HumbleChief

Did you check task manager and CPU/memory/etc. usage? I had "System Interrupts" at over 35% the other day with a crazy slow down. Not sure how I fixed it other than deleting a bunch of old files, including a few that DropBox was choking on, and loading new video drivers. I learned that system interrupts point to hardware conflicts but again may not help much.

Not sure if this helps at all but feel your pain...

Why can't you just open the old plan in X12? Save as new template?

I use a combination of DropBox and Carbonite. I've only had to use a Carbonite backup file 2 times in the many years I've had it but those 2 times saved hours of work. DropBox has some little known and perhaps new(?) features like version histories that allow retrieval of deleted files and I've had great luck with it for many years. I also used Google Drive with a contractor and it was good but a little temperamental at times and just gravitated towards DropBox. Never tried OneDrive.

OK Downloaded the plan I posted above and it seems to work OK now? I guess I'll just work with that plan and hope for the best.

Here's the plan. CHIEF_CRASH_2.plan

Anyone seen this behavior? I was in the process of changing layers to hide some items and Chief shut down, multiple times. Restarted the computer and was hoping I could not duplicate the behavior but it seems very consistent and makes the current plan unusable - for this morning's presentation of course. Curious if anyone's seen this? Will (have to) send in to tech support of course but not sure how to proceed.

OK Chief, you win. Just re-opened the plan file and it works as expected using edit all roof planes. Thanks again Eric for taking your time to help.

THANKS Eric, Can I assume those 'various ways' are edit all roof planes or group select? Wonder what I'm doing differently?

I have job with a pretty complex roof design with 16 - 18 roof planes and want to change the fascia color on all roofs at once instead of selecting one at a time. If I select all the roof planes either with the 'Edit All Roof Planes' tool or group select them with the shift key the material dialog box is grayed out. I can select one or two and the material option is there but when I add another the dbx is grayed out again. Changing defaults does not affect the existing roof materials. Stumped. Attached is the dbx with the grayed out materials option. Am suspicious about the plan file as it seems it should be much bigger....but it's posted below. ROOF_DBX.plan

Sorry Rob, must have misunderstood.

I don't think that tool bars are 'plan specific' like defaults are. They are instead like preferences in that they effect every plan in a global manner. I wonder if, after you get your tool bar the way you'd like it and then go to 'customize tool bars' select configuration, copy the current tool bar to a new custom name and 'switch to' that new custom tool bar. That might give you a fall back if the config falls apart in the future. Also check that the tool bar location to make sure it can't be overwritten with a back up or some other unwanted change to the tool bar config. I've got my own custom tool bar set up as shown but don't know if this will help.

^^^this. Or maybe a separate ceiling plane for the drywall ceiling?

A link for the OP, hope this helps, btw I had no idea there were so many PDF markup programs. https://www.google.com/search?q=best+pdf+markup+software&oq=best+pdf+markup+software&aqs=chrome.0.0l5j69i64.5839j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Of course, if I worked for a large production home builder it might make sense but for my usage 'overkill' and I would not suggest what might be good for an individual user. It's also been a very long time since I shopped for PDF software and again would not suggest that Foxit will work for anyone else, or even that it's good in any objective manner, just another option.

Been using Foxit for a very long time. Have no idea how it compares to BlueBeam, which I don't consider 'reasonably priced', but it has served me for years for my perhaps simple PDF needs. https://www.foxitsoftware.com/shopping/

Not currently but an often requested feature.

Yeah darn it, every time I want to use it I get discouraged and remember why I don't use the feature - like so many Chief features, so close to being genuinely useful.

I want to be able to change all window and door trim colors between black and white using a style palette but there are 3 types of exterior doors; sliders, bi-folds and hinged and it looks like only one type can be 'added' to a style palette. I would love to learn how they can be used in this instance. Is it possible? Too funny how posting these questions sometimes brings up the answer while posting. I usually delete the post as I answer my own question but perhaps this will help someone out there. I'll try 3 different style palettes, one for each door type. Should work fine. Thanks for the help.

Woke up with a strange thought - isn't the whole idea of having more than one Layer Set that they NOT be consistent? If they were 'consistent' it seems like just one would work for every drawing situation. Having just one Layer Set may not be a horrible starting approach if there's currently too many to keep track of or modify. Meaning start with one Layer Set, dialed in as preferred, then copy/modify as drawings dictate to develop a complete set of Layer/Anno Sets that work for an individual's work flow. Plan Views (not pushing plan views) can be developed in a similar fashion. Let us know how you make out Michael.

I appreciate the effort and different work flows but for my work flow the above description is the natural evolution of Layer Sets as colors, line weights line styles change and serve different purposes within each Layer Set. If I had consistent line weights etc. it wouldn't last very long but work flows vary so more power to you.

I was wondering the same thing but then thought it might be nice to have consistent Layer Sets, with all the same names/line weights/colors etc. then turn on/off Layers for various Anno or Plan View Sets. My Layer Sets have evolved over the years and continue to evolve as I add or delete Layers for various reasons so there's no reason to have any 'consistency' and would most likely be counter productive for my work flow but to each their own of course.

The only way I can see to accomplish the task, which is monumental with 40 layer sets no matter the technique, would be to go in to Tools>Layer Settings>Layer Set Management and delete all Layer Sets (which I did not know Chief would allow) except for the one currently in use (which cannot be deleted), make all the needed changes in that single Layer Set, then Copy and rename the copied Sets. 40 times? Ouch, but doable. Very interested in a technique that might work.

Nice Brandt, glad it worked for you.

I think the whole up vote, down vote feature is childish and serves no useful purpose other than to make posters feel good or bad about themselves. Do we really need the feature? Oh wait, this could get a down vote - too funny/ironic.