PitMan71

Make sure the finish of the doors isn't set to default. Open the object go to the materials panel and look for "Framed Panel". Shane

You are welcome. With a little trial and error you will be an expert in no time.

Post your plan and we can help sort it out. Hard to know what's happening without having a look at the plan.

Here’s how I'd draw this in Chief Architect. Pick the scale and create a CAD Detail. It’s hard to tell from the image whether the original is at 1/2″ or 1/4″ scale. Decide what scale you want to use when you send the detail to layout, then draw the components at their actual dimensions. Set up your text and callout arrows. If you want your text to print 1/8″ high, multiply that by the scale factor. At 1/2″ = 1′-0″, that’s 1/8″ × 24 = 3″ for the text height in the CAD Detail. At 1/4″ = 1′-0″, use 6″ for the same printed height. Set your arrowhead size for the chosen scale as well. (Scale factor is 12" (1 ft) divided by the scale..... ie 1/4" scale factor is 48, 12" / .25 = 48) Draw the main components. I’d use CAD Box for most of this detail. Draw each box to the actual width and height of the component, then apply a fill where needed. Use a closed polyline for any shape that isn’t rectangular. Draw the insulation and plates. Under Box Tools, use the Insulation tool to draw the insulation and the box-with-an-X tool to draw the plates. Size each box to match the component it represents. Add the callouts and send the detail to layout. Once the linework and fills are in place, add your labels and arrows. Send the detail to layout at the scale you picked in Step 1 and check that the text and arrows read clearly at the printed size. I hope this helps.

Probably because of windows updates..... Check your display drivers to make sure they are updated as well. Good luck.

Thanks for asking this. I have been struggling with this myself. Thanks @scottharris for the info.

No lockups here.... Has X18 been locking up ever since you installed it or have the lockups happened more recently? Probably a graphics driver.... Seems to be the most common culprit.

Default Settings (Wrench Icon) > Wall > General Wall > Uncheck "Auto Merge Colinear Walls"

Just grab the can from the library.

This is a great suggestion. I would put this in the suggestions forum.

Nah. I have asked this before..... I wish you could control the CL separately from the dimension text size or remove it completely and leave the centerline. It would be worth a mention in the suggestions forum.

I am not seeing where that is an option directly from chief. But there are automated Powshell scripts using cmdlets that you can set up to do that for you. Such that you just drop the color version in the folder and it automatically creates a grayscale copy for you. If you use ChatGPT it can walk you through the process. Similarly I use an automated process to convert PDF's to JPG's. Saved me tons of time.

Try moving the wall from 75 to 90, let the windows miter and then move the wall back to 75. Make sense?

In the attached plan, I have a two-story house with the automatic roof set to ignore the second floor, which is intentional. With Height Above Plate set to 0", I would expect the rafter tail to sit directly on the plate. Instead, the roof appears to drop approximately 2½" into the room, creating a small sloped section at the upper outside corner where the roof rafters meet the exterior wall. If I uncheck Automatic Birdsmouth, the issue goes away. As soon as I turn it back on, the roof drops into the room again. I understand that disabling Automatic Birdsmouth is an easy workaround. I’m more interested in understanding why this is happening and whether it’s related to a setting I’ve overlooked or could be a bug. I’ve included a screenshot showing the condition and attached the plan for anyone willing to take a look. There’s also a saved cross-section in the plan showing the affected area. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks! I'm on X18 Build 28.2.1.14 As Built 10-22-2026.zip

I'm using Chief Architect X18 and have a stair with a wider lower section and a narrower upper section, separated using a Complete Break. The lower section has a railing on one side that terminates at a wall. Beyond that point, the stair continues between walls without a railing on that side. The issue is that the wall corner falls in the middle of a tread rather than lining up with a riser. That tread needs to be notched around the wall, with part of its width extending past the corner. However, the Complete Break places the width change at a riser. Is there a way to notch an individual tread around the wall, or does the width change have to occur at a riser? Is there another approach to modeling this that I'm overlooking? Thanks

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nj903z2win99u765n4umv/260033-23v2.zip?rlkey=wprv32n59zin6yemdotsqh2rf&dl=0

thanks for the tip. It is plan specific. I checked some of my other plans and they dont have this issue. I will post the plan so we can figure out whats happening.

Did as you suggested but i am still having the issue.

nope. I will try that. Thanks. Shane

When I select a material in the Library in Chief Architect X18, the preview window is completely black in Physically Based mode. Switching that window back to Standard rendering makes the preview visible again. Physically Based rendering works fine everywhere else—it only seems to happen in this little preview window. Has anyone else run into this or know what might be causing it? This is happening with all material previews that i can tell. I am on the most recent build of X18 28.2.0.62. And on the most recent Nvidia drivers. thanks

Yep. When you use that method it creates issues... Its an apparent bug that wasn't fixed in X17 that i am aware and only happens in cross section/elevation views.... Not even sure if its fixed in X18 since i havent drawn curved leaders in X18 in an elevation view. Work around... Draw first line and then second then fillet the two.

Send this in to support. Seems that I had issues with arrow leaders in X17. Are the leaders curved? If so how did you curve them?

Does this help? %room.ceiling_finish_layers[0].material_data.description% Change the 0 to 1 for the next layer. I tried this in my room label and it worked.

Yes. I updated CA when it came out and finally got around to checking that issue yesterday. Thanks!