Dermot

Have you tried selecting "Show Single Label for Entire Unit" in the Bay Window Specification dialog? This should give you a single entry in your window schedule instead of listing each component window separately.

"All I want is regular stucco walls and regular interior walls with drywall that are 4"" In the real world, interior walls are usually 4 1/2", assuming that you are using 2x4 framing and 1/2" drywall. By default, the program is setup to create and display models much more accurately than what it sounds like you want. The good news is that you should be able to set things up to do exactly what you want but you will first need to learn how. I highly recommend that you start by watching the training videos though. You might want to start with the Quick Start Series: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/138/quick-start-video-series.html Then I would encourage you to watch both the wall and dimension series: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/85/walls.html https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/92/dimensions.html

You are using the Perspective Floor Overview camera. The overview cameras do not show ceiling surfaces because they are intended to be used to look into the model from above. Try using the Full Camera instead.

"I can't bump windows over, doors etc., text will move however..." Try drawing a single horizontal wall all by itself and placing a window in it. If you select the window, I am guessing that it will move when you hit the left/right arrow keys. I suspect that the real problem is that you are trying to move a particular window in a situation where something is blocking it. Rather than have people try to guess what might be causing this, you should probably post the plan with an indication of which particular window won't move and I bet someone could figure it out for you very quickly. If all else fails, then you might want to contact technical support for more help.

The program put it in because your plan has an unconnected room. Your solution is not really a very good solution. I recommend that you always leave "Connect Island Rooms" turned on. The program puts them in because having unconnected island rooms can cause a multitude of problems with room definitions which can affect things like living area calculations, floors and ceilings, room moldings, etc. If you don't like where the program puts them, then you can just move them. Or, you can always draw your own and then you will be able to delete the ones the program automatically put in. In your particular plan, all you need to do is connect either side of the free standing wall with another wall to get rid of it. If you don't want to see them, then just turn the layer off. If you want to see your normal room divider walls, but not the automatic ones, then just put them on a custom layer and turn that layer off. Please remember that just because they are hidden they may still affect things like bumping, snapping, dimensions, etc. For this reason, I would keep them turned on in your working drawings but turn them off in your construction documents.

You should probably post the layout and plan files instead of making everyone guess. Or, if all else fails, contact technical support for more help.

Actually, it looks like it is showing. It's just solid white though. The view on the left looks like it is using the standard render technique. The view on the right looks like it is using the vector view render technique. Render views will display textures and vector views will display patterns. It looks like your material has a texture but no pattern. If you want it to display a pattern in vector views, you will need to add one. More information about materials can be found in this video series: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/170/materials-patterns-textures.html

Thanks, Joey. I was able to find your request from 2016. Still, I am surprised that this hasn't been asked for more often.

As far as I can tell, no one has ever asked for this. If you would like the program to work differently, then you should probably submit a feature request and include any plan files and pictures that show exactly what you would like the program to do. Please remember that discussing these things on the Q&A forum is not the same as actually submitting a feature request.

Electrical objects won't automatically attach to roof soffits. If you would like them to, then you should probably submit a feature request. For now, I would just place a ceiling mounted light or outlet from the library and adjust the height so it is positioned properly. You may also need to use the Open Symbol tool to turn off the Flush Mounted option so that it is flat and doesn't try to follow the slope of the roof. You should not need to "fake" anything by placing cad blocks or added lights.

As pointed out by Joey, you can already do this by setting up your own template plans. You can find some more information here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00463/creating-and-using-a-plan-template.html https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/248/creating-templates-from-existing-plans.html?playlist=169 https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/5414/using-templates-for-new-plan-files.html?playlist=169 https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/1/creating-a-layout-template.html?playlist=169

Just as an FYI, I believe the rule is that the program will import the layer set as long as there is not already one using the same name in the plan. It will also import all of the other annotation defaults (such as dimensions, text, etc.) as long as they are not in the plan either.

As far as I know, the only difference between the ruby console in X9 versus X12 is the background color used for the output window. As far as I know, the only way to clear the contents from the output window is to exit the program and restart it. Might be nice if there was, but that would be a feature request and I don't think anyone has ever asked for this.

