JNWArchitect

OK guys- This is really insignificant, but very frustrating! I was making a grid for a basketball betting pool using lines and a couple of shaded rectangles for the number area. All of this directly on a layout file that I would then print out Then I added a NCAA .png file for a logo in the corner plus the team names and the pool 'title' text. I needed to move the grid, but it now doesn't allow me to do anything with it (or the imported .png image) The text and other .png images I added get selected and can move, but the grid and the first .png image are locked in place. If I 'select-all' it doesn't "recognize" the grid or that first .png image. It is as if they are completely LOCKED into that position. I couldn't find anything in the help menu that says you can lock anything in place or how to 'unlock' it. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! NCAA_Pool1.layout

Thanks JKE I used AutoCAD to originally create the stamps, but now have gone to using Chief 100% of the time and have let my AutoCAD subscription lapse. Thanks you for the kind offer, but since I'm planning to retire soon I think I'll just keep using the .jpeg / .png for now. Not sure why Chief can't replicate that "Arc aligned" tool... Jon

Thanks Guys! I've been using it as a .png file so I guess I'll continue to do so. Have a fantastic 2024!

Is there any way to generate text along a curve? I'm trying to create a block of my architect's license stamps and they both have text that follows the circle of the stamp (see attached)

Thanks robdyck, That's kind of what I thought.

Is it possible to add a hatch to the door symbol? I am trying to show a walk-in refrigerator with an insulated door. I have 4" thick walls with an Hexagon hatch to show the insulated wall panels and I inserted a door symbol and thickened the door to 3-1/2", but I'd like the same hexagon hatch inside the door symbol to show that it is part of the mfg. provided system. (I did note to that effect in the object Information on the door itself for inclusion in the schedule) Not a big deal... just curious. Thanks all!

As the OP of the question, I appreciate all the input. Workload has kept me from getting back to this issue and I see I have some reading to do! :-) Love the Chief program AND the great support on this forum! Thanks guys!

Glenn- Thanks for the response! I tried that since I actually have interior walls between bays, but when I put the +2.25" step up on the floor level it kicked back to 0". (The wrench in that field has a red checkmark so maybe that is affecting it, so I tried to change the default but that didn't help either.) Still learning this great program after four-five years. It's pretty awesome!

Hey guys- I have a 350' long mini storage building where I need to keep the eave height the same but step the slab and foundation about 2.5" per step at 20' intervals. (i.e.: 1st bay FF=0", Next bay FF=+2.25". Next bay FF=+4.5" etc) Can't seem to figure it out. Any ideas?

That apparently does not work with doors. The jamb moves, but the doors stay on the same plane. I have an old building that has half-round transom windows over the tall narrow pair of doors that are recessed about 18" into the 24" thick wall. I can't get the mulled unit to show that much inset in the walls. Also the window has a decorative exterior casing while the door does not. When I mull the unit, it adds or removes the casing at both the window & door. If I don't mull the unit, I get a casing between the door head and window bottom that I don't want.

Hello- I am in need of assistance with creating a 'realistic' image of a custom home for marketing purposes. I thought I could provide the service to my client, but my video card does not support PBR. The files are attached. Please feel free to contact me to discuss. Looking for a proposal / bid to generate one or two views for their marketing of the home. The existing file is fairly basic and may need some additional work to maximize the effect. Thank you. Jon Westphal - Architect (916) 804-0183 jon@jnwarchitect.com Using X13 on a Dell XPS Desktop 1933_Base_062321.zip

Thanks again for all the great help in this forum! I had forgotten about the Edit all Floors option...

I received a 'preliminary' file from a client where they drew all of the buildings in a multi-building complex in one .plan file. I'd like to separate then into individual .plan files to create the construction documents sets. Which I plan to do using the 'save-as' command and deleting the buildings I don't need thus creating a separate .plan file for each building. The trouble is that I'd like them to all be aligned with the XY axis for each building. Some of the plans drawn are 15-30 degrees or some amount off of horizontal which makes dealing with them more difficult. Is there an easy way to rotate the plans to align with the XY axis? I'd hate to have to re-draw them all since they're fairly complete right now. Using X12 for now, but I just downloaded X13. Thanks

Couldn't find info in a search of this forum... Need to show horizontal railings at stairs - Project has six rails that follow the stair slope. Also, How do you add a library 'panel' to the stair dialog? (I was looking at cable railings from the on-line content, but not sure how to get it into the stair dialog.)

Thanks!

