SNestor

18 hours ago, GinaMc said:

Hello! I'm new to CA and this kitchen ceiling is KILLING ME! I have tried and tried to open up the end of this room as a cathedral ceiling with a gable end, but flat 8' ceilings over the kitchen area, and I'm not getting the point where it connects to work out right.  Sometimes the wall is there, but I can see the roof trusses, sometimes (like now) there's no wall section there and it's just open.  Now I'm getting this weird wall on the gable end out of nowhere.  Help!!!

 

And yes, I know there's probably a very simple solution and I'm making this WAY harder than I need to. LOL  

Shire Kitchen.plan.zip

I used your plan to make a training video...hope you don't mind.  Check it out...
 

@parkwest - yea, but that doesn’t really address the issue I was confronting.  Railing walls, vaulted ceilings on two levels and a tricky gable end wall.  
 

That said - it’s a good place to start.  

1 minute ago, robdyck said:

@SNestor

4:51 of the video:

One of the things I'd be doing differently is with the lower roof. I'd have it build TO the upper wall, not under the upper wall. Now I realize that probably won't put the ceiling where you'd like, but I'd also be using a ceiling plane for the vaulted ceiling.

I use No Special Snapping, and I draw my roof planes up to the sheathing layer where they butt against a wall. 

I was just trying to accomplish like you normally would do things.  No “super secret” experience processes.  
 

Just FYI...the only reason there is a 2nd floor is because that is how my template is setup. I don’t think a 2nd floor is needed as all the rooms we are working with are on the same level...just one room is raised 36”.  
 

As I’ve shown in the video...you can achieve the design just using the tools Chief gives us...and I didn’t want to have to manually draw in something like a ceiling plane.  
 

No doubt there are multiple ways to achieve this design.  

@HumbleChief   Thanks Larry...split levels are certainly not easy.  

OK...new video.  This should clear things up...well, maybe.  @robdyck-Thanks

In this video...I got this to work.  But - the process is not "intuitive". I guess you just have to experiment and learn.  

@robdyck - Thanks Rob for taking the time to investigate the plan I attached.  It was just a quickie "test plan"...and I did not notice the ceiling height was not the standard 109.125 in the vaulted space that I was designating as the entry to this split level home.  

This ceiling height changed on it's own somewhere in the process of messing with the plan.  Maybe it happened when I built the foundation...I'm really not sure.  However, it isn't the problem either way.  If you open the plan and change the ceiling height to 109.125...the hole in the gable end will still occur.  Maybe once the gable end was "screwed up"...the software won't fix itself when the ceiling height is corrected...that is possible.   

Thanks again for taking the time....why don't you start from scratch and duplicate the plan and see what happens.  I'd be interested....I still don't know what I'm doing wrong or if the software just doesn't behave properly.  

1 hour ago, rgardner said:

Interesting.  Didn't open your test plan but just helped someone else with an elevation issue for a polyline solid he put in the plan.  He hadn't specified the different rooms and even though each room had the ceiling and floor heights set properly it automatically went with the lowest possible setting to figure the floor height (in this case his specified garage floor which is set in his preferences to be 18" below the other floor.  So it put the polyline solid in the wrong spot when he tried to specify it from the floor height.

 

I am thinking that in your case what Robert is saying may have some validity, chief doesn't like the unknown and thus is playing wonky until it is set correct.  Hope you like my super technical terminology.  Anyways just a thought...

A garage room is unique...more things can be specified.  A deck, porch and balcony room type have some unique controls also.  
 

A general room type - like “Living Room” does not control floor or ceiling elevation. 

1 hour ago, robdyck said:

Of course. My thinking is that its just an indication or a 'cue' that the rooms and their properties have been addressed. 

It was just a quickie test plan...formality wasn’t a concern.  

Here's a video...might help clear up some questions...or, possibly generate even more questions.

  I have to say...split levels creates a lot of issues.  This doesn't seem to be an easy thing to accomplish in Chief...at least for me.  

@robdyck - a specific “room” type isn’t required.  The only thing a room spec would change is the flooring and molding.  The room type doesn’t specify the ceiling height...that’s a floor default.  And...since this is a split level...I have raised the floor 36” in the room...so the defaults are not relevant.  
 

Your post was helpful.  I think “balloon” through for some of the walls is an important step.  Thanks. 

20 minutes ago, robdyck said:

@SNestor

One of the issues with your test plan is that the rooms and the ceiling heights haven't been defined. Chief would like a proper ceiling height in order to decide where a wall should be built up to. These ceiling heights should match the top plate height of the exterior walls for the roof covering that room. Then, and only then will Chief's functions work correctly.

No offense intended but this test isn't ideal because Chief needs more info. It's a bit of a 'cart before the horse' type of test plan.

These screenshots are taken after the rooms were defined, and then I adjusted the walls properties. No polyline editing.

 

 

Room heights are certainly defined...I'm well aware of that requirement. 

Screen shot is directly from the test plan I attached...not sure what you are looking at.

1 hour ago, dshall said:

Steve,  I copied a wall from second floor and pasted in place in attic above and checked ROOF CUTS WALL AT BOTTOM.  No manual editing of wall.

 

I did not find a big issue with this method.  Let me know what you think.

