HumbleChief

Also please remember there's more than one way to create the space you're describing using the tools presented in the video linked above. Basically you can lower the ceiling height in that space by lowering and thickening a defined floor space from above. The crown works its way around the space as expected with a tricky return. It may not be the best technique for what you're trying to accomplish but it's a great and very important tool to have in your Cheif tool box. IMO.

1556475170_CLOSETDROP.plan

pattyw, There will be smarter and better informed suggestions for your dilemma but Chief treats floor and ceiling heights in a VERY specific manner and there are videos in Chief's library explaining those specific manners. Perhaps this video will help? 

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/318/dropping-a-floor-and-raising-the-ceiling-of-a-room.html

VERY nice work you two.

This quick test took under 15 minutes. A lot to tweak as in any design but very easy to accomplish in Chief, especially from the guys/gals that are quicker and much smarter..

Once Chief's tools are understood the designs shown are no more difficult than "North America Buildings." As a beginner it may seem difficult but all the tools are there and they just need to be used in a slightly different way. Here's an example that's expertly done but not a complex model to execute in Chief.

10 minutes ago, Doug_N said:

 Larry that was an astounding analysis though.  Perhaps you missed your calling and should have been a forensic accountant!  Your post casts a very interesting light on what turns our cranks!  Well done.

I think the analysis credit goes to Rich...

6 hours ago, Rich_Winsor said:

You know Larry I was always of this opinion also

but I have to admit that I was astounded, nay dare

I say flabbergasted, to see that a topic that has 

been on the board for 17 days has had 14,600

views. To put that in perspective the instructional

thread for the Q&A forum which has been at the

top of this forum for going on 9 years now has only

been viewed 8,100 times. 

 

14,600 views divided by 17 days =  858.8 views per day

8,100 divided by 3285 (365 x 9) days =  2.5 views per day

 

That is indeed pretty astounding, good catch.

I think these couple of threads regarding Chief's change in licensing policy and pricing have pretty much run their course but one factor that may be have been overlooked is the fact that this forum responses represent a very, very small number of users. Indicative of a general sentiment perhaps, but not representative of every user's feeling on the matter. No matter the future or what you choose your future to be with Chief Architect I'd like to wish everyone the best and I think in a couple years time the new normal re: Chief will have shaken itself out and we will be back to making a living designing homes and discussing new and interesting issues here on the forum.

40 minutes ago, SabGroup said:

 

You may be reading more into my statement than what I am saying. There may be a Chief Architect user on a Revit forum somewhere offering a video demonstration of why Chief Architect may be a better fit for them. I don't know if Revit would be a better fit more me or not, which is why I would like to investigate and see a demonstration. I have also watched some tutorials for Archicad, and it has a number of features that interest me.

 

 

I see and apologize for inferring what you did not mean to imply but there have been more than one discussion about the cost of competing software as if that might be the deciding factor other than its actual fit with the work to be done. I'm curious too about others' impression about Revit and its usefulness in their business. Best of luck either way and let us know what you learn/choose. 

53 minutes ago, SabGroup said:

...and if a Revit full version subscription comes in cheaper for me than a Chief Architect subscription, it's at the very least worth investigating.

I find this sentiment interesting and am wondering how many CAD design software users are concerned about price enough to switch to a tool that may or may not be the best tool for the job? I don't know that much about Revit other than video tutorials I've watched but it seems like an extremely bad fit for the kind of work I do. It seems as though even if I could get it cheaper wouldn't it still be an extremely bad fit? On the other hand if Revit is an extremely good fit for the work one does then wouldn't the price, at some point, become moot? 

38 minutes ago, ChiefUserBigRob said:

I tried Revit and do not like it.......CA is much faster for me and I do not have the time to learn a new software. I wanted to give it a try though.

I've watched a few tutorials on line and thought it looked complex and cumbersome to do the simplest of tasks but maybe Chief looks the same to a long time Revit user? I have no intention of switching programs for my business but would love to be convinced otherwise just to see some possibilities I may have missed.

58 minutes ago, ProPlan_2011 said:

True, subscriptions have hurt the software industry...

Are you sure? Did you read the articles above? Where's the evidence that "subscriptions have hurt the software industry?"

30 minutes ago, msm8378 said:

Adobe has taken a similar hit in revenue due to changing to subscription based sales and then scaling back upgrade and development of the core products...

