glennw

Michael, Why doesn't it work for the third row down - seems to work OK here. I don't understand why you are saying it doesn't work for the beams - they are in Drawing Group 19 and thus draw under the joists and under the labels - once again, looks OK here.

Jared, I am not sure if I am missing something as my solution sounds too simple. Select the joists and use the View Draw Order Edit Tools and then Send Backward option twice. You want them to end up on the 18 Drawing Group - that is the back of drawing group 18.. This changes the Drawing Order within the Drawing Group and places the joists under the labels and also under the posts - I am assuming that is what you want. Have a play with the Send Backward and Bring Forwards buttons to dynamically see the results in the floor plan. Or...select the joist and use the Select Drawing Group option by changing the Drawing Group to 18 and then use the Send Backward option...same result as the other way.

Johnny, What would a column tool do?

You have a Roof Gable Line drawn around part of the Living Room and Kitchen. I have drawn as red in the attached pic. This is preventing the auto roof generator from building a roof over those rooms. Delete the Roof Gable Line (on the Roofs, Gable Line layer) and the roof will auto rebuild over that area. You most likely drew that gable line manually at some stage.

Defaults...CAD...General Cad...Options...Show Arc Centers and Ends. Or the toolbar button of the same name.

Here is the final one with the sound corrected.

Scott, Try this with the original wall. In a 3D view, click on the block wall and notice how it's boundary hilites. Drag the top of the block wall down to reveal the siding wall. You can't actually select the top part of the wall - all you get is the junction between the top and siding/block walls. Very strange indeed. It's like you have 3 wall definitions in that pony wall. Are you using the next beta version?

Here is another go of the text numbering video. The sound is still wonky. Help please Chopsaw!

Michael, Zooming in and out doesn't change anything.

From my simple tests it appears that Edit Rich Text In Place results in WYSIWYG. I tested using both mono-spaced and a proportional fonts in the same text box.

I am assuming that the wall definition is correct and that you just want to move the walls and not redraw the whole plan. Alt+Q (General Wall Defaults). Change Resize About to Inner Surface. Now when you select a wall the inner surface will be the grip point enabling you to drag the wall over and snap it to your red line. It may help if you toggle off grid snaps.

Johnny, I use Chief Blueprint and don't seem to have a problem. How do I know if I am using a mono-spaced font or not? Can you post an example of how it gets screwed up?

Doesn't Edit Rich Text In Place get close to this?

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.