ArthurDent

Turn off "display angle snap grid" in your preferences under snap properties.

When you send an elevation to layout, you need to choose "use pattern line defaults" to be able to change them all at once from the layout box.

Personally, I wouldn't work that way.  I would setup your materials to have the color and line weights you want for your patterns.  This way your elevation view is always wysiwg and you don't lose anything if you have to update your layout.

The cad blocks won't update automagically if you rotate the 3D data in the open symbol dialog.  You need to create your own block or use the "generate block" button.

I don't think you can control what gets dimensioned.  I  think the whole point was that they use the NKBA standards.

I suppose you can generate the NKBA dimensions and then remove the openings.  Or you could look at setting up the auto elevation dimensions to give you what you want.

I'm not sure what you are saying.  I can delete any dimensions, auto or manual.

No plans attached.  You need to use the "upload" button after you choose the file.  Also, make sure you close the plan before you try attaching it.

I see dead people.  They're everywhere.  I am glad I am not the only one. 

You can already do that in X6.  You need to change the door style in the dialog using the library button though. 

Looks OK to me too.

Try reading this help article:  http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00467/

Try calling tech support.

In preferences, you can set it up so color off is black and white or greyscale.

If you have already drawn your plan far from the origin, you can move it using edit area.

I am guessing that it's either a video card problem or a problem with your wall def.  Does it happen with a brand new plan using the default profile plan?

Turning off the patterns in the layer display options will turn it off for all materials.  Just use the "rainbow" tool to change the roof material from "shingles" to "area".

I heard that both the viewer and the trial version are X7 but I did not download either myself.

It looks like the program is having problems auto saving a copy of the file when you open it. 

It looks like a very strange file name.  Maybe your file name is too long?

Maybe your hard disk is almost full?

The only way I could think of doing this is by importing a picture file on the layout.  Then you could use export image from the render view to update the file which would update the layout. 

If you know some other way, one that is more automatic, I would love to hear about it.

I don't have the nkba version but I can make some guesses.  If I remember right, the nkba exam makes you draw your own elevations from scratch without using the actual 3d model.  I am betting that the blank elevation is just a normal elevation camera.  It might even be pointed away from the building so that it doesn't show the actual building. 

-Your elevation camera is somewhere in your plan view but you can't see it.  It might be on a layer that is turned off so you could try turning on all layers in the layer display options dialog.  It might be off the screen so you may want to use the "fill window" tool to see if it shows up.

-If you still can't find the camera in plan view, you could open up the project browser and see if it is there.  You can open cameras directly from the browser.

-If you can't find the camera in the browser, then it might have been deleted.  If you have the camera tools, you should be able to create a new one.

-If none of this helps, then I would call tech support on Monday.

I changed the dimension default to locate objects->Walls->Surfaces but it still wants to use the framing when auto dimensioning the exterior 

That should've worked.  Maybe you didn't rebuild the auto dimensions after?  Or maybe you changed the wrong defaults?  Don't know but if you posted the plan, I bet someone could figure it out.  Personally, I wouldn't mess with the wall types.

One of the people I draw for gets completely confused when the dimensions go to the framing layer.  Just making it dimension to the exterior for him is easier than explaining this every time.

I would charge him double. 

There is an edit tool called "close polyline" that will join the start and end together.  Not sure if this is what you are looking for.

There is also a tool called "regular polygon" that lets you make a polyline with all sides the same.  I think this is much easier then Doug's method.

I like it too, but why use gimp/photoshop?  I could get pretty close using technical illustration.  You can make it more white if you like.  You can also turn on the backdrop in the 3D view defaults dialog.  The only thing I couldn't figure out how to do was to make the windows partially transparent.  It was either all or nothing.

I don't like the light fixtures though.  I keep expecting to see birds in them. 

Athenian,

Thanks for confirming what I was told.  I'm not sure if Lew was trying to be funny or what but I am going to assume he was just mistaken and not trying to spread misinformation on purpose.

I think you are wrong but I haven't actually downloaded it yet.  Have you?

And on that note... 

Does any one find it strange that there are no official announcements on this forum about the X7 beta?  In fact, there is nothing at all on the Chief web site about X7 unless you know where the hidden links are.  I was told that if you download the trial version that you will actually get X7 but I couldn't find anything that says this.  Here we are arguing about who can and can't get X7 but there is really not much to go by except rumor and speculation.  It either shows up in your locker or it doesn't.  Must be some kind of new stealth marketing campaign. 

I think it has to do with the order that you are doing it.

1. Click on line you want to move first.

2. Click on dimension you want to change.

3. Click on move line or move edge button (but only when you want to change the mode).

4. Type in new dimension.

5. Press enter.