JamesR

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Everything posted by JamesR

  1. Hey folks, I'm looking for interior design service to plan out my basement remodel based on a set of wants/needs. I have a CA X15 plan that has all the walls, windows, doors, ceiling, and other structural items drawn in. I would like someone that could provide a series of options for different usages of the space based on how we would like to use the basement. Renderings would not be needed if the Chief plan file was provided. We would like a modest home theater included, so anyone with some experience there would be a bonus. Thanks, --Jamie
  2. Steve, I'm by no ways a Chief expert, and the guys chiming in are some of the most experienced on the forums, but there are a couple things I think you might need to evaluate CA fully. I know you said you have started the Quick Start videos, but that is only about 5% of the training videos available, on the official site alone. I think you will need to invest some serious time into watching those to get even mildly proficient in using it. I'm a long time AutoCAD and Solidworks CAD user, and I find that actually hinders me when I use Chief, since it seems to have, to me, a very unintuitive approach to drafting. I know you said you only have a limited time to evaluate, but without understanding some basic things like plan defaults, I don't know if you'll be able to make an informed decision. Second, when I started with CA I jumped right in with a project and started drafting away. In the process I did all kinds of things that caused me consternation and problems later on in the drafting process. I would suggest you take the time (after watching some more of those training videos) and setup a blank plan template with all the preference and defaults you want. When I finally did this, it took me half a day...again I'm not the most proficient CA user, but its not a trivial task. Things like dimensioning defaults, non-standard layers, additional saved plan views, annotation fonts, etc. Save that template, then start your real project work. My work flow is much more efficient now that I have done that, then the first couple of projects I did with Chief's standard template. Generally, I've found the forum here and the folks that frequent it a great help. Yea, Eric (Solver) is going to ask if you've read the help, but he also will record a video walking through how to do something without you asking, and for free. Its that kind of community, and honestly the shear amount of training videos available, that helped me settle on Chief over Softplan, Sketch Up, Revit, etc.
  3. A graphics card more powerful than a Nvidia 1050 Ti is rarer than a leprechaun's pot of gold...and might cost you as much. The RTX cards are being sold on the secondary market (read scalpers) from 140% (3090) to 210% (3080) higher than MSRP according to a analysis done by Paul's Hardware. And the unfortunate part is there isn't really any relief in sight as scalpers are making plenty of profit, so that means demand will stay high, along with the chip foundries being constrained and prioritizing other industries like automotive instead of graphics cards. Probably the best path to get one of the mid-tier RTX cards is in a prebuilt system from one of the large OEMs...they obviously have more leverage in the supply chain and less susceptible to bot purchases.
  4. Yea, I thought about that. There is a mega collection of wall plates on 3D Warehouse (link), but not sure how to pick just one model out for one symbol. I'm actually pretty proficient in Solidworks and AutoCAD (probably part of my problem using Chief sometime I think), but its taking the solid model and bring it into Chief and getting the CAD block associated with it, etc that has me hesitant. If there isn't anything already done out there, I'll be doing what you suggest I'm sure. Thanks, --Jamie
  5. Hi folks, I was wondering if anyone has come across any symbols for multiple port keystone jacks? I typically use anything from a 3-port single gang up to a 12-port double gang. Usually has CAT5e or CAT6a jacks, but also use them for multimedia spots that include RCA, HDMI, etc. The base Chief library items are one or two port and I haven't spotted a bonus library that tackles this. Thanks, --Jamie
  6. Hi folks, I'm looking for some one-on-one help with a residential plan. I would like for someone to work with me to get a stacked U-shaped stair case to match the attached pictures. In addition, I need some help developing the roof planes to approximately match the attached pictures. Looking for an expert to walk me through the how/why of the methods they use, as opposed to just fixing the plan (the whole teach a person to fish thing). However, the ultimate aim is to have these areas modeled correctly. I've attached pictures of the upper and lower portions of the stairs, a few pictures of the roof line, and a stripped down plan. Anyone interested, please PM me with rates/costs and any other pertinent information or questions. Appreciate the help, --Jamie Example_Files.zip
