glennw

Roof battens would more often than not follow the gutter around a roof.
I used the gutter molding polyline as a starting point to generate roof battens.

I won't detail all the little things like using layer sets and changing layers that you need to do during this exercise.
Use whatever technique you need to get the job done.

First of, make a molding profile that you want to use for your batten at the correct angle to match the roof pitch.
Draw a sectional diagram of the roof and get the horizontal spacing you need for your battens (no up the rafter, but horizontal)

Unlock the Roofs, Gutters layer and turn on it's display
Select the roof gutter polyline
Copy in place
Convert to a standard polyline and then convert back to a molding polyline (you need to break it's gutter association)
Or, you could just draw your own molding polyline from scratch
Change the molding profile to your custom batten profile you created earlier on
Maybe give then a distinctive color
They should end up on the Moldings layer
Select the molding polyline
Click the Multiple Copy tool off the Edit toolbar
Select the Multiple Copy Interval tool and enter the horizontal distance you worked out above
Drag the molding polyline up the roof slope - it will concentrically copy
Don't worry too much if they overlap with the higher roof planes - you can clean this up later
Draw a cross section and make sure it picks up the moldings in elevation (not just section) - they will probably be just above the floor
Turn off bumping and pushing
Select the outside batten and then Shift select it again (otherwise you won't be able to move it)
Drag it up and sit it on the roof framing (the up and down arrow keys may help)
Continue dragging all the battens up and sit them on the roof framing

An alternative is to use the Height value in the dbx, if you work out the heights

To tidy up around the ridges and where there are excess battens above roofs because of differing roof heights, select the molding polylines and use

the No Molding on Selected Edge option (in conjunction with the break tool)

There are also other options like multi copying the molding polyline a set vertical distance and then using Concentric edit mode to drag the polylines into the roof frame - but I think this is a bit harder to be accurate.

That does it.
A fair bit of work to get roofing battens - but if it's roofing battens you want......

Glen

from your picture it looks like the purlins are not rotated to the roof pitch, if they are that is perfect. I would love to know how it is done.

Graeme,

Yes, they are rotated to match the roof pitch and sit flat on the roof framing.

I will post the procedure here and d dot can do a vid if he wants to.

It is a bit convoluted and only worth it if you really want he battens.

But it is probably still the easiest way, especially if you want them mitred at the hips.

Gene,

The gutters are a molding polyline on the Roofs, Gutters layer.

This is usually a locked layer, so you will need to unlock it.

But the easiest way is to uncheck Gutter under Supply on the Options panel of the roof's dbx.

Hey Glenn, just do a vid.

OK d dot, maybe I have put it off too long - how do I do a vid and post it.

No, wait, I really don't want to start doing vids.

How about I explain it to you and you do the vid.

After all, you have way too much time on your hands.

Is this the sort of thing you are after?

I just spent a long time explaining how I did it.

The post was auto saving, but I lost everything when I went to More Reply Options to attach a pic.

Anyway...here is the pic and if anyone wants an explanation, I will type it again.

Bryce,

We have that ability at the moment.

You do not break the roof plane though.
The gutters are a molding polyline on the Roof, Gutters layer which is locked by default.
Select that layer and unlock it.
You can now select the gutter polyline, break it and check No Molding on Selected Edge.

Some form of contour lines on the 3D model have been requested previously. 

It is possible do the cardboard model look.

Do a search in the old forum, I remember describing the method there.

Or the third way.

Layer Display Options dbx...Rooms, Interior Area layer.

I think that deleting all the layout boxes should do the trick.

I have previously complained about the door jambs being just a rectangle - next to useless in my opinion.

99% of the door jambs we use in Oz would be rebated or double rebated.

The only time when we would use a non-rebated jamb would be for a sliding pocket or face sliding door.

 

When I place a multi door unit ( a mulled unit) in an ICF wall, Chief makes the mullions between each unit full depth and they look terrible in camera views.