Hi guys (& gals) I have looked through the forums but cannot seem to find how to get casing on three sides of a window, but not the bottom. The windows sit on top of a brick wainscot w/ no trim on the exterior. Thanks in advance!

My windows taskbar will pop-up and cover my Chief bar when I get reminders in one of the programs that are listed in the windows taskbar. I usually can just delete / clear the reminder and the windows taskbar rehides itself

Alaskan_son- I just was simplifying my response as I didn’t have the file available and I had 22-25 layout sets in the drawings. You are probably correct with the plan archive file comment and I will look into it this week. It really looks to me like it wasn’t saved when or where I thought it was.

Just to update... The actual 'layout' file was not lost. It was most, but not all of the 'layout sets' that were sent to that layout that went 'missing'. (& still are) I had a site plan and several portions of that site plan at a different scale (layout sets 1,2 & 3) a main floor plan (layout set 4), a second floor plan (layout set 5) and some of the elevations (layout sets 6,7 & 8) that still show up correctly on my main LAYOUT sheet. Unfortunately, there were a lot more (~dozen) layout sets that no longer are linked between the .plan file and the .layout file. (Ceiling plan, roof plan,several interior elevations, electrical plan - 1st floor, electrical plan -2nd floor, etc.) Those were layout sets 9, 10, 11 and higher. These are still missing. I had printed the file to a PDF before they disappeared so I was able to use that to get the deadline met (kinda) However, once I receive plan check corrections, I'm sure I'll have to spend the time to 'regenerate' the missing layout sets. Still, I appreciate all of the kind words, help and encouragement from all of you! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!

Thanks Dermot for your response, but I have one folder for all of my project files. Within that folder they are separated by job number and within each of those i have a drawing folder (along with correspondence and images folders) This has been my standard operating procedure since i first started using CAD. (AutoCAD for twenty years prior) I have not changed folders or drives at all, recently or otherwise. The weird thing is that it seems like the plan file was not saved after the last session. But i save things religiously since I've had issues before by NOT saving a file. The fact that there isn't even a .bak file for the plan file in ANY folder (archives or otherwise) is also puzzling. I think it is the holiday grinch! No, seriously! Every single year around Christmas time my computer does something to cause me serious headache. One year the entire hard drive crashed and i had many projects that i had to re-do. (Now I back up regularly as well. - Come to think of it, I better check those archives...) Anyway, I appreciate all of your guy's help, but I think i'm just scr**wed again.

There is no "Archive" folder in my Chief Architect Premier (X11) folder... The Tools>Layout>Referenced plan Files didn't do anything. It is linked to the correct plan file, but for some reason that plan file is missing the data. I appreciate your help though... just looks like i get to spend more time (that I do not have) to re-do everything. :-( I was able to find the archive file in the OneDrive folder (which i never use), but there wasn't anything different in that file that would help.

Just spent most of last Saturday working on a set of custom home plans. Opened the Layout drawing today and got a notification that several (many) of the plan drawings sent to layout were missing. Had no option but to cancel out of each alert box and then found that many of the plan files sent to the Layout were no longer there! All of my reflected ceiling plans, electrical plans and 8 exterior elevations no longer were linked between .plan and .layout. AND the plan files don't even show the data! Fortunately, I made a PDF of the file before i closed it last weekend that I can use temporarily (you know... the year end code-change rush!) , but I'll now need to spend another bunch of hours recreating the drawings. (I attached the A5 & A6 sheets as they appeared last weekend, but now even the .plan files don't show this info.) Love the program, but this kind of s**t drives me nuts! 1933_Base.layout 1933_Base.plan A5_121219.pdf A6_121219.pdf

Thanks - i just wasn't sure what to search for

I need to divide a line into several equal spaces. Is there a command that will take a line and split it evenly into x spaces? I'm sure i'm missing something pretty simple here...

Thanks guys for the great responses! No offense taken Renerabbitt, I admit I'm a self-trained 'noob' with just over a year of learning the program and probably did some many things 'unorthodox-ly'. I was just trying to get something to the client for their initial review and like everyone else, my time was limited. Solver & SNestor, Wow! I really appreciate the time you guys took to make & provide the videos! They were extremely helpful! (I also know now where to look on YouTube for them) The roof command is admittedly a weak spot for me. (One of several!) And I NEVER would have thought to use a 'railing wall' for the covered porch area! Great idea & it makes sense. The support from the folks in this forum makes using the program so much better than others I have used. I am signed up for the training sessions in Coeur d'Alene in September, so hopefully I can become more proficient and 'bother' you guys less on the forum. Sincerely appreciate the time & effort! Thanks again!