Alaskan_Son

The way we've always done it gets a double layer of 5/8" on both units which should give it a 2 hour fire rating. This double layer continues top to bottom except where solid framing can be included in the fire rating calculation. I don't know off hand what the fire rating of most lumber is, but as I recall its somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 hour per nominal inch meaning we might only put one layer of 5/8" over 2x joists in the center, or if joists/trusses are running perpendicular we might use 4x blocking and no GWB at all. If we're using I-joists then they would get the full 2 layers. It all really depends on the job though.

We have been involved in the construction of MANY duplexes and here's how we've typically handled that area. I just copied Ray's CAD block and modified it a bit... PARTY WALL EXAMPLE.calibz

That behaviour TOTALLY depends on exactly HOW you move the wall. Move the wall using Edit Area or the main edit handle and you should have no problem...accidentally group select the wall or use your center mouse button and one of the other handles and you'll have a problem. If you're using dimensions to move the wall, make sure to select the Move Both Ends option and not the Move Object option.

Select it while holding Control or Shift and then click "Make CAD Block"

I would kindly suggest that you read the Help Files or Reference Manual and perhaps go through the Tutorial Guide because your question seems to indicate a lack of understanding how to use Chief at a very basic and fundamental level. I'm almost hesitant to answer your question because I suspect you really need to reference the aforementioned materials, but just to get your started... All you really need to do is open up one of your dimensions and you'll have a few options right off the bat. Explore those a bit...

This particular issue was addressed in X10. We now get automatic foundation walls when we check Create Wall/Footing Below for porches (or similar exterior rooms) that are defined by railings and invisible walls.

Block it and then rotate it. Would be a valid suggestion though and one that has come up before.

Two things… 1. Try one of the other call out shapes (like a square maybe). The ellipse, capsule, and rectangle callout shapes are a little unique in that they don’t rotate. 2. Try to include a section line.

Yes I do. I have attached information below… Contact a local engineer.

Yep. That's my preferred method for those as well.

That is one of many reasons I very rarely use window symbols for anything. I'd typically rather just cut the opening (using material regions, a doorway, or a pass through) and then place the symbol as a regular fixture. And now, in X10 we have the new Inserts Into Wall option which basically gives you the cutout and the symbol all in one.

I obviously can’t speak for you guys in California and elsewhere, but in Alaska they completely did away with that section of the code (IECC or IRC... I can’t remember which) allowing windows to be considered for code compliance. Basically our state amendments require mechanical ventilation, there’s no other option.

Might be a good idea if you added your support to Johnny’s suggestion here…

This isn't quite true. It will only select what you tell it to select based on the properties that you specify. If for example, you want to change all double hung windows to casement windows... Select a double hung window, click Match Properties, check "Type", open the group of windows, change them all to casement, and then click Okay. If you want to specifically EXCLUDE mulled units from the group selection process when using a different selection criteria, just make sure to check "Is Mulled Unit" (the value of which is false). This will only select other windows whose "Is Mulled Unit" value is also false.

I don't think there's any good way to do that and still leave the sidelite as a door. I think your best bet is to just make the sidelite a doorway and place the door panel manually (as a freestanding symbol).

