HumbleChief

Just tried it and it worked OK. Sorry can't help more.

I wonder - does ANYONE use a single plan for remodels? Maybe a new thread - curious.

It happened around 4:30 AM. Might have fixed it. Tried just now - 6 seconds.

Actually agree with you on this Scott and was kicking around a couple ideas that might work for the OP and Nicinus and not wreak havoc on current work flows used by many. If there's any changes that are suggested and they "add a lot of time to producing plans" - would anyone be interested? The whole idea of all suggestions is to try and make it easier and to save time producing plans - of course.

Does that allow for a true single plan remodel paradigm? Or just allows a wall to occupy the same space? I have never tried to use a single plan for remodeling, always relying on an As Built and different concepts based off of that As Built. Do you think Chief is now capable of using a single plan for a remodel or are the limitations to great to use effectively? EDIT: Or is it even desirable?

Took me 3 - 4 minutes to load Chief this morning.

Never knew that. Apparently it's 'selection line color'.

The more I think about that last point, the fact that Chief's Layers are limited to one wall occupying one space, no matter the layer means that, when remodeling, 2 plans MUST be created, starting with an accurate As Built. We currently can't truly have a 'Demo Layer' that can be turned off and on because many times 2 walls would occupy the same space. If that limitation were gone then maybe a single plan could contain all iterations within a single plan file? Even beginning with a rough draft, in a single plan file, that could be iteratively changed and detailed as the concepts progressed.

Nice

Chief's biggest limitation IMO is the inability for 2 walls to occupy the same space, no matter the Layer. If walls could be on different Layers and occupy the same space it would add TONS of flexibility to Chief's er.. flexibility. [Cue Lew]

Richard, Can you find the 'bounding box' that the PDF was in and delete that? Sometimes hitting CNTRL 'A' will select everything in the plan and that bounding box will show up - layer has to be on of course..

You can also set it up in your Anno Set Rich Text defaults. I never use Rich text so don't come across it much.

Sorry Nicinus, sometimes I'm not smart enough to keep up with the intellect on this forum and can be a smart a$$ as well. I was trying to say that your idea was a pretty good one then the smart a$$ kicked in and I suggested that you might not 'like it' any more like you don't like drawing as builts - sigh - hard to communicate without hand gestures and eye winks on the forums. No offense intended either way. In the mean time I'll iteratively work on my forum posting skills.

Check your defaults in the Anno Set.

...and I think it would depend entirely on the nature of the remodel. I'm adding a second floor to an existing craftsman with a lot of detail so the concept ideas will be pretty straight forward and the as-built is a necessary 'evil', I'm working on it now, but I like creating all the details.

Not the worst idea - at all - and it seems feasible on some level. Hard to wrap my brain around the how but that's usually best left to those who would actually know how. I'm usually committed to the as-built from the beginning so it's not that much extra work or inconvenience but I think your idea has merit - but what if at some point you don't like it any more? BTW Nicinus I'm not sure iteratively means what you think it does. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iteratively or at least I don't understand the context you are using it within.

+1

Yeah and I hate correction lists from the city, and I hate dealing with uncooperative l clients, and I hate creating ConDocs and I hate, etc. etc. but whatcha gonna do? Really. Are you asking Chief to eliminate a necessary process you, and other architects you know, simply don't like? Seems a bit narrow minded and not something I would expect Chief to find a way to deal with - but maybe it's possible - and desirable. And getting an intern to create an accurate as-built might be the perfect solution. Been tempted many times myself.

Interesting points and I have found that "create(ing) a detailed as-built before I can start experimenting with design" to be a necessary part of the design process and have structured my contracts to specify a charge for that single scope so it's not an onerous task and just part of the process. It sounds like you just don't like it but it has to be done at some point, and only once, so I'm not quite getting the problem. If you just can't wait to get designing and dreaming up new ideas that's understandable but the early investment in a detailed as-built pays off in the long run - for me. As far as working on simultaneous models such as the as built and various 'proposed' plans I'm not sure there's a way to do that that isn't software programming magic. Maybe the programmers can comment but that seems a very difficult, if even a desirable task. New construction is an entirely different apple (orange?) and obviously an as built isn't needed but the freedom to 'play' in Chief without deep knowledge of the program is limited at best. Personally I'd love to see some sort of massing tool in Chief (beyond the existing room planner) that would then convert to Chief's floors/walls/roofs, but again is that even possible given the programming paradigm Chief as chosen?

Or this.....

You can also save any 3D view as well as noted above. Also in the project browser.

Yes, open the 'Project Browser'

Rob, There is a 'Save Active Camera' selection in the 3D drop down menu. Will that help?

When I first started with Chief I would start by trying to 'sketch' out an idea but quickly ran into Chief's learning curve which was mainly comprised of learning how Chief works and learning the "particular logic based on choices the programmers made". Alluding to your list above I didn't realize that roofs always cut walls, or that walls will always rise to meet roofs, but room heights/ceiling won't rise when roofs are raised, plus a myriad of other 'choices' made by the programmers. Did not fit my way of thinking - at all. Gradually I learned the "choices made by the programmers" and can now sketch out ideas rather quickly. Like sketching out the idea presented in the VectorWorks video above would take very little time and with the proper skill set in Chief that exercise would be in no way daunting or limited by 'defaults' or any other constraints. There's no push/pull equivalent but there's no real lag in the model creation, given adequate knowledge in the way Chief works. That last statement is key, of course, and I personally have spent many, many hours learning how Chief 'thinks' if you will. There are still some "choices made by the programmers" that make me nuts and that seem to embrace no logic I can discover, so I adjust the best I can, but overall Chief has become a really good tool for even rough sketching and creating many different model types without too much creative interference. After that initial model creation is complete sometimes getting that model to 'behave' with proper floor heights/sections can be another, sometimes daunting, adventure and that's where knowledge of Chief's ways must be understood or you can spin your wheels for hours trying to grasp the "choices made by the programmers" or bail out to the forums for help when needed. Chief is unique in its approach and I think that can be a severe detriment in fully grasping its capabilities. No other program uses similar terminology or approaches design in a similar fashion. Push/pull is a decent example. Everyone knows what that is but you won't find anything similar in Chief - but - when you draw a wall or create a room it is a 3D wall/room with all the attributes you assign and if you understand (again big 'if') the "choices made by the programmers" it can be a very powerful and creative tool. EDIT: And thank you all for showing the videos of other software and how they work. I don't see any real benefit to learning any other program and watching an expert leaves me with no impression that any operation is 'simple' in any of the design programs. I'll repeat, it's simple with many hours of experience, but nothing will substitute no matter which program you choose.

Dave, Cntrl 'P' Upper left drop down menu - Save As PDF.