 

DoorFullDepthMullions.JPG

 

Curt,

Those mullions can be controlled by Mullion Depth setting on the Options panel of the dbx. 

Larry,

You will still need a wall at the top of the stairs to define the landing room.

Easiest way is this:

First, uncheck Automatic Rail Openings for the stair and delete the door opening from the wall at the top of the stairs..

Select the horizontal railing wall  (the one with the door in it) and use the Reverse Layers tool on the Edit toolbar - I should have suggested this as the first solution.

This will fix up the post problems.

Select the wall at the top of the stairs and make it invisible.

Plan attached..   

Joe,

Default Settings...Material Region.

They tend to not snap to wall edges, but I can't remember how they behaved in the beta.

Looks like a good time to try the new Edit Wall Layer Intersections tool. 

That's also why I told you how to do it with an alternate wall definition using invisible wall layers.

Really easy and flexible that way - just change the wall definitions as needed - takes 2 seconds.

Larry,

The extra posts are being generated by the wall at the top of the stairs.

You have a wall there with a full width door opening.

The post closest to the door is being generated by the wall at the top of the stairs and I think this is also forcing the extra post in the corner.

Try deleting the door opening in the wall at the top of the stairs and make it an invisible wall instead - that should work.

Don't Select Next Tab and Select Previous Tab work exactly the same as the window commands - they even have the same shortcuts. 

They are just called tabs instead of windows.

 

 

Based on the responses here, I have a bad feeling that you all are used to this :-(.

Steve,

I think that you have made the wrong assumption.

I have older hardware and I don't experience what you do and I believe that most users don't experience your slowness.

If everything was gummy, the UI hung all the time and the mouse disappears, I think that most users would be howling to get things fixed.

The only slowness I see is when editing a roof in 3D and I believe that this is being fixed.

There are reasons why you are experiencing the slowness - I don't know what they are.

It will probably take a bit of farting around to find out what the problem is.

It could be something as simple as a corrupt or complicated symbol.

It could be your hardware.....

Post the plan or send it to me and I will have a play.

Or, send the plan to support and see if they can find anything.

Vinnie,

You will have difficulty following the instructions in the document that George posted.

There have been changes to the program since than, especially in regard to the Layer Display Options dbx. 

There are no longer separate columns for display of 2D and 3D.

Alan,

Is this what you are after?

I was able to achieve this by manipulating the join between the pony walls.

In a 3D view, select the lower foundation wall. 

Place break points at the top of the wall at either side of the bay.

Pull that section of wall down to the bottom of the bay.

The bay walls fix themselves.

Mark,

That doesn't help when you want to show a 3D view with some walls displaying the framing layer only and some walls displaying all their wall layers, including the linings.

A further refinement on the method I outlined is to create 2 wall types for the garage.

One type using the Insulation Air Gap material for the linings and one normal wall type.

You can then just swap the wall types around as needed for the different views.

Create 2 wall types - one for the garage and one for the house - no need for a framing layer in the house walls.

Change the wall layers (all layers except the framing layer) of the garage wall type to the material Insulation Air Gap. 

It will look normal in plan view.

In a 3D view you will only see the framing layer for the garage walls.

It is then easy to restore the garage wall layers back to normal when you want a complete view.

For a ray trace:

Firstly make sure your Sun is pointing in the correct direction and at the correct altitude.

For your Sunlight, make sure it is On and Casts Shadows.

Post a plan.

I just had to enter my new product key - no downloading.

The old product key was for the beta 3 version.

Early versions of Chief had different file extensions for each floor. ie, each floor had it's own plan file (eg, planname.pl1, Planname.pl2, etc).

Layout files had a .la_ extension.

My memory is being stretched, but I think that the .pb_ extension was a plan backup file.

I am pretty sure you can still open the .pl1 files in X6 - but not the other .pl_ plans. 

I know for sure that Chief 10 can open .pl1 files as I still have that version loaded and working.

If you can't open the files in X6, you can send them to me and I will open them in V10 and migrate them to X6.