DBCooper

RIP Chief Interiors. I barely knew you but I think I always liked you. Maybe your friend could try HD Pro? You would still be able to share files (as long as you check the magic box that lets you share). I think you can also get a trial version of pro to try before you buy and they even have monthly rentals available.

It is possible that the object did not move because something was in the way, like an object on a hidden layer. When you selected everything and copied it to a new plan, you might not have copied the thing that was hidden. If you still have the problem plan, you could post it here and someone would probably be able to give you a better answer than a guess. If it's too big, then zip it up or remove things from it that are not relevant to the problem. Also, just as an FYI, there are lots of ways to move objects: - drag it using the "move" or "center" handle. - "nudge" it using the arrow keys. - drag one of the corner or side handles while holding down the middle mouse. - start dragging the move handle, then hit the tab key, then you can specify a relative move distance. - point to point move tool. - transform/replicate dialog. - move it an exact distance from something else by first selecting the object and then clicking on the dimension number that you want to change. This is probably the best way to make sure your dimensions are accurate. If you don't have a temp dimension locating the object, then sometimes I will add a manual one temporarily. I am probably forgetting a few more.

Just to add to what Susan said... You can actually make an architectural block act like a single object by checking "treat as one object" in the arch block dialog. You can then choose how you want it to go into the schedule either as a block, or as a cabinet, or even as something else. If you want to make changes to one cabinet in the block, when you first click you will select the block but then you can use the tab key to select the individual cabinet. You can then open the dialog to make changes to that cabinet. If you need to rearrange them, then exploding the block is the thing to do.

Plan views sent to layout are always "live" so they will auto update any time you make any changes to the model. There are two easy ways to create a "static" view that will not update: 1. Send the plan view to layout as an "image". This will just be a picture or snapshot of the plan so it will not change. 2. Use the "cad detail from view" tool to convert the plan view into a cad detail. You can then send the cad detail to your layout. It won't ever change unless you manually change it. Chopsaw mentioned these in the second post but I don't think he explained them very well. Hope this helps.

I am a bit confused. Are you building 3 different foundation models all in the same plan file? As in one is a slab and another is a crawl space. Or are you trying to show 3 different levels of the same foundation model? As in you have a stepped foundation and you want to show the foundation for each part separately. Maybe a picture or posting your plan would help.

Actually, I think the program is pretty flexible because it lets you make arched shutters using the parametric shutters (see below). You just can't make an arched shutter using a library symbol though. Think about this for a minute. A symbol is just a collection of 3D surfaces. You can setup "stretch planes" which will let the program know how to make it fit any rectangular shape. How would this work if the shape had any curved sides though? They could either "warp" it or "trim" it to fit the shape but neither of these might look like how the shutter is actually made. I think this is a case where you are better off building a new symbol that matches what you would have IRL.

There is nothing in your zip file. Be sure that your plan is not open in Chief when you try to zip it.

Or is the problem that you are turning things on/off in your layers and seeing this affect your views on the layout? The solution is to make sure your layout views are using a unique layer set so that when you make changes it won't affect all of your views.

Try going into your folders area of your preferences and clicking on the "show" button for all program paths.

Another tip: you can always move things that bump into walls inside them by holding the control key. Not as accurate as the transform/replicate dialog but certainly handy in some cases.

I don't think there is an easy way to create a plan view like this automatically. You can turn on "show closed doors/drawers" in the "general cabinet defaults" but even this won't show you the box sides. For now, you could create a plan view that shows the outlines of the boxes and then convert it into a cad detail where you could then manually add the box insides as cad. BTW, a cross section view will show you most of the cabinet details. It would be great if you could create a top down floor overview as a vector view and then use the cross section slider to show a horizontal cross section. The other option is to just not show these details. Unless you are spec'ing out some really custom cabinets, I'm pretty sure the cabinet shop will know how to build the boxes with just the floor plans and elevations. Might just be a case of trying to provide information that is not really needed.

From the pictures on their website, it looks like they can only do "presentation" floorplan drawings. I didn't see any pictures showing actual construction docs. Also, for $100 a month, it seems pretty lame that the "professional" version will only let you make 10 full HD renderings per month. Even the "enterprise" version only lets you make 20 per user per month. I can't understand why they would have any limits, especially such low ones. BTW, Chief will let you make as many as you want at whatever resolution you want (even much higher than 1920x1080)..

Try turning off "create auto fillers" in the "general cabinet defaults".

It's already there. In general plan defaults, you can set your living area to either surface or main layer. Also, you can control which rooms are included or not and then you can use the "make living area polyline" tool to generate the polyline that was used for the living area.

