ValleyGuy

You may also be getting long linear lengths if you haven't checked the box for the max plate length found in the wall layers specification. Here is an idea that I use for the 'other' common board purchasing lengths. Contractors around here usually only order pre-cut studs (by the lift) for all the wall vertical framing, and 10', 12', 16' for plate material. I utilized the 'comment' part of the material list to add the trimmer studs to the pre-cut stud count (as you can't buy this exact length either) so the contractor doesn't need to optimize the oddball length pieces out of 10', 12', 16' lumber. I created a new Buy List, removed the lumber that I did not want to purchase, added in the common lengths (pre-cut studs) and those that will be created from openings (ie Trimmer studs), then arranged the selection order hierarchy. You will need to edit each line of lumber that you can't purchase at the lumber yard (ie trimmer stud lengths) to add in your comment (ie 92 5/8" pre-cut ). When you print off the material list, Chief will give a qty count of the different lengths of studs (trimmers and cripples) and select according to your hierarchy lines of the created buy list. Thus you get a nice neat list of oddball lumber sizes that have a comment to include them with lumber that can actually be purchased - the lift of pre-cuts. I believe that it gives a better real life count as most of the trimmer stud waste gets used for stuff that we don't usually take the time to draw (endless blocking, temp jigs, firewood...). If you just let Chief divide the linear add ups, I'm sure that someone will give you an earful when he has 5 pcs @10' plus 5 pcs @12' and needs 15 pieces at 92 5/8" = more wasted dollars cutting the long stuff and he'll need to scrounge some bad culled lumber to finish up. There may be an easier way, but this works pretty well for me...

I'll try and remember to do a follow up. Every review seems to have the same conclusions; once it's set up and the user gets comfortable with it, '...how did I ever survive without it...' seems to be the end result. As far as CA, I bought the Enterprise model with the hopes of significant work flow improvement because of the additional buttons on the unit. The enter button being controlled by the left hand alone should save a tremendous amount of effort as I currently only have a 7 button mouse and the keyboard. Here are some key things I'm hoping to gain from it in CA: -Having 96 "Hot Keys" at your finger tips without having to look at the keyboard will be an efficiency improvement. -Having to remember the sequence of acronyms, confusion of whether it was shift + letter or was it control + letter, as well as dealing with the errant finger dexterity mistakes should eliminated. -12 single buttons to pop up 96 tools / library items - I can see about 200 key strokes that won't be required to accomplish the same task. -The visual icon button on the screen should free up a little head space - remember the visual picture and not have to remember the hot keys associated with the picture. -There should be considerable fewer miles put on my current mouse racing across the screen. -Maybe even the multiple Macro ability could help with secondary mouse clicks, not sure about this option yet. -I'm hoping that the 'view keys' will make quick work with the elevations while in 3D. Pushing a button and having RH,LH, Front and Rear, Top and Bottom elevations may be very beneficial - especially with CA's recent teaser of available Dimensions in 3D views coming out in X16. This may minimize a lot of Cross Section Elevation tabs being open at the same time as all the views may be accessible from one 3D perspective overview - no more adjusting and measuring in 2D then having to jump into 3D to see how it looks, then maybe to plan view to adjust placement, then back to 3D...... - In addition to the above versatility within one 3D screen, I'm hoping that the 'Special View Keys' will act like temporary saved camera views. There could be the possibility to have three additional saved camera positions to jump back and forth from just by pushing a button. -And then there is the 3D picture navigation. I'm looking forward to having much smoother movements with greater control via the 'joystick' type control. Any zooming done not via the jumpy roller of my current mouse, will be welcomed for sure. How about all you Space Mouse Enterprise Users out there? Are you experiencing results like this or am I being optimistic?

