Michael, I have this exact walkout basement, what is your secret for getting the framed wall to sit on top of the slab?  Right now mine is doing this:

also see video

39 minutes ago, DefinedDesign said:

I don’t understand why this behavior is not clearly communicated in the X17 Dialog Help.

I think it is, the help menu is live and this is what it shows in X17:

1 hour ago, JeremyKing said:

How can I make my plants not look radioactive in Physically Based Rendering?

You resurrected an 11 year old thread  haha
looks like you made them emissive in the material, might want to use the adjust material tool to check. are these image based plants or 3d plants? I would suggest using 3d plants instead as trhe rendering engine may have a tough time trying to properly light image based plants in a night shot with no ambient light

46 minutes ago, Michael_Gia said:

 

Have you tested PBR capabilities on both machines?

 

That would be the only benchmark I would be interested in.

 

That is how fast can each machine perform 100 samples of the same PBR view?

not going to compare to DLSS, but the speed IN PLAN is SOOOOO much faster. 

52 minutes ago, Smn842 said:

Using X16 and X17 which proves the point.

Thanks for the correction, I find the ULA confusing

2 hours ago, CA_Russell said:

Rene, he made a video of it.

I've been so bothered by these macs smoking my machine, thinking about buying a new PCI5 NVMe to try and catch up. The read/writes and single thread speed is nuts. 

You’re using what I’d call a stack. If you want to avoid interfering with core system hotkeys across apps, you have to respect the base layer:

Ctrl + C → Copy
Ctrl + V → Paste
Ctrl + X → Cut
Ctrl + Z → Undo
Ctrl + Y → Redo (sometimes Ctrl+Shift+Z)
Ctrl + A → Select All
Ctrl + S → Save
Ctrl + P → Print
Ctrl + F → Find
Ctrl + H → Find & Replace
Ctrl + N → New
Ctrl + O → Open
Ctrl + W → Close tab/window
Ctrl + Q → Quit (more cross-platform than Windows)
…there are more

Because of that, the “stack” for something like A is already occupied. If you’re trying to build logical, like-for-like functions that are easy to remember, A isn’t a clean starting point.

That leaves you with safer first keys like:
E, G, J, K, L, R, U, and numbers

From there, you can build out a full stack of combos. Just keep in mind… it’s been a while since I tested everything, and some keys like Ctrl+3 may still conflict depending on the app.

Shift can also get messy. In some contexts it already modifies behavior… like Shift+1 or other number keys… so it’s not always reliable as a clean layer.

And I’d stay away from Alt entirely. It has a tendency to interfere with system-level behavior and menus, which can break consistency fast.
 

• G,A G,B G,C G,D G,E G,F G,G G,H G,I G,J G,K G,L G,M G,N G,O G,P G,Q G,R G,S G,T G,U G,V G,W G,X G,Y G,Z G,0 G,1 G,2 G,3 G,4 G,5 G,6 G,7 G,8 G,9
  K,A K,B K,C K,D K,E K,F K,G K,H K,I K,J K,K K,L K,M K,N K,O K,P K,Q K,R K,S K,T K,U K,V K,W K,X K,Y K,Z K,0 K,1 K,2 K,3 K,4 K,5 K,6 K,7 K,8 K,9
  L,A L,B L,C L,D L,E L,F L,G L,H L,I L,J L,K L,L L,M L,N L,O L,P L,Q L,R L,S L,T L,U L,V L,W L,X L,Y L,Z L,0 L,1 L,2 L,3 L,4 L,5 L,6 L,7 L,8 L,9
  M,A M,B M,C M,D M,E M,F M,G M,H M,I M,J M,K M,L M,M M,N M,O M,P M,Q M,R M,S M,T M,U M,V M,W M,X M,Y M,Z M,0 M,1 M,2 M,3 M,4 M,5 M,6 M,7 M,8 M,9
  R,A R,B R,C R,D R,E R,F R,G R,H R,I R,J R,K R,L R,M R,N R,O R,P R,Q R,R R,S R,T R,U R,V R,W R,X R,Y R,Z R,0 R,1 R,2 R,3 R,4 R,5 R,6 R,7 R,8 R,9
  U,A U,B U,C U,D U,E U,F U,G U,H U,I U,J U,K U,L U,M U,N U,O U,P U,Q U,R U,S U,T U,U U,V U,W U,X U,Y U,Z U,0 U,1 U,2 U,3 U,4 U,5 U,6 U,7 U,8 U,9
  
