Dermot

It's because no one has ever asked us to.

Please note that this is an old post. For what it's worth, the export format was fixed in X13.

Please contact our technical support department during their normal business hours.

You might want to take a look in the core libraries at the metal sidings that already ship with the program. If one of these is close enough, then I would just use it. There are also some other sidings available for download in the 3D Library (although I don't know if there are any more metal sidings). You can look for them here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/3d-library/ If you can't find one that is close enough, then I would start with something from the core libraries that is at least somewhat close and then copy it to your user library (instead of starting from scratch). Here is a tech article with some general information to help get you started: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01006/customizing-a-library-material.html There are bunch of other articles and videos related to customizing materials as well. If you run into a specific problem, you might want to post back with more details and someone might be able to help. If all else fails, you might also one to contact tech support.

Here is a tech article that might have some more ideas: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00521/troubleshooting-slowness-in-chief-architect-plans.html If all else fails, then you might want to post the plan or contact tech support for more help.

I would probably just use a 3D molding polyline (as suggested by Ryan) with a round molding profile set to the size of the pipe. I think it will give you a much more realistic model and it will allow you to more easily do things like accurately design the vent with the proper slope to meet code. Plus learning how to use the 3D molding polyline might come in very handy for other situations, like with other HVAC or plumbing.

Please remember that X14 is currently available as a beta version. This means that you may find some problems that were not in prior versions. Please report all of these problems directly to our tech support team so that we can try to correct them prior to the actual release. Please remember that posting on Chieftalk is not the same as reporting problems to us. Although Chieftalk is moderated by Chief Architect, it is really just a user forum where the majority of the content here comes directly from users. While some employees may read and even comment on some posts, there is no guarantee that any given post will be looked at by an employee. You can find out how to contact support here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/

Objects can display both normal labels and schedule callouts now. In prior versions, you could only display one or the other. If the object is included in a schedule, the schedule can be set to display just the callout, just the label, or both. The object label will appear when the label has text, the label is not suppressed, and the label layer is turned on. This assumes that it is not in a schedule that is set to just display callouts. The schedule callout will appear when the object is included in a schedule, does not have it's callout suppressed, and the callout layer is turned on. This assumes that the schedule is not set to just display labels.

My best guess is that the "label" is not really a label. It is just text that is in the cad block. If so, then this has nothing to do with X14. If not, then you should probably post a plan or contact tech support.

If anyone can find a case where X14 is noticeably slower than X13 was when doing something in particular, then please be sure and report this to our tech support team. If would be very helpful if you could include the original X13 plan and the exact steps that you are using to see the slow downs. This is the kind of information that can really help us to determine the cause. You can find information about contacting tech support here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/

Try turning on Show Position in Camera View.

In the video, the fill color is blue because it is set to "Use Layer Color" and the layer is blue. If your background color is white, you could first click on "Use Background Color" and then click on "Custom Color" and it should keep the color. The Material List Polyline defaults only affect material list polylines. These can be used to create a material list for a particular area in a plan. There are a number of other polyline based objects that also have defaults (some that are new in X14). I suppose you could always draw one of these and then convert it into a plain polyline because *most* of them will keep the fill style. There is also a Fill Style Painter tool.

If you always draw your stairs going up, then you probably won't have this problem. If this is not what you did then you should probably post your plan or contact tech support. The stair break line tools can be used control how stairs display before and after the break line on the floor above. They are not designed to fully remove a stair since that can already be controlled by using layers.

Since this thread is getting long, maybe this needs repeating?

Although the program allows you to rename the hardcoded system layers, I generally don't recommend this. If you ever copy things between plans, import any data, or use things from the library, you will probably end up having some things on the old layer names and some things on the new layer names which will only lead to more confusion. If you have already renamed some system layers, or ever just want to make sure your system layer are all using the default names, all you need to do is use the "Reset Layer Names" tool in the Layer Display Options dialog.

For most people, camera problems are solved by updating their video card drivers. In your case, it sounds like something changed on your system that is causing the problem. Sometimes, rolling back to a slightly older driver can solve this problem, but not always. For some more detailed information about solving problems with camera views, you should review this tech article: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00106/troubleshooting-3d-camera-view-display-problems-in-chief-architect.html If that does not help you solve the problems, then hopefully tech support will be able to help you on Monday.

"and thanks for the Down Votes D. very good of you." I did not give you those down votes. I thought your post was a good opportunity to remind people of the importance of reporting bugs. I did think that you down voting me in retaliation was rather immature though.

Did you try using the "Check Knowledge Base" button? Did you try searching our tech articles? See if this article helps: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00964/message-the-file-appears-to-be-locked.html If not, then you should probably contact tech support.

"...as it looks like it was never fixed." That would not surprise me if it was never reported. Sometimes when people run into problems and they find work-arounds, they never bother to report them. Sometimes people will mention problems in random posts on Chieftalk and never bother to report them. Sometimes people will actually report problems but then when tech support asks them for some more information they never bother to send it. Sometimes people want to report problems but can't because they are too busy and then forget to do later. It's really unfortunate and that's one of the reasons you will see me on the forums practically begging people to contact tech support. We really want to fix problems like this but sometimes we can't without a little bit of help.

Please report this problem to our tech support team. My best guess is that this is a problem with the importing dimension defaults (done by importing your default sets). I am assuming that your interior dimensions worked just fine before you did this but this should be easy for you to confirm. When you report this you will need to include a simple plan that works fine, the default sets that you are importing, and the exact settings that you are using when you import them. Assuming that we can duplicate this problem, then hopefully we can get a fix in to prevent this.

The red plus means that it is used somewhere in your plan. It may also be used in your defaults and it may also be a system layer. The pop-up hint I mentioned will tell you this. It might just say "used in plan" or it might say "used in plan and defaults". "Used in plan" is still somewhat ambiguous though because it can be hiding in a lot of places. It could be in a saved cross section or elevation view. It could be in a saved cad detail. It could used by an object that is in a cad block. If you want someone to do something other than make random guesses, then you should probably post a plan.

Have you tried going to your plan view and moving it away from the wall?

There is no "blank" callout but you can specify the Size as 0 if you turn of the Automatic size. You can also specify the Marker Radius as 0. This is assuming that you want the line to go with the label, otherwise you don't really need a callout or marker. The %automatic_label% macro will give you the same thing you would get if you were using an automatic label instead of specifying one. I believe for layout boxes this will be the same as the view name that was sent.

If you hover over the symbol in the used column you should get a pop-up hint that tells you where the layer is being used.

If you open an X13 plan in X14, your manual dimension tools should pretty much work the same without having to change any settings. If you import your X13 dimension defaults into X14, they should also work the same as they did in X13. If you are finding any cases where this is not happening, then please feel free to report this to our tech support team. Are you manually drawing your interior dimension using the "Interior Dimension" tool or are you using the "Manual Dimension" tool? If you draw a dimension line using the "Interior Dimension" tool it should always pick up both wall sides. You can set them up to locate either wall surfaces or the main layer in your dimension defaults. You can also set them up to display the wall width if you like. If you draw a dimension line using the "Manual Dimension" tool, this will locate your walls according to the settings on the "Locate Manual" panel of your dimension defaults. You can set them up to locate either side of your interior walls or both using the Primary Side and Secondary Side check boxes. If you are doing something else, then you will have to explain further.