glennw

Perry, You may already be aware that you can get top of window by dragging an existing extension line or creating a new extension line. You can get Casing Top/Bottom, Rough Opening or Window Top/Bottom, even though they are not included in Available Marks. As you drag the extension grip up and down it locates one of the above and automatically displays the text and height of each different height. Seems like an oversight that are not included, but are available anyway.

If this is the style you want, they are door and draw fronts available in the core library.

Mick, I am not 100% sure what Scott wants, but it could be he wants the level 1 sub floor to read as a real world level (ie, above sea level), and then I think he wants any levels above that to relate to level 1 subfloor. I am not expecting that my guess above is what Scott wants though.

The trick you are missing is to double click on the centre grip of all the selected roof planes. This will open the correct dbx. If you double click anywhere else but the centre grip, the roof planes become unselected and you won't get a dbx. The other way which hasn't been mentioned is that when you have selected all your roof planes, click the Open Object button on the Edit toolbars (first button on the left).

When you set the Subfloor Height Above Terrain to 450m, are you sure you entered 450m and not 450mm? Check the Num Style again or make sure you enter the units, ie 450m or 450000mm.

Scott, If you go into Auto Storey Pole Dimension Defaults and change Elevation reference to 1st Floor Subfloor, doesn't that do what you want? That should place your Grade marker at any height you want, and then reference all the platforms to Chiefs level 1 zero height.

No trouble here with point to point and the tab key.

This one was done using the upper pitch setting - same as Eric. It also uses the new Dutch Gable Wall option. All auto built off the verandah railing walls.

Open the truss dbx and check Energy Heel.

Richard, I just selected the adjacent vertical wall to the right and moved it left or right with the arrow keys until the roof worked - with auto roof turned on obviously. Similar thing for the short horizontal wall. There is something really satisfying about seeing the roof change dynamically as you move the walls incrementally. Oh, by the way (in case you aren't aware - the arrow keys will move objects by the Snap Grid setting - even if Snap Grid is toggled off. Is there in fact a short horizontal wall there in the real house?

Richard, Probably too late, but I had already started having a look before Michael posted. I set the plan up so that Chief would do an auto roof. I had to add the short horizontal wall to get the roof to build like that. Once the roof is auto generated, the walls could be moved to follow what is actually built. Regarding the triangular roof section: You can see the angle of the Baseline (horizontal). The Baseline height is the same as the other roofs. Although Michael has already supplied the how to do it manually, this auto way may shed some light and i believe it would be a bit easier.

Scott, At about 56:40 you try to move a grade marker horizontally and add some text to the marker but you couldn't do it, so you added a standalone market and put some text at 45deg. No need to do that. If you select the extension line that is part of the marker - as opposed to the dimension line itself - you can slide the marker horizontally. When you select the extension line, you will see a grip just next to the marker. Or, if you select the dimension line, you can change to Edit Extensions on the Edit toolbar. Slide the grip horizontally. You can then open the Dimension Line Specification dbx, go to the Extensions/Markers panel and insert your desired text in the Elevation Marker Text box. At the end at about 1:13:30 you try and slide a marker horizontally as well and give up - use the same as above.

Do yourself a favour and get a program called Sqirlz. http://www.xiberpix.net/SqirlzReflect.html

Scott, This has to be closer to what you are looking for? Block retaining wall, rail on top, footing below, follows and adjusts to terrain changes. It is still a bit squirrelly around the edges, but I thing it is getting closer to what you want?

My best guess is that you have "Linear Length" set for the Structural Member Reporting. In your ML, there should be a drop down called Lumber Reporting Method Control. This is probably set to Linear Length, which will give the total for that object (say, fir plate, fir stud, etc). Change this to Cut List or Buy List and see what happens to the ML - these should now report as Size and a Count for each size. You can set the defaults in the Structural Member Reporting Defaults.

Part of the problem with discussing this topic is the terminology used. People use terms like grade level, sea level, terrain level, etc. It is hard to determine what they actually mean - there is no "sea level" in Chief. What is "terrain level" on a sloping site? Then there are the different ways you can set the heights in your building and nominate the terrain heights. So, you need to be very explicit when discussing this topic. Scott, Can you post a simple plan indicating how you have set up your floor and site levels. Are you using an actual Terrain Retaing Wall or are you using a normal wall with a Terrain Break? Give me a Skype call if you want to talk for a couple of minutes.

My advice is to use the real world heights as indicated on the survey ie, 447 meters, etc...- it is a real hassle to convert the height values to anything else - and there is no need to. You can then adjust the terrain height relative to the Chiefs zero floor level by using the Subfloor Height Above Terrain (in the Terrain Specification dbx). To make it a bit easier, when the Elevation Line Specification opens (after you convert them to Elevation Lines), click on Number Style and then under Number Style, select Meters. This will allow you to enter the Elevation Line heights as meters instead of millimeters. Don't forget to change it back to mm when you start working on the house.

Chopsaw, It's unfortunate that the Active Layer Display Options button is the same as the Display Options button.

Yes, but it looks like you did that in the plan view. Not good. If you do it in a plan view, it will change the plan Layer Set to the Camera View Set. That is not what you want. In plan view, you want the Default set. In the camera view, you want the Camera View Set. You need to do it in the camera view with the Camera View Set. This is really pretty basic stuff that you really need to get your head around. Let me know if you need some help.

You need to do that whilst in a 3D view

In the camera view, open Layer Display Options, select the BD_LOTS layer and click in the Dis[lay column.

Coralie, Two things are wrong. 1. You need to scale up the drawing x1000. Select everything (Edit Area All Floors), Transform/Replicate...Resize...1000. 2. In the camera view, turn on the BD_LOTS layer.

Scott, Yes, they are walls and your assumptions are correct.

I would let Chief build that roof automatically and save yourself some work.

I was having a bit of a play with these types of walls. You can come up with some interesting combinations.