Alaskan_Son

You definitely can use the baseline angle and there certainly can be reasons to do so, however... I’ve modeled roof planes like that quite a few times now, and the fastest, easiest, most accurate, and most dependable method I’ve found is to find the neutral pitch plane and use that to set your baseline. My workflow is as follows. 1. Create a 3D overview. 2. Make sure your various roof trim layers (especially Ridge Caps) are turned off. 3. IN THAT 3D VIEW, click on the Face tool... 4. Draw a Face that snaps to 3 known reference points on the adjacent roof planes, thereby creating a plane EXACTLY where you want your new roof plane to be. 4. Paint that face with a material that has perfectly horizontal lines (any material will do really). 5. Return to your plan view. You should see (as long as the appropriate layer is turned on) that the material pattern on your face is now visible in plan view. You will use this pattern to set your initial baseline which will place it perfectly at that neutral pitch plane I mentioned. 6. Create a CAD Detail From View. 7. Cut one of the pattern lines and Paste Hold Position into your plan view. 8. Delete the Face. 9. Move that pattern line (WITHOUT changing the angle) so that it intersect a mid way point along one of the 2 existing sloped roof edges. 10. Drag out a new roof plane baseline starting at that intersection point and ending anywhere along that pattern line. 11. Drag the roof plane either up or down in the direction of the slope (perpendicular to the baseline). 12. Stop the roof plane before you get to it’s ultimate high or low point. 13. Grab JUST ONE CORNER of that new roof plane and snap it to one of the existing sloped roof plane edges. This should trigger the Change Height/Pitch dialog. 14. Choose Pivot About Baseline. 15. Reshape and properly join the roof plane. 16. Delete the temporary pattern line.

A little further reading in the Help files makes it pretty clear that its just hard coded behavior that can only be changed "later" (i.e. once you turn auto foundations off). This is probably why most of us never have an issue with it. If most people are like me, auto foundations have a very short lived life with most projects. In fact, I pretty much never leave them toggled on expect for in the simplest of scenarios.

From The Help files... Basement Rooms When a foundation’s type is Walls with Footings or Grade Beams on Piers, and it is assigned a Minimum Wall Height of 76” (1900 mm) or greater, the resulting basement is automatically created with a 4” (100 mm) concrete slab floor. and a default Floor Finish like that on Floor 1. Similarly, if a foundation is set up to have a Basement Ceiling Height of 72” (1800 mm) or greater when built, it is automatically given a painted drywall Ceiling Finish. See Foundation Panel. Regardless of its ceiling height, however, you can specify a floor or ceiling finish for any room in the Room Specification dialog. See Structure Panel.

Don’t have an actual solution for you, but just FYI, that behaviour seems to arise only when the stem wall height and slab thickness result in a ceiling height of 72” or greater. Seems to be hardcoded too.

Room ceiling being applied to the bottom side of the specified deeper roof framing over the front porch area. Multiple possible fixes, but that room might be a good candidate for Use Soffit Surface For Ceiling (Structure panel).

Multiple options, but here are the two that I usually use depending on the scenario... 1. Decrease the text/number height for that dimension to at or near zero and just manually position the text over the top. 2. Use a single segment polyline with arrows on both ends and place your text into the polyline label.

I thought I had posted this somewhere at some point but I can't find it, so...another thing that works for some corrupted library items is this: Don't try to right click. Instead, try using the Delete Key or Backspace on your keyboard. Using the key and using right click don't behave the same.

Yes you can. Plan and Layout store 2 entirely separate groups of defaults.

The lines aren't heavy. You just have the same dark blue fill color assigned to that particular wall layer as you do the lines representing that layer.

Set your currently active dimension default to Locate Objects>Openings>Casing and leave all other Opening options unchecked.

This is because doors work differently than windows. Doors are referencing a symbol for the door slab/panel while windows on the other hand do no such thing. There’s nothing to reference. Those library items are simply pre-defined parametric window objects or window symbols.

Ah, I see. These are saved with individual cameras, but not something that can be edited at the default level except for the one single default Rendering Technique setting for that particular rendering style.

...or, if you don't actually want them mulled...

Custom symbol.

This^^^ It is controlled by the Cabinets, Labels layer text style.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this? What settings are you referring to that don't currently save and that you need to "fiddle" with every time? This is an odd statement. A. They're new to Chief and definitely improvements, so obviously worth noting. B. They're really not minor at all IMO. Some of those items are MAJOR time savers. For a person who does a lot of terrains, the ability to trim terrain lines alone could easily make the upgrade worth it.

I can't answer your question without either violating a Non Disclosure Agreement or speaking of what I don't know, but I will say this. I would highly recommend you upgrade. In addition to the new X12 features that you've seen listed, there have been so many improvements over the last few versions...I don't see how I could personally ever go back. Plus, the learning curve during your eventual upgrade is only going to get worse.

Is there a specific Chief Architect modeling question, or are you just looking for general construction advice?

Thanks. It’s warmed up to about 17 below (F) where I live. And Dermot is right, my suggestion is probably more than you need. I read more into what you were asking them what was really there.

See if this helps you at all...

Just a thought, but you might look into joining the Beta testing team and see if the new Style Palette tools will do what you need. Not sure if they’re looking for testers yet or not, but I imagine it wouldn’t hurt to ask... beta@chiefarchitect.com

Put your CAD Details in...wait for it... ACTUAL CAD DETAILS!!

My recommendation is to simply adjust your drawing habits to eliminate those issues at the source.

Nope. Not possible. At least not without actually (and illegally) hacking into Chief’s exe programming code.

Regional or not, this is another example of a very clearly defined term. All one has to do is open a standard dictionary. I would argue that the real regional difference is simply in relative levels of ignorance (obviously willful in many cases). I called a screwdriver a “kyker” till I was 3 and my immediate family adjusted terminology to suit (and why not, it was super cute!). I don’t think our “regional” term was correct though and I assume my mother and father saw the wisdom in calling it a “screwdriver” when they were communicating with other people and when teaching my younger brothers how to speak.