ACADuser

Exactly, that is why I love my custom buttons.

BTW Scott, not ranting at you just Chief for tying our hands.

Interesting, thanks for the info. The Transform Replicate is a good way to move one time. But I wanted to use the nudge. This is what I use often. I get an object, say the Room label and want to adjust it to fit a re-sized room. Not just center it but adjust it to avoid some objects & play with the LOOK of it on the sheet. This is where the nudge is a great tool. All i wanted is a quick & efficient way to adjust the jump distance on the fly.

Sorry for the ambiguity. I like the Nudge using the arrow keys because it is a fast way to move objects when no specific distance is needed. I discovered the method of TAB key during a drag to enter the distance to move. This is a help. Back to nudge. Handy little bugger. But when working in larger spaces, like a 80x170 building I am doing I would like to change the jump distance to say 12 and back to 1 at times. If I was in ACAD I would create two new buttons & assign a lisp or command line expression to the buttons to do just that. Or to even open a dialog box to as for the new jump value. So I discover today that no user defined buttons, no macro language, no ruby support. Just sour grapes on my part. I spent 15 years with almost total control of the environment & now am in a straight jacket so to speak. OK sorry I had a little rant of my own. Any way so set the nudge short of jumping into the menu system?

OK I can't believe there is not a hot key or button to click to set the jump distance (snap unit).

Thanks for the info.

Who is doing the engineering on this job? Max pressure on the 2x sill plate using PT is around 425 PSI should work if placed under the rim board but will not work if under the joist only. Too much pressure on the plate. Here in Florida the sill plate is often eliminated & a galvanized strip is used to isolate the joist from the CMU wall. Even TJI & Web trusses are installed that way. Use a Simpson strap for each joist to attach to the wall. Use a rim board held just off the CMU or use a PT rim board. If you use PT joist no isolation is needed. None of this addresses the problem though. Just show 2x6 & call it out as 2x4.

Wich text do you prefer & why? Text or Rich Text

Sound advice Gary. My problem is I have two classes of clients. Yes, Chief is different and that is why I am using it. The housing and small business clients want 3D in there drawings or at least in the presentation documents. My other client is an engineer & does small bridges, aircraft hangers, drainage structures, mechanical parts, etc. Some of his work requires that a CAD drawing be turned in at completion. No 3D required for him or even perspective's. I don't see Chief doing the many details & rebar layouts in top, side & section views needed. As fast as Chief is in creating the 3D model Autocad is equally fast at manipulating CAD objects. I was using AcelliARCH (2000 version) for the 3D housing but it's following has wained & I see Chief as a developing product with plenty of life in the company. AcelliARCH is an add on to CAD and therefore uses the CAD interface which is Heaven to me. But the rendering in Chief is hard to beat. The fact that you still need to create & edit 2D details in Chief means you must deal with the clumsy tools provided for 2D. Too many years using ACAD I guess.

Yes the zoom works, Why can't they fix that? Looks like a lot of these 3D programs are weak when it comes to standard CAD tools. The space bar to quit a command is killing me when I switch to ACAD. I programed my 2nd left mouse button so I can stop that habit. But in ACAD I use it to switch drawing files & now that is anoying me. I guess I need a mouse with another button. Which some of the Chief keys could be reprogramed. Frustrating!

Wow, I think you are saying Chief has no Offset command.

Thanks for the quick reply. I am plotting in One Color and still too dark, no change. Did I miss something?

I have a U shaped polyline & want to offset it 12 units, not copy. The new object should be 12 units larger tha\n the original. Also why when moving an object using the point to point move the command quits when I try to pan using the middle mouse button during the command?

I have a need for faded or light plot of an office furniture. Working with 25 each 8'x8' office cubicle's. The layout is a U shaped with 3 desks, a chair & one shelf. So I inserted 3 tables stretched to fit & used a counter top for the shelf. Along with the chair I made them into a Arch Block. Problem is I am only concerned with the plan view & plotting these items in a faded look. So perhaps CAD lines may be a better choice for a CAD block. Line weight of 0 or 1 is not working. Thanks for your time.

Modifying the Window Schedule. I want to include the Glazing type "Double Pane Low E" which I set in the windows specification >energy value >assembly > glazing type >Double Pane Low E Can't seem to find that item in the Window Schedule dialog.

Oops, yes Ray Trace. Looks like 4 to 6 passes before it looks OK. This is 1 hour 40 min pass 7. Computer specs added to signature.

I am doing my first renders & they are taking hours. Would you share your settings so I can give them a try?

Thanks Joe.

OK I'm starting to put it together. Yes there is a window for changing the 2D block in that dialog box. Wish they had context sensitive help.

Wow, got it. Opening a 3D view & right click selecting the Receptacle then the chair w/ pencil icon, select 2D on left menu, then select a block I made. Too many terms & concepts that I don't understand yet. Thanks for your patience.

OH forgot that one already. Thanks

OK at 5. I have a new CAD block in my floor plan 6. select what symbol? Isn't a symbol a 3D object displayed in a picture view or elevation? Open the Symbol dbx I assume that is the chair icon only available when you can select a symbol. Sorry to be so dense.

tommy Thanks so much for the offer. I may have to take you up on it.

Joe thanks so much for your presistance in this task. 1. OK 2. OK Once opened the pop up window does not have a menu or allow Ctrl V with out exiting the pop up. I assume that steps 1 & 2 were to assure that the block exist in the drawing. 3 & 4 Inserting the block with this menu did produce as block that I could explode. Thanks you 5. There is no Unblock option only Explode doint so I was able to edit the text object block the objects & choose an insert point. I added it to the catalog. Which it chose User Catalog. The problem I now have is that the block is a dumb block which does not insert as the electical block, snapint to walls, auto rotating & when this block is rotated the text is no longer positioned correctly. I do apreaciate your efforts & I see how to edit a block now But I still want the smart block from electrical to insert smartly. Is that doable?

Thanks Glennw, Changing the label does not change the 2D cad block. In my case I want it to say "WP GFI" on all future blocks, I don't use any WP recepticals thet are not GFI & the plans examinor wants to see the GFI indication. You must use WP GFI in rain exposed locations so GFI by itself is not exceptable.