I always seem to have more problems with the winders made out of curved stair sections. They will sometimes do very strange things and it is very difficult to get what I want. I will usually just use landings to build each winder step because then I have complete control over the geometry. The problem with this method is trying to get the railings the way I want them. Of course, they don't always work out well with the curved stair winders either.

Ask your engineer what format he prefers. If all he wants is a pdf of the working drawings, then that's all you need to send him. If he wants a cad file, then send him a dwg with just the info he wants. My guess is that he would prefer the individual floor plans rather than the layout though. If he wants an actual model that he could play with, you could send him the plan files. If he has a version of Chief (or even just the client viewer) then he could open the plans and do what he wants with them. Here are some DWG basics; https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00013/converting-plan-files-to-dwg-or-dxf.html

You haven't really given us much to go on. For example, what rendering technique are you using? Do you have a video card that supports real-time raytracing? Are you a new user or a long time user? A picture showing us how your view looks would help but a plan would help even more. The bottom line is that getting good results takes a lot of practice with lighting and materials. It also helps to have a good model to start with. I would recommend reviewing the training videos: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/102/cameras-lighting.html https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/170/materials-patterns-textures.html

Random ideas: Try turning off or on the crosshair cursor (preferences). Try turning off or on "synchronize with cursor (also preferences). Try updating your video card drivers. Does it only happen in one plan or in all plans (even a very simple one)? If all else fails, I would try contacting tech support.

Unfortunately, not in this case. Would be nice though. So I just downloaded the Aristokraft library to see for myself. All it contains is door styles, trim, and materials and not actual cabinets. This means that you have to place a generic cabinet and convert it into a manufacturer cabinet by using these components. When you do that, you should also go ahead and type "Aristokraft" into the manufacture field of the object info. Basically, you need to build your own manufacturer cabinet.

The %manufacture% macro just displays the info that you put into the "manufacturer" object information. You have created an endless loop but apparently Chief already anticipated this and doesn't blow up. So yes, you will have to manually enter the manufacturer name for all of your cabinets. If you are using the same manufacturer for all of them, just group select them and type it in once. There are also a whole bunch of manufacture cabinets available in the downloadable libraries. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/3d-library/

Just like I thought. So when you want to use a custom counter, you don't need to set the cabinet lower and turn off the automatic counter. Just draw the custom counter over it. It will replace the automatic one and it will be the shape you make it.

In Chief, the cabinet "height" is always the box height plus the counter top height. If your cabinet schedule is showing two different heights, then you have probably done something that you don't need to (like making one cabinet shorter). You don't need to make your cabinet shorter to use a custom counter top. If you just draw the custom counter over the top of a base cabinet the program will use your custom counter instead of creating an automatic one. If you want your cabinet schedule to show the "box height", all you need to do is remove the "height" column and add the "box height" column. If you actually want to build all of your cabinets at 35" instead of 36", then just set the cabinet height to be 35" and your counter top thickness to whatever you want. If you set up your cabinet defaults this way, then it shouldn't matter whether your cabinet has an auto counter or a custom one. You don't put %manufacturer% in the object information. You put the actual name of the manufacturer, like "KraftMaid" or "Wellborn". You can use %manufacturer% to extract the manufacturer name when you want to put it into a label or a custom macro. All of this is just my best guesses, if these don't help you solve your problems, then I recommend that you post a plan (as suggested by Eric).

Next time you have to import a dwg, I would import it into a plan file, not a layout. While you are in the "importing drawing assistant", you can select which layers you want to import and you can even map them to whatever Chief layers you want to using the "advanced layer mapping". You can find lots of info on this by using the help button in the assistant.

Or, just place the light on a ceiling and then move it under the polyline solid. You will probably need to adjust the height though. Or, use a cabinet soffit instead of a poly solid because the recessed light should mount underneath it.

A pencil and some paper. But seriously, if you have better tools available, why wouldn't you want to use them? The new features don't just make the job faster, they allow us to do things that you would have never done back in the "old days". I mean who would have ever created a framing overview when drawing by hand? The fact that most people have software tools now that can do so much more has changed the world so that now these things are requirements, not just pretty pictures. Not that I have anything against pretty pictures because these can make a huge difference between getting a job or not getting a job just because your competition spent all of 2 minutes making one. I think it's pretty obvious that Chief has already made up its mind. I wouldn't expect them to change back unless they saw a significant decrease in income. I plan on sticking with Chief but if you think there is a better tool available (not just cheaper, better), then by all means you should jump ship. Best of luck. This is turning into a zombie thread. It just won't die.