JNWArchitect

Thank you Solver! I'll try that on my plan later today. I did notice on the image you posted of the correct porch view that the dormer in the background shows drywall as the exterior material like i was explaining in my earlier post. Do you have any idea why that occurs? Also, your comment about having a 'clean roof plan'... I struggled with that roof for quite some time and still it isn't 100% correct. Probably good enough for my needs, just frustrating that it was so difficult to put together. Thanks again for your help!

Here is the plan file. Also, while I was messing with the entry gable, one of the two dormers started showing drywall for the exterior finish vs. siding. I couldn't fix it so I exploded the dormer to see what the front dormer wall materials were, they showed correctly (Siding exterior/drywall interior) so i even changed the drywall to siding and it still showed as drywall. I ended up NOT saving my work and reopening the file where it was showing correctly. In addition, I wanted to show the front elevation with the elevation line (not sure the command name), but it kept giving me a section beyond the face of the building wall. (ie: within the building itself) Trying a "build front elevation command" from the menu bar gave me a skewed elevation from the main part of the front of the house (perpendicular to the garage wall) not the elevation that was perpendicular to the main house. 1918_Base.plan

Thanks guys, but i have tried to use the roof return on the gable wall that I drew under the entry eave and nothing happens. I got the gable wall by drawing a regular wall below the gable (on floor 1), clicked 'gable wall' to create the 'attic wall' and then 'shrunk' the part below the triangular section to eliminate the unneeded part of the wall. Still learning the ins & outs of this program so i'm not sure if that is correct. In any event, nothing happens when i click the roof return options on the wall dbx.

Trying to recreate the entry gable in this pic for a client. Cannot figure out how to make the roof returns at the front and cannot figure out how to make the bottom of the gable wall over the entry arched. Any help is appreciated.

OMG Drawzilla! Fifty!? Yikes! I thought the dozen cities I deal with in the Sacramento area were too many!

The old "better to ask for forgiveness afterwards, than ask for approval prior"? Don't get me started on the increased bureaucracies in this business! (especially in California!)

The local jurisdictions in my area (Northern California) are accepting electronic signatures OR wet signatures. You may want to check with your area to be sure that 'wet-only' are required. I think that most will now allow electronic. Sure saves time for me!

Just thought i'd share my solution to getting a signature on my layouts so that I don't have to manually sign each sheet when submitted to the local building departments. I scanned my signature and saved it as a ,png file. Then defined my watermark to use that .png file and set it up so that it appears just above my license stamp. (That involves sizing, rotating & placing it so it appears how & where I need it.) Turn it off when printing for 'unsigned' plans and turn it on for 'signed' sets. Made my life a lot easier!

Guess I'd better upgrade. Always leery about upgrading for fear of a new 'learning curve'

I figured out to just copy/paste from the 'old' sheet to the 'new' sheet and modify the few items as needed. Problem solved. :-)

Occasionally I need to have a second cover sheet for the same project with only a few notes, indexes or information changed. (Gotta love California regulations) Is there any way to duplicate an existing layout page within the same file? Thanks, Jon

All of you folks are really AWESOME! Anytime I seem to have an issue, someone knows what to do. I love the program, but the user support is even better! Thanks everyone! (BTW- jorgearaya's solution worked...)

I am importing the energy calculations required by this great state of ours but the imported image doesn't look anything like the original. The original image is readable... The imported one, not so much. Any suggestions? Thanks Original_Image.docx Imported_Image.docx

Yes. I draw (everything) in the working set .plan view then send the views i want to the Layout. The article explained the active layer set so i checked that bx and it seems to be working now. Really appreciate all the help for this noob.

I'm not sure why I can't seem to grasp this, but I want to have layout sheet A1 that has the floor plan with just the floor plan & dimensions, another layout sheet E1 with just the floor plan background and the electrical shown etc. So I send the working floor plan with the working layer set to the layout for A1... looks good. I change the working floor plan to the electrical layer set to generate the E1 sheet and the image on A1 now shows the electrical set... :-( What am I missing?

Thanks all! I don't plan to do any re-draws, so I guess she'll have to upgrade. :-) Worth her $$ in my opinion. Thanks again for the great support in this forum!

Is it possible to save a .plan file at an earlier version? (I.e.: X10 to X9) I work with an interior designer who hasn't upgraded yet. I'm one version above her's and it has made collaboration difficult. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I changed to .JPEG files vs. the original .PDFs and it works great. Love this forum! Should I avoid PDFs? I use them frequently for product data sheets etc. in some files. Also any advantage/disadvantage to importing them directly to the layout sheet vs. into .plan file?

I have imported a PDF for use as a background in my drawings. Is appears ok on the screen, but when it prints out the background is very light, almost invisible. Is there a way to adjust the lightness/darkness and/or contrast of the PDF? Thanks

That is what i was afraid of... :-) How difficult is RUBY to learn? I have a smidgen of current 'programming' skills. [I did take a bunch of now worthless programming classes in college in the mid-80's, but nothing applicable today! ($ well spent :-) )] Are there online courses, books, training etc.? Thanks for all the great support. I read a lot of the questions on here and you two seem to consistently come through for folks. Appreciate it!

Is it possible to import data via a .CSV (or other) file directly into Chief Macros. I'd like to use my FileMaker database to input the client / project data into existing and/or user-created macros within the drawing. (i.e.: Client/Project name address, APN, Jurisdiction, etc.) Is it done through Chief or is that something that RUBY would be good for? Thanks,

I thought anti-virus programs were "on our side" so to speak. Unfortunately, a few years ago my BitDefender AV software corrupted my user profile so that I (the ONLY one in this office) could not access ANY files. Including all my (AutoCAD @ the time) CAD files on the Monday before the Friday deadline... talk about stressed! Never heard of Eset, but have used Avast Really appreciate all the great support responses from you all. Boy as a Chief noob, I'd sure like to pick your brains for all your hints, tips & secrets. I did uninstall/reinstall and everything is good. Thanks again

Thanks Dermot, I did just that after my posting. Everything is working fine, for now... Any ideas why these .dll files get corrupted? Tech support blamed McAfee (I removed it earlier) Frustrating! I'd hate to have to go back to ACAD due to Chief's 'instability'

I'm having the same issue (different .dll file - see attachment) - Any quick fix? I'm dead in the water with a full in-box! I uninstalled my McAffee completely because I couldn't figure out how to do the 'exemption' Joe mentions Nor do I understand the "Updating your signature..." comment as well. ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED! Windows 10 / Chief X9 CAError_101517.docx

I am having difficulty getting clerestory windows in a wall above an opening. See attachment. This is my second question to the forum and the response to my first was fantastic! Thank you everyone for the great support! I am loving the software! NeedHelp.pdf