Ridge_Runner

Perry, do you copy saved "room elevation" cameras from one template to another, or do you even use those for things like cabinet elevations? I know some use full section cameras for cabinets. The room elev cameras are some of the ones I have trouble with. They seem to "remember" cabinet labels (discussed in a thread some time back). I thought about just putting them inside a "generic" 4-walled room in the template but some of the recent threads on other potential issues has me reconsidering that option (no enclosed rooms in the template plan was the recommendation).

Hey, Douglas; been out of the office all day. I'm with Tommy. I don't use that feature typically; I just draw them manually for the same reasons (probably) Tommy does. I am not one of the "gurus" on here so my comments were really to save those guys and gals some time typing; I can't tell you how many times they have said, "post the plan and you will usually get an answer quickly." Otherwise, anyone is just guessing at what the problem could be. Nice addition, BTW, of the actual screen captures.

Hi, Douglas. It would be much better if you use a simple tool like Microsoft's included Snipping Tool to capture the screen shots and attach those. Also, attaching the plan is usually a must. Close it and zip it first if it is larger than 25mb.

I noticed too, Joe. Gave you a point cause you're always ready to help. Gave you one too, Eric.

Really nice, Anthony.

Thanks, Mick, for following thru with this topic and uploading the default CA plans. Will be interested to see what others do as I typically use the "safe as" method and don't start a new template with every new release of CA - I do start a new template with some releases though. I, too, am interested in the items that can be "safely" imported from older templates/plans.

Many comments on the forum concerning this "problem." I believe the general fix is to use a perpendicular room divider at the framed wall to give it something to stop at, like Robert suggested and just turn that layer off.

Thanks, Perry and Michael. Used Chief for years and had not noticed this feature.

May be a dumb question but are you guys changing your rafters to a white material after you frame the roof? Don't they have to be "fir framing" first to build?

One of my areas of frustration in CA - too many places to set "defaults." My simple mind just thinks, "If I set cabinet defaults they should be under cabinets and not materials also." Maybe this is logical for some but not for me.

It was so buggy, to me, I hated to open it. Ver. 12 was at least more stable, as was ver. 14. 14 was what 13 should have been. Long time ago.

Not sure why, but this seems funny to me - a timber framer who wants to stick frame his own home.

I agree that it originally seemed "odd" to me to show the 2nd floor joist framing on the 1st floor. But the more I used CA the more I came to realize that this method actually worked better because I was able to see and edit the joists and the walls that supported them in the same view. I could reference the 2nd floor walls also in that same view and I eventually became comfortable with that approach. The more I learn how CA thinks (20 years now) the easier it is to accomplish what I want to do - just don't fight it; like someone else said, "it's just another tool - use it the way it was designed to be used - right or perceived wrong."

I agree completely. Some of my clients can't seem to get beyond the colors and textures of a RT or standard view; they can't even get to the design elements if I don't have "their" materials dialed in already. Even then they may not like what they see even when I have used their ideas. While that can be a good thing it is also a tremendous time waster; time that cannot be billed and compensated for unless there is an upfront agreement (which is, like...almost never!). My greatest struggle with watercolors is the fact that, being vector camera based, they show extraneous lines in the floor at invisible walls, ceilings, and wall junctions, among others. These type of anomalies do not show up as bad in raytraces and standard views; the textures and intersections are blended much better in those.

I did one similar to this a couple of years ago. I think I used polyline solids and 3d molding lines for the custom head and trim. I would probably create the front in a CAD detail and copy the linework to create the components and then convert to the 3D elements.

ACAD 13 - now that was a version that should have never been released! They should have skipped it and just waited on ver. 14. No wonder you only used it "about 8 months."

To me, one of the biggest changes has been 3D. I sometimes wonder how we (me) developed drawings of the things we did when we used a drafting table and an occasional napkin/pencil. I love the ability to frame a roof in 3D, as a good example, and go inside to check clearances for ceilings and the ever-present valley rafter that creates havoc sometimes on living spaces. Has eliminated many quick "cuts" on paper to try and determine those types of things. I, like most of you, have clients who just can't visualize a 2D plan; 3D brings the entire project to life. I, for one, don't want to go back to "the good old days." 3D is the direction and who knows how that will be improved! How about components-parts? How about true BIM from a 3D model? Wouldn't that be a good idea?

FastCAD. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time; still have the book and discs in storage so I can pull them out and show the "kids" what life was like before cell phones and ipads. I used it for years instead of Autocad. Had both but preferred FastCAD. It was named appropriately. Started with its little brother EasyCAD when looking for something to use that met my needs more than Autocad did.

Same here. Still have the original packaging and discs somewhere. Used 3D Home Architect before that (I think that was the title).

If I have to reverse very many more plans I may revert to this method. Like others have said, if you reverse or use "edit area" the electrical goes crazy - at least with me. If yours works just fine using these commands that's great. But don't berate me for probably "doing it wrong." I would appreciate you sharing your secret as would others I'm sure. 3-way switches seem to be some of the worst - not sure why. I also hate the way the "snaps" for the OOB electrical connections appear. When the snap is highlighted and I click on it the connection should go there; mine usually doesn't. It appears it just stops wherever the cursor happens to be located, almost as if the snap point is just a "guide" but doesn't work very well. I can't tell you how many times I have manually moved the connections into the correct position. Some, of course, work; others not so good. My rant for the day. Chief, I mostly love your product and have used it for years (since 1997). These little things drive some of us crazy though.

Have had Chief do some strange, abnormal things before also. There was a thread some time back concerning this. I, and others, save and exit CA after working in it for several hours. That seems to help, although that may or may not be your gremlin.

Shane, you gonna retire after this one? That's big bucks!

That's the way it is for our area.

Very nice, Johnny.

I thought the same thing when I saw it. I get the same type of shadows cast when I do similar floor layouts with stairs. Of course, in this case, "correct" means "the way Chief does it OOB." Dermot gave you the solution.