SNestor

I live in Hamilton County, IN. It is dominated now by Production Builders...who have their own plans and subdivisions and money to lend to prospective buyers. Custom home building still exists but only in the 850K and above market. The most successful subdivision near where I live has been a place called "Chatham Hills"(https://chathamhills.com/). Most of the homes are custom built for owners...there is some spec building but not much. There has been at least 150 homes built in this subdivision in the past 3.5 years...all custom. So...there is some work if you can get in the loop with a builder or two. Making 80K could take some time. I think you could charge between 7-10K for a design and plans for a typical house in Chatham Hills. A friend of mine built his own home in Zionsville and the designer he used charged him 10K. His house was about 7,000 sf....but the design was so basic it was almost laughable. For the plans and design he received I'd say he got taken...but, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Thanks!

Maybe that's it for me...many of mine are already defined as "sets". I do think clicking on "annotation sets"...and copying an entire set is the way to go though. It has a way of reminding you to define the CAD layer, and maybe change your callouts or arrows. The "anno set" dbx lets you see all the annotations in one place and let's you define them for the plan view you want to create. To me it's just easier. Michael is correct...if you have all your annotations created for every plan view you use...then you don't really need to see the annotation set "box" on your toolbar. And if you want to change one of the defined annotations in a PV you can use the edit active defaults button and change what you need to. In the end...either way works.

So...this is my point. If you create a completely new "Plan View"....and within this PV you want a unique text font, color, size and layer...AND, you want a unique Arrow style/color/size...AND, you want a unique "Rich Text" color, size, font and layer...AND, you need a unique "CAD" layer/color/liine size etc.....your choices are - You can click on "Active Defaults" and define these unique annotations...OR...you can define a annotation set and just assign this set to the PV. The Plan View remembers (saves) the annotations you've assigned either way. It's not really intuitive to have all your annotations setup for every conceivable "plan view" you think you might need. You may use 1/4" dimensions defaults for everything...but you still need them on unique layers...and the only way to control automatically which layer the dimension will be on is to create a new annotation (by copying the standard 1/4" dim default) and placing it on a unique layer and maybe changing it's color (or not). The bottom line for me is...all I want to do is select a Plan View and know that I don't have to do anything else. I know that all text, arrows, dimensions, callouts etc will be the correct color, size, font, and layer that I want them on. To me...the biggest advantage of "Plan Views" is being able to assign a "Reference Layer" to the view. This can be a great thing when sending a roof plan to layout...or a foundation plan to layout. There are probably a lot more advantages that I'm not even aware of. To me a "Plan View" is like an automatic transmission for Annotation Sets....it's allows for ease of use of your annotations and adds a few bonuses on top of that. The only other advantage of plan views as compared to an Annotation Set is that you can define the "zoom", "floor" and whether or not you want "color" or not. These can be handy depending on what you are trying to set up...but, I haven't really used these that often. Michael is correct...an annotation set is a collection of "active defaults". But, you still have to create each "active default"...and using a "Set" of annotations is easier than trying to define them one at a time...at least for me.

Yea...you lost me. How do you control your active default without a specific annotation set.

Michael - not sure I see how doing away with anno sets is possible? I do understand that when you set up a "plan view" you can define a layerset and anno set to use with the plan view...but, you would still want an anno set. The anno set defines the size and layer of all text, arrows, callouts...etc. You wouldn't want to select the plan view for "electrical plan"...and be placing text and outlets on the framing layer set? It appears that you no longer have to drive the layerset with an annotation set...plan views can do this now, but you would still want to have specific anno sets for framing, electrical, maybe client specific notes etc. Am I missing something?

I did this video a while back...it’s similar to what you are looking for

Thanks for the tip Michael...I will give this a try

I’ve already created a new size...just wondering if 4” font printed at 1/4” scale will appear too small. Hoping someone knew how it looked without going to the trouble of printing a hard copy. Problem with a PDF is I can zoom in on it...I’m wondering how a printed hard copy will look

Thanks Michael...

I'm working on a remodel of a house that is very small....and old. It is only about 1,000 SF. My default text is Chief Blueprint @ 6". This size font on such a small footprint seems way too large...but, I'm worried if I change it to 4"...and print the plan at 1/4" will the font be too small to read? Maybe I should use a different font altogether? Thanks...

Thanks Chop...much appreciated info. I have downloaded most of the "sample plans" that Chief has posted on their website...and most of the newer plans it seems they have sent building and interior elevations to layout in "Vector" view...I wonder why they do this? My thought is that these views (depending on the materials used) may not print very well...they could actually look "muddy". I wonder if this this actually the case? Thanks again....

Thanks Chop. So..are Plot Line views your standard for elevations to Layout?

How do you all send elevation views to Layout? Is it "typical" to send views to Layout as "Vector Views"...or, do you ever send them as "Line Drawings"...or "Technical Illustration"? I find that sending Elev Views to Layout using "Plot Lines" provides a great end result. The lines are sharper...and it appears more like a standard hand drafted (or even an AutoCad) type view. However, I don't think "Plot Line" views are "LIVE" views...so, If you make a change you may have to resend the an entirely new view to layout. Is this correct? Thanks

It's weird...I watch most of your videos on my phone without any trouble. And...I am able to watch these videos on my iMac computer. It's just weird Dave... Good vids though as always. Thanks.

Well that’s weird...

Now...I can watch this video. So what’s different?

I was using my iPhone...don’t usually have trouble.

Here’s a video I did a while back that explains how to create a face mounted deck rail...

The link takes me to the video...there is a “play” arrow to press...when pressed nothing happens.

Dave - these links aren’t working...at least for me they aren’t.

Thanks Michael. One more question. If I am creating a plan to house standard details...do I just make a note of the scale the text is setup for...and what if I want to send a detail to layout at a different scale; do i have to open all the text and change the size? I guess what im asking is what is the general practice of those using a “std” details plan.

I was reviewing the "Lake Point" plan set that Chief has posted on their "samples" page. The layout refers to two sets of plans...the house plan and a plan for the detail drawings. The details are drawn in Cad Detail windows. I noticed when I opened a detail that Chief did not use a specific "Annotation Set" for the details. The text for the details in on the "text" layer...which I find kind of weird. I would think you'd want the text on a layers such as "text, details"...or something like that. Yes? Also, the text is 1" tall...and the detail was sent to layout at 1" = 1'-0". So...the text is about 1/4" tall (is this right?)....1/4" seems to be about the height you'd want the text but wouldn't it be easier/smarter to just use an anno set that puts the text on the layer you want and sets the correct height/scale? Or...does the way Chief has done this have some benefits? Thanks all!

Nice video Dave...clear and to the point.

this video may help you...