  0,A 0,B 0,C 0,D 0,E 0,F 0,G 0,H 0,I 0,J 0,K 0,L 0,M 0,N 0,O 0,P 0,Q 0,R 0,S 0,T 0,U 0,V 0,W 0,X 0,Y 0,Z 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9
  1,A 1,B 1,C 1,D 1,E 1,F 1,G 1,H 1,I 1,J 1,K 1,L 1,M 1,N 1,O 1,P 1,Q 1,R 1,S 1,T 1,U 1,V 1,W 1,X 1,Y 1,Z 1,0 1,1 1,2 1,3 1,4 1,5 1,6 1,7 1,8 1,9
  2,A 2,B 2,C 2,D 2,E 2,F 2,G 2,H 2,I 2,J 2,K 2,L 2,M 2,N 2,O 2,P 2,Q 2,R 2,S 2,T 2,U 2,V 2,W 2,X 2,Y 2,Z 2,0 2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 2,5 2,6 2,7 2,8 2,9
  3,A 3,B 3,C 3,D 3,E 3,F 3,G 3,H 3,I 3,J 3,K 3,L 3,M 3,N 3,O 3,P 3,Q 3,R 3,S 3,T 3,U 3,V 3,W 3,X 3,Y 3,Z 3,0 3,1 3,2 3,3 3,4 3,5 3,6 3,7 3,8 3,9
  4,A 4,B 4,C 4,D 4,E 4,F 4,G 4,H 4,I 4,J 4,K 4,L 4,M 4,N 4,O 4,P 4,Q 4,R 4,S 4,T 4,U 4,V 4,W 4,X 4,Y 4,Z 4,0 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 4,6 4,7 4,8 4,9
  5,A 5,B 5,C 5,D 5,E 5,F 5,G 5,H 5,I 5,J 5,K 5,L 5,M 5,N 5,O 5,P 5,Q 5,R 5,S 5,T 5,U 5,V 5,W 5,X 5,Y 5,Z 5,0 5,1 5,2 5,3 5,4 5,5 5,6 5,7 5,8 5,9
  6,A 6,B 6,C 6,D 6,E 6,F 6,G 6,H 6,I 6,J 6,K 6,L 6,M 6,N 6,O 6,P 6,Q 6,R 6,S 6,T 6,U 6,V 6,W 6,X 6,Y 6,Z 6,0 6,1 6,2 6,3 6,4 6,5 6,6 6,7 6,8 6,9
  7,A 7,B 7,C 7,D 7,E 7,F 7,G 7,H 7,I 7,J 7,K 7,L 7,M 7,N 7,O 7,P 7,Q 7,R 7,S 7,T 7,U 7,V 7,W 7,X 7,Y 7,Z 7,0 7,1 7,2 7,3 7,4 7,5 7,6 7,7 7,8 7,9
  8,A 8,B 8,C 8,D 8,E 8,F 8,G 8,H 8,I 8,J 8,K 8,L 8,M 8,N 8,O 8,P 8,Q 8,R 8,S 8,T 8,U 8,V 8,W 8,X 8,Y 8,Z 8,0 8,1 8,2 8,3 8,4 8,5 8,6 8,7 8,8 8,9
  9,A 9,B 9,C 9,D 9,E 9,F 9,G 9,H 9,I 9,J 9,K 9,L 9,M 9,N 9,O 9,P 9,Q 9,R 9,S 9,T 9,U 9,V 9,W 9,X 9,Y 9,Z 9,0 9,1 9,2 9,3 9,4 9,5 9,6 9,7 9,8 9,9

  
  this is my G604 mapping
  

  My SpaceMouse mapping is out of date…

  I’ll still use core functions in a stack when they feel like the same operation. For example…
  X = delete
  Ctrl+X = cut (system)
  Shift+X = make wall invisible
  Ctrl+Shift+X = delete layout page

  I try to reserve Ctrl+Shift for layout-related actions, so if I ever have to jump back to the keyboard, there’s at least some logic I can remember.

  The actual letters don’t mean much to me. With a radial menu you’ve got 4 commands per slice, 8 slices, across multiple keys… it’s more about access than memorization. The mouse is kind of the exception to all the rules… it just needs my most-used functions, nothing fancy.

  I’ve got Home and End mapped to the mouse wheel, which makes numeric input really fast. For example… I’ll drag, hit Enter (same behavior as Tab), then hit Home and type something like +24" to offset on the fly.

On 7/25/2025 at 3:19 AM, Smn842 said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I cannot reduce the months back as I use it when the need arises and its at least 6 months a year (can be more).  As I am not an architect my use isn't short term projects.  I've got perceptual X16 and X17 licenses there's no need to keep paying any more for legacy SSA with more potential increases, or pay for rental to get newer releases. 

 

I will keep using X16 as I won't get bug fixes for X17 and my SSA ends soon, plus I can use it in a locked down VM on one of my Proxmox/XCP-ng home servers for as long as I need if OS compatibility issues ever become a problem (already tested and works fine).

The last available perpetual license is X15, you won't have access to X16 and X17