You started me down the right path, Thank you. Incase anyone else needs to venture down this road.... Applications CA X15 -RH click, choose [Show Package Contents] Mac OS Resources Buttons Mine appear to have white backgrounds in the file thumbnails, but have a darker gray/brown background in preview mode. Just have to wait and see what comes out when the mouse arrives and they get inputted. Thanks again TeaTime

After searching old threads I believe that I am looking for a 'Resource' file. I can not seem to locate the 'resources' file on my Mac - maybe this isn't even the file I need to locate?? Where would I access Tool Icon Buttons? I have a new Space Mouse coming in a few days and would like to load the tool icon buttons from Chief X15. I found information and videos for PC's which appear to be straight forward, I just can't seem to find the file to get started. Like this, only on a Mac. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you mean that those two options are not highlighted for you to be able to use them, you possibly don't have the "Build Roof Planes" box checked off. Under the Build Roof Tool, or double click the Roof Plane Tool, either way will open the Build Roof Tool as the roof plane tool's direction comes from the Build Roof Tool. There really is no need to retain anything if you aren't auto building it, that is maybe why you can't select them.

Maybe give these guys in Toronto a look... https://artemis-studio.com/

If they are only decorative dormers placed on top of the roof... maybe someone has already done the heavy lifting for you. I found these prefabricated ones on the internet.

Hey Doug, I have seen some pretty intricate stuff like this done in foam covered with stucco. It is applied right over regular square stick built framing. Just the roof overhangs and fascia boards need to be worked out. Saves the weight and looks great. Where I'm at, we have a TrueFoam plant that will make pretty much anything you can design for their CNC cutout machine.

Good to know, thanks

You could also make your wall type material "opening (no material)" as the floor joist area is as Ryan says - filled with your wall layer materials.

I just did this a month or two ago. I used CA15 to take all the video clips in such a way to capture many different stages from a full vegetation lot through digging the hole, foundation, 1st floor framing, 2nd floor framing, roof with windows and doors and house wrap, finished house and patios on rough grading and ended with the landscaped lot and hard surfaced driveway. I made an MP4 video clip by splicing all the CA video clips together on my Mac's iMovie. No fancy editing as I have no idea how to do that stuff. All the work came from overlapping walk through paths in the same direction. The video is 93Mb so I can't load it here but I attached still shots from the 37 second video. The guys above are correct, it was about a day and a half worth of work to set up my library items (mostly chosen vegetation items with proper layer set specifications organized into different library folders), create additional layer sets for all the different plans needed, work out the logistics for the over lapping camera views, plus make all the additional items not already in the original plan. Four plans, 11 walk through clips, 10 additional layer sets, quite a few new items in my library along with manipulation of a few things like wall materials (to show the house wrap) is what was needed. I also made a two page set of directions so I can repeat this process in an hour or two now. I would say that the amount of effort was worth it as it is pretty cool and the customer loved watching his house come to life. If you are interested, I can email you the video to see if it is something you want to pursue.

I use the DWG for the survey certificate as well, it works fabulously with a little CAD outline of the building strategically placed on top. I import the PDF to my desk top then screen shot it (DWG), file it with the project, and then delete the desktop PDF. I put the DWG on a CAD sheet, fix up any additional markings and send it to the layout.

Thanks guys, that was it.

It is minute #49 of the Bathroom Floor Plan & Dimensions video # 10276

Does anyone know if I can adjust the line weight that appears when an item is selected? It's called the 'Selection Line' and I found it under Preferences ~ Colours. I can adjust the colour but can not find where I can make the line thinner at.

I agree that this appears to be a case that will not trigger the program to produce (insert your chosen poison here, lol). I usually refer to your diagram needs as blocking for the sub-fascia. I've had this happen quite often and can sometimes produce a somewhat respectable representation of what physically needs to be built by using the ridge board. In plan view, copy in place then shorten the ridge board to fit the short span, I put it on it's own layer called 'Sub-Fascia Blocking' with a different material and line colour to find the little sucker just in case it wants to float off somewhere. Still in plan view, pull back the upper roof plane a bit then copy the new 'blocking' piece on one side of the ridge spaced where you like. Take a look in 3D and most times it will be at the right height along the sloped roof. In plan view I extend the length out past the sub-fascia board and then back in 3D I click on the extended end and can turn it to match the slope (it will be vertical like the ridge board). Go back to plan view and shorten it back up, copy and paste at will until all is well in Whoville again. Copy (as well as multiple copy) and paste usually works on both sides of the ridge as well as opposite ends of the house. Sometimes the program will already create the small little board at the ridge so I can miss that step. Sometimes the little beast won't play nice and wants to not line up with the sloped roof at all but stay at the same height as the ridge board and hang in mid air, I just put in the effort as needed to position it as required. As a side note, even the upper shed roof in your picture doesn't appear to be considered outlookers in my neck of the woods, but in fact more like sub-fascia blocking. Around here anyone that requests outlookers wants a dropped end truss so that the outlooker is one continuous piece of wood from the second truss through to the sub-fascia, canter levered with the 2x4 on it's edge (I think the other picture had blue ones on their flat). Good luck with it.