Since I know other users are going to end up here doing their own searches I wanted to try and clarify a couple things.... One of the single most pervasive and invasive pieces of misinformation I see here in the forum is with regard to annotation sets. Annotation sets can greatly increase efficiency and productivity but they really aren’t anything special and don’t actually control anything at all in and of themselves. Let me ‘splain... Individual layer settings (NOT Layer SETS) control (somewhat optionally) how a given object or group of objects are treated in that particular layer set, including but not limited to the text style, whether or not the object is displayed, whether or not the object can be selected, whether or not the object reports to the material list, the line style/color/weight, etc. Layer settings are probably the single most important thing to understand. Set these correctly and everything should display exactly like you want it. Next comes Layer Sets... Layer SETS are just a group of pre-configured layer settings. That’s it. Switch your Layer Set and you switch over to that GROUP of layer settings that are configured exactly like you want them for that view. Next comes your Active Defaults. You know how you can change your window defaults so that any new windows you drop into the plan are placed onto the desired layer, are the desired size and type, and have all the desired settings before you even place them? Well, text, rich text, dimensions, and other annotation objects work the exact same way, EXCEPT that you have multiple defaults to choose from instead of just one like we have for most other items. You can set which default is active at any given time in the Active Defaults dialog...something I personally think everyone should have in their main toolbar at all times. In addition to the aforementioned defaults you can also select a Current CAD layer (the layer on which all new CAD is drawn), a Layer Set, and a Referenced Layer Set. Annotation Sets are just a set of pre-configured Active Defaults. You can either switch Active Defaults piecemeal or as a group using an Annotation Set. That’s all annotation sets do. They’re akin to opening a different template plan where all your defaults are pre-configured for any given job. The LAYER decides how the object is treated and displayed, the LAYER SET just changes to a preconfigured group of layers all at once. DEFAULTS decide how an object is drawn. ACTIVE DEFAULTS are the list of defaults you want to use at any given time. ANNOTATION SETS are just pre-selected groups of Active Defaults. Saying Annotation Sets control how your dimensions are displayed is kinda like saying your Profile Plan is what controls the linestyle of your polylines. Anyway, if if you know what they really do you can figure out how best to use them for YOUR situation. Next time on Michael’s Rant For The Day... Current Floor, Referenced Layer Set, Referenced Floor, Reference Display Toggle, Zoom Settings, the new Plan Views (HINT: This is a preconfigured group of settings for ALL THE ABOVE), and sending the whole shebang to layout.

If I understand correctly. You'll need to adjust your floor heights to get what you're after.

I had tried opening your original files a while back and was able to open it n Chief without any problems per se, but there was also a lot of missing information that i could see in Draftsight and not in Chief.

I opened up your file in Draftsight myself a while back and I didn’t respond because there really wasn’t an easy answer and it seemed Alan’s conversion to PDF was probably the best solution. I guess the only thing I might add is this... You could try to export from Draftsight to PDF and then use one of the many online PDF converters to convert your PDF to DWG. Worth a shot anyway. If I was you though I might just redraw from scratch using the PDF and/or DWG as a guide.

See if this thread helps you out at all… In addition to my post, check out Glenn’s suggestion in post number two.

Hole in Ceiling Platform

This question really belongs in the Q&A section but I'll answer your query anyway. There are a few ways of dealing with that. Me personally? I usually handle with a note in one of the views but you can also use lines like these... ...I just drew them into the view manually.

FWIW, I personally handle those things one of 2 ways myself (and I’m talking about onsite, not in Chief)... 1. I adjust layout to avoid the rips. Sometimes even the tiniest adjustment is all it takes. 2. Even easier...I rip the last piece down and router (and possibly stain) the inside edge so it blends right in. If the rip is looking to be too small I’ll get the next largest width of material and rip that down instead. If It seems like that might be too big, both of the last pieces can even be ripped down to split the difference and make it much less noticeable. Ripping the last piece down out of wider stock is almost a necessity when installing diagonal decking. That last little triangle piece just always ends up too small it seems.

Hey, thanks Mick, I really appreciate that : ) I've seen that font a few times over the years while flipping through fonts but I guess I never noticed quite how much I like it.. It seems like it was aptly named as well. It has a sort of childlike or unpretentious feel to it, and since we all know girls tend to have better handwriting than boys, "Daughter" would be the obvious choice...Had it been "Architect's Son", the font would have to be largely illegible.

If you don't want any line weights that thin, your safest bet might just be to change your line weights a bit and use the Advanced Line Weight Options in your Drawing Sheet Setup. That way, even a line weight of 1 will print just fine for you. Bad part is that you'll have to tweak all your line weights to accommodate the change, but the good thing is that you'll never have those thin lines that don't print again.