KirkClemons

In X10, we can now call other macros as methods. This means that the naming conventions need to be enforced so that the Ruby interpreter handles them correctly. To me, that seems like another reason that we may want to expose more user control over a macro 'Type' so that Chief can handle them accordingly.

It's found under this text.

I understand, and a power user such as yourself would understand whether or not your macro is defined as a constant or a class when you call it from another macro: https://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Understanding_Ruby_Variables#Ruby_Constants https://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Ruby_Object_Oriented_Programming#Defining_a_Ruby_Class However, for the users who are not as familiar, it's safer (IMO) to lead them down a more specific road that sticks to the language's naming conventions more strictly so they have a better overall experience. So, maybe, some general feedback to our development team on making different types of macros (i.e. Class, Constant, or Method) available in the software may be needed?

Camel case is still an accepted standard and is a nice way to handle names that have multiple words in them. areaRounded or roundedArea should still work so long as the object the macro is evaluating has a readable area.

I would recommend looking at the default setting where this object is most likely used. Som of the layers in Larry's example had ANNO prepended to the name. So, I would be that there is an annotation default using that layer. Changing which layer that annotation set uses would free up the now, unused layer. I agree though, it would be nice if you could trace which default is using that layer.

Depends on the desired effect. I find that I can produce better quality walkthroughs if I use the spline because the movements are less jerky.

It helps to know what typical videos are recorded as. So, here's some things to keep in mind when creating your settings: 1. A typical video on YouTube is recorded at 24 frames per second. This affects how smooth the playback is, not necessarily how long the video is. 2. Next, you will want to make sure you specify a length of time along the path, or in your manual movements that makes sense. Playback can seem really fast if you've told the program you want to run all the way through the house in under a minute and you want that played back at 15 to 24 frames per second. Think about how long it might take you to walk through the distance of your planned path and set the total length of the video to that amount of time. Hope that information is helpful.

I would recommend downloading and installing Xvid from the official Xvid website: https://www.xvid.com/download/ Once you've installed that, you'll need to restart Chief Architect. Once you've restarted the program, the option for Xvid will be available in your Render preferences. After you've set the preferred codec, you can re-record your walkthrough and the video output should be much smaller and play normally on pretty much any system.

Also, you cannot see metals in ray trace view unless Photon mapping is enabled in your ray trace settings.

1. Yes, your 'output' macro could simply add two global variables together and return the sum. 2. Yes, store the value of the Garage's area in a global variable and include that in your output macro.

One way you could to that is to store the output of the macro into a global variable, then call that variable with another macro. (video attached) Global variables are denoted with the $ symbol. storing-output.mp4

That was in reply to the OP's question about displaying the macro output away from the polyline.

As a quick reference to anyone who finds this, you can move the label away from the polyline fairly simply. See the attached video. label-macro-distant-macro.mp4

For ray traces specifically, you will need to set up the image size in your ray trace settings.

Ray tracing doesn't use the video card at all. It is strictly a CPU operation. So, there must be something about the system that is causing this issue. Does this happen when booting into a clean startup or safe mode with networking? https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode

Make sure you aren't using 'Global Symbol Mapping' in this context either. This can have adverse results when you are trying to control textures on a granular level like this.

It depends on your end goal for the image. Pick the right size for the final output. The image size dialog offers an option to enter inches and DPI which is helpful if you know the size of the image to be printed. If you are using it for something like an email or a website, however, then you can simply pick the size in pixels that you need for those mediums. Essentially, just remember that you can usually scale an image down without losing quality, but you can never go up without losing quality.

Yes, I've played around with it from time to time. I still check in on it to see how it's coming. It's a very promising alternative to programs like Crazy Bump. Personally, I use a more manual approach to creating my various maps in GIMP and Blender. I just wanted the information in my article to be usable with as little setup/learning as possible to get people started. Someday, I would like to use substance painter which generates textures procedurally along with all the maps needed for the texture, but, I haven't been able to justify the expense yet.

Dan does a great job of explaining the differences between bump and normal maps and how to use them in Chief in this video here: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/10153/quick-tip-chevron-herringbone-materials-with-normal-maps.html In this Knowledge Base article, you are shown how to apply a bump map to a material in Chief: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01076/creating-etched-glass.html In this article, I give a brief explanation on what bump and normal maps are, and how to create your own: https://kcclemo.neocities.org/creating-height-and-normal-maps/

Of course, Chief Architect has a roster of certified trainers as well: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/training/instructor/training-team.html

This article outlines the process in more detail: https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00478/modifying-a-light-for-placement-on-a-stair-or-pier-piling.html

It's also worth noting that layer support must be available in the program you are viewing the PDF in. For example, if you are viewing the PDF in a web browser, you will not see any layer controls like you do in Adobe Reader. So, if you are hoping to embed this in a website so that people can view the drawing, they will not have any indication that they can toggle layers on or off.

Another consideration - The mirror material only works on "flat" objects. You cannot, for example, use it on a cube or cabinet box.

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