 

Scott...thanks!  You nailed it...(I'm not really surprised )

Now...why do we have to intervene manually to get this to work...or do we?  Did I do something wrong creating this project?  

I guess I'm wondering why Chief doesn't create the required attic walls automatically. 

26 minutes ago, DavidJPotter said:

Nestor,

I unchecked the attic walls from pony walls to just exterior attic walls, and then edited the polylines to fit the space, inside and out. I believe it was the ponywall setting that made this overly hard.

 

DJP

 

Nestor.zip

Thanks David.  I never want to "shape" walls if possible...so, it never crossed my mind.  Is this really the only way?  Chief won't create these attic walls automatically?

Attached is a test plan for a split level home.  The left side of the floor plan...the floor elevation is "zero".  On the right side is the split.  The main room to the right is raised 36" and is to have a vaulted ceiling.  There is a garage below this room. 

Between the entry and the raised room there will be a half wall (I've used a railing wall...).  

I've tried a lot of things...but, as you will see in the attached screen clips...because I'm using a railing wall to divide the elevated floor from the "entry" floor 36" below...the attic wall is not generating correctly. 

Have I drawn this split level plan correctly...or, is there a better way?  I'm not expert on split levels (obviously).  Any help or ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Test Plan attached: Split Level Plan Test.plan

Split Level Plan Test.plan

On 4/12/2020 at 10:22 AM, Greg_NY61 said:

The new Ultracraft Catalog the moldings don't work, you cannot apply them and they don't show up in the Molding specifications or in Select library object browser.

Yea...those moldings are not "moldings"...someone didn't do their job correctly.  You can't right click and get the option to "place molding profile".  I even copied to my user library to see if I'd get the option...nope.

I avoid the 3D molding polyline like a virus.  

As an alternative...I sometimes just use a molding polyline in plan view...adjusting as needed, then...turn it into a symbol where you can "stand it up" by rotating the molding on it's X-Axis.  

Yea...sometimes you have no choice but to use a 3D molding polyline...but this tool is a PIA. I wish Chief would improve it as there really are some places where it can be very useful.

10 minutes ago, Michael_Gia said:

I just wanted to reply to something you said in your video regarding why anyone would use centre dimensions on interior walls. 
Two big reasons why most plans show the centre is that the centre won’t change even if the wall thickness might suddenly change. Also for walls to line up with support beams and columns, that definitely can vary at any moment, again the Center measurements will not change. Things always line up properly. 

You should always use center measurements.  You’re playing with fire if you don’t. 

 

Your carpenter is well versed in splitting dimensions of 2x4’s, 2 x6’s etc. It should be second nature to them. 
 

45 years in wood frame construction...never saw a framer dimension to the center in my life.  Must be a regional thing...

3 hours ago, builtright3 said:

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the cameras and cross section view, layers and defaults.

 

I make a new layer called "cross sections" because I want to separate it from the elevation camera views and it works real nice. The problem is that I want to be able to save the settings but if I change them for the framing sections at 3/8 or 1/2" scale then It messes up the camera views.

 

Is there a way of saving and/or copying this call out so I don't have to set it up 2 or 3 times on every drawing I do?

I'm afraid that if I set it as the default than it will mess up the camera views I use for elevations. Just having a hard time understanding it.

 

Any help would be appreciated. I need to understand sections better because it seems like I spend a lot of time on them and they could be more be more automatic. 

If you are trying to add text to a section view...then, after creating the section elevation...choose one of your already created layersets where text is defined at a different scale, such as 1/2" or 3/8"...as Joey suggested above.  Or...maybe you just want to send to layout at a different scale? 

I've attached a quick layerset at 1/3" scale as an example...(you would switch to this layerset to add text to your section)

Just now, DzinEye said:

Looks to me like you laid that to rest

I was hoping so...a video is worth a 1,000 posts.

2 hours ago, builtright3 said:

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the cameras and cross section view, layers and defaults.

 

I make a new layer called "cross sections" because I want to separate it from the elevation camera views and it works real nice. The problem is that I want to be able to save the settings but if I change them for the framing sections at 3/8 or 1/2" scale then It messes up the camera views.

 

Is there a way of saving and/or copying this call out so I don't have to set it up 2 or 3 times on every drawing I do?

I'm afraid that if I set it as the default than it will mess up the camera views I use for elevations. Just having a hard time understanding it.

 

Any help would be appreciated. I need to understand sections better because it seems like I spend a lot of time on them and they could be more be more automatic. 

Mr. Cool...

Go to Defaults>Camera Tools>Cross Section/Elevation>Layer...specify the layer you want to use each time you use the cross section/elevation camera.

You can do this for each camera view.

I did a video...please someone tell me if I've missed something.  

1 minute ago, solver said:

 

Seems to be Yes.

 

 

You are so helpful...thanks!

3 minutes ago, solver said:

 

I believe your example shows exactly what I said above. You will only get a dimension to the centerline of an interior wall if the wall intersects with an exterior wall...as per your video example.  

Yes? No?

OK...I stand corrected.  You have to use the end-to-end dimension tool...and then it will dimension to the center of an interior wall.  But - if you use the interior dimension tool...it doesn't.  Weird...

1 minute ago, solver said:

I probably don't understand ...

 

Your post seems to suggest you do understand...how about enlightening us all?

1 hour ago, tommy1 said:

Yes it will.

Show us how...