ClintonM

Thanks for the clarification! If I understand correctly, you can use method two above to update your excel spreadsheets within Chief and without needing to reimport the files. The one current limitation is that your spreadsheets will be stored in Asset Management, not directly in your Project, so navigating to the spreadsheet in order to update it may be a bit tedious. Give this a try and let me know what you think! 1. In your open plan or layout, import a file as you would in X16 2. Note, instead of appearing in the Project alongside plans and layouts, it will be imported to 'Asset Management' (See Tools > Assert Management) 3. To edit the file, use Tools > Asset Management 4. Find the file via the search bar or the ownership dropdown 5. Once the file is found, use the 'Open' or 'Open With...' buttons to edit the Asset 6. Upon saving in the external program, the file in Chief will reflect the changes made

Yes, Tools > Asset Management is only available if Chief Architect Project Management is enabled in Preferences.

Can I ask for some clarification here? Do you want: 1. The ability to import an outside file into a project so that it is stored alongside plans and layouts in a project, and then be able to edit it with your program of choice such that updates are reflected in Chief Or 2. The ability to import an outside file into a project, then import it into a plan or layout, so that it is useable in your drawings, and then be able to edit it with your program of choice such that updates are reflected in your plan or layout You can already do a lot of this in X17, but there may be some behavior that is still lacking. You can currently: 1. Right click on a Project and use 'Import File(s)' to bring a file into the selected Project 2. From the Project Browser, double-click or right click > 'Open With...' on the imported file to open it in your program of choice 3. Upon saving in the external program, the file in Chief will reflect the changes made Or 1. In your open plan or layout, import a file as you would in X16 2. Note, instead of appearing in the Project alongside plans and layouts, it will be imported to 'Asset Management' (See Tools > Assert Management) 3. To edit the file, use Tools > Asset Management 4. Find the file via the search bar or the ownership dropdown 5. Once the file is found, use the 'Open' or 'Open With...' buttons to edit the Asset 6. Upon saving in the external program, the file in Chief will reflect the changes made What X17 can't currently do is allow you to easily link an outside file stored directly in a Project to a plan or layout in that Project. You first need to move the file to Asset Management. If you'd like to add this behavior, please send us a feature request or suggestion If the program isn't working like described int he steps above, please contact Tech Support or let me know here!

You can add most any type of file to a Project by right-clicking on the Project and selecting 'Import File(s)...'. As @SH_Canadaadded, depending on your workflow, it may not be optimal to store derivative files within the Project--especially if they need to be shared with people who don't use Chief Architect. However, it is possible I would suggest trying both methods to see what better fits your workflow.

While I would expect importing the same project multiple times to produce duplicates in the Project Browser, it should not cause broken links or fail to transfer your work. Please contact our tech support team (https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/) so that we can gather more information and get this issue resolved.

If you're talking about the Preferences > File Magagement > Copy Externally Referenced Material Files to My Data Folder preference, this copies files like textures and material maps over to 'My Data' fodler (defaulted to Chief Architect Premier X18 Data/) when importing things like symbols, which can reference external files. If you're talking about a different checkbox, attach a picture or provide some more information, and I'll do my best explain it!

I'll try to clarify some things here: With Chief Architect Project Management turned on, you cannot directly save plans, layouts, or Projects to DropBox or another cloud service. These files are managed by Chief and stored outside of the typical X17 Data Folder. What can be saved to DropBoxor another cloud service are exported Project (.caproj) files. Exporting a Project makes a copy of the project files stored within Chief and bundles together all plans, layouts, and referenced asset files used within a Project. You can think of a Project (.caproj) file as equivalent to the output produced by 'Back Up Entire Plan/Layout' in X16 and other previous versions of Chief. Backups--which contain all Projects and their associated files, as well as libraries, preferences, and other settings--can also be stored on a cloud service. You can make a backup at any time using File > Back Up and Restore... > Back Up Managed Resources.... Chief is also set up to create these backups at midnight, by default. Depending on your use case, storing Project files and backups on a cloud service may be sufficient for your needs. Like @ComputerMaster86said, with Chief Architect Project Management turned off, plans and layouts can be saved to DropBox just like in previous versions. If you work in a highly collaborative environment, this may be the right choice for you. I would encourage you (and other users) to give Chief Architect Project Management a try and see if it is compatible with your workflow. If it doesn't, turning Project Management off allows you to manage files just like previous versions.

@glennw Sorry for the confusion. Like you noted, accessing the Create Orbital Walkthrough Path via 3D>Walkthroughs>Create Orbital Walkthrough Path is unavailable in plan view. However, you can also access the tool for a given camera by selecting the camera in a plan view. The tool is available in the camera's edit menu.

In plan view, the Create Orbital Walkthrough Path tool is available in Perspective Full Overview's edit menu. The same steps @glennwenumerated should work for all perspective camera views, including the Perspective Full Overview, Perspective Floor Overview, and Perspective Framing Overview.

One possibility is that the Import Drawing dialog is appearing on a secondary screen, possibly one that is no longer connected to your machine. This would give the appearance of Chief locking up or being frozen, when in reality, the dialog box just isn't visible. If that is the case, Edit > Preferences > Reset Options > Reset Dialog Sizes may solve the problem.