The output window has a darker background because it is not an area you can type in. You can input commands in the line below the console. The help button does a pretty good job of explaining this (but you may note that it is still using the old white background).

The key to what you are trying to do is to learn how to use "Saved Plan Views" and "Default Sets". There are a number of videos that explain how these tools work. You may want to watch the following video series again: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/100/saved-plan-views-layers-annotations.html If you still have questions after rewatching these videos, then you may want to ask some more specific questions. I have found that the posts that get the most useful responses are the ones that have more details and less attitude. If all else fails, you may want to review some of the additional training resources we have available: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/training/

Just as an FYI... Actual scaled line weights (and accurate line styles) will only display accurately on the screen when you either turn on Line Weights or Print Preview. There are buttons for these on the right hand of your screen if you are using the default toolbars. The reason that most people have these turned off is because they can get in the way when you are trying to work in a plan. Also, if you want the line weights to look correct on the screen, you need to check settings in the Drawing Sheet Setup for the view you are working in. You can find some more information here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00923/understanding-and-adjusting-line-weight-scaling.html

Assuming that this happens in all plans, and not just one particular plan, than this is most likely a system problem. There is no one size fits all solution to these kinds of problems. Most often they are caused by video card or driver issues but many other system related problems can cause this as well. Please see this tech article for more information: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-03049/troubleshooting-chief-architect-software-closing-unexpectedly-on-windows.html If you need additional help, you should contact technical support during our normal business hours: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/#contact

I apologize if any of the information I have provided was not helpful.

Still sounds like a video card problem to me. You might want to check out this tech article: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00106/troubleshooting-3d-camera-view-display-problems-in-chief-architect.html If all else fails, then you might want to contact tech support during normal business hours.

HD Pro 2021 has no print size limitation. Prior versions did.

Did you choose "Use Edge Line Defaults" in the Send to Layout dialog? If so, then you told the program to use the edge line defaults for the layout box instead of using the layer settings for the camera view. If this is not what you did, then you probably need to post a plan and some pictures.

99% of the time this is because these cabinets are listed in two different schedules. To figure out which schedules, just open your Project Browser and look in the Schedules section (not the CAD Details section). You can delete your schedules one at a time to see which ones are generating the callout labels. If this does not solve your problem, then you may want to either post your plan or contact tech support.

This is just an FYI for those that are interested... Sometimes when you have terrain generating inside the building it is because your walls are not properly connected or one or more of them is marked as No Room Definition. Fixing these problems will often correct the problem with the terrain. The program is not always going to be able to handle every possible situation and might not cut the terrain hole exactly the way you want it to. In these situations creating your own manual terrain hole is usually the easiest way to solve the problem. If you select the terrain perimeter, you can use the "Make Terrain Hole Around Building" tool to generate the default hole and then edit the shape as needed.

This pdf will give you some more info about the differences between Chief Premier and HD Pro: https://cloud-hd.chiefarchitect.com/1/pdf/product-info/compare-chief-architect-to-home-designer-pro.pdf You might also want to download the trial version for HD Pro and try it out for yourself. Since you haven't used Chief since version 9.5, you may even want to download the trial version of Premier to compare it with. Typically you can get a $500 discount when you upgrade from HD Pro to Premier which makes it relatively low risk to buy HD Pro first and then upgrade to Premier later. And finally, as Rich said, you might want to call during our normal business hours on Monday to speak directly with a sales representative.

Here is a tech article about associating files with a particular version of the program: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01131/associating-plan-layout-and-library-files-with-the-latest-version-of-chief-architect-or-home-designer.html Also, regarding upgrading to X12, please note that if your SSA is current that you should be able to get X12 without having to pay the upgrade price. If you let your SSA lapse, then you would have to pay the upgrade price but that it is currently on sale. If you do renew your SSA at this time, you should also be able to get X13 when it is released in the next few months. For more information, you may want to contact our sales department during our normal business hours and speak to them about your specific situation.