mthd97

Nice one CA, X8 Catalogs, James Hardie sidings for the Aussies !

Yes 30 day grace period but a clear reminder before then is good.

Did you know you need to upgrade to latest version to get SSA?

SSA paid in good faith, 3D IFC, Platform Moving story pole system please for the future of CA and all of us too, thanks.

That's if they don't put the price up in the meantime?

Well said !!!

 

I have been using Chief for about 12 years and have never encountered a situation where I could not accomplish something. Yes there are times when what I require is not attainable through some automated function, that's when you have to dig a little deeper and do it manually. I really do not see the latter as being a "work around". This combination of automated and manual function is prevalent in all major productivity software. Just take a look at Excel, it's been evolving for over 30 years and even with all the expertise at Microsoft you really can't do much with it unless you are willing to dig in deep.

 

Considering the cost of Chief and the annual support fee I believe you would not find a better valued package out there. For those not paying the support fee consider this; how do you think Chief funds development to improve it's products?

 

Graham

True Graham, we choose and change software according to our needs and some do a better job than others with automation. The corner wall joint clean ups in the video 6066 should not slow us down in our work and the one SH fixed up was not the only one needing attention. With proper room definitions this flaw can be fixed easily I believe by the programmers?

Michael, did SH on video 6066 do thing's the required way in building his crawl space and garage?...Does the program know the difference between a room definition of Garage and Basement Garage or Crawl Space...What about building the Basement Garage stairs and the problems encountered along the way?...There is no way of learning that as a method is there?...I hope we don't have to enlist a garage dump dig to find an antique version of CA in 50 years time to play with, like they did with the ET version of the Atari game?

Too True Lew!...I will be back as I know they will eventually work on it for the future.

Hi to all you faithful Chiefers, I have just watched X8 demo Vid 6066. I would just like to say well done to you guys who have tenaciouly persisted with CA and have become adept at using it with all the work around techniques. This particular video illustrates my frustration with the current program. I am no longer willing to fight and persist with these illogical sequences anymore. I appreciate all the new features in X8. Underpinning a broken foundation is not my way of doing things. The automated system driving CA with its interrelated parts like stairs and other building parts simply gets too complicated as the design becomes more complicated with different floor levels. I can do all your work arounds and get the model to look right just as most of you can but I don't want to waste my time doing this anymore with this program. I have done a similar design with V10 and got the model to look right after hours of work arounds granted I would have less work around time with X8 but still too much for me. All the best I am not renewing my SSA this time but may do so in the future if the area of the program I am not happy with gets fixed. Having said that, CAX8 has allot of good things going for it like Cabinets, fast building of terrain, framing, schedules and many other things too. If you want to refer to our disscusions on story poles or moving of platform's, this is the area I am awaiting for more work to be done, not just on SP dimensions. Thanks.

CA employees may be able to answer your question about X8 but anyone on the Beta team can not due to the NDA (non disclosure agreement).

When the NDA period is over would be fine, SSA will get Beta version soon too.

I like the Curved Roof Beam under the curved roof section. Those who have X8 beta, can a curved roof beam be formed without a curved roof segment in a cross section? I ask because in the UK, a common design style of home is called the "Barn Style" with chunky timber pillars, rafters and beams and curved beams. If CA could be upgraded so that this style of home, would be very easy to create in CA, this could make CA a significant program of choice in the UK. Not only that but if It could also plug into ArchiCAD and Revit, CA could be the tool of choice for add on programs for producing this style of home as well as its power to create cabinets and the other areas that CA is powerful in. This could be a much better marketing coalition than the Better Homes and Gardens union. I know the users of these major commercial apps would love to have a program like CA in the app add ons folders and would easily pay the price for CA. Cooperation is the way forward in the CAD apps world. I know ArchiCAD are well known for this type of cooperation and would be only too happy to work with the Chiefers. All the best going forward.

Thanks for the above link, facer_03.

Programmers get paid well and SSA helps pay them too. CA is a good residential modeling program. Not the only one out there though. To be completely fair the complexity of stair design, especially when it becomes customized can require its on special application. When stairs are automated not too much can be done, if we want to achieve a high level of customization. A major weakness of CA is its limitations to plug in with other 3d modeling apps. CA has great strength with cabinet design with its speed and ease of use but it would be good for it plug into the big leading commercial CAD apps one day, if not with X8 then maybe X9 or XX. Good work so far with X8.

That's true, but it doesn't make it any less inconsiderate (especially considering there is another section for suggestions and hijacking threads is generally bad form anyway).

How would you feel if you were really proud of the hard work you put into something and how well it turned out...so you show your client only to hear their first response...

"Why didn't you do this?" Or have them ignore it altogether and instead of saying thank you or nice work...show you something they want you to change somewhere else.

I'm sure Chief can accept all criticism you send their way and they'll invite it even. It doesn't make it any less frustrating or discouraging though.

Like my wife likes to tell our children...pick a better time. Just my opinion.

Anyway, from what I can tell X8 is shaping up to be one of the better upgrades to date.

Good work Chief!

Yeah I like to be fair, I give praise when it is warrented like with corner windows. I am not hijacking a thread. I am waiting for the full list on X8. We still all have to make decisions about the type of CAD we will go with too.

Lock and unlock works for all!

Good move for QTY take off, well done!

Ouch!..I once went to the US when it was only 0.63 in 1999.

WOW,  when I was in Oz several years ago I thought it was closer to 1:1.

Yes thats true and that was the time to buy up big on US goodies!

Seamless! Nice no work around.

I think you will find it is worth the extra money.

Hope so Scott, our AUD is 72 cents, not so good for us down under.

Yeah whatever?...X8 better be good for SSA to go to $495.00 IMO.

SSA was $395.00 Once.

They are going to publish the list of the X8 release soon as promised. We can wait till then if we are not beta testing this time.

Does X8 plug into other apps yet?

Are SPDs linked to the 3d structure and can they effect a change of floor or roof height without throwing out other 3d elements?