Kbird1

I wasn't arguing about that particular "header" takeoff being accurate or not , the point is when you check the ML you have generated you can't find things you think should be there or still find things that you thought you had deleted because in the ML they are named incorrectly , eg the subfascias , I'd look down the list not see it and then add that to my list , in this case double ordering it, assuming it had been missed by the ML This is another situation where it would be nice to be able to change formulae and change names of objects etc so that the Program can be "localised" with terms and common naming nomenclature, and methods of working. I had an email from a CA team member today who has admitted that the ML "isn't all that" and they hope to make some improvements for X8 and for several versions to follow to get the ML working as it should, though they didn't elaborate on what they are doing. (which is understandable) M.

I think this particular issue Glen is a terminology issue , A header on the Flat (and only a single piece) is not a Header at least not to me, we would call it the Door Trimmer , though I think in the US the Trimmer is next to the KingStud in the opening, those we call Jack Studs or Door Jack . it's a similar issue calling the Subfascia a Rafter in the ML. I looked at the 3D framing out of curiosity and am wondering who frames headers that way? is that US specific ,Idaho specific or a new technique this "old dog" isnt aware of? M.

Thanks David , appreciate you posting your symbols etc here , these should work well much more modern look than many of Chief's.

currently you have no rail spec'd in the Wall DBX ? ... and a strange moulding for the Top rail? I turned Panel on , then made the panel "cable" from the library and the deck disappeared ! (weird), had to turn auto deck framing back on to get the deck back but did not see your issue, cable rails look fine you have some broken wall connections to fix too. ...so different that what you saw... what version are you using ? M.

Funky - I can see certain Client types liking it thanks...

Thanks Greg. Is there a library of LED lighting eg rope/strip etc I may have missed somewhere M.

From your images your house has a 0" 2nd floor ? Raise it to 36" though 42" or higher is better to allow furniture placement etc. if you only need/want extra room height in the bathroom then add a Dormer over the Bathroom only , though in that case I'd make it 10-12' long instead and give that front bedroom more space and extra Windows allowing cross ventilation.

Amen +1 though my guess would be Chief X? with the ML Module would cost $3500 instead. At a minimum a highly competent Quantity Surveyor needs to sit with a CA Programmer for a while and make things work like they do in the real world of estimating ie a 10' wall is auto assigned 10' drywall etc and it's 3 coats of paint without having to assign (3) 0" thickness layers to ALL wall definitions to get it to show in the ML, the model shouldn't need to be THAT accurate for the ML to automatically "know" that, same thing for ceilings. M.

Yep that is why I never use Express anymore either , but this 3D profile thing is a major PITA especially with a few versions installed...oh well looks like , that's the way it is.....

Havent looked at plan , but doesn't the Defaults>Floor3 >Structure Tab not allow you to change the Relative Finished/Rough Ceiling height to 114" as needed? you must be on Floor 3 to get the defaults for floor 3 to open...

300" usually works for me per Jon's instructions ..........more info in this KB Article too http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00107/

did you check out the KnowledgeBase (KB) ? there is a tutorial there for this type of home (CapeCod) http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00653/34/Chief-Architect/Roofs/Building-a-Roof-that-Bears-on-the-First-Floor-Walls-of-a-Two-Story-Structure.html there is this one too http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00358/52/Home-Designer/Roofs/Automatically-Building-a-One-and-a-Half-Story-Roof.html

I may not have been clear ? no issue with Chief itself , but each time I install a new Nvidia driver I have to go into the Nvidia Control Panel and redo all the setting on the 3D Management Page for any program like Chief I have had to add manually. You may remember doing Pics for me Perry of those settings last year ? so I need to go in and redo the settings for the X6,X7,HD Pro etc for both the .exe file and the Ray Trace .exe files each time I upgrade... Perhaps it is because I usually do a Custom>Clean install then though those are the only settings I lose everything else like my 3 monitors and TV all are fine. Next time I will do an Express install and see what happens , though that has bitten me in the A$$ before which is why I use the "clean" option usually. Mick.

Well how about posting your Template then / assuming it isn't Proprietary or something , so the Rest of us can perhaps figure this out , as it appears you are the only one who has or at least the only one willing to post, if you are willing to do a Tutorial or video along with it even better. thx, Mick.

Hi just wondering if someone here has worked out how to save a Profile or something similar so every time Geforce Experience or I update my Nvidia Drivers I don't need to set up all my CA Software again in the 3d Management Pages of the Nvidia Control Panel. I assume of course this happens to everyone ? or is it cos I normally let the Installer do a Custom Clean install and it wipes out those settings ? it retains the multi-monitor setup etc ,just not the 3D settings... thanks M.

in Plan view you should also be able to go Print>Print Model to make paper templates/cutouts check out page 1215 of the Ref. manual for more info.... M.

you might get a bit more out of your 950 , mine overclocks fine with an after market cooler to 3.6. (160FSB) AMD does Eyefinity (similar to Nvidia Surround) , it then uses both cards to drive the 3 monitors same as Nvidia SLI Surround but my new 970 does 3 monitors ( more actually) with one card so the heat is lower and the noise is much lower which was a big factor in my choice. Would you mind posting your G13 profile to your post in the Chatroom so I could try it out, thx.

