HumbleChief

I ended up looking up some tutorials and learning a bit of ACAD (or DraftSight in this case) and changed the background to white then changed each layer in DrafSight to black. There were a LOT of layers and I didn't get them all but it looks OK in Chief now. Still curious what others do. Anyone? Do you import DWG's Gary? How do you handle all the various ACAD layers and colors?

I have been trying to get a DWG into my Layout literally for hours. I now apparently have mixed imperial and metric units and can't send to Layout. Is there a default or method to change all units to one or the other?

Thanks again for the post Graeme. You're right it does only take 2 seconds, literally, to do 1/50th of the work required to get a usable DWG. The text and arrows are the time consuming bit and in this case there's a LOT of text and arrows. I'm trying a different strategy and will see if I can learn some ACAD and change the original to read all/more black. What do others do with DWG's? Just thrash through it? Is there a better way?

Done and defeated.

+1 to that David. I see 'how to create niche' threads all the time.

Thanks Graeme but I get pretty much what you have with all the different layer colors with no way I can find to change them except choose item, expand block, choose color, next-next for many many different elements. Like each text item is a block of some kind in Rich Text. Select block, unblock, select text, open RT dbx, select text, change to black - for each text item? Is that really how it's done? When looking at the plan you posted I get the following - screen shot. It still has many many elements that are different colors but if I 'select all' they can't be changed so it seems they have to each be chosen, exploded, color changed rearranged etc.? Plus there are white text elements off the screen as well. No way to change all at once? Could have sworn I was OK at this but this one has me flumoxed.

What a horrible feeling. Cannot import this DWG in a readable fashion to save my life. Tried every option, every setting, just get all the great ACAD colors and wonderful jumbled layers. Opened in Draft Sight - even more lost. What do you do when faced with such things? Do you all have to know a little bit of ACAD to succeed? Lost. Is there a quick Draft Sight or ACAD tutorial I might look at?

Or use a pass through with a poly line solid for the backing. Or use Chief's method for a niche as below. http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01255/

In X6 each Layout box has an Annotation Set associated with it. If you want to locate boxes in the same location on each page you can copy and paste/hold position each layout box from page to page then change the associated Anno Set for each box. Select the Layout box and 'Open Object' (not double click) and you'll see the Anno Set(s) (and reference sets) you can associate with that box.

I thought I had a grip on importing DWG's but I have a truss layout that comes in every color but black unless I explode every block and re-color every line. There must be an easier method. Here's the DWG file but when I import I get all the crazy colors but no way I can find to change everything to black. Any help greatly appreciated. VALDES DWG TRUSS LAYOUT.zip

When you try again make sure you're in the 3D view.

Alan, Did you see the awnings in the SSA library area? Not sure it would work for you but might be worth a look. You can also create your own symbol in Chief if you want to brush up on another skill.

In a pinch, and not recommended unless you need it for a presentation that's due, you can drag the walls up or down in 3D to cover those open spots. Fixes nothing but the visual and always better to get to the cause, I just can't find the cause.

For some reason the floor framing is framing to the outside wall on the walls where the floor plaforms are open. Don't know why.

Check your roof framing defaults?

I've NEVER used that dbx to set wall finishes and took a long time to even find it. Learn something every day.

Thanks

Great info Jon, but I think $2500 should buy you a great machine for using Chief and that machine should last a couple 3 years.

Look in the 'Room Specification' dbx - change to drywall - fixed. Do it for each room. Don't know where that came from.

I could not figure out the problem. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but this stuff makes me nuts. I drew a couple interior walls through the exterior walls and they remained drywall until they crossed the exterior walls.

I've never used AutoCAD but I tried it the other day and all I can tell you is that the CAD really sucks in that program. There's too much to learn and I already know one way to do things. [/sarcasm]

Am I really going to be the first person to suggest you post the plan? Just sayin'. Also Bob those upper walls with the BB are attic walls. You can delete them and they'll rebuild. Not sure about the BB next to the door.

That has always bugged me. +1

I would like to see many more options for elevation drawings especially more line weight control, shadows, colors, transparencies etc.

Here's a similar system to the Falcon if you were to build it yourself although I wouldn't build with only 1 SSD drive nor would I build with a 500W power supply.