DBCooper

The control that says "Floor Plan Layer Set" is not actually a layer set and it is really a saved plan view. You can tell this because it has a "P" in the graphic. Seems like a bad name for a saved plan view. The control that says "Light And Ventilation Set" is actually a default set. You can tell this because it has a little wrench in the graphic. You probably don't need this control if you are using saved plan views. The control that says "Floor Plan Dimension Layer Set" is your current layer set. I think the problem is that you are getting these things confused as to what they are and what they do. I recommend looking here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-03185/understanding-saved-plan-views.html

Normally, Chief will automatically fill that space with a wall for you. The easiest way to do this is to use a room divider and then just mark one room as not having a flat ceiling. Since it looks like you want to show a partial wall you could use a half-wall instead. In the picture below, I used a combination of a half-wall and a room divider. If you need more help, you might want to post you plan.

You should be able to create a custom molding profile to do that. Just create a profile that represents both pieces and then use it as your lintel. Will probably need to turn on "wrap" to make it look right.

The short answer is that yes, you can make your own outlets that look like that. Basically, you need the 3d data that will show in a camera view and a suitable cad block to show in a plan view and then you can build your own electrical symbol. It will be much easier to find the 3d data, maybe from the manufacturer or somewhere else online, than it would be to build it your self. If one of Chief's cad blocks will work for you, then you can just reuse it for your outlet otherwise you can draw your own pretty easily. This tech article goes over the basics: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00117/locating-and-importing-3d-symbols.html If you are really lucky, someone here from down under might already have one and be willing to share it. You might want to check out the symbol forum to see if someone there has one: https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/forum/9-symbols-and-content/

I think if it doesn't work the way you want it to that you should send in a bug report or feature request.

If you want to turn off the auto fillers for just one cabinet, hold down the shift-key when you select it and make it into an architectural block. This will not let the cabinet attach to any other cabinets or walls outside of the block.

For the dome, I would just create it as a symbol that cuts a hole in the ceiling. I built this one using a 3D sphere, made a smaller copy and then subtracted it out of the bigger one, and then cut it in half by subtracting a larger box. You then convert it into a symbol and set it to be from the ceiling. I used the tool to edit the cutout shape in plan view and used the fillet tool to make the cutout match the circle. All in all, it was easier than I thought.

You should post a link to the plan so that someone can poke around in it. It might be something obvious, like the plan has way too many symbols or you have auto rebuild everything turned on, or it could be something less obvious. It could even just be a hardware/system problem and someone else has no problems with it. Also, here is a tech article that talks about all of the different things that can cause a plan to be slow: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00521/troubleshooting-slowness-in-chief-architect-projects.html

You will want to use the "place library object" toolbar button. You should be able to find it in the customize toolbars dialog and then you can hook it up to the object you want. This tech article has more info: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00811/customizing-toolbars.html#library

I can't answer your questions about why the automatic moldings and countertops don't have better control over the elevation display. Sounds like maybe you should send Chief a feature request though. Just as an FYI, you don't need to manually draw your own moldings and counter tops. Try group selecting all of your base cabinets and using the "generate custom countertop" tool to convert all of your auto counters into custom ones so that you will have better control over how they display. You can also use the "make cabinet molding polyline" tool to do the same thing for the moldings. If you wait until the design is fairly complete, this should be a pretty easy change and certainly much easier than manually drawing anything.

Do you already have "dash (tiny)" in your plan? If not, you should have it in the core libraries. You can then just select it and draw a new line in your plan and it should then be available for anything in the plan. If you do, and it's still too big, then you can make a new one that is smaller. Just copy "dash (tiny)" to your user library. Rename it something like "super tiny" or whatever. Open the dialog and change the length and spacing from 1/32" to 1/64". This tech article has more info: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01019/managing-and-creating-line-styles.html

You probably shouldn't delete your archives folder. Just right click on your project in the "project browser" and you should find the delete tool. You can find a bunch more info in the help section but this might get you started: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-03217/working-with-the-project-browser-using-project-management.html

Try using %visible_length.to_ft.round(2)%.

If you post your plan and layout, someone will probably be able to figure it out.

As far as I know, Chief will only let you export a picture of a plan view using the actual screen pixels, so increasing the DPI will just make the image dimensions smaller. BTW, you can export a picture from a camera view using a much higher resolution, just not plan views. You can do the pdf trick or maybe you could export it as a cad file (dwg) instead.

Does turning on the display of line weights in layout make a difference? If it does, then the problem could be the line weight that you are using for the dimension lines is too heavy?. Check the layer settings for the layer set you are using for that view. If it doesn't affect it, then it might be a problem with pdf driver you are using? Could try using a different one to see if it makes a difference.

See if either of these help: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/827/cabinet-end-and-back-panels.html https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-03028/adding-cabinet-back-and-side-panels.html

I think it has to do with the fact that the room on the second floor is an attic and the one on the first floor is marked as not having a roof. You will get a roof if you change either one and it just depends on how you want the roof built.

Yes, that helps. It looks like the main problem is that the gate symbol is oriented wrong. Open the symbol dialog and rotate it 90 degrees and it should work better.

Hard to tell what's going on from the picture. Probably best to post the plan.

Maybe you checked the "remember my choice" box the last time that question came up? If so, you can go into your preferences and use "reset message boxes" to get it back.

Just build it that way IRL. I think the kids in the neighborhood will love it!

As far as I know, there is no way to make a vertical gang. Electrical symbols are still very customizable though so you should be able to solve this fairly easily. You already have complete control over what shows in plan view and in camera views. You can import any 3D data you want to show the electrical object in camera views. In your pictures above, it looks you already have the 3D model you need for your ganged switches. It's just a matter of turning this into an electrical symbol. You can use any 2D cad block you want to show the electrical object in plan views. It should be pretty easy to make a cad block showing multiple switch symbols. I think the only rule is that your cad blocks can't be nested so you are going to have to explode your normal switch cad block, make copies of the cad, and then re-block it to use for your new ganged symbol. An electrical symbol can have as many electrical connections as you want. By default, they will snap to one location but you can always move them around to show them connected where you like and they should stay there. The one thing that won't work right is the automatic switching to 3-way and 4-way switches. In this case, I would just turn off the "auto change switch type when wiring". You will need to manually add your "3" and "4" to your custom cad block (or whatever you use down-under to show this on your plans). In the picture below, I took some random electrical object and modified it to use a 4-ganged switch cad block and then connected it to 4 different light symbols. Obviously not what you need but just a proof of concept. Let us know if you get stuck with any part of this.

As far as I can tell, you can control the size of the wall opening and the size of the panel but you really can't control the track. I would just manually place the 1x8 where I wanted and if I was being really picky, I would also manually place the track.

5 minutes is definitely not normal. If the program does this every time you start it, you might want to contact tech support.