HumbleChief

One method that I think will clear all the old defaults is to delete the entire 'floor' and rebuild. This will then allow the defaults to drive the new structure.

...and I really think this is the point. It is VERY complicated and in my opinion overly so. Probably the price we pay to have a room base model building system but I don't think it's a price we should HAVE to pay. There are many places in Chief where the user interface exposes and reflects that internal complexity instead of masking it and making it easier for the user to understand the underlying paradigms. In the examples within this thread there are 2 very distinct behaviors based upon which plan one uses. The original plan I posted perhaps 'remembers' settings as Glenn suggests and won't build to new defaults unless those default setting are redundantly checked in each room. The profile plan I used in another example does NOT remember settings and simply rebuilds to the new defaults as they are changed. That's not 'complicated' that's inconsistent and unintuitive to a degree that the average user has no real chance of truly understanding how Chief really works. The software programming intellect within the Chief brain trust is to be admired but that intellect should be blended within a user interface that doesn't require the user to possess that same programming intellect. Best example still - when wanting the sun to be directly overhead one must enter the virtually unknowable minus 90 degrees into a dbx instead of a simple graphic showing the sun's location. Love Chief Architect but the user interface can be very very difficult to understand at times and it just doesn't have to be.

One last follow up observation and I think it is the key to the problem. If the first floor is 'deleted' instead of just the walls removed I THINK it find its way around the issues presented early on. I'll try it with plan I posted. YUP, That fixed all the weirdness and if someone runs into problems like this perhaps that will help to delete and rebuild the entire 'floor' not just delete the walls.

Exactly my MO as well, didn't notice till I had to create a different foundation.

That's pretty weird, didn't try it but that plan's going away about now.

I think I get what you're saying. A use sets up defaults for a certain structure: Chief build structures differently or are somehow altered and there should be a warning that there are structures that don't match your defaults? Not sure that's what you mean but that warning would have gone off in my first plan and I would be alerted that some structures are not matching the defaults? That would be great if that's what you're talking about.

Hey Johnny, Check the end of that last video. There actually is a warning of sorts that I didn't realize was there.

I just discovered some major problems with an older (not sure how old) template plan that wouldn't build to defaults. Something in the plan was stuck on building to a mono slab no matter what default setting I used. The included Profile plan in Chief 8 builds exactly as expected and I would advise anyone who is using an older template to update their's to avoid any future problems.

It's the plan boss, it's the plan... I just opened Chief's X8 profile plan and it behaves exactly as expected. I'm going to re-do my profile plan - hope that saves someone some grief.

Thanks Michael but the 1st floor is not 'set' to Monolithic Slab Foundation, it ends up as a monolithic slab even though the defaults are set to somethings else. I didn't check it by accident, Chief created that floor condition from a completely different set of defaults, which is the problem I've been trying to (poorly) explain. I agree having different room settings over ride foundations is a good thing but it's a better thing, I think, when setting defaults that the floors are built to those defaults. Thanks again.

That's a new one on me. Couldn't find any such thing but I'm not the sharpest tool.

All the 'room's and 'foundations' and 'floors' defaults are set to stem walls with a wood framed floor. This plan ALWAYS builds a mono slab and I think it is the plan that's messed up. I'm going to try another profile plan and see what I get.

Thank Joey, I'll bet that will work but why don't the default settings take care of all that stuff and simply build to the default settings??? Should a user have to look in 3 or 4 places to re-define default settings? I wonder if there's something weird about that specific plan? It's my default template plan and maybe it's been around for too long? Still don't understand why the defaults don't simply build to the defaults. Just tried it and it indeed build with a floor now and not a mono slab but instead of building with a 5 1/2" floor framing member, as is set in the defaults, it has a 4" concrete floor so that has to be changed to the default floor structure by checking the default box, instead of, again, simply building to the defaults. I have a feeling that plan is whacked from too many years of abuse. I'm going to send it and see if it needs a refresh as my default template plan. Thanks again for taking the time.

Thanks Joey, Maybe the vid wasn't clear? I have the foundation set to Auto Re-build to stem walls but it is still re-building with a mono slab. I know I'm missing something simple but I deleted everything and started from scratch with absolutely nothing in the plan. Set defaults, set auto rebuild foundation to the stem wall foundation defaults but I still get a mono slab. Missing something easy. Thanks again. Here's the foundation dbx, pretty simple and set to rebuild auto with stem walls but I still get a mono slab

Trying to understand the simplest of basic default floor settings and am completely baffled and quite embarrassed to be posting this. If anyone could take a look I would really appreciate it. Here's the plan. default plan 1.plan

Really too much time on this plan. Perry, I think you have some good points but it seems like the plan is behaving a bit strange. I tried the balloon through ceiling above setting and it works sometimes, on some walls, but the bigger point what if you have wood framed walls (in the same plan) and you don't want the framing to balloon through? The attic walls still don't generate by themselves and I can't figure out why. It's time for a swim at my neighbors and some BBQ so hopefully the OP gets it figure out.

Perry, your help and expertise are always welcome but I think you are missing something in this particular case. We may never know what the deal is and my expertise is many times lacking but I too feel there's something amiss with that plan. Like I said maybe we'll never know and maybe you're right but maybe, just maybe, you're not and claiming Michael should rise above his observations because he may have an ulterior motive is not that cool IMO.

Yeah there's something hinky with that plan. Would love to know what's up.

For me the issue is - why does it need to be 'fixed'? Shouldn't Chief handle that simple construction with ease, by default? And 5 minutes in my opinion is way to long to spend fixing a plan that should need no 'fixing'. Also Perry please remember that the fact it took you 5 minutes to fix is 5 minutes too long for a novice who doesn't know all the nooks and crannies of CA. I can also open any blank plan, like the OP stated, and have the attic walls build properly, (except when they don't in my experience) but not in this plan. As easy as it might be for some CA experts to 'fix' I think there's something else going on. I would also send it in and find out why the attic walls just aren't building as one would expect - without the help of CA experts.

This is the main question I believe and I come across this behavior ALL the time. There is NO reason Chief should not be building the walls exactly as you should expect Mark. I opened the plan and could find no reason the attic walls weren't building and yet they weren't. Would really like to know what makes this plan unique. Place a roof and attic walls should fill the void unless they are turned off and in this plan they are not. All of the above advice is good to fix something you shouldn't have to fix. This IMO is Chief behaving VERY badly.

Ctrl X is the windows short cut for 'cut' and is hard to use in any other way. I'll try the block and resize trick when it comes up again. Thanks too JJ.

Yes, you can draw it on the wall when in perspective floor overview, just make sure you are looking at the wall in a direct enough manner otherwise it will draw in weird places.

OK wait a minute, everything was gone yesterday and everything is there this morning. I won't pretend to know what happened but I'm not messing with it any more. Thanks Joe.

I set my default folder locations to my DropBox folder and lost pretty much everything custom I had done. Tool Bars, Hot Keys, all my manufacturers catalogs and bonus content, everything I had customized was now simply not there. Not sure what Ill do other than rebuild everything from scratch, and I'm not sure how reliable that DropBox folder is for all my custom stuff. Trying to find my old data to restore but not having any luck. Will leave well enough alone for the future.

I 'think' I get that Chop, thanks for the help. If you add the layers just right and then delete the right layer you can get the effect of a simple 'move up' or 'move down' command. I sometimes just feel so stupid when I use Chief. Sigh.