CJSpud

Toolbar > View > Active Layer Display Options

Layer Set or Layers in a particular Layer Set???

Larry:

Re-watched Richard's video and it was blurry at the start and then started clearing up towards the end.  When it was done playing it cycled to CA's video about doing ductwork.  So I guess that's a YouTube thing.  Maybe the blurry images I see on the videos is due to the Hughes pipeline being too full in the a.m. when I typically watch anything that's posted on ChiefTalk.  I will have to pay attention to the time-of-day and see if I notice any difference in quality of videos I watch.

Joe, Richard, Larry etc.  .... Thanks.

Larry:

When I finished watching your YouTube video, I got one of those YouTube screens with all these other clips of other videos on YouTube.  It didn't revert back to just your link.  Is it suppose to work that way?  Now I need to go back and re-watch Richard's video and see what happens.  It played instantly for me which I love but, like most of Yosuf's videos, the image wasn't clear.  Maybe it's my Hughes Internet service???

In LO, can you click on the edge of where that dark area is showing up in your PDF's and get whatever that is to be selected?  If you can, your detective work should be much easier.

Yosuf:

Here's a link to Glenn's video:

http://screencast.com/t/t6wIKFYBVbD

Yosuf:

Thanks. 

Question:  Did the rotate angle you used result in a small amount of overlap of the nose the lower tread tucked under the back edge of the next tread up or are those edges in line with each other vertically?

I haven't experimented with either your method or the one Glenn used in his video in a different thread.  What advantages do you see in using your method vs. Glenn's?  It seems that the method you use more resembles how one would construct a spiral stairs from a commercially available kit whereas Glenn just simply used Chief's stair tools to create the spiral stairs.

Thanks Richard. 

What hoops do you have to jump through to post videos on YouTube?  By the way, the video played very well for me.  I don't know what is going on with some of the Screencast videos Larry and others are posting, but I have to click the start arrow multiple times before the video will start playing.  No problems with yours.  Do you suppose that has something to do with YouTube?

Michael:

Thanks for the "how to" ... worked great.  Glenn must still be counting sheep.

Nice work ... thanks for posting.

Thanks Yosuf.  I sure wish I could get a 'crystal clear' image when I watch your videos.  For some reason they are very fuzzy and out of focus.  As a comparison, the Screencast videos Larry has been doing are clear viewing for me.

Thanks Glenn - Joe for the definitions.

Joe:

Looking at your #'s tells me that your "projected area" is most likely the horizontal area taken up by each roof plane.  I am "assuming" that your "surface area" is the total 'in-plane' (sloped) area covered by each roof plane including the overhang.  Since your "framing area" values are slightly less than the surface area, I really don't know how you made that calculation.  I am "assuming" that the "overhang area" is that part of the surface area built outside of the outer main layer of the exterior walls.  But, if that is the case, then why don't the #'s add up [surface area = framing area + overhang area]? 

To make a long story short, I guess I really don't have a clue what "all" or "some" of your #'s mean.  That is why I thought the footnote suggestion was a good idea.  If everyone that looks at your plans with that schedule shown, do they all know exactly what the numbers mean?  Do the building departments require those specific numbers be identified on each plan?  Just curious.  I haven't had to provide those sort of roof area calc's where I do my projects so it is all a little Greek to me.

Many users in CA put their basements walls etc. on Floor 1 and footings and foundation stem walls on Floor 0 ... because of all the stuff their building departments require on the plans. 

I use Floor 0 for my basements foundation walls, frostwalls and footings.  I work in an area without seismic or high wind code requirements.

It is really up to you to figure out which way works best for you.

And for those who don't know what is being shown in your schedule, you should have footnotes explaining the not so obvious column values IMO. 

Yosuf:

I missed this thread earlier.  Thanks for all the wonderful stuff you are coming up with in your experiments. 

Mickey:

I am sure your methods are perfectly fine or you would probably have the alligators nipping at your heels.  Around my area, trusses are pretty much the norm for roof construction and in the more populated areas, roof snow loads are relatively low (30 to 40 lbs).  Truss top chords are quite often just 2x4's.  I would never want to see a builder notching a 2x4 gable truss for lookouts for the overhang, unless the truss designer specifically called for that on the truss design documents.

