VisualDandD

Worked. Just ran into it (X7 Beta). Remember seeing a thread and came back to read for a solution. I did not want to show "invisible walls" in layout but had already sent the plan. No matter what I did, they still showed up. Even closing files...closing the floor plan and reopening it by double clicking the layout...etc. I tried re-linking the file....nothing. Opening the DBX in layout and closing it updated it!!! Thanks!!!

Ha!!!!! That is awesome. Been doing it the hard way for years. I copied, went up to attic level and pasted hold position and bit my nails while the lower wall deleted. Sure enough, wall stayed in 3d view. Thanks man!!!! Just goes to show, there is always something to lean. Again...>BIG thanks

Looooong time chief user and figured I'd throw a question out there that I know other have to have run into. Of course I have a 'work-around' but figured I'd pose a topic and see if I have just been missing something for all these years. Basically rake walls such as in offset roofs or dormers. You have to draw them for exterior views, but you dont necessarily want them on floor plans as they dont go all the way to the floor. (roof cuts wall at bottom selected) For years I just create a copy of the wall layer and change the line properties to dashes...etc I change these wall types so they look different on plans (sometimes totally invisible by changing all line types to no line) This makes for ugly looking connections though. So have I been missing something all these years? I wish there was a selection for "Invisible on floor plan view", but it would render the walls in elevation. Here is an example I was working on today Pic1 wall that should not show in floor plan view (roof cuts wall at bottom) Pic2 how it renders if you make it 'invisible' PIc3 Making it visible again Pic4 View of inside of said wall. Like I said, I have to make a separate layer for these type walls with different line defaults and no fills. What do you guys do?

Here are some of the details in CAD. I got them from my engineer. I had to edit them and re-block some text to get everything to show. They are NTS. If I was ambitious, I would transform replicate and bring them into scale exactly, but for my purposes they work on details. 15-2-19 wall struct details.zip

I think I have most of it in CAD. If you are still in need let me know.

Are they not under "accessible design>handrails"?

In the camp of using X7 beta. Have not had any 'major' issues. Noticing the lag, but appreciate some of the features...etc. I have completed several full sets of drawings with no issues.

"Distressed paint" applied globally and 'streetched to fit" will pick up a lot of edges but wont be quite as detailed as you would like. I have experimented with making my own textures with darkening the edges on. This can work but not for a real up close effect.

Could be an email limitation. If so....just open up a free "dropbox" account. (you get 4 or 5 gig free) In there is a "Public folder". Anything you place in it, is downloadable to another computer. (no size limit) You just copy files to that folder and "right click" on it. That will give you an option to "copy public link" to that specific file. Open up and email, and paste that link in there.....and you are home free. They can then download to any computer. I have sent 2-3gig files that way.

Turn on all your layers, and export to a DXF. If he wants to sort it all out......more power to him

Bumping this after a search for the android version. Wondering if you guys have an update on release on android?

I am a long time Chief user. I have been playing with some ideas to get more value out or drawing for builders and started learning to put together some videos combing rendering and walk-thru's. Using several different things in the process..... I never did really clean up the plans, (cab layout...etc). I am also getting "z-fighting" on my undermout sink. I only spent about an hour 'decorating'....but I can see how building a seperate library just for this purpose would speed the process greatly. This is my first attempt at it.

I do something similar. I dont use Chief's PDF output function. I use colored walls in my drawings, but I wanted to print in 'greyscale' so the walls did not appear black. I did not spend a lot of time, but I did not see that I could do that. So....I just do it the way I always do. I use a separate PDF "printer". (Bullzip is what I use). It has some nice features like "watermarks" as well for things. But I configure my Bullzip to NOT print color. I send the drawing to the printer from Chief with color selected. (Chief gives a little warning that the printer does not support color). The result is I get very nice greyscale walls, while still keeping my color in my drawings.

Yep....You can choose the "high" and "low" color and the fading and intensity. I have changed to using black and white. You get shadow lines...etc. You can even control line thickness. Try it out! It is under the render options any time you pull a camera.

EDIT: I found an old "technical illustration" I used one time. But this is more that mono chromatic look you may be looking for.

Not sure how much you have played with the watercolor, but it gives some good effects, and does a lot to give that look. Of course you can go totally B&W too. I have before made rendering models and "spray painted" most all features white except for things I wanted accented. Just copy model and "save as". Here are a few examples from some are very very simple and still in the 'rough' layout stage. Really to just give you and idea. I threw a POV render that was done after the watercolor was tweaked so you can see the difference. Truth be told, I think you get just as much out of the watercolors......

First, off, I already spoke with tech support, ...but just sharing this. Today I went to do something I have done in previous versions without issue. I copied an entire house using "edit area all floors visible" tool. I then went to paste it into a terrain model I have as a template. Chief did not like that. Got a nasty message and it locked up on me. Now here is where it gets weird. I had to Ctrl alt del to end task to get out of chief. When I opened it, both of the files I had open were wiped clean. Nothing in them. All floors were deleted and not a single thing in either plan. Thankk goodness for auto save....I looked up an older version and "saved" the files. Here is something weird......it also took out my library browser. It was no where to be found(and it was docked at the time). Tech support showed me how to "reset" it...which worked fine. Long story short, I just did the process the other direction and had no issues. I copied the smaller terrain file and pasted into the house plan. (and aligned up my new terrain perimeter with the poly line that gets copied over). I dont think it liked the big copy...... Just throwing this out there. Done it a bunch of times in older versions without issue, but as is the case with models, there can always be something that is causing the quirk or large poly counts.

I usually find it is a 'baseline' issue. I often start with 'auto' roof tools and then modify the planes. If you are trying to match overhangs on differing pitches, etc and move roof plains with point to point, the baseline often gets screwed up. You see this all the time when trying to make a 'full' return and only one side will generate. As for making roof planes line up, just enter fascia height and lock it, then enter pitch.

Gary, I like to use the watercolor with line drawing on top. It does a nice job of illustrating without people feeling the need to overly pick them apart. I think you are talking about the technical illustration though. That is good and shows nice shadows, but it is a little too 'rigid' looking for me. I also do some involved photo-realistic stuff, but most people dont want to spend the time or money on it.

I do it with polyline solids in a brick shape I made. I draw an arc to match the window or opening, and turn on "show arc centers and ends". I place a point at the center and use transform replicate to produce copies at certain angle intervals. I usually start out at about 2.5deg It is pretty quick, except I found that X6 wont use Transform/rep "about current point" on polyline solids. Your choice is to do them as cad and then convert them later, or know the coordinates of the point and entering it in manually.

OK....got it to go. I just pulled a new camera and sent another to layout and it worked. Have no idea????

Hey all. Wondering if anyone else has this issue. I usually go in and select a layout box in my layout and lighten the pattern lines to a lighter grey. I am having issues with this working in X7. I can open the box and change it, but there is no effect in the layout. (I tired all kinds of colors and even line weights had no effect). I can go in and individually edit them and change their attributes. (Using "edit layout lines") Anyone else have this issue? Thanks

Ill try that, but that was not it. I use Microsoft security essentials. I looked and did not have older versions of Chief excluded.... I will do that now though. Running from SSID so I dont think it would a file transfer issue either.

I have noticed a slow down. Most when zooming in and out and also a longer pause anytime new walls "connect". Another bug I am noticing is that when I select something and the handles pop up, I will grab the center one to move it and it will just stay there. The cursor will freeze. I will then have to re-select and grab again and it will move. It is not just one plan, but doing it in several different ones.

This is from the bonus lib. (water supply and drainage>conductor heads) Not exactly as decorative, but you could easily dress it up and block it.