glennw

Go to Default Settings...Floors and Rooms...Current Floor... change the ceiling height to what you want - this changes the default. Because the plan was already drawn using the default, all the rooms should change by adopting the new default.. There should be no need to open each room dbx.

Bonus Catalogs...Image CAD Blocks...Vehicles

Using the dome symbol from the library and stretching the height. Or this is a circular terrain

That looks like it may be a wall definition problem - post the plan to get the answer. There is usually no need to hide/delete any line - but can be done easily in layout.

Is this the sort of "bent beam" you are talking about - a portal frame?

Here is the video. I ran out of time with the 5 minute limit, but you can get the jist of it. I forgot to mention that you can obviously only get the U shaped framing in a Frame Through wall. https://www.screencast.com/t/B5IaHCRA7Kv

Lew, The first one has nothing to do with calculating lengths of timber pieces. It has to do with optimising the options for extracting various profiles (width and depth) from a stock piece of timber of a given width and depth (in cross section) - length doesn't come into it. This is something I wouldn't expect a program like Chief to do - although it may be a feature that some users could use if they were milling their own timber.

Mike, With the correct settings in the SMR dbx, Chief will produce a Buy List that consolidates several smaller lengths into longer lengths that you have specified. It is a matter of checking Consolidate Unhandled Boards and then setting the correct sizes and/or Priority in the SMR dbx. This is a very basic example: Lets just look at the studs - I have just used inches to keep it simple. The Cut List reports the individual stud pieces as 2"x4" - 104 5/8" x 36 pieces = 3766.5". The Buy List consolidates the pieces into fixed lengths - in this case it is 2 studs per 220" length x 18 lengths = 3960". (I set the 220" lengths in the SMR dbx) The Buy List gives a larger total because there is wastage of 10" after the 2 stud lengths are cut from the 220" long board. I would think that if there were any 2"x4" short lengths (10" or shorter) in the framing, Chief would cut them out of the 220" long piece.

Michael, Yes, I basically agree with what you are saying. But... I believe this is incorrect though. PS - I could be misinterpreting what you are saying here - if so, ignore. I think the U shaped studs occur when a wall perpendicular to the "through wall" sit over a stud in the "through wall" - even if it is under the stud spacing. The "frame through" setting - either horizontal or vertical effects which walls get the U shaped stud arrangement. It is only the "frame through" walls that can have the U shaped stud arrangement. This can either be set in the wall framing defaults or on a wall by wall and wall end basis. (see below). I think this only happens for 1 of 2 reasons: 1. When the "frame through" wall is sitting directly over where a stud in the perpendicular wall would be - happens sometimes. or, more likely when 2. the Through Wall at Start or Through Wall at End have been used on an individual wall by wall and wall end basis. This setting in individual walls will override the default setting in the Framing Defaults. Obviously reversing the wall direction will influence the framing if either of the above settings are used. By using some or all of these settings, you should be able to control the arrangement of studs in any corner. Make sure auto wall framing is on before trying any of this. If I could get Jing working, I would do a video.

Not a bug, but a feature! Try Default Settings...Framing Defaults...Wall...Miter Ends of Angled Walls...Horizontal Frame Through. Uncheck Horizontal Frame Through.

Lew, I am not 100% sure exactly what those programs do. I don't really want to get into them. Just from that one page, the fist one looks like it works in cross section which, I believe, no one would expect Chief to do that. The second one looks like it might do what Chiefs Buy List does. “The Cutting Stock problem requires that we find the best (cheapest) way to cut one-dimensional stock pieces (pipe, dimensional lumber, wire, rolls of paper or other sheet material to be slit, etc.) in such a way that a given number of pieces of specified lengths or widths are created.” Have a look at Buy List below:

You can use the Material List column in the Layer Display Options dbx. If you want some walls included, but not others, place them on different layers and use the "Mat" column to include or exclude them from the material list. This allows you to create a Layer Set to use with a Material List which only includes the objects you want. Chief does do Cut Lists. In the Structural Reporting Defaults dbx, you can choose between Linear Length, Cut List, Buy List and Mixed Reporting. Once you generate a material list, there is a drop down box that allows you to make the same changes. If you only want 12' and 16' lengths, you need to set those in the SR defaults dbx by creating a Buy List. When you generate a ML, Chief will use your Buy List to calculate the number of lengths to buy - it will use the actual cut lengths and work out how they get cut from the Buy List lengths. Setting a wall to bearing will not generate framing - you need to use a framing material to get any framing.

