glennw

Joe, If what you say is correct, then what do these Offset settings do?

Rob, Not quite correct. Assuming that you can find/create a suitable hatch pattern it is not too hard to locate/move the pattern in an elevation. Admittedly it is a little difficult to do it precisely - but you can get quite close - probably good enough for what you want. There is no point in using a hatched Polyline because you can't move the hatch pattern - it always relates to the origin. BUT, if you use a Wall Material Region and assign it a material with your hatch pattern, you can nominate the Horizontal and Vertical Offset for the hatch pattern. One problem though, this will change those offsets for that materials hatch pattern throughout the whole plan. So that if you use that material and it's hatch pattern in WMR one area, any changes to the hatch offsets will be reflected in other WMR using the same material. That's easy to overcome just by copying the material to a new name with different hatch offsets for each instance where you use it. Find or create the hatch pattern you need for the thin random tile pattern and the rest is easy. You should have no problems with sizing or offsetting using the standard brick pattern, stack pattern, etc. tiles. Don't forget that you can always change/add the hatch pattern for a material and then size and offset it as needed. You can easily add a hatch pattern to those materials that don't already have one. I am not sure if you need both the pattern and the texture to coincide, but it is possible to set this up.

I think you still have 2 floors there.

Alan, Wall definitions are stored in the plan. This includes the default template plan - which is really just another plan that loads on startup. Individual plan files can contain there own wall definitions including the ones that loaded with the plan and any that have been created or amended in the plan. You can also store wall definitions in the library that are then available in all plans once the library is open. You can amend wall definitions stored in the library as I indicated above. The beauty of storing wall definitions in the library is that if you add or amend wall definitions to the library, they are available to all plans which means you don't have to store them in your template plan. You can't store wall definitions in the Core Catalog. You need to store them in the User Catalog.

Check the Floor Structure for those rooms. You have 1/4" of Concrete over 4" of Fir Framing. That doesn't look correct to me. You still have a double slab in the garage.

Larry, That problem you demonstrate with the error message looks to be a completely different problem than the contours not updating without a 3D view open.

Alan, Probably yes. What do you mean by the main catalog? Wall definitions in the library can be edited by opening the library and right clicking on the wall definition. Select Open Object and then edit the wall definition.

Scott, No, I wouldn't agree. They are 2 separate entities. The callout is generated by the schedule. The label is generated by the object itself, in it's dbx. Whilst I am no programmer I bet that each one is generated from distinctly different code.

Email reply from Brian confirming the behaviour: I am looking forward to meeting all you guys when I come over in August/September.

Mike, I have said it before. A lot of the times I don't know the answer up front. But I have been using the program long enough to know how to and where to find the answer. And sometimes, surprise! surprise! the answer is in the manual!!!

Scott, I think you are only displaying a label - which contains the schedule number. I think Dermot meant that you can't display 2 separate items - a label AND a callout at the same time. Has to be one or the other.

Scott and Larry, Larry, they are not elevation data, they are auto generated contour lines and they should disappear when the elevation regions are deleted. I have been having a play and have discovered that if you only have a plan open, the contours will not update when the elevation data is changed. As soon as you have a 3D view opened (not necessarily displayed), the auto contour lines update as soon as the terrain elevation data is changed. Indeed, weird. I will send in a bug report. I believe that this could explain why some users are reporting that the terrain is not updating automatically when it should. I think the terrain is updating OK - it's just that the contours aren't updating without a 3D view being open..

Larry, I didn't get any sound on the 2 videos you posted.

Sott, Easy peasy. Uncheck "Flatten Pad". This setting is fighting with your Elevation Regions. If you want a flat area for the building to sit on - use an Elevation Region. edit: I just read the above post - posted at the same time. terrain memory - baloney!

Jon, You do know that you can save Auto Build Terrain to the default so that you should never need to Rebuild Terrain or close/open Chief to get the terrain to update?

Jon, Do you get the build terrain icon adjacent to the cursor? Or, why can't you use Build Terrain instead of save/close/open?

Are you really creating a Cad Block from a Polyline Solid -which I don't think can be done? You say you are doing the layout in cad which suggests that you are crating a cad block from cad objects. You can change the insertion point of a cad block by using Select Insertion Point (on the Edit toolbar). You can then snap to a reference point (temporary point or object) outside of the cad block which will give you your offset or spacing. Maybe post an example of the object and geometry for a better answer.

Larry, Are you saying that even though you have Auto Rebuild Terrain toggled on, the terrain is not auto updating? I have never seen this - but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen!

Can you post a plan that shows this. I am not getting this problem in metric. The JDL is reporting the joist size correctly.

I also can't see a problem with Room Divider walls. Room Divider walls will auto convert to a normal wall if there is a difference in the floor or ceiling levels. This is enable the correct wall to display at the change in level.

If you draw the "wall" with thinner walls all the way around, you will end up with a hollow "wall" which is really a room. Open the room dbx and specify no roof over the room and the auto roof builder will ignore it and not build a roof over it.

Joe, Your macro can't really be used in lieu of the Joist Direction Line. The Joist Direction Line can be used to specify and build the framing, whilst as good as your macro is, it can only be used to report the framing, it can't control the framing.

Yes Mick, Cut and paste from the ML where I used the Buy List to go to the nearest 2'.

Use 3D...3D View Defaults...Options...Lighting Options...Daytime Ambient to darken/lighten the standard view interior elevation.

No problems here. Post the plan! Mark's advice is good - and that's why I don't use elevation points. They are too hard to keep track of and difficult to use. An elevation line is the same as using a string of elevation points spaced at 2' 0" centres.