Alaskan_Son

It would be better if you were to attach the plan file. The best solution kinda depends on how you drew the model. Here's a method I would suggest anyone learn to use though. It can come in handy for all sorts of situations...

I don't actually think that is possible Perry. Rooms automatically get a default light source whether you want it or not. Ironically, the only way I know to turn it off is to manually add another light source and then turn THAT light off.

I guess I'll do us all a favor send this in, but as I said before, those are caused by light sources in general and not just the default interior light. Was able to very quickly and easily reproduce in the plan Scott attached. The problem seems to be most prevalent when the light source is placed relatively close to an adjacent surface... Light boxes.zip

The text size for those line lengths and angles is controlled by the Text Style for whatever layer those lines are on. You can change this in Layer Display Options, in Active Layer Display Options, or in Object Layer Properties. The number style is controlled in Edit>Default Settings>CAD>General CAD>Displayed Line Length Format. The angle format is controlled in the General CAD Defaults as well under Display Line Angle as:

Thanks Dermot. That makes more sense. It seems like that setting should be right there in the Build Roof dbx. though. I mean we can change it in the Roof Plane Specifications...why not in the Build Roof dialog where its actually being used?

I always just manually trim those off in the truss detail. I think its a bug and should be reported. Honesty I run into so many little things like that in Chief on a daily basis but so often its right when I'm in the middle of trying to be productive and so I don't report it. Then I subsequently forget about it... I think I'm going to start keeping a list. This will be my first thing that I put on it. I would encourage you to report it as well.

Build a roof plane, open it, uncheck "Pitch In Degrees". Now go back into your roof defaults and see if that gives you what you're after. You can do the same thing in an Imperial plan to go the other direction...Build a roof plane, open it, check "Pitch In Degrees", and then you should be able to set your default pitch in degrees. Seems kinda silly. There should be an easier way to change this right in the defaults.

Open the truss and Lock Truss Envelope BEFORE making any modifications to it and before making the additional copies... Just be careful how you handle them after that, and don't waste your time trying to copy them from one plan to another.

Maybe in your world 90% of chimneys follow a standard form but this is simply not true in my professional experience and your assertion that its somehow ridiculous that Chief doesn't have a dedicated tool for the purpose along with a complete lack of any sort of help otherwise can only serve to further discourage someone who is obviously having problems already. Truth is that chimneys can have any number of shapes and characteristics... They can be a plain rectangular shape from top to bottom They can have a continuous slope top to bottom They can have an irregular slope top to bottom..possibly even different slopes on the different sides They can have any number of irregular profiles top to bottom They can have an irregular profile shape looking down from above They can be completely masonry with the main structure built around them They can be framed with a masonry veneer They can be continuous top to bottom They can be constructed between floors They can be constructed outside the main structure They can be constructed inside the main structure They can have multiple flues that follow a straight path They can have multiple flues that follow irregular paths They can have different finishes and different structures on the various sides They can serve multiple fireplaces or ovens on any number of sides and on any number of floors The fireplace openings can be an endless variety of shapes and sizes The hearth(s) can be an endless variety of shapes and sizes The hearths can be part of the chimney or can be separate The chimney may be a veneer and it may be real The chimney could serve as a chase for items that are not even related to the chimney at all The Chimney structure could even completely change as you make your way top to bottom...masonry to wood/veneer to metal. The chimney could simply serve as a chase for metal pipe, it could have a clay liner, or it could have both The cap could be endless variety of configurations..some integrated into the chimney and some not... The list could go on My point is that chimneys are really more akin to any other room than they are to stairs (which BTW is probably Chief's single most complained about tool) and can have an endless variety of different configurations. I think a person would be well served learning to just use the tools we currently have to model the chimney as it will be built. Jonathan, It would really help to SEE what you're talking about. Like I said, there are a ton of different ways Chimney's can be built. You can utilize: Walls as Mick suggested (with or without room definitions I might add) Windows, doors, doorways, and pass throughs Room definitions as Wendy suggested Holes in floor and ceiling platforms P-solids, solids, slabs or other primitives Moldings Etc. Etc. The best method depends entirely on the SPECIFICS. If you really want to make some progress on your query then I suggest you get involved and start out by answering Eric's question...

I'm a little curious why you need to have your ceiling on the second floor.

See the number of items selected here... ...if you see nothing there then you only have one item selected. To delete all but one, try one of these 2 methods... Marquis select the object thereby selecting ALL copies, hold down the Control key and click once to DE-select just one of the items, and then hit Delete. Or... Select one object or control select one each of several different objects, Hit Control+X (Cut), go through and group select/delete all the redundant copies, and then Hit Control+Alt+V (Paste Hold Position) to place the other(s) back into place.