 

Microsoft has paid a price for doing a similar action in it's handling of the MS Office Suite of products.  Sales by subscription are down significantly.

Are you sure? Or projecting? What source are you using for the information?

This article seems to suggest Adobe's revenue is strong and getting stronger

"Adobe sees sales rising due to 'massive market opportunity' in the years ahead"

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3892439-adobe-sees-sales-rising-due-to-massive-market-opportunity-in-the-years-ahead

Another article. "Adobe announced record revenue for the third quarter as the company continued to profit from its subscription-based business model."

..and another article stating (you can easily google the source)... "Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions have also grown again this quarter, up 13 percent to 61.3 million. Microsoft continues to promote its subscription offerings in Windows and on new laptops that are shipped by third-party OEMs. Microsoft Office will soon become Microsoft 365 in a major brand overhaul, so that will likely help drive growth around the company’s Office-based subscriptions."

28 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

Revit is a joke for blue-collar residential, if you are comparing the two, then you are likely unaware of the various power users here and their associate youtube channels

These discussions happen here every so often comparing Revit to Chief and I fall for the same trap every time thinking that Revit might be better for what I do so I watched another Revit video and the shear complexity of the interface and arcane manner in which models are built might lend itself to more complex structures but for the residential house it seems like a very bad fit - even for free.

37 minutes ago, Joe_Carrick said:

Lance,

 

I have had excellent experience with Jason and his team.  They are top notch.  Actually, I've had almost no problems with any of the CA people.  It's a great company to work with.

Same here and what might appear to be 'lazy' by the cynical among us as X15 misses its (as expected by users, but never agreed to) release date there will be calls of "Told ya so," but lazy I don't think will be the reason for any snafus that are sure to arise.

48 minutes ago, richoffan said:

What would be more helpful is if Chief were to enlighten us...

I can write a press release of sorts if you would like. 'We at Chief Architect appreciate all of our users and will try and keep our prices for all aspects of your purchase, SSA or subscription as reasonable as we can ensuring value for our customers and a reasonable profit for our company to expand and offer that continued value to our users. We cannot however predict future  economic pressures that may cause price increases in the short or long term but rest assured any price increase will only come as the economic environment dictates not from a need to pad our profits or decrease the value to our customers." Or something like that.

Ah, and finally the children with the down votes have decided to join the discussion.

11 minutes ago, joey_martin said:

So will the price of eggs. Point?

That is the point. There are questions about the future price of SSA and needing some guidelines about that future price and just like the price of eggs, it will go up, plan on it.

2 hours ago, ValleyGuy said:

If CA can make a firm statement as to the future SSA prices...

As I posted previously perhaps I can help understand 'the future SSA prices' with 'a firm statement' - the price for SSA will go up in the future. Count on it. Depend on it. Budget for it. 

3 hours ago, richoffan said:

I would still like a more definitive answer on SSA pricing as we move forward but it seems Chief either can't or won't commit to anything beyond a month from now...

Here's a pretty definitive guess on SSA pricing as we move forward - it will be more expensive in the future like it always has as inflation and other cost factors have their way with all things in business.

I'm wondering what the new subscription upgrade cycle will look like? Will it be a once a year thing? Like now, X15 X16 X17 etc. Or might it be an incremental upgrade plan through the year like Tesla that can push through improvements and features when available? Perhaps in the future?

18 minutes ago, Doug_N said:

One of the hard selling points of the current sales models is the initial buy in at about 3k.  The new model lowers that hurdle to 2k.

Good point but I guess technically the new buy in cost is only $200 for the first month.

6 hours ago, buzzsaw204 said:

 

this is a great point!!  if you we're to switch to a the Sub License (X15, X16...etc.) and down the road, you find that you cant afford the Sub Lic anymore and need to cancel, revert to using your Leg Lics X14....now, at that time, you are not able to open you files any more, in X14??

Why would one 'switch to a Sub License'?

8 minutes ago, M-Reed said:

This new pricing structure will, of course, hammer the last coffin nail for the small time users who might do but a few projects due to the current financial situation in the United States and the world.

This might actually be intended as small time users add very little value, in general, to the company

Just now, Chrisb222 said:

 

I'll mention the hop-in / hop-out rental option again. Makes sense for folks like that.

This is an amazing option for smaller businesses. If I have a single house to design I can factor in the cost of the rental into the design fees. And if a business can't afford that, again, the business is simply not viable.