  7. Do we have a signature bot now?! That would be awesome...Eric's post count might be cut in half --Jamie
  8. Hey folks, I have an opportunity to go to the Atlanta Chief Architect 2-day training seminar this year, and wanted to get some feedback from anyone that has done CA-sponsored training recently. I've gone through about 95% of the training videos done by CA, that was probably the number one thing that drew me here as opposed to some of the other design software out there. While I consider myself intermediate in skills and knowledge, I am far from efficient with my time and process. I often am redoing steps as I get farther into a plan and probably doing things the most convoluted way possible. So, the two options I was looking at to help improve my skills were the 2-day seminar mentioned above and the live Intermediate webinar courses put on by CA. Obviously, I think the 2-day in-person training will probably be better, but is it worth the 4X cost vs the webinar? Not to mention being absent from the "day job" for two whole days. I'm really just wanting to hear from people that have taken one or both of these training and what their thoughts are. Thanks, --Jamie
  9. Hey folks, I was wondering does CA automatically form gable wall end trusses around openings? I'm asking because obviously its not for me, but before I spend an hours researching why its not working, I wanted to see if its even functionally that is present. Thanks, --Jamie
  10. If you are getting the fixture dialog box when you double click or hit ctrl+E, then it looks like you missed a key step in Chopsaw's post. You need to convert the view to a CAD detail. Search help for how to accomplish that. Once its a CAD detail, the entire view is made up of polylines, so you should be able to get the exact length, angle, etc when you double click on a segment. --Jamie
  11. Well, life got in the way of things for a few weeks, but I finally had time to get back and look at this. Chopsaw - your method looks to generate exactly what I would expect for an end truss, thanks. I tried everything you mentioned except the new wall definition without framing, and I am still getting a truss that has a big opening in it. The change in the wall definition to remove framing seems to work, but deleting the framing layer makes the wall thickness ~1". I'd like to avoid having a workaround that deviates from reality so drastically. Anyone have an idea why the end trusses are generating like they are? Another workaround that I can think of is having the gable walls balloon through (as Chopsaw mentions) and have them frame traditionally. However, this does reflect how the building will be built, and the end trusses wouldn't show up in the truss schedule, which I would like it to. Appreciate the input. Thanks, --Jamie
  12. Thanks Eric, Chopsaw, and Glenn. I got the truss to form correctly on the top plate. New issue is I'm trying to change the two out-most trusses to dropped gable end trusses, and they change from the attic configuration, but not to what I would expect. They have this big honking hole in the middle like I have a window there, but there are no openings on the gable wall. I suspect its something to do with the little attic walls I have on the Attic floor, then opening is approximately the same width as those walls, but I'm not sure what settings would affect the truss framing like this. Without any windows, I would expect the end truss to be straight studs 16" o.c. Any ideas? Two Story with Porch - Truss.plan
  13. Hey everyone, thanks for the quick replies. Chopsaw - I have the no birdsmouth checked in the defaults, but doesn't seem to make a difference. Glen - I've deleted and recreated the truss several times, but same thing happens...definition of insanity? Eric - Do you have a complete screenshot of the dbx? I have my options setup as shown, but it is still bearing on the interior of the top plate. As for the "Ignore top floor" option, I'm following CA's KB article about creating a loft area, which instructs to select that option when building the roof planes. Not sure how I would get the FROG otherwise. Thanks, --Jamie