By default, Chief uses the same fill pattern that you used in the plan and uses it for the material. You will see "(loaded from plan)" in the Define Material dbx..Pattern...Custom Pattern Options...File:

Scott, Is this just a cad detail that you need a fill pattern for. Or do you need a material with a fill pattern and a texture? Here is a fill pattern only for a cad detail. Not perfect, but close. Let me know if you need the material definition with fill pattern and texture. If you do need the material with that fill pattern, you can apply the fill pattern to the object in plan (or elevation - depending where it was drawn) and then when you apply a material, it will take it's fill pattern (for a vector view) from the fill pattern you applied in the plan view.

Bruce, I am curious as to why you would want to print the extension line numbers?

I am not 100% clear on what you want, but try a single hung window and change the Bottom Component size.

Alan, Because you have made the sash size zero on the 2 windows that aren't showing glass. Without a sash, you don't get glass.

They should be in Chief Architect Bonus Catalogs...Materials High-Resolution Grass

I was just playing around with this and it seems like it is possible to do it all with Wall Niches. You can stack a WN on another WN. They curve to follow the wall. So...you can use a WN for the main panelling. Slope the top and bottom using the Shape panel so that it follows the stairs. Apply casing as required. Create another WN, size and shape, add casing, etc., to represent the panels. Overlay this WN on the larger one. I would do a vid, but I am having trouble with Jing. Here is a very quick example:

Mick, You are correct. In your example above, the stairs are contained in a room. Try breaking the room definition formed by the large room and see what happens to the winders

You need a bit more than just walls. The walls need to form a room.

It is because they are pony walls and set to display the upper wall. Why have you made them pony walls with the same wall top and bottom? If you display the "Lower Wall In Plan", the problem goes away. Or, better still, get rid of the pony wall. You might also be interested in the "Hide Openings In No-Displayed Parts Of Walls" setting - although I don't think you need to worry about it in this case - just a heads up. You also have some of them defined as Foundation walls which should not be necessary. It also looks like you have painted the wall with the shingle material at some stage which will probably only complicate things more. Probably better to set that back to the default material for the wall (Cream Siding). Once you have got rid of the pony wall, the wall will probably turn to shingles. Open the wall dbx, go to the Material panel, select Exterior Wall Surface, Select Material. Make sure you are in Library Materials. Down the bottom, under the icons, is a check box to Use Default Material. Check this box and the wall material will revert back to the Cream Siding. You can also do the same thing in Plan Materials by selecting Use Default at the top of the drop down list of materials.

Maybe if you invested as much time and effort in reading the manual and composing your first post as you put into your last post, there may have been a different result.

Yes, I do.

Johnny, I am not sure that Roof Cuts Wall at Bottom is the best solution in this case - it just seemed to make things worse for me. The reason that there are 2 walls is that the subject wall is being cut in two by the invisible wall running perpendicular to it - an auto generated attic wall, I think.. This is easily fixed by breaking the invisible wall where the 2 walls cross and then dragging the gable wall over itself to redraw it. The gable wall should now be a single wall breaking the invisible wall and you should be able to easily reshape the gable wall bottom. Leave the auto attic wall as invisible with auto attic walls toggled on if you want to - the attic wall won't rebuild as long as the invisible attic wall is there. It also looks like you need some extra ceiling planes in the porch to finish it off properly - have a look up from inside the porch.