JKEdmo

There are a bunch of Chief tutorial videos that may help you here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/playlists/98/moldings-primitives-3d-cad.html

There may be some 3D people in Chief -- not exactly sure. I am no render pro so I'll defer to the forum experts. But, one trick is to add people later to the rendering as simple 2D images or "decals" using Photoshop or Gimp. An old coworker of mine used this technique a lot -- he was really great at 3D renders -- and I thought it was really effective and convincing. Another advantage is it is fast. Here's an example (done in Revit) that shows the technique:

Another thought -- to make the building look "lived in", I'd suggest adding people, car(s), outdoor furniture, etc. Jim

Levina, The front facade is in shadow. I'd play with the sun settings to get some direct lighting. Jim

Thanks Rene' -- I'll look into this tool. Jim

Thanks all! I got it fixed and learned a bit more. I was certain it was the X15 --> X16 upgrade, but that was a red herring. Goes to show not to jump to conclusions. Jim

Thanks for all the help. Working on cleaning this up right now. I'm curious for my own education -- how did you all zero in on the problem area so quickly?

Update: I submitted the model file to tech support. (I keep forgetting I pay for this resource!) We'll see if Chief has any good advice. Jim

Good morning, I brought a model forward from X15 to X16 (attached). Since then the model has become really slow and sluggish with a lot of "rebuild 3d model" events. I don't think the model is especially large. Was wondering what people do to troubleshoot something like this. For example, how to find and purge a large complex symbol that might be causing problems? Lastly, in Autocad there is a command (Audit) used to fix and repair files. Does Chief have anything equivalent to fix "broken" PLAN files if that's even a thing? Thanks once again, Jim PARKES - PROPOSED.zip

Thanks! Jim

Hi Shayne, I could change the roof geometry, but the question was more about having the auto roof slope label read how I want without having to mess around with the model geometry. For instance, round to a reasonable fraction. (Hard to see in my original screenshot, but the weird roof slope values result from their ridges aligning with that of a standard 6:12 roof). Jim

Thanks for response. If I understand correctly, there is no "easy" way to adjust the slope format of the roof plane object to nearest 1/4 inch? I was assuming this would be doable like any dimension. If not, not end of world -- I'll just override the label with text. Jim

I'd like to format these roof slope labels to show to nearest 1/4" instead of slightly ridiculous sixteenths, but can't figure out how to do this. I show "automatic label" along with plus/minus in specify label. Any tips appreciated. Thanks again, Jim

Sure enough! Thanks DB. Jim

Good morning, I have a mulled window unit with 2 single casements below and a fixed unit above. All on same level. I want window shutters on the lower units only (shown in red below), but have not had luck. Is there a particular technique within the windows / shutters setting, or is this condition too unusual and I should just place the shutters manually as symbols? Thanks again, Jim

Success! I did not know this feature. Thanks! Jim

Good morning, I have a stair in two separate sections. I want to have the railing on for the lower section, but nothing for the upper. But, it seems to me the railing / handrail setting controls display for the whole (combined) stair. Is it possible to have different railing / handrail settings for the two separate sections? Thanks again, Jim

I suppose the quick and dirty solution for limited scope would be a cad line over the top, set to white dashed? I tested on a project I have with a garage curb:

To clarify -- the example I show is just a decorative "widow's walk" guard. Not for fall protection.

Rob, I made a similar custom infill panel for my project. You could too. It was fairly quick. Trying to remember the specifics -- create the panel with linework, convert to 3D solid, then convert to library symbol as a millwork object. Lastly, select panel for your railing. Jim

Perfect! Makes sense now. Thanks Ben for taking the time. Jim

I couldn't find this in Help, but what is this layer used for? Thanks, Jim

Larry, I was able to get the stucco finish to generate on the upper portion by selecting this: jim

Mick, No, it's turned on.

Did you have this with X15?