I have not tried that particular "program" but it has/does a priced version too , not sure how current it is, you would need to email the author http://thetakeoffdoctor.com/program.html Priced PDF link http://thetakeoffdoctor.com/files/TTD%20Instant%20Estimator%202010.05%20-%20Sample%20-%20Takeoff%20with%20Prices.pdf

Only briefly Lew as it is not in the current budget ($1000-1200) but looks interesting. M

That particular bug is in X7 Beta too I can confirm for you Sam when you report it. Like many I have to submit my quantites to Suppliers and Subs for every Project for Pricing as there is no way to maintain a "current" database of pricing even for them as CW stated but the fact that the ML doesn't calculate quantities in a real world way makes me leery of using it now. Like you I originally brought the software for 2 reasons the ML and the 3D imagery to help "sell" jobs to Clients , so like you I am disappointed in the ML aspect as I had hoped it would be a good time saver, at least for Ballpark/Budget Estimates , I don't do new homes , so it it rare that I do a fixed price Contract these days , as ,as CW pointed out there are way to many variables. Have a look on the other thread Sam at the PDF I posted , I think like me its more like what you expected of the ML.

Thanks for the smile Perry unfortunately not being a CA Guru like Joe and Joey , I have to agree with your comment . I don't expect it to be fall over easy and perfect every time either but since there is no way to bring myself upto speed on the ML easily, I will have to keep doing my takeoffs the old fashioned way, since I am no Excel guru either, it's safer too use Pad and paper since as pointed out above the ML only calculates surface area and not how things are done ( and estimated) in the Real World. I had hoped it reported something similar to this Sample I found posted online Sample - Takeoff.pdf

No CA doesn't activate SLI/CrossFire though you can use Surround Mode which I was doing with two GTX470's till a month ago , when I went to a single GTX970, now the old i7-950 CPU is bottle necking me....., I guess you are aware the GPU doesn't help with Ray Tracing? it is all done on the CPU apparently, at least in current versions. Did you get you G13 up and running? M.

No CA does not allow any access at all to the (any) Formulas , I was meaning to post to your other thread but got caught up here trying stuff. M.

As I said there is a good chance it is User Error/lack of Documentation but I am here to learn , so comments like "BOOM" or "Rubbish in, Rubbish Out, don't help me or anyone else, I understand you guys are drawing to make a living not give tutorials here , but unfortunately not all of us are daily drivers of this software ( ie Gurus) and the documentation in this area is poor to say the least. If the ML was easy to understand, there wouldn't be other longtime users trying to jump all over a Workshop , 90% of CA users are in deep trouble when guys like Scott , Perry and Nicinus don't use it cos it is too time consuming to learn etc , personally I don't think the ML should be a "black art" . As far as the Drywall goes that means I need to go into every room and spec every wall and ceiling with the material needed based on the rooms sizes, right? , rather impractical i'd say and quicker with a pad and paper , and of course I need to "make" 54"x120" sheets 1st and add them to the Library for this Plan too. Also rather impractical to go through a full house plan's ML and add "extra" to every single item as needed instead of there being a global or Category setting. Yes the Ceiling and Walls are Painted and the Colours are in the Room finish Schedule, but that doesn't help with the Material needed , and why does the ML list Ceiling color (1 coat only) and not Wall Color at all? what am I doing wrong? How do you add a coat of paint so it calculates the industry standard 3 coats? add 0" depth layers to my wall definitions is my guess but again where is this documented? , though it shouldn't really be needed if you know how to calculate the paint for a room from it's sqft. And I guess Paint for the exterior doesn't count either ? CA already knows how many sqft there are of exterior wall ,so should be an easy calc. without me doing anything extra. It's almost like the ML Code got 1/2 done and never completed cos the guy doing it left the Company or something.... no idea how a total CA Noob would ever figure half this out.... Why is the subfascia called a rafter in the ML ? it knows its subfascia in the Plan/3D , just more confusion... Still haven't figured out why I have 93" insulation though , its a 9' tall wall , and the fact you can't get 93"x16" insulation The Rafter size issue BTW was cos I had "use trusses" on by default thinking that setting would be ignored if there were no Trusses. Not So...which is plain dumb.... I'm more than happy to learn as much as I can about this area of CA , but I can't be bothered arguing about it, I am not surprised the OP hasn't reposted to the thread.....

it is probably because you don't have an ID and Password to the old Forum,( we had to get new ID's for the new Forum) which means it is probably better to email CA direct about this because as you mention the old forum is an invaluable source of info. M.