ACADuser

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.

Just so happens that I turned 8 or so layers off & after a time working on that drawing I could not remeber all the layers I had turned off. Looks like I will have to clone the layer set next time, live & learn. I didn't check History to see if the Hide command recorded all my actions. Oh wait I just checked & I can't fins a history? Does Chief record all actions upto a set number for your review? That is tied to Undo in ACAD which reportd to the screen each time you undo it says what action it is undoing, this is very helpful. So neather of these features are in Chief?

Thanks, seems like a workaround when Select Similar would be the tool of choice. Speaking of layers, say you are working in plan view and you want to hide a few layers to make eslecting objects easyer. You hide several layers & now you layer Set is messed up. Shouldn't you be requierd to SAVE the changes to that layer Set if you wanted a perminant change. No simple way to restore the layers you have hidden?

OK I created a bunch of floor trusses just fooling around with the tools & such. Now I want to select ALL the floor trusses & delete them. selecting one truss & there is no "Select similar" option. How do you select all of them?

I do not see any unblock! Look at the bottom tool bar. The WP highlites and a move grip appears, I am clicking on the recptical in the plan. cad block management only gives me the option to insert a new Recptical.

See picture attached. Looks like no Explode or Unlock available for this object. Using X6 Primer

OK, you are talking to a guy with 9 days of experance with Chief. Add "WP" to the cad block. Check Find the cad block and insert it on the plan , Check unblock it and change it, Oops, can't find the explode button for this block?

All water proof outlets must be labeled GCI or GFCI So how do I change the 2D block? Sorry f this is a dumb question but haven't found the answer yet. Thanks in advance.