HumbleChief

..or a way to get the same effect if it's not there?

NICE....

Curious if anyone has tried the new glass panel garage door feature? I am seeing only one panel of glass and am wondering if I have a setting wrong or if this is a bug? Thanks glass_panel_garage.plan

VERY VERY stable and any Beta user is free to discuss any and all features etc. (from the e-mail I received this morning) "Hello, The Beta is now available to the public for all users whose SSA is current. You are now free to discuss the new features in public forums. Limit the discussion to the new features though, discussion of issues that have been reported and fixed during the beta process should not be discussed. Thanks again for all of your help. If you have any other questions let me know."

Just sayin'...

Yeah a railing offset setting would be awesome.

I've had plan checkers insist on both building orientation (i.e. Front) and compass orientation (i.e. 'North'). So I now put both as a default. Haven't run in to a SSW Front Elevation yet but it's coming

Mine are just a bad dream but have learned methods that make it not so crazy on a per plan basis.

To answer your question more directly, no, there is no way to send a single detail from a 'warehouse' plan file. This is the method I use which I started many years ago. It works but it's awkward at best. You can use a plan view and send current screen but again pretty awkward. Just never changed my methods as most of my details are provided by my structural engineer. In X12 there's the ability now to open more than one Layout (which was always there with a work around) Details can be 'warehoused' on that layout and sent as a CAD detail per plan. Never tried it and the smart guys will be able to describe the process. Might be a decent alternative?

I get a single blank detail named Basement Bearing Wall so I think the answer to your question is yes.

As genuinely helpful as Mark's suggestion is, it is very common to get a similar response to conditions in Chief that are simply not right - "Here's the workaround." In very few real world cases will a stair rail be built as Chief builds it by default as in the first pic, and the second picture, if not accurate in every case, is accurate in enough to have the option at least built in to Chief's stair tool IMHO.

Yeah that's what I usually do but I'm not able to reference a floor that does not exist, can you? I'll ref a floor like the attic but sometimes it will show a couple of stray items and will need altering - again. It's not the worst work around but still clunky and the feature could be so much better but fear it never will be as is, again, Chief's usual MO. Wouldn't it be cool to have a "Display" check box next to the XOR box that you could turn the ref set on or off? Just sayin' and hoping things are well with you... EDIT: I created a new REF OFF set and put it on the top of the layer set list and will list all ref sets there on the top. Think it should work fine for the future. Thanks for sparking my brain a bit this morning...

I agree they are great and I use them in every plan but they could be so much better and know that Chief will most likely never improve them as is their typical MO which was the point of my post. I use multi ref sets for almost every plan and depend on them but find them just a bit crippled for my work flow. For example, sometimes I need a ref set to only see the first floor walls to develop the second floor plan but then really don't need that ref set anymore. That ref set, which is no longer needed, then has be deleted or altered as there's no easy or intuitive way to control its display, (I am aware of a couple work arounds that sometimes work.) If it's needed again it has to be recreated. I think each ref set should have a simple on/off toggle to display or not. An on/off toggle would allow much more flexibility and improve the usability, again for my work flow, immensely. If they're working great for you then bravo but I find the execution a bit clunky. Curious, do you use the ref set glass house feature? I went through a couple threads here on the forum trying to figure them out and found them truly useless. So much unrealized potential and was hoping they might be improved but again, the point of my post, Chief very seldom goes back to improve a feature like ref sets once they think it's complete. And yes I suggested changes and am mostly worn out doing same. Again glad they are working for you but again find the execution lacking.

Cliff, Did you call the sales team with your question? They might not be as rigid as the Beta NDA requires of the current users and may answer your question especially if it results in a new sale for the company.

It's the same guy that puts Wayne's Coat along the bottom of a wall...

True that and good point.

For what it's worth X12 has (for all intents) eliminated Anno Sets as a parameter in Saved Plan Views per the new feature video @ 15:25 and has consolidated the interface to include general settings and ref sets. Easier? Clearer? Better? Dunno...Just sayin'

Yeah actually Plan Views are much easier set up than explained and as in Steve's screen shot above it's easy to see how everything CAN be set up through the plan view dialog box alone. They will remain difficult, however, if one insists they remain difficult but once one's feet get wet and discover how powerful they can be it saves a bunch of effort. Maybe not easy, but worth the effort IMO. Kinda curious, what's the alternative? Anno Sets? Layer Sets? Genuinely curious...

I hesitate to post how to vids as I am clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed but perhaps this will shed some light for some and as always wait for the smart guys to post so we can learn some more. EDIT: I can see I should have named each new Plan View as a Plan View and not a plan set. Hope that's not too confusing... Pulled the video as I inadvertently recorded it in X12 in violation of the beta NDA. Apologies all round...

I think Chief gets confused about its users and assumes a certain level of expertise in the concepts that are all too familiar with the staff creating the videos. This disconnect permeates Chief's user interface as well which is clearly designed by software engineers and not graphical user interface experts. Something every Chief user has to deal with...

Nice video David, Thanks for posting that. Saved Plan Views, is IMO the single most powerful feature Chief has added in years. Could not work without them but that does not diminish their complexity nor the effort required to set them up efficiently for one's personal work flow. I think it's that inherent complexity that stumps a lot of users and the required effort seems a learning curve too steep to climb. As in a lot of Chief's interface the trade off for that complexity is the power that complexity delivers but can be understandably daunting for many users. I would also bet that very few users take advantage of Plan Views or even know what they are and the distorted picture this forum gives as to the true nature of Chief's actual 'user base' adds a bit to the confusion but their power and efficiency is undeniable.

Always happy to see a new update but can't see any new feature that I might actually need/use. Multiple Layout files have been possible for many versions but that's nice to be able to open them without a workaround. Other than that not sure what I'll find useful going forward. Trey ceilings? Dunno. The best thing about every new update that I've found is that the program just works better and that is always worth the price to me. Sad to see that previous features are still the same like the multi reference set tool. No way to turn one off without deleting it or using other techniques and the glass house option is still useless. That's kinda par for the course with Chief. Once a 'feature' is done there's no going back to make it more user friendly and I've learned to live with it. Still looking forward to the update as, again, Chief just seems to work better with each update. EDIT: Just wanted to make it clear that everyone's work flow and feature needs are different and am happy there are those who are excited about the new features, there's just nothing compelling for the way I work. Still very nice to see the update.

Trust me I feel your pain. I did not come to the conclusions and fixes that I arrive at quickly. It's just that over 20 years with Chief and the pain as you describe I've found ways to survive the crazy that Chief can throw at its users. Best of luck...

Yes, true, but it takes less than 40 seconds to place solid filled filler pieces to get the proper look. I learned many many years a go to stop fighting the way Chief works and find simple workarounds. Yes it's a work around and yes it did take 40 seconds and yes Chief's stair tools aren't that great but how hard do you want to fight Chief's shortcomings?

Still a little curious. Are you sending 3D images for your drawings? Or simple elevations? Elevations might be used with open risers and simply noted as closed in the drawing? Dunno if that will work for you. 3D images not so much...