HumbleChief

I do remodels all the time and have found no other way that works for me other than 2 plans. An As-Built, built as closely to the original as you can, then a Proposed Plan which is just the As Built' saved as the Proposed Plan, or whatever name you choose. I do't have or use a specific demo plan. I combine that with my proposed plan that shows demoed walls. I use a mask as well, which is created from the As built (with most every layer other than walls turned off) to show demo walls and use Chief's basic method for creating that mask. Link below. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-02208/showing-the-as-built-in-a-remodel-plan.html

Interesting Greg, don't think I've seen that before. Thanks.

Link's broken Greg.

Update all views seemed to repair it but I did not want to update all views.

When printing to PDF - not a new problem but I thought I was immune.

Weird. I just clicked on 3D dropped down to View Direction and generated a Left Side view. Ray Traced it, didn't like what I saw. Closed the view, made some changes now the options for 3D View Directions are all grayed out. I'm in plan view, should I be in another view/mode? Weird. FIXED. Didn't realize I need to be in the 3D full camera overview. Makes sense.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post but I did find it as you've shown. Couldn't believe it was just a button click away. NICE, and thanks Glenn.

That video was pretty painful to watch but admire the author's expertise. I'm now trying to figure out how I can get this done in CA 'much faster'.

I wanted to add a small caveat and that is I am not disappointed with Chief's tools as they are now. For my smaller projects I have everything I need to create ConDocs that work for me and my clients. Chief can create a custom schedule tool or not and I hope they can upgrade their software to address a larger market that's not being addressed now but I can use what's here without too much trouble. I also hope Chief improves their tools for those who really need them.

Here's my challenge. I don't want to use straight text notes for all the reasons noted above but I don't want to use Chief's tools even less. If Chief came up with a custom schedule tool tomorrow I would be very surprised if it wasn't inflexible and clunky at best. It's just not what Chief has shown they are good at. I saw a video with Vector Works schedules and it was a revelation. Not that one should be surprised by the functionality that was put into its function, after all it is 2016, but that Chief seems so far away from a similar tool. Chief programmers are good at what they do but custom schedules and the like are not in their wheel house IMO. Something I would like is a very flexible (fonts, sizes, layout tools, headers, merge cells, borders, etc.) Excel type spreadsheet schedule maker that would allow for custom schedules that looked the way you liked to fit into your design. But the problem at Chief remains I think, and that may be that they are focused on the great 3D stuff we have all benefitted from but when it comes to CD's there's just no one there who knows what goes into creating great CD's. I get it as their business has grown with the focus they have had but it leaves the professional who prepares plans for a living with a few less tools than truly needed to create great CD's.

That's my general feeling about a lot of Chief's tools. I make a simple text key note schedule and it takes less than 2 minutes if you have to create it from scratch, no time, other than changing text, if it's in your template. Very much like my experience with the new Story Pole tool. Another hassle trying to get everything set up correctly, or another 2 minutes (max.) to set my template Markers manually, maybe another minute if I have to add another marker/height location.. I get the fascination and challenge with getting these tool to bend into something that's genuinely useful, but to me they are anything but.

I think this is one of X8's best new features. Took a bit to get used to but I just did a multi-level, complicated terrain model and it saved me some major grief.

Hold the cntrl key and place the column wherever you like?

I did notice that - Thanks Ken.

Here's a quick cost breakdown of one option with a 5960X CPU, gtx 980ti etc. With a new PCI M.2 ssd add about $350 - $500. Build it and overclock it yourself.

Thanks Ken, which brand motherboard?

NICE! That's almost as fast as the fastest Xeon. Pretty impressive. 4.5 is a pretty ripping OC. Any cooling problems? Which mother board? Coolers? Thanks

Can't wait to try it in earnest.

BTW the reason I'm mentioning this is that this is new feature in X8 that allows for upper case as a text spec. Nice

I do that ALL the time and when you have to look at the keyboard to type like me it's frustrating.

Just did the same Joey, Perry. Have yet to use a new plan with the upper case settings - hope it won't be too confusing.

Thanks for those figures Michael. Interesting to see the 3D figure for the 960 versus the 980. Half the performance. Thanks again.

Of course David, but I'll sometimes be switching between all caps while working on the plan, with the caps lock on, then filling out a correction list in lower case, then back to upper case for plans then switching back to lower case to post here. With every text style set to upper case you can type in lower case all the time and never have to switch between cases. Really hard to keep track when typing everything in lower case and assuming it will show as upper case in the plan. Also every default text style has to be changed and the upper case box checked, and was just wondering if anyone (else) had done it.

...TO ALL UPPERCASE THROUGH THE DEFAULTS? I started to and there's so many I haven't done them all. Is there a short cut? Or one by one? Anyone done the deed?

New to X8. It's intended to help with speed. We were informed of this at the UGM in Idaho or it was in the new features vid? can't remember. I'm surprised there are not more complaints/questions as the reason for the behavior is pretty well hidden.