HumbleChief

I think it's really important that Chief get its software accurate and correct but I'm a bit confused by the need to have stairs measured and calculated absolutely perfectly for a builder - in the plans. I understand the argument but I've never seen a builder begin building stairs without measuring the actual height of the landing above and using his common sense, simple division, and building skill, build a stair that fits, and is built to code. If I had a builder who came to me after the fact and said my plans showed the risers to be 6 11/16" and I built them that way and look they are 1/2" too high at the top of the stairs, I would encourage that builder to find a new line of work - yesterday. Doesn't mean Chief shouldn't get it right, but if this is a real work place problem then having Chief be perfect in this regard is not going to solve the obvious deeper issue.

That's only common sense and to rush the job or do it fast just to get out of the house would be foolish. That's just me. Did a measure this afternoon. Small house, single story, maybe 1400 sf. Took exactly an hour with consultations with the Contractor and homeowner and a video recording of both the interior and exterior with audio notes on my phone. Remember I'm talking a small house and anyone who saw it would not be surprised at how short a time it takes to complete. I think we're talking apples and oranges. I've been doing them for 15 years and I have a system that doesn't require the job to be rushed to get it right. Of course there's the occasional error but they are minimal these days and they don't come from rushing or trying to be fast for the sake of fast. Anyone can take as long as they want to measure an as built, and can measure anything they want, I just wanted to throw my not so Humble (got it Michael) 2 cents up against the wall. Wanted to add a note. I do spend 10 -15 minutes on Chief before the job along with Google maps and draw a rough outline of the house's exterior walls and print out 2 - 4 copies of that for on site measuring. That way the exterior shape of the house is already complete. Just need to fill in measurements for walls, windows etc. and the exterior is done. Take another copy and sketch the interior wall layout and measure each space. Third copy is for unusual circumstances and weird layouts. Fourth copy is in case one blows away in the wind Kitchen, roofs, exterior detail is done from the video later at the office.

I can measure a small 1500 SF home in an hour, maybe an hour and a half if the client/builder interrupts me. Interior rooms and exterior walls, widow sizes and locations, complete. Two story maybe 2 hours but have never actually taken that long. In six hours I would have the as-built complete and probably 2 concepts for the owner to look at.

Can't find much current info on RedStick. I wonder if they are still in business?

Wow that's just like a modern day computer program...

Thanks Perry!!

Definitely there in my program.

I would like the same thing but I would also like it if they went back and corrected that one measurement that broke the entire design.

The 960 should get you smoother rotating and faster 3D model building (only on bigger models) but will/should have no effect on your RayTracing. Do you currently experience jerky rotating when you view in 3D (render)? Do shadows slow the 3D rendering down? Reflections in mirrors? If this is not currently a problem you will not notice much difference but as your models get bigger and more complex you'll be happy to have the extra video muscle.

Good strategy me thinks.

Sherry, here's the little bit I know about such things. Any time you can create an image at a very large size with a very dense pixel count the better the image will scale down to a smaller size. So just make sure you RayTrace at a high enough size to get a good quality image. After that you can scale the image down (make it smaller) to fit on a web site. Most web sites will scale an image to fit but you don't want to send some giant file that will slow down their web site. So, for me, an image around 1200 pixels wide by 800 high should give the web site enough detail to produce a good online picture quality. Signage is a whole different ball game and you need way more pixels to get a decent quality image. Do you have any idea who will print the signage? They can give you more information about pixel density DPI etc. needed to get a good looking sign. Heck you could even ask the web designer what he/she wants to see in resolution and set your RT's to match. Here's a really arcane bit info that might help. http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/487/what-resolution-should-a-large-format-artwork-for-print-be

Redstick - that's it. Thanks Jon.

Probably not what you're looking for but an idea at least.

I love that idea for 2D presentations. Just sayin'

Wasn't there an app called RedPoint or similar out there? Can't seem to find it.

I always thought this would be smart but have never done so. Maybe I'll try on a smaller job.

When I get back to the office with my as built scribbles on graph paper I have an invaluable resource to check and re-check my measurements from. With Room planner or similar apps I've got nothing to refer to. If there's a wrong measurement how would I find it? My scribbles are a life saver so many times. I really want an app or another solution to really work, real world, on the job but haven't seen it yet. The upside to room planner is the direct import into Chief which should be huge. I would love to see room planner demonstrated on a 3 story split level, open roomed home and see how it works. Really curious. And...had no idea there were so many apps out there. http://freshome.com/10-best-free-online-virtual-room-programs-and-tools/ http://architizer.com/blog/roomscan-app/ https://www.smartdraw.com/floor-plan/room-layout-design.htm Even more... http://lasers.leica-geosystems.com/leica-disto-app-directory#45

How about a Surface and a hand held laser? If you set aside enough time to draw the condo you can catch that missing/key measurement before you leave the job site. I have a new laptop that I intend to take to my as built jobs but haven't tried it yet. With a nice stand and a much larger screen you could bring a lap top to the job for very little cost over a Surface and have a very workable solution. I can't see any benefit using a laser within Chief perhaps because I've done as builts for so many years that it seems it would just get in the way. Do others use like them? Curious. I have a hand held one for interior measurements that I currently transfer to pen and paper and a regular tape for exterior. Come to think of it if I had a lap top on site it would really have to live in a central location and I would probably measure my standard way to paper then transfer those measurements to the lap top to insure all the measurements meshed. It would increase my time on the job significantly and that's probably the biggest down side. Interested in what others have to say. Room planner may work for some but I can't see using it on a complex project, or even a simple one for my work flow. YMMV of course. And an iPad Pro? You really get so little in capability for the cost compared to a Surface. It would take a sea change in technology for me to get on the iPad train.

You can using reference Layers - it can be a bit inflexible but very doable. (Queue Glenn and short video)

No way can anyone help you without a plan. Please post the plan.

SWEET!!

You will almost always hear the same advice with any software program, "If you can afford it, buy the more capable package." To me, it helps to know why. Will you be doing anything other than kitchen design? Will you do any structural work i.e. removing/modifying large wall sections? Will you be adding floor space for your new kitchens? Will you need to develop exterior elevations? Will you be interfacing with any other Chief user(s) perhaps one that will provide you with as-builts as you create your design? If the answer is yes to any of the above (there are more) then Chief Premier will not only be a better choice but the only choice for some of the functions listed above. If not then Interiors should be fine. It might also be wise to purchase interiors until you need Premier then upgrade if the cost is reasonable or try Interiors for 30 days, if it works for you, you're good. If not buy Premier. Also contact MarkMc in post #3 of linked thread - he is really good with Chief and understands kitchen design. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/8490-compressing-text/#entry74766

Thanks Joe, That's kinds been my go to but was just wondering if there was more selection somewhere out. Found one that worked, with blended colors, pretty well. Thanks again.

I will probably use a Certainteed or Owens Corning shingle and thicken it but would like a some other choices if they exist. Anyone have an option? Looks like this.

Just wondering if it was only me - couldn't get on for 30 minutes earlier.