I tend to use a molding polyline and make the molding thick enough to cover the sill, thus leaving the door at the current height but covering the existing sill with whatever sill material I want to show. It covers a little bit of the door but keeps the schedule in tact. As far as the schedule goes, in my part of the world, all trimmer studs and cripples are physically cut from the lift of studs and all RSO's come from the door supplier. This translates to the cut man on site following the manufacture's RSO and his own building practices all while grabbing lumber from the same lift. I have gone into the material list board specification and made a bunch of the common CA measurements for trimmer studs (interior and exterior swing doors, sliding door, OH door and windows) have a 'comment' of our pre-cut stud size. Contractors order by looking at the 'comment' column just as much as the size and description columns.

I've had the same issue a couple of times...."rooms" was the culprit that needed to be checked once and "CAD Default" was the other.

Just wondering if any of the Brother printer owners have had trouble with the DPI? Brother's help line can only get my MFC-J6945DW get to 300 DPI and I find that the lines are not crisp enough for printing plans.

Hey Michael, I ran my own concrete company for many years before I started drawing plans. Approximately the last 12-15 was doing pretty much all decorative concrete - both inside and outside, horizontal and vertical. Here are a few things I learned through 'trowel' and error that you may want to consider. - Grinding and polishing like you are describing will not diminish the concrete thickness significantly. The paste (actual concrete) is what you want to become your finished product as opposed to the aggregate (stone and sand). Concrete paste accepts colour and reacts with acid stain, rocks don't. Should you grind down to the aggregates, you will have the colours of the stones showing and have more of a Terrazzo finish, and that is a whole other kettle of fish. Concrete should have aggregates within the top 2mm to retain its strength and durability when used outside. Inside, because there are no violent climate changes, paste toppings only are used quite often and sometimes work fine, especially in light traffic areas like residential settings. - Usually hardeners are used in the process when polishing (to fill in the porous surface) so the strength doesn't need to get too crazy. You've maybe seen concrete counter top guys filling all the little air pockets and blemishes before they polish - same idea on the floor. - A very important caution point..... vapour barrier under the slab means that all moisture must come out the top surface! Any topical coating will have a bare minimum moisture content that the concrete will need to be before applying. I strongly suggest using a proper desiccant moisture test beforehand so that you don't get any moisture trapped under the top and ruin the job. Removing moisture is easy.... just give the concrete a long enough time to cure. The tough part is not putting anything on the surface that will damage the concrete or cause it to cure differently - customers don't like their project on hold for months waiting to get the proper moisture reading. Protecting the surface with cardboard, house wrap, blankets, etc only changes the moisture release rates of the surface causing inconsistent curing (blotchiness). I've seen different coloured stripes on floors where the Tuck Tape held the overlapping house wrap at 9' intervals. If left uncovered and construction continues, contaminants such as oils (potato chips...) and adhesives (Tuck Tape, glue...) are the worst and sometimes never come out of the concrete surface. These, and physical damages, will often show up in the final product adding a bit more character. - Cracking. Concrete, like most everything else, will shrink when the moisture is removed and thus pulls at the concrete. Shrinkage cracks often happen most frequently between two shortest points like inside corners to pipes, narrow areas like small rooms off of larger ones. Control joints are used to help guide the concrete in it's cracking. Creativity is key here in trying to control how the slab will look. Saw cuts are risky with in-floor heating, and are 1/8" wide. You may suggest that your client discuss alternatives with the concrete contractor like concealing control joints under walls and cabinets, or using wet-set plastic strips instead of cutting, changing your house design may also be an option. Leaving hairline cracks over short distances are often less noticeable (under doors or in halls). Sometimes a nice big room will not crack at all. Concrete has a life of it's own and your client will need to assume some risks as this isn't made in a factory setting. - Scoring the surface for a pattern like tile, boarders or jumbo diamond shapes is for aesthetics only. They only penetrate enough to leave a shallow groove to change the texture (unpolished) and colour - control joints need to be 1/4 the depth of the concrete to be effective. Note: leave a boarder at the walls should they want a pattern - it's very hard and time consuming to extend scoring lines (made with a circular blade) out to wall edges. Bottom line, I wouldn't put too much direction on the plans. This is a subject that has tremendous technical and logistical requirements that are often not followed through on after the customer has gained a good understanding. Usually the expense vs risk with project timelines and customer expectations involved often abandon these types of floors - you may be better off to let the customer and the concrete contractor make up the specs with the builder, much the same way a kitchen supplier handles the kitchen.