I didn't have time to go through and test out the whole plan because it is so ridiculously slow on my system, but your problem is that you seem to have inadvertently created WAY WAY WAY too many copies of some things. If you marquis select your vanity base cabinet or one of your toilets you'll see that you have like 16-24 of each in many locations. That round sink alone has like 6,200 faces. Just based on the sinks I found (70 copies on the first floor and I think 16 copies on the second floor) you have an extra half a million faces in your plan. The same thing seems to hold true for every symbol I checked.

Definitely looks like a bug to me. The curb is getting drawn correctly in plan view but is getting extruded inside the road polyline instead of outside like it should be. Here's what a 12' wide road road with a 4' wide curb looks like in plan view... ...and in 3D... Notice how the selection area in 3D seems to coincide with the plan view... Definitely needs to be fixed.

Nailed it. If I could give you more than 1 point I would. To me, asking for a dedicated chimney tool is not unlike asking for a dedicated "Addition" tool. I mean we draw up additions all the time right? Why not have a tool for it? Click addition, change a couple settings and badaboom...addition.

Thanks Steve : ) Much appreciated.

Thanks again Yusuf. I posted that video here fellas...

As requested by another user, here's a video going over how to create a pattern that conforms to an arc or circular shape like this... I used the above technique to model the lamp bases seen here... Thank you to those of you who donated to support my efforts. I really appreciate it and I'm sure others do as well

Those are caused by light sources (whether automatic or manual) and it seems to be more specifically tied to Point Lights. I don't have a perfect answer to the problem, but you can try moving the lights and/or the camera to get them to disappear.

Click on one of those 2 affected roof planes Click on the View Draw Order Edit Tools Either click on Bring Forward or click on Bring Backward depending on which roof plane you selected.

Thanks Charles : ) Looks like I'll be making that video afterall. I thought I might get around to it this evening but looks like I probably won't be able to gitterdun till tomorrow. I'll get to it here as soon as I can though.

You're welcome Ross. I wouldn't say I'm being totally selfless though. As silly as it sounds, I know there's part of me that does it for the recognition (and maybe the reputation points) and I'm really being dead serious. I wish sometimes that more people would (like I know you do) realize the amount of time and effort that some of us put into this stuff. 99% of the users here give us no thanks, no points, no thumbs up, no reciprocal help, no nothing...and just in case any of you are wondering, we're not on Chief's payroll either (at least I'm not). You guys can really thank the other 1% of the users here that offer any kind of support. If it weren't for them I may not being helping out here at all. I honestly get a little frustrated at times with the lack of appreciation that the user base in general here seems to display. I don't know how some of the guys here have stuck around as long as they have. I mean Scott probably has 10,000 videos and and several million views and I doubt he's seen more than some stinky fish. I can't help but think we've lost the help of several of the most talented Chief users over the years due to the lack of appreciation and support. I just feel sometimes that there are a very small handful of users...Scott, Glenn, Joe, Yusef, Perry, Mark McAnnif, Curt, Chopsticks : ), Eric (Solver)...just to name a few...who are really offering the bulk of value...and the rest are just along for the free ride. I can't help but think sometimes that everyone has the impression we're all getting reimbursed for our time and efforts somehow. I can tell you from personal experience though that we're probably not. Anyway, sorry for the rant. I would just implore everyone to try and offer a little more support however they can...not just for me but for all the other guys who have increased your knowledge, wisdom, and productivity. Whether it be a heartfelt thank you, clicking on the little UP arrow (or the little thumbs up), financial support, or whatever. Just remember that sometimes the smallest tips can sometimes increase your value and productivity substantially. That's extra money in your pocket, or extra time to do what you love. Wouldn't hurt to return the favor sometimes.

To be honest, I'm not sure how long it took but it was definitely a number of hours. I'm sure if I had to do it all over again it would be much quicker, but I had to work though a number of unique challenges on that one that I've never had to deal with before. Regarding a video: How about this... If I receive enough donations to cover even a small portion of of the time I spent modeling the fixture (let's just say 1 hour @ $75) then I'll make a good video going over how to model that base. FWIW, after about 180 videos and 12,000 and some odd views on my YouTube channel, I believe I can count on one hand the number of users who have voluntarily donated to support my efforts. You guys know who you are and I am exceedingly thankful. Anyway, since posting the fixture above I have received a grand total of $8.00 from 1 user. Actually, I received another $5.00 as well but that was really for another more specific case. I'll go ahead and include that it in the total though so we're up to $13.00. We'll see what happens : )

This is not something you can do with Chief. In fact, I don't know of ANY 3D architectural modeling programs that are truly backward compatible. If I'm not mistaken, TrueView won't work for any of AutoCAD's "intelligent" 3D objects either. 2D linework, text, hatches, etc. are one thing but once you get into 3D objects and all the embedded information and intelligent behaviour then you're dealing with an entirely different animal. The only backward compatibility you can get with most 3D is simply to export as a 3D symbol of some sort but then you lose all the intelligence.

Just use a molding polyline with 3 different moldings.

Good point Glenn. Thanks.