SteveNovato

Thanks for the info Rob. I won't rest until I can replicate this!

I saw the attached CA ad in a trade magazine. I have highlighted a 3d roof view that shows the individual components of the roof. Is this feature only in X13, or is available in other versions? If it is not exclusive to X13...how? Thanks, Steve

Thank you Susan. The 3D molding polyline seems to do the trick...

Attached are screenshots of the different molding behaviors...

Thanks Eric. I hade to admit my ignorance, but how do you post an image without pdf?

I am working on a plan that has a 26" full height cabinet next to a 20" wall. The crown molding does not act as I expect it would. If the wall is at 20" the crown does not return on the right side of the cabinet. If I make the wall shorter, the trim does return to the wall (2 attached pdf's). I thought the room dividers could have something to do with it so I made a simple plan (also attached) without room definition or dividers and the behavior is the same. In my proper plan, the wall is 20" so the built-in refrigerator doors will open freely and the crown will be pleasing as it wraps to the face of the wall. I would appreciate any insight on how to overcome this issue. It is a very minor, but I hate to let Chief beat me! Thanks, Steve Trim Return.pdfTrim test.planNo trim return.pdf

I made a 'mask' in Excel for building and zoning data. When square footage is entered it will calculate the 'remodel' area (mostly for fire sprinkler requirements). Print the Excel spreadsheet to pdf and import pdf to layout sheet. For my needs, this method seems much quicker and more efficient than trying to make Chief do something it can't (or, more likely, I can't figure out!) Project Data Worksheet.xlsx

All of your tips were very useful. Eric, your video is above and beyond! Thank you Sometimes I feel that being a member of Mensa should be a prerequisite for this program.

Done. Thank you for the great instructions...I don't know how the position strayed from zero, but I won't be fooled again!

Thank Eric. I will read up on how to do that.

Good Morning All, I am trying to finish a very simple kitchen plan. My issue is with a full height cabinet with two separate appliances installed (built in oven and built in microwave). The 3D view and Cross section accurately show what I want the finished item to look like. But...in the plan view, the microwave symbol sticks out in front of the cabinet. I could cover this with a CAD box, but I would really like to know how to fix this. I have tried moving the (X,Y & Z) positions in the edit symbol DBX, though the position on the plan is always different from the other views (if the microwave symbol looks correct in plan view, the 3d view view will show the appliance face at the back of the cabinet opening). I have restarted Chief, as well as the computer, only to have the same results. Also, please excuse the line weights in the cross section pdf. I would really appreciate input on how to solve this issue. Thanks, Steve 153 View.pdf 153 Cross Section.pdf 153.plan

Thanks for the advice. I guess simple is good...

I have a plot plan which shows the length of each side. One side is an arc and shows the radius, as well as the length. I want to turn off the radius information on the plan. I have angles 'off' but it still shows when the 'show length' box is checked. I guess I could cover the radius info with a white box, but that seems so amateur! I am hoping that someone out there has a solution... Thanks in advance. Steve Wright.plan

The Zoom video chat does seem to have a (slight) delay with video and voice. With screen sharing it has not been noticeable to me. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

I hope this isn't off topic, but in the new age of covid I have been using Zoom for client meetings. While in a Zoom meeting you can 'share screen' and choose Chief. The other person or persons in the meeting can see your screen and they are even able to make temporary marks or notes. All parties can view and discuss the plans and changes in real time. I ask folks to use the largest screen they have for viewing (for project clarity). This method is so convenient for me, and my clients. I will hopefully us this tool even when the restrictions of 2020 are a distant memory.

I am also using a room finish schedule, but only including dimensions and area.

Thanks Perry...I will give it a try.

I am trying to integrate a 'room' schedule into my plans so there is not so much clutter. If I generate a window schedule, the window label is automatically inserted on the plan. When I do the same for a 'room' schedule the room schedule label does not show on the plan. I do have 'use callout for label' checked. I also restarted the computer with no change in behavior. Maybe this is the intended behavior for a room schedule?? Hopefully one of the many experts on this site can point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance... Steve Existing house plan.plan

Just got off the phone with Chief Tech Support. The most likely culprit is that I use files shared on OneDrive (cloud). If the hard drive and cloud are fighting for the same file, one will arbitrarily get a blank temporary file. As this has not happened to a others, the Chief program and operating systems have been ruled out as a cause.

There are plenty in the archive folder. That's what saved me.

Thanks for the replies. I will call tech support tomorrow. Also, no directory changes. I can understand a 'crash', but not everything gone from the file but the name???

I have had this issue twice in one month. I believe both have occurred basically under the same circumstances, and both using X12. I have a layout and plan file open. As I try to print to pdf (in Chief) I get 20-ish notifications that the items in layout can not be located. After 'clicking' all of these I find that the layout is intact, except for all of the referenced views that have disappeared. The plan file still has the same name. Instead of the usual 12,000 kb file, it is 198 kb and is empty. I try all layers on, center plan, etc., Nothing. The second time was much easier to grab the last saved file and re-link all of the views to the layout. The first time it happened all I did was learn a few new @%$!! words. Has anyone had an issue similar to mine? As always, I figured it was user error. Now I do not think that is the case. I do check the recycle bin and the original file is not there. Is there a button or command that can make the file stay, but delete everything in the file? I have done this same scenario a hundred times and everything works as expected. I can't attach the empty file as I had to save the backup to the original name so all the views would still be tied to the layout. Thanks for any help...and listening to me vent! Steve

The first time I ran across this requirement I was stumped. I found an electrical load calculation worksheet online, and I believe I copied it to Excel so it would look a bit cleaner. I took a guess and listed circuit breakers (branch circuits) for each of the 110V legs entering the house. I always list a disclaimer to 'allow changes to fit actual job conditions'. This method has made even the pickiest plan checkers happy! As a residential contractor for 3 decades, I am already familiar with what a residential electrical system requires. I would never try this on a commercial job... It is quite a waste of time because 1) The building inspectors have never referred to this schedule on the job site, and 2) A knowledgeable electrician will plan his or her own layout, and also not refer to an arbitrary and unnecessary bit of info on the plans. It does satisfy a 'check box' in the plan check stage and everyone is happy! Page 5 2436.layout Page 5 Elec.pdf

Done! Thanks to all for the guidance. Cut Line.pdf Cut Line.pdf

Thank you for the great suggestions! I can picture the steps in my mind...I will work on implementing them on paper.