EmmaCox

Thank you

We have two separate computers with two separate Chief Architect X3 Licenses in our office. We are looking to upgrade to X8, but now there is no option to go from X3 or prior, you can only upgrade from X4 being the lowest version.. So my question is since we would now have to buy a new X8 License would we have to buy 2 separate X8 Licenses or is there some kind of a deal now were you can buy one license and use it on two computers at the same time? Would it only come with one hardware lock?

Okay thanks for the feed back guys!! Appreciate it!

After reading a few forums I know there is a way to do the watermark text but most people are using Chief X8 which has different options than Chief X3 (which is what I am using). I want to be able to put a watermark onto a floor plan and some coloured renders that are all in the layout file on separate sheets. In the other forums an option was to put the text in very light grey onto page 0 and then print the pages in grey scale.. but I want to be able to see the colour. Even when I tried using grey scale and "print to PDF", the text showed up as black letters over the floorplan and not translucent letters. Another option was to put the text onto page 0 and then put it at the back of the group using "drawing order".. The only option on X3 is "Bring to Front of Group". Another option was to use Photoshop, but I want to keep the floor plan in Chief so that it is more clear when I "print to PDF". Lastly, there is an option to use Chief 3D text found in the library and then somehow flatten then text.. but for some reason none of the letters can be imported from the library onto my Chief. Can anyone help me out?!

Finally got it to work!! I tried it on my colleagues computer because he has a newer computer with Microsoft X10. So he had to set up the printer "Microsoft Print to PDF" and the transparent images worked!! Thank you so much for your help

I don't have the option "Microsoft print to PDF", I am going to try and download Adobe and see what happens, thanks!

Both of the images are PNG's and unfortunately I don't have the "Save as PDF" option. I think I would have to buy or have a trial of Adobe for that option to be in the printer settings, so for now I just have the free PDF Factory Program, but maybe that's the problem because for Chopsaw the transparent background worked fine..

I am trying to experiment and make a sheet layout on chief - on this sheet I have 2 images that have transparent backgrounds, a leaf and a wolf. Everything looks good until I try to print, or make a PDF of the sheet layout. When I try to do this, the 2 pictures show up with either black or white backgrounds where its suppose to be transparent. I have attached a screenshot of what the sheet layout looks like on chief which is what I want the layout to look like. I have also attached the PDF. Please let me know if anyone knows how to solve this problem. I may have to resort to using photoshop for this project but chief is way easier to use for numerous reasons and also due to the fact that I can just send the floor plans to the layout and it isn't blurry.

Not sure why there are random green lines with red text showing up near first floor walls and windows. The lines keep moving and showing different numbers. I have been covering them with white boxes for now. Has anyone had this problem before or know how to get rid of it?

Finally got the video to work, very helpful! Thanks everyone, really appreciated!

Yes, I am basically looking how to make an Irregular shaped view port, I don't want to break the plan up.

Thanks it works now!! I just figured because it showed up on the screen before printing it would have been something else.

For the past week or so every time I print a page layout, any number after 9, the second digit of the number won't print. For example page 10 will print as 1, or page 22 will print as 2... This is happening on two computers in the office so it's not just mine. Is anyone else having this problem or now how to resolve it?

I have a weird shaped floor plan that I'm trying to fit on two seperate pages. The problem I am having is that I can only do the layout view in a rectangle and I want to be able to break it and angle the layout so that I can't see some of the information. I have put white polyline solids to cover up most of it but it doesn't work in the title bar for some reason. I did some research and the "CAD Mask" seems to be the solution but when I tried to watch a video on it an error came up so I'm not sure how it works. Does anyone know how I can change the shape of the Layout View or how to use the CAD Mask?

Thank you so much!!

For some reason there are purple dashed lines showing up on all the exterior and interior doors on all the floor plans. I'm not sure how they showed up but I was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of it. I attached a picture of the plan view. Emma

Joe, thank you so much!!

Joe, How do I know what layer the callouts are on? There are no views open and it still won't let me delete the callout. The reason why I want to delete the callout is because for our preliminary stages we just quickly put the elevations on to the sheet layout that are linked back to the drawing file. After the preliminary stages the elevations need more detail so I draw them from scratch but now that I have deleted the elevations on the page layout, they still show the callouts on the floor plan. The photo shows the elevation callout/marker thing that I am trying to delete but when I click and press delete it stays there so my second option would be to turn off the layer but I don't know what layer it's on.

Sorry I'm new to this forum I didn't mean to post that I have a more detailed description using the same title for the forum. But I was looking into the settings of the callout label like you said, but couldn't find anything that would even change the layer that the cross section/elevation marker is on.

When I use the cross section/elevation button it opens the specific cross section/elevation which is fine. I then do the "send to layout" so that the elevation is linked from the drawing file to the page layout. The problems I am having is when I go to delete the cross section/elevation off of the page layout it still shows the marker (the green section arrow that has a "v" on it and says "cross section no." under it) on the floor plan in the drawing file. I tried clicking on the marker and deleting it but it won't, even when it's not linked to the page layout anymore. Does anyone know why the marker won't delete off of the floor plan?

When I put an elevation linked to the page layout

Thanks! The only issue i'm having is extending the footing past the foundation wall, the footing still comes up flush at the end of the wall.

How do you draw or break a strip footing and foundation wall? I made a simple foundation plan that was generated off of the exterior walls of the first floor plan. I then tried to break the footing dashed line to make a strip footing off of it but it won't let me select the dashed footing line for some reason. Is it because the footing is invisible or something?