I use layer sets and specific object layer properties to control stuff like that. The key to making it efficient is to put in the effort to update your other layer sets for all your other views and saved cameras. I made a light gray 'Reference' layer set of the 1st level (Reference Display Gray - main floor muted) and saved it as the reference to the 2nd Level Roof layer set. With only the first level items selected in the 'Reference' layer set that I want to see, you will then see the unwanted items that you referred to. Simply put the item you don't want to see onto it's own object layer (just copy the layer that it's currently on and rename it). In your 'Reference' layer set, simply toggle it off. But put in the effort to make sure that object is toggled on where you want to see it - like main floor and camera views. Doors and windows are easy, walls sometimes need to be broken where you want it to not show up in the roof reference - part of the wall object layer may be 'walls main floor' and the other part may be 'walls main floor - not wanting to see in reference'. Using layer sets and individualizing the objects really lets you keep it all in one plan and not have to worry about updating multiple plans should you need to do revisions.

I had a similar experience. Before you do anything, maybe ask yourself how much liability / risk / anxiety / mess do you want to assume or take responsibility for? I'm making a few assumptions here, correct me if I'm wrong: 1) the obligation / contract / agreement surrounding the property owner and the building permit officials is between two different parties - not you. 2) the contract between the property owner and the 1st contractor was between two different parties - not you. 3) the contract between the property owner and the 2nd contractor is also between two different parties - not you. See a trend, a great big mess was created between multiple other parties without your involvement. You probably completed the plan and fulfilled your obligation to the client....then things went to you know where in a hand basket. In my case, I felt my contract to design and draft was fulfilled, everybody else had to put their Big Boy Pants on and accept their own involvement in making the mess, or in the new contractor's case - voluntarily stepping into this mess. My advice is for you is to find the last plan that the Building Official and Home Owner both have and agreed upon (revision # ???) and start from there with more revisions, thus letting the home owner keep the new contractor straight on what the two of them have agreed upon. OR start with a fresh set of plans and let the property owner deal with the building permit implications. If your customer wishes you to draw a separate plan, I would suggest you treat it like brand new set of plans with an As-Built at the current state. Whatever he does with the documents from there is his own responsibility. Whatever he directs his contractor to build is his responsibility. Whatever trouble he gets into with the building officials is his responsibility. Legal binding agreements are currently in place between multiple parties. And if any one party takes a different party to court....I'm sure that you probably don't want to try and explain to the judge how you were cooking the books. Bottom line, Use one plan only - the one that is a legal document with the building authority preferably. Good luck with it.

I started sticking the Dashboard in between the open plan and the layout. I always move my layout to the far left, then the dashboard, then the open plan. Any camera view(s), CAD, material lists... I open on the plan always appear to the right and my layout doesn't get lost. Same principle for two plans open at the same time. I keep the dashboard in between and then move the additional open views for the left side plan to the left side of the dashboard immediately after I open the view. The right plan views will appear on the right and can be left alone, as they belong to the right side plan. It's not fool proof, but it's helped me try and keep the confusion to a minimum the rare time I have two plans open at the same time.

In order to have the nice white wall finish at the end of the floor joist.... room divide the main floor directly under the 2nd floor. In addition to removing the ceiling layers on the main floor, remove the upper floor structure (leave the subfloor and finished floor), just delete the joist material from the 2nd floor. Then manually draw in a floor beam at the 2x material size you want on Level 1, place the new beam at the edge of the room divider and adjust the heigh to the underside of the sub-floor, multiple copy and add in the additional things like ducting, blocking, etc and you are done. Put these newly made beams on a layer of their own and there is no need to turn on any other floor framing.

Thanks for the confirmation, I'll send a request.