Barton_Brown

I appreciate Doug Park's reservations about using network drives but using the 'cloud' has worked well for me to this point in time. My workflow is similar to Bryce's with the difference that I use Microsoft's OneDrive cloud service. As long as I pay attention and do not shut down the computer before the syching has completed, I have had no issues. I suspect Doug would cringe on learning that besides plan files, I also place the 'Chief Architect Premier X6 Data' folder in the cloud as well. I have a couple of reasons for this, most importantly, I don't need to worry about keeping my 'user library' in sync between computers and the archive files are available no matter which computer I am using. This stated, I'm not a multi-user company so I have no issues around multiple user access to the same plan file, for example.

Joe, I'll submit a bug report also. Sometimes having multiple reports on a specific bug can up the priority for getting it fixed. At the very least, there will be a new entry in their defect tracking system to get their attention.

While some might argue that the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is not technically a tablet (in one of its modes it is), I have enjoyed running CA X6 on it because of its high resolution display and great portability. I, for one, would rather CA focus their efforts on a minimum of platforms (Windows and OSX) in order to maximize the CA product features and performance.

Joe, you are correct. In my response I was addressing a different issue. My issue was a 2D CAD block that didn't match the 3D symbol. Having CA generate a new CAD block solved the alignment issue between the 2D plan view placement of the symbol and its 3D location for a 0,0,0 symbol origin. Your bug issue is different. I performed your exercise and replicated your results. At the risk of sounding like CA tech support, I assume you have already filed a bug report with CA and receive confirmation that they replicated the problem? Your posting was intended to be a public scolding of CA? As you stated, there are a number of known bugs that have yet to make it into an update (including one that I reported to CA...)

Thanks Nelson, I thought I was up to date on the bonus libraries but I missed this one. Interestingly, a search of 'barn' within the library only gets one door, the 'barnplank' door. Unfortunately, none of the doors in the library match the picture shown by the OP ...

If I needed to add a barn door to my design, most of my work would be done in Sketchup. First I would go to Sketchup's 3d warehouse of free, user supplied symbols and search for 'barn door'. There are doors with tracks available for download. After selecting something as close as possible to what is desired, I would download and modify in Sketchup. Once satisfied with the design it is a simple matter to import the sketchup model into CA as a symbol. It would also be possible to create a barn door symbol directly in CA but since I find Sketchup easier to use for the creation of these types of symbols, that is my preferred workflow. There are probably also third party barn door symbols for sale, I haven't needed one so haven't looked.

Cincilator, would you describe in more detail the specific problem(s) you are experiencing?

Joe, I have noticed symbol offset issues with some of my user symbols that were first used in earlier versions of CA (X1 to X5?) that were automatically brought forward to X6. My easy fix was to go into the symbol dbx and have it create another 2D block. The new block was correctly positioned and correctly sized. While one shouldn't have to do this, the workaround has been pretty painless for me. Not sure if this is the issue you describe but sounds very similar.

Dennis, regarding the 'overall look', if by that you mean the image seems grainy, this could be due to the amount of 'available light' for the scene. The more lights, the crisper it should become. One thing I have noticed, especially with X6, is that ray traces of rooms with daylight entering through a window, or exterior ray traces seem to meet my 'goodness' criteria with 1/3 to 1/2 the number of ray trace passes needed for an 'interior lit' ray trace. Stated differently, you will probably need to at least double the number of ray trace passes to equal the goodness of a well lit scene.

CA has a nice summary write-up on this topic in the knowledgebase: http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00010/255/Chief-Architect/Ray-Traces/Speeding-up-a-Ray-Trace.html