builtright3

I never worried about insulation in my sections before because I just put a insulation cad detail in the framing section and than label it but now because I'm trying to keep a live plan I need to change that way of thinking.

I see the insulation in the walls and ceiling but not the floor. How do I show it in the floor?

Thank You Larry

I have been working with CA since version 8 and still consider myself a newbie. I just haven't been using the program correctly until now. Seems like I'm always learning things the hard way.

...in the structure dbx. Could have sworn I just set negative floor heights in another plan but this one has the floor height dbx grayed out. Stumped again by the structure dbx,

 

 

http://www.screencast.com/t/f6R3RoweCHXW

 

 

 

Plan Here

 

FLOOR HEIGHT 1.plan

Larry,

Did you resolve this issue?

Were you trying to lower the elevation on the back houses?

Just truing to understand for my own knowledge. I change the floor elevations but I'm not sure if I was doing what you were trying to do.

The room defaults overpower the floor defaults

This is a good point to mention. This kind of stuff can really stump a newbie! 

Sounds good.  Once I get your plan I can give you a price.  Depending on the way your plan is setup, it could be a little more complicated than what I currently do - but maybe less.  I don't do much remodel work so that's a little more but other parts of what you do may be less.  I don't want to give a blanket price for this until I've looked at your plan.

Sent you a private message Joe. Hopefully I did it right. let me know if not. 

lol....why?..... 

 

But seriously,  I  consider us a team,  we help each other out if we can,  when we help each other out we learn,  the OP learns,  and the more the OP knows,  the more likely he is going to be able to help me out in the future........  after all,  it's all about.... mi,   mi,  mi,  ......... 

Just trying to be funny

I really appreciate you and the others in this forum and look forward to the day I can be a help to someone else.

I know construction very well and know what I want it a plan I'm just trying to get what I want out of this software.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Love it love it love it,  thanks JC,  the sooner we get this minutia out of the way,  the sooner you will be a viable contributor to the forum.  Nice job Joey,  stick at it until the issue is resolved.  

Thank you Scott, When I grow up I want to be just like you.

In my mind it is very important.  I set it about 10 years ago and I forget it.......  unfortunately I relocated my office 2 years ago so the next few plans had the wrong info until I changed it.......  this stuff is no brainer stuff.....  I do not know where the confusion is.....  it is inputted in your template plan,  if you do not have a template plan then you will have to input the stuff for every new job.

Joe helped me

Problem is solved and way behind me

Thanks Scott

The Default Designer Info is in

 

Preference > Appearance > Text > Default Designer Information.

 

If it is set there it should be automatic in all new Plans.  If you change it in an individual Plan it will over-ride that information in the Layout.

Thank you Joe!

I think I got hung up on something that is really not that important. But the CA Tec at least agreed with my thought but he didn't tell be that there is a default setting so I'm assuming he just didn't know. My question would be; when he left me on hold who did he talk to about it and why did they not know about the default setting?     

Whether the designer information is in the defaults or not if you save a plan and save it as a template and reopen it, it should still be there. At least in my opinion.

I saved one of my new layouts as a template file but when I opened the template file to use it for a new job the designer information for the layout was gone. Can anyone tell me why it did not save the designer information? I would think that the customer information from the last job would be there also.

I spoke to tech support with this issue and it is a flaw and/or programing oversight in the system and they will work on getting it fixed.

Thank You CA

Make the change, as Perry suggested, then save the layout as a template. If you create a new layout that hasn't been modified and saved, then of course the Layout Box Labels will keep appearing.

I think that is were your mixed up because I did that before. You cannot set this as a global setting. You have to save your changes as a template like Robert describes. So I needed to learn the difference between global setting and plan settings.

Did I say that right guys?

Scott, no real way to compare our methods. My as-builts only include the bare minimums that will get me to the proposed plan sets. I've never really timed my method but it's not nearly as complex as yours. Six sections? More power to you. Never had a need for six sections on any remodel I've ever done.

 

Don't do floor/roof framing and seldom include a roof plan for the as-built either. Never found a need. Those all go in to the proposed plan set.

 

I also don't include the site plan and consider that part of the working drawings. Don't include any road or sidewalks either unless it helps with initial concepts.

 

Not much help.

Larry,

I keep my preliminary drawings to site plan, demo plan, floor plan, exterior elevations and roof plan.

I like to include the site plan for a few reasons:

1) I'm there measuring so why not?

2) I want to draw it why I still have all the visual thoughts in my head

3) I can email or take to planning for their preliminary over the counter approval of the concept and setback requirements.

4) Easy to show the customer and explain why or why not they can or cant do something

5) Easy property lines you can draw in just a few minutes and the more complicated ones you can just cut and past off the parcel map right on the drawing and outline it and then worry about the accuracy later for your submittal drawings. The garage is usually and important item to me because of clearances that are require (20' clear backup, 26' radius.....). And don't forget about the easements like electrical lines. Most houses don't have that but some do. This research I do so I'm not wasting my time and more importantly the customers money.

Measure a job and take lots of pictures takes me on the average 1 1/2 hours and I go back to my office and I have the as built complete by the end of my 8 hr. day. Then I either work late or start my alterations and additions the next day.

Hate to start off with a negative but 2.9 number 3 on the list is not corrected yet as far as I can tell.

"Reporting of wall coverings in the materials list for individual rooms"

No answers on this one I guess!

I will just put the designer info on page 0. That's how I had it before and it works great that way.

Annotation sets are the best! Huge time saver!

I saved one of my new layouts as a template file but when I opened the template file to use it for a new job the designer information for the layout was gone. Can anyone tell me why it did not save the designer information? I would think that the customer information from the last job would be there also.

Put it in the CA suggestion box

Ok, I'm flexible. It doesn't necessarily have to be set up in my plan but I want you to see a clear example of what I looking for so we don't waist time. 

So even if you do a framing section on the stairs the framing doesn't show up unless you check the box for no risers. Not sure why I haven't realized this before.

That's interesting!

Joe,

I think what I will do this week is build what I want on one of my floor plans as far has how the data is structured. In other words I will build the poly line areas and everything else I need with my list of data and maybe you can connect the dots with the macro's when I'm done and send the plan file back to me. I would be more than happy to pay you for your time.

What do you think?

I like Perry's method

Seems to me that it makes sense to do whatever looks best in all the views with out the framing because when it comes down to it the framing is in the details that can be made the way you want them.

Joey, All of your areas are possible just using macros assigned to default room labels and a reference macro assigned to the property line. All the calculations can be done within the display macro(s) and the whole thing put in a single text box. I have the text box in a CAD Detail that I send to Layout.

 

Here's an example of what I'm doing - it's all extracted directly from the model using macros.

How do you do the macro for the property square feet?

Also can you create a macro to calculate square foot from a poly line solid? In other words; I don't like the way Chief calculates square feet so I outline the area I want to calculate with a poly line and I have a layer call "Square Feet" to put it on. So I would like to assign a macro for that square footage off the closed polyline I create.

Does that make sense? I'm not to good with words to explain things. 

The other reason I do this is because I have better control over rooms that are extended so I don't have to use a room divider line to get my calculation and also area demoed and existing area remolded. I don't generally need individual room square feet. I put that in the room label for light and vent calculations. Those don't need to be perfect.

I would like to put my building data in spread sheet form on the plan. Is there any way to do this within CA and then have it also calculate the numbers I need for the city like total building area, lot coverage percentage....? I may have to learn more about macros to do this?

I think this is what Joe was working on?

The attached is what I typically include in my building data: