Michael_Gia

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Everything posted by Michael_Gia

  1. - Export as either 3DS or DAE (Collada). - Import into TM - Make changes to model in Chief and export as 3DS or DAE. - Open TM and re-import. Or if you download the latest 2023 version there’s an option to update the model. Even easier. This might sound long and arduous but it’s not. I would say that this workflow is so efficient that it renders the need for a datalink between Chief and TM, moot. If you watch how datalink works with Archicad and Revit for TM you’ll see it’s virtually the same procedure but disguised with fancy buttons.
  2. Here's a plan (dropbox link) with a golf cart and 2 dudes so you can swap out the characters. Golf cart is from Chief and the dudes from 3D Warehouse. https://www.dropbox.com/s/fetw05i62vbal9g/Golf Cart for 2.plan?dl=0 Or the Collada file. Golf cart for 2.dae
  3. Look into Panorama Sets in Twinmotion instead. Only because if you ever make changes to your model you only need to re-import your model and all your panorama images will still be there. No need to create any new images. Then you just re-export your panorama set to the cloud and your client can use the same link to see the updated walk through. Plus there are many more options available in the walk through than Kuula. Your client can walk around, change time of day etc… and it’s free.
  4. I think TwinMotion is still free. Thanks for the upvote. I’ll take the karma, whenever I can, lol. I only use TM for exteriors, myself. No difference from Chief for interiors, really. Cheers!
  5. Solver’s video on number formatting. “it’s like ordering a hamburger”… lol
  6. One might be standard render view and the other vector render view, with the pattern at a 90° angle from the texture in the define material dbx.
  7. In Chief, this is the equivalent to dividing by 0 on a calculator. I think the first image gets you almost there, so you just have to manually draw in your porch roof.
  8. From René Rabbit’s site here’s a nifty solution to that… https://www.rabbittdesign.net/s/Rabs-Room-Label-Sphere.calibz
  9. Just as an alternative approach to what everyone is saying here… The way I do these is the same approach as how one would do a flat roof with a parapet wall. (If you’re familiar with that workflow). if not, here it is: -Use concrete walls to create your porch and set the rough height of the room to be the finished floor height of your porch. (Example around 10”) -If you’re poring a 5-1/2” slab in the field, then set the floor finish at 5-1/2” concrete and the floor structure to be 4-1/2” air space. (10” - 5-1/2” = 4-1/2”) -Now your floor slab is flush with the top of your 10” walls and there won’t be any z-fighting. -Add a moulding to create the overhang. -Add your columns and roof. This might sound convoluted but it’s very controllable and it does reflect how these things are actually built. Your carpenter will create a form for the floor and a little section of wall to pour your porch and connect down to the foundation walls.
  10. You might try playing around with small sections of room dividers to get the desired look.
  11. Agreed. I think the new grass region tool is the star of X-15 along with the extend terrain feature. By the way, you should check out Chief Expert's brick library…. https://www.chiefexpertsacademy.com/brick-library-for-chief-architect
  12. Holy cow, these plans are a work of art! Chief sample plans are always well done but I think these win 1st prize.
  13. I don’t think Chief’s walkthough and in general video tools are where they should be yet compared to its other capabilities. Not to mention, the still inadequate 3D Viewer. If your goal is to share videos and models with clients your best option right now is Twinmotion. It’s free and much faster than Chief for video walk throughs, even if you include the time it takes to export your model to Twinmotion.
  14. Menu -> Edit -> Edit Area learn this command. A lot of times we come from other software and miss a certain tool or workflow and we spend too much time trying to make the current software behave like the other. Often it’s just a matter of getting used to a different workflow with the tolls we have at our disposal. It’s not better or worse, just different.
  15. Yes, you can export with DAE and it’s even quicker than 3DS and can even handle bigger models than 3DS, but you won’t be able to control an individual object like a gutter with DAE.
  16. There’s 3D lettering in a bonus catalogue. Slap those on a p-solid.
  17. This touches on a general program wide problem with Chief. Opening a dbx takes a while, I’m assuming, because there is so many parameters and tabs in a dbx, so I can’t fault the lag on the software for that. However, if Chief had a “status bar” in the toolbar for any object that is selected, and this status bar had just a few parameters, like length, width, height, height off floor and object type, then these main parameters could be changed on the fly without having to open a heavily loaded dbx. It’s not a revolutionary idea.
  18. Maybe when you are completing the room, it’s taking on prior floor elevations, from the previous plan that the current one is based on? Ghost in the machine type of scenario. Which is why Chief recommends using a template, especially when upgrading to a new version. I’m just speculating, of course.
  19. No snark intended. I’m sure my tone probably gave off that impression based on your reaction but that wasn’t my intention. Just my inability to text without sounding snarky, I guess. However, you didn’t answer my question. Do you know what I’m taking about as far as “actual view”? If you do then how is this achieved with print preview in Chief? I don’t think it is but maybe I’m missing something?
  20. -> File -> Print -> Print Preview. This is print preview unless you know of another one. A magical print preview perhaps? This does nothing but show you your page at the zoom level you are at, which is an arbitrary zoom level. Have you ever used adobe acrobat or adobe illustrator or the like? If so, then you are aware of -> View, -> Actual Size. Or simply cntrl or cmd "0" to get the actual print size. This is what I'm talking about.
  21. You are wrong my good sir. Print preview simply shows you the sheet of paper, you will be printing on. It doesn’t zoom to the actual size nor is there any way to zoom to the exact real world size, except if you measure with a ruler against your monitor as you scroll to get somewhat close but not ever exactly to the actual paper size. For the “print preview” to be useful then it should have a view button with a 100% option, for example. Shouldn’t be difficult and it’s insane that we don’t have this.
  22. This is a long standing issue with Chief. First there should be a “view” button even in plan so that we can set our scale and see what our drawings look like at 100%. That is, what would the plan look like if printed? The “line weight” button is pretty useless as you don’t really know at what zoom level you need to scroll to with the middle mouse button to see the printed look of your line weights and character heights. I often use a ruler and measure the plan on my monitor using a known measurement in order to approximate real world view. That’s really sad. We should have a “scaled view” with a toggle to make text magnification bigger on screen for when we work in scales when, depending at what zoom level we’re at, the text will always be visible. The other modification I’d like to see is “printed size” per scale. Example, I should just specify, in the text dbx, that I want 1/4” or 3/32” or 1/8” high characters regardless of scale. The printed text should be independent of scale. Let the software do the conversion whether I print at 1/8 or 1/4 or 1/2 inch scale. In the meantime you have to do the math and be aware of which scale you will ultimately be printing in, in order to adjust your formula. So a 1/8” high printed text needs to be set to “8” character height in order to print at 1/8” and 4” if printing at 1/4”, I think? I often get it wrong even though the arithmetic is elementary. Which is why the software should be doing the math. Cue, the downvote brigade militia of Chiefers who mostly disagree with me on this even though every other software of this type uses this alternative system for text height and zoom magnification. It’s so basic and it baffles me how this software was designed this way from the beginning and has gone unnoticed and almost never discussed.
  23. I’ve had this in X14 and just assumed it was a Mac issue. I usually just hit “zoom extent” and the camera readjusts to centre on the view. No big deal.