VisualDandD

Bump... Long time chief user. Version 6 I think.... Been off forums for a while. Used to do design/build. Migrated away from the building and now do mostly plans for custom clients as well as several builders. Done everything from 1200sf homes to 19,500 hsf monsters. Going on 20 years construction field experience which comes in handy when drawing. Always good to meet local users! Justin

I think I have an old "client viewer" cd floating around somewhere. But printing to a PDF will be very easy. I like Bullzip PDF printer. Free too!

Thanks for all the advice given. I decided to upgrade.....it was about time anyway. I have a few plans I am in the middle of that I have to finish and then I can start switching over. I really need to buckle down and learn annosets....I am a little behind

Sure. I will have to dig them up. Have quit using it as of late, but need to get back to it. I remember how much time is saved.

I downloaded the x6 trial and the renderings were quicker. For keystrokes, I mentioned (under my old acct a long time ago) that I use a logitech g13 programmable gamepad. It is very versatile and I have several 'modes' that I draw in. I hate having to move off the numpad when putting in ft-in, so made a custom keyboard with numbers and ",' handy. I set my joystick up to toggle ortho overviews, tile windows vertically, or cross section cameras....etc My drawing was very slow for a while but since it is picking up now, I am of the same mindset in that I dont want to fall too far behind. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks Lew! Looking over the list, I am not seeing any huge things that would improve productivity. Being from the early versions of chief, I have become well versed in the 'work-arounds' . If there is anything I am missing, anyone please feel free to point it out. (meaning any new features in X5/6 that are real productivity savers.) Again, the multiple monitors seems to be the big one for me, but I realize I may be missing some key things. Thank you again for taking the time to help out!

Hi all! Been a while since I have posted here. (forgot my old screen name on here ) I have been a long time user of chief all the way back to 6. My work has morphed over the years from mainly doing my own drawings for projects to recently getting busy doing work for other builders and coming with that, more detailed plan sets. I saw an email from chief that there was a 20% off upgrade which perked my interest to see what was new. I found the list of 'whats new' but was having a hard time figuring out what came new in X5 as well. From what I could tell, the biggest improvement (as would apply to me) seems to be multiple monitor support. That would be a significant help. X4 had annosets (which I dont yet fully take advantage of....but need to brush up more on). I keep my renderings limited to watercolor with line drawings. I play at times with raytrace, but watercolor do what I need them to do and in a way leave a little to the imagination. (which means I dont have to get as detailed for them) Mainly I do 8-10 page plan-sets. General notes, foundation, floor plans, roof sets, elevations. Sections as required and some details. Any other improvements that you would say significantly improve your productivity? (I realize X7 is coming soon in Feb so I will get that upgrade as well). I just dont like falling behind so far and wanted to stay abreast of things if they improve productivity. Thank you! Hope to be hanging around a little more. I can always improve my skills for sure Thanks! Justin