Alaskan_Son

Yes

I’d say you’re just looking at it the wrong way. That checkbox isn’t there to specify that an object be placed onto the layer specified in your Active Defaults. It’s there to specify that an object be placed onto the default layer for that object type. If it worked like you’re suggesting, the object would switch layers every time you switched Active Defaults...not good.

Yep. You can also get the framing in there too by using a hybrid approach. Here's a really quick example using your plan Eric... millerhomedesign modified.plan

You need to use another polyline along with boolean operations. Make sure the arc is converted to a multi-segment polyline first though or you'll mostly likely cause Chief to freeze up or crash.

Scott, I'm curious...what's wrong with the method I suggested? You're obviously willing to add some things manually. It seems like your new method is actually MORE work than what I suggested and it doesn't actually match your requested format. What I did only takes a few seconds and you have what you originally asked for. What am I missing?

Updating CAD blocks in Chief is clunky just as you've found. I've personally made requests that some of these problems be addressed but I haven't seen much in the way of improvement. One of the worst offenders as you've pointed out is the way updated blocks don't adjust their sizes properly. There are a couple ways of dealing with this... You can open the other instances and change the size factors back to 1.0 and 1.0. You can add the block to your library and then use Replace From Library instead. Re: moving the postion of the copies: You can control this to a certain extent by utilizing an insertion point. The problem with this though is that the various instances only respect the insertion point during a resize if you do them one by one. If you group select them and change the size factors all at once, then they seem to always resize about the bottom center of the block. Using Replace From Library works a little better in this regard but doesn't respect any reflecting or rotating that may have been done. In short...I feel your pain. Its a messy process at best. Chief could really benefit from some improved instancing capabilities.

Oops. I didn't look closely enough at your screenshot. What you did wasn't what Scott was asking for. He wants the Grade Level marker to remain labeled as 9ft as he showed in red and as I showed in my suggested solution.

Yeah, I would just do what Doug probably did and drag off/label a new elevation marker manually. I have a couple macro based solutions that do this too, but for this instance, I think its already pretty easy using existing tools. I know you were trying to get it to happen automatically, but I don't think its reasonably possible. story pole 2.plan

With a few pretty limited exceptions, I personally do what you’re already doing...multiple plan files. This area isn’t one of Chief’s strong points.

This is only partially true. You can use it on 3D objects like this by converting your object to a solid (if it isn't already), exploding that solid into faces, and then blocking the faces while they're still selected in order to keep the object as a single entity. Basically you would just be creating a block composed of a whole bunch of "flat" objects (faces).

You can use a series of material regions or a symbol along with the new Inserts Into Wall option and its Wall Cutout Polyline. Here's a quick example using the series of material regions. Just make the series for one wall, block it, and then copy/paste it around the plan as necessary in plan view. The material regions supply for the gaps, NOT the 1x3s. You can use a material region with a gap material type but I prefer to just turn the layer off in the desired views... Rene's suggestion is a good one too. I just personally can't stand it when something isn't accurate in all view types.

...or go to 3D>Camera View Options>Toggle Reflections

Your problem is in your Exterior Wall Defaults. Your Exterior Wall Surface is not set to use the Default material. Fix that, and you should be back in business.

Just got back to my computer and double checked. I was mostly correct in my initial description, but just to clarify... The Floor Surfaces layer DOES control the display of both the finish layers and the non-framing structural layers as you say, BUT the Rooms layer needs to be toggled on to display the finish layers, so... If you want to display subfloor only, Floor Surfaces must be toggled on, and Rooms must be toggled off.

Away from my computer right now so I can’t double check but I believe the Floor Surfaces layer controls the display of any non-framing layers in your floor STRUCTURE. And I believe the Rooms layer controls the display of anything in your floor FINISH definition.

My good buddy, the incomparable D. Scott Hall has been requesting this needed improvement every 2 weeks for at least the past 10 years and I will continue to support the request every time. To date I've used 3 techniques myself depending on the situation... 1. Overlapped views sent to layout. 2. Cameras (including their callouts, their cross section lines, and/or their labels). Cameras are the one object in Chief that CAN be displayed on all floors. Walkthrough Paths are another unique tool that can be utilized for certain purposes but I'm just considering those cameras too. 3. Another hack that I'm going to just leave un-named. I'm sure some of you probably remember seeing my posts it in the past but it doesn't seem like a method many Chiefers were willing or able to employ. Plus, Chief took away the capability in X10 and so its no longer possible without an extra add-on hack to accommodate the main hack...not very efficient anymore. Anyway, all the above methods have some pretty major downsides. I really hope Chief adds the ability to specify multiple reference floors sooner than later.

The standard schedules actually do that same thing...

Scott, Not trying to discourage you from buying macros from Joe (or myself for that matter) but just FYI, you can actually get much of what you're after by just group selecting the desired framing members and placing the %length% macro in the label. Just make sure your framing labels and header labels layers are turned on and you should end up with something like this...

What do you want to use it FOR?

Yes, I agree, zero pressure would be ideal but its not realistically feasible from any practical standpoint. In erring to the side of caution I will always put my house under negative pressure before I put it under positive pressure. Anyway, only reason I bring it up is that your assertions that slight positive pressure was better is really only true in warmer climates. In colder climates, the opposite is true. And in all cases, I think we can agree that zero pressure is best, once we start introducing all the variables to the equation though its just not something that's going to happen anytime soon.

Here in Alaska and in other cold northern climates its actually imperative that houses remain under negative pressure. Yes, negative pressure has its health risks, but this is something we've just had to learn to balance and deal properly with. As soon as a house is under positive pressure here, we get condensation and the resulting mold and rot inside our walls, floors, and ceiling assemblies. Its actually a really really big deal here and codes have all been amended to completely remove supply only ventilation systems for this reason. Actually, even the warmest regions in Alaska have essentially (if not literally) zero cooling degree days and so there is almost always a constant negative pressure anyway simply due to natural air leakage and the stack effect.

Yes. This is very easy to do too. While in the Plan Footprint CAD Detail, just create another Plan Footprint. You will be prompted to select a floor number. Just select whichever floor you need to add.

You're welcome. For the floor moldings, it depends on the situation, but one of the easiest things to do is just open the wall and set it to No Room Definition.

This isn't totally true because we CAN create multiple Plan Footprints in a single CAD Detail using a many floors as we wish and can control whether or not we display Plan Details for those on a floor by floor basis...

Joe gave you the answer I think you were looking for. You can also drag half-walls up and down in a 3D view now too.