Alaskan_Son

I'm not 100% sure of the request you're referring to, but I imagine it was with regard to a jamb profile.

Lane, There are a few methods for dealing with this, but here are the 2 easiest IMO... Create new Plan Views for the additional floors. You have to remember that a Plan View remembers its floor as part of that Plan View. If all your layout boxes are referencing the same Plan View then they all change as soon as you Save that Plan View in its most current iteration. OR... Open the layout box and under Plan View>Linked Plan View, set this to None. This will keep all the settings except it will no longer change to reflect changes to your floor level.

What do you mean by this? We've always had jambs for doorways.

There are a couple other methods of storing those CAD Details that would allow for less extra moves... 1. Use CAD Block Management to store some of those CAD Details (especially those that get edited often). This way you only have to drop into plan, explode, modify, rename to original name, and you're done. The biggest downside to this method is that it CAN cause some otherwise unnecessary plan size bloat. 2. You can use a CAD Block warehouse plan and either store the CAD Blocks in CAD Details, in CAD Block Management, or right there in Plan View. The beauty of this method is that you can optionally link these CAD Blocks to layout files so that changes are essentially global; otherwise, you just copy and paste. No futzing around with all the extra steps either. If you want to edit the block you just edit it and leave it sitting right where it is. As far as storing in the library...Yes, I think you're doing about the best you can do. It sure would be nice if we could simply right click and "Edit CAD Block" wouldn't it?

WARNING: What your are about to read is ridiculously convoluted. For your own safety you should stop reading here. Its actually not necessarily quite that simple Eric. If the wall below is an exterior wall AND its exterior side is oriented correctly, AND you have a non-default material assigned to your default exterior wall, then the attic walls will obey the material setting for your default exterior wall's exterior material. So... You could change the material for your default exterior wall (in the material tab, NOT the wall definition) and draw your exterior walls using a wall type from your library that is assigned to a custom Place Library Object button and by doing so, create a quasi default attic wall setting. You would use the custom button to draw your exterior walls with and you would use the Exterior Wall Default as your "Attic Wall Default". This really only addresses the exterior material though and I would consider the term workaround for this one extremely generous at best.

I think you just have unrealistic expectations based on some clever and somewhat deceptive marketing. No one ever said you would get intelligent 3D objects automatically, only that you would get an editable, layered, CAD plan...which you have. The marketing literature goes on to say that you can "extract floor plans" which you also can...by starting with the aforementioned layered line work that shows up in the DWG file.

Here's my advice. Instead of simply moving the meter base to the electrical layer, make it an actual electrical object. Drop it into the plan, click Tools>Symbol>Convert To Symbol, select Advanced Options, and then set the various parameter like you want them. From that point forward the labels will be on your desired layer, it will get added to the correct schedule, you can connect electrical to it, etc. etc.

Absolutely.

I had a chance to take a look at your plan. Honestly, the intent of my challenge was to show the simple level at which 3D molding polylines fail to deliver; HOWEVER, it looks like I inadvertently presented a sort of ideal example of all that the 3D molding polyline CAN do. I learned a couple things in the process though. I can definitely see that the 3D molding polyline is capable of handling at least a little more than I thought BUT, the example I posted basically illustrates its limits. Anything much more complicated than that (such as the challenge I posted in my last thread, or continuing that molding from the wall down onto the floor while still having it lay flat on the floor) would require multiple molding polylines with multiple molding profiles. Definitely a bit more versatile than I was originally thinking, but still won’t likely make my list of favorite features anytime soon. Thanks for the example Graham.

Couldn’t agree more. I used to have an electrician years ago who was a good ole southern boy. I gave him quick description of a little project I needed him to do, adding that it should be pretty easy. He responded in a slow southern drawl... “It all sounds easy if you say it fast enough”. I absolutely loved it.

Richard, I’m curious...did you open that plan on the same exact system you drew it with? The reason I ask is that I see this type of thing frequently in plans from other users but almost never in my own plans. I’m just wondering if it’s caused by something unique to each system (CPU, GPU, OS, other hardware, software, etc.) and that if perhaps when we see this in our plans, if it’s possible we last saved them them on a different machine or at least a different configuration. I know, it needs to be fixed, I’m just spitballing as to what the source of the problem might be.

You're right, it's not there. I never personally use the column but I can definitely see why you might want it that as an object attribute.

Might seem like a silly question, but have you asked the company in question if they care? Maybe they won’t mind anyway. Having said that, I obviously don’t know all the details but I could DEFINITELY see situations were it might be inappropriate for you to use those renderings.

No. I just keep sending those missing attributes into Chief...asking for usable name:value pairs. I haven’t requested that one though. I’m away from my computer. Are you sure we don’t already have it?

Hold down Shift or Control while you select the object.

Yeah, that’s the other basic method I was envisioning too. I may have to take a serious look at spending some more time with 3D molding polylines though if what Graham has shown is truly all it appears to be. It just hasn’t been my experience to date.

Sweet. Thanks Graham. I just left the office heading to a job site but I’ll take a look when I get back to the office this afternoon. Honestly, I’m a little surprised you were able to do that with a single 3D molding line. I may have to spend a little more time with that tool. I can post an example when I get back to the office, but I’m curious if you can do the following (if I can explain it well enough)... Draw 2 walls that come together at an acute angle. Draw a chair rail molding on one of the walls that angles upward from the floor to the sharp outside corner. Mirror that same situation on the opposite wall. Now place a window so that it interrupts one of the moldings. My questions: 1. Can you make the molding cut parallel to the floor 2. Is the miter correct at that outside corner? 3. Is the molding flat against the wall as it should be? 4. Can you properly break the molding at the window opening?

No plan file?

Graham, Here's an example plan with a pretty simple molding extrusion wrapping around the edge of some tile. Can you mimic this with the 3D molding tool? If so, how long does it take you? Solid molding example.plan

I think this is probably pretty clear to most, but just to be clear here, I'm not talking about 3D molding symbols. I'm talking about 3D molding lines/polylines. Although they could use some improvements, 3D molding symbols are great. It's 3D molding lines/polylines that are stinky supreme.

I would go further than that. For many (if not most...or maybe even ALL) situations where a molding is applied continuously to follow more than a single plane, there is no combination of settings that actually work correctly...especially if you want proper miters. If you want accuracy, solids/faces/boolean operations are often the ONLY way in Chief.

I personally think 3D moldings kinda stink. I almost never use them...especially for any that need to be applied to more than 2 planes. For that situation though, I would probably either use three 3D molding polylines, or I would use primitives/faces/boolean operations.

Edit>Default Settings>Cabinets>General Cabinet>Show Closed Doors/Drawers in Plan Views

I can sell you existing macros, create them from scratch for your particular needs (typically the best route), or teach you how to use Ruby and write macros yourself. Just email me at alaskansons@gmail.com to let me know what your goal is if you’re interested and we can take it from there.