Mark:

I don't have that program so I am not sure if what you are asking is exactly the same as what X7 premier has in its' dbx.  I suspect that they may be the same or very similar.  Here's the two dbx's that are used in X7:

In X7, it appears to me that Chief will build with lookouts even if there is no reduced gable specified or no lookouts specified.  In the image below, this is what X7 generates with the lookouts box unchecked, max. lookout spacing set for 24" and with a standard gable truss.  Note that the "in plane" spacing of the non-lookout lookouts is 40".  Why Chief didn't just generate blocking between the truss and the barge rafter at 24" C.C. is beyond me ... and generate them on edge like I asked them to be.  [For the roof framing shown below, I did in fact uncheck "Lookouts" but Chief put them in (from the barge to the 1st inboard truss) but Chief built them anyway]

So, to summarize, there can be several improvements made to the way Chief X7 Premier does its roof framing IMO.  When I get time, I will submit my ideas on some improvements that I would like to see on the Suggestion forum.

I don't believe truss top chords should be notched so never show that on the plans I prepare.  I know that some builders will notch gable truss top chords but I have never seen any gable trusses designed for this practice.  Maybe its OK ... ???   Maybe it's a carry-over from framed roofs where the gable rafter is notched for outriggers?  Maybe it is something that the building inspectors are missing or turning their heads on .... ???

If I have gable overhangs of 12" or less and there's no extreme snow loads to worry about, I do as Robert suggested ... just show blocking [on edge ... not 'flat'] between the gable truss top chord and the barge rafter as shown below.

In the above image, I had to edit the positions, dimensions and end locations of Chief generated "flat" lookouts.  I do this in both a back clipped section and in plan view.

If I am doing gable overhangs greater than 12", then I drop the gable truss tops the depth of the truss top chord, and then edit the Chief generated lookouts as needed similar to what I did above.  Like the trusses, I put the blocking or lookouts on 24" C.C.  Here's one with a 24" gable overhang, 2x4 lookouts 24" C.C. and with the reduced gable truss top chord edited to match the bottoms of the 2x4 lookouts. 

The typical Chief generated lookouts and reduced gable is shown unedited on the opposite end (right side).  I wish Chief would build these darn things according to the way we plug the dimensions into the roof framing defaults.  I need to put that in the suggestion box.

Are you wanting a brick ledge on the outside?

  Sounds like something that is left over from a previous use of your LO template.  If you can select the box and don't feel like it might be anything you need, have you tried just deleting it?

What are the dimensions of the cabinet that you need to create, including the notch dimensions?  Single door/drawer or double?

How long have you been using Chief?  I see you joined CT today and this is your 1st post.  Welcome aboard.

Why not just draw an arrow from the center to the arc and then just display is length?

Great advice from everyone for you.  Learning the lingo of Chief Architect and construction in general is another thing you'll need to slowly work on.  What's the difference between a vaulted, cathedral, tray or some other type of ceiling.  Same for roofs .... gable, hip, Dutch hip, etc.  Learning some of the shortcut keys as you progress will save you time as you work on your projects.  For example, the #2 key can be used to quickly join two roof planes.  I like F1 ... Help ... and recommend you use that one a lot as you have questions on how to do things in Chief. 

As Joe said, Chief is a complex program with a ton of horsepower under the hood.  But it only tries to do what you tell it to do and sometimes what you want it to do is something it can't do.  X7 today is a MUCH improved version of Chief compared to v7 when I started using Chief in 2001.  It will continue to get better and new features and tools will be added. 

As Wendy and others have said, the best way to learn is through practice.  That's not to say you shouldn't do some homework along the way.  Coming to Chief Talk with basic questions about how Chief works is OK, but you'll learn much faster by researching what you are having problems with, retrying (and retrying again) and if you are still having difficulty, then ChiefTalk or Tech Support are places where you'll get your questions answered.  If I need quick answers, I call Tech Support.  If I am not pressed for time, I will post on ChiefTalk.

Glad you chose CA for your design work.  It is a great program that will serve you well as you become proficient in using it.  Welcome aboard.  Hopefully we'll learn your name if you get around to editing your signature.