glennw

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.

Yes, that's not an angled wall - it's a roof.

Don't forget that you can select a new wall type from Wall Default, the Library, or a toolbar icon, etc, and then just draw over an existing wall to replace it with the new wall type.

Yes, can be done. The trick is to select the wall near the bottom so that you can see the middle edit handle on the bottom of the wall. You can then break and shape the wall from the bottom - I am pretty sure that you can't do this by breaking the top of the wall...but, maybe...... It is then a bit tricky to get the corner to show up without any through wall lines. This wall is a single layered wall. You will see any wall layers on the end of the wall triangle if you use a multi-layered wall - so that may need a cover plate of some sort. But basically, you can break a wall to that shape.

Michael, My statement about the OP being incorrect related to this statement, which is generally incorrect, which I went on to qualify

I think you have it wrong. Newer versions will read older versions (within limits - you would need to confirm how far back X10 will read). Off the top of my head, I think X10 can read back to V9 - as long as they are .plan files and not .pl files. Older versions will not read newer versions.

Thanks Michael, Where else would it be! Not sure if does anything to help in this case. Setting it to 1" (the minimum) may help. Note that if it is set to zero, there is no back clipping - so you probably don't want that.

It may not be relevant. I have been racking my brain and looking at defaults, but wasn't there a setting that specifically related to the framing back clipping?

Do you mean the icon next to the cursor? It is indicating that Angle Snaps is toggled off. Toggle Angle Snaps on. Or...toggle off Behaviour Indicators (not really recommended). Or, are you talking about the grid over the hole window? Default Settings...Plan...Snap Grid and/or Reference Grid.

Do you think that posting the plan may help?

Isn't that what the viewer does?

Why not?