  14. Hi folks, I have a 24' wide building I'm trying to generate an attic truss over. Is there a setting that controls where the bottom cord of the truss bears on the top plate? In the left tab below, I would like the top cord/bottom cord intersection to be on the outside of the main framing layer (left side of the 2x4 wall). This would of course lead to a 24' length for the dimension that is 23'-6 3/8" now in the right tab. What am I missing here? Thanks, --Jamie Two Story with Porch - Truss.plan
  15. I assume if we've jumped to Ruby programming right off the bat there isn't a system/dialog box option I'm overlooking or don't know about? Thanks, --Jamie
  16. Hi folks, Is there a way to control the justification of symbol labels? I would like the text to be centered in the example below. I've been into the Fixture Specifications dbx and don't see any options for the label justification. Thanks, --Jamie
  17. Hey folks, I was wondering how experienced users model built-in bookshelves in their plans? It seems like full height cabinets would be ideal, except I'm not sure how things like casing and face frames on the shelves would be handed. I'm sure I could build the whole thing from poly-solids, but that seems pretty labor intensive. I'm hoping there are some other tips/tricks on getting the custom built-in look. Thanks, --Jamie
  18. Thanks again everyone. Mick - This is my first upgrade cycle, so I'm alittle gun shy to move over to X11 wholesale, but I do have it installed. I'm sure in the future it won't scare me as much. Michael - Do you mean putting them in an architectural block? --Jamie
  19. Thanks folks. I knew about the polyline solid, but had not thought of using a custom countertop. However, that goes along with Chief having 5 tools to do any one task. With the p-solid and countertop approach, I assume lighting will not recognize it as a ceiling surface and I will have to manually set the height of all cans and pendents? And do we think the behavior of the half-wall and soffit are normal, or a bug? Thanks, --Jamie
  20. Hello folks, I have a half wall framed for a two-level counter top in a basement space. There are soffits/bulkheads above the wall concealing mechanicals. When I generate a 3D view, it looks like the half wall, who's height is 40", is cutting into the soffit above (100" height). Any ideas how to prevent this? I've tried a couple of the options in the Wall>Structure tab, but nothing that has changed the behavior. I can post the plan if its not a settings/obvious issue. Thanks, --Jamie
  21. Mark - I've seen the use of a cabinet for things like a window bench, replacing the counter top with a fabric materiel to mimic a cushion. Do you use this method for shower benches/seats? Nice bathroom Tommy. So you used Wall Material Regions for the wall tile (lower squares, accent mosaic, and upper diamond pattern)? Thanks, --Jamie
  22. So I did some experimenting with the different approaches to modeling a tile job. The main different I see between the custom backsplash and wall material region tools are: 1) the wall material region automatically creates a stackup assembly, in my case it was tile>thinset>backer board, and sets the "Cut finish layers of parent object" box while 2) the custom backsplash creates only one layer, the tile, and sets it on top of the wall object (no Cuts Finish Layers selected). Other than that, they seem to accomplish the same thing. And I can make each of them behave the same as the other, by Editing the materials layers of the backsplash tool and inserting the extra layers, and by checking or unchecking the Cut Finish Layers box. Seems like the wall material region would be slightly better if you were intending to do a detail section view of the wall, but other than that, is it 6 of one, half a dozen of the other? I haven't tried the wall coverings approach yet, mainly because it seems like I need to break the shower walls so I don't put the tile across the entire wall. Thanks, --Jamie
  23. Hi everyone, Relative new user here and I was wondering what were some of the pros/cons, or maybe just a best way, of the approaches for the two items below? All of them seem to get to the same final result, and if its just a matter of preference, I'm sure I'll find one I like. However, if there are actual differences in the methods, I'd love to hear about them. To draw a shower bench, it seems like you can use the soffit, slab, or polyline solid tools. I've seen a few of the training videos use polyline solid (x7 version), but the other two seem just as easy. For moderately complex shower tile job, where you have maybe two different wall tiles in addition to a accent tile, what would the differences be between using the custom backsplash tool, the wall coverings specification, or the wall material region tool? Thanks --Jamie
  24. Not exactly a sales question, but I thought it might be the best board to ask on. Is there an archive of old newsletters? Thanks, --Jamie