Alaskan_Son

You should probably attach the plan. Works fine for me... Is it possible you just forgot to click OK when closing the Build Roof DBX?

Not sure exactly what you're doing, but it sounds like you're probably applying a new material and not simply a color to the existing material. It's usually best to find a material in the library that is exactly what you want rather than tweaking the colors, however if you DO need to tweak colors, there are at least a couple ways to do so... 1. Using the Adjust Material Definition Tool. Navigate to the Texture tab and under Material Color check "Blend with Texture" and adjust the color to what you want it to be using any of the various methods there in the Select Color DBX...including the little eyedropper in the bottom left corner which you can use to select a color from anywhere on your screen (not just from within Chief). OR 2. Simply select a color from the library and apply it with the Material Painter. Make sure Blend Colors with Materials (the paint roller) is toggled on (or checked). I usually make sure that Blend Colors is toggled off except for the express purpose of modifying strictly the color of any given material. Once you've made your modifications, toggle Blend Colors back off to avoid screwing up any materials elsewhere in your model.

You should be able to simply Mouse-Pan Camera (Control+P).

Mike, The best method is to do as Graeme suggested...accurate drawing and if necessary adjusting rounding settings. Not in front of computer but I believe those settings are under the Primary Format tab of the dimension DBX.

I believe all outside corners at Canterbury Cathedral have a column...and rightly so.

You bet. Glad I could help.

Don't be too hard on yourself...Had it been told better I personally feel it would have been a very good joke.

Here you go. You may need to navigate to the bottom right corner to create a full screen view of the video. And please note that I simply created a copy in the plan but you can also add the material to your library if you wish for use in future plans. You simply need to click Add To Library in the Select Material DBX before clicking OK. http://screencast.com/t/pjCZkpteee

I think you guys are doing something wrong. Video coming shortly...

Other than what I've mentioned above, the only other thing I can think of is this...change your defaults for Auto Interior Dimensions so that they're placed on a unique layer (makes them easier to group select and modify) and when you originally place them, use a small dimension size (makes them easier to sort out). Then place them room by room (less overwhelming) cleaning up, modifying, and moving to appropriate layer(s) as you go through the plan.

Gotcha. I thought you were talking about Delete Objects. To answer your question though, as I stated in post #5 above, I don't personally use auto interior dimensions either. I don't personally think its even possible to improve on the tool though. As I suggested, you can clean it up a bit by increasing square footage setting and deselecting everything except Walls, Surfaces. I still prefer to just use manual dimensions though. I know what I want dimensioned...Chief DOESN'T.

It occurred to me that you must have asked for some reason so I went back to double check what you might have stumbled into and I realized that I've never actually tried using the Delete Objects tool for a single room so I edited my post to reflect that. Haven't messed with it much yet, but in just quickly trying I wasn't able to make Delete Objects work for dimensions in a single room. I could make it work for some objects but not for dimensions. Maybe I'll explore more later, but honestly never needed to delete objects from a single room, so for me its currently a non issue.

Yes sir I have. Use it all the time.

I've never found a way. I always make a new material. The fastest way I've found to do so is this... Locate the material by FIRST using the material eyedropper, THEN clicking on the Material Painter. The material you previously selected will automatically be highlighted. You can then easily make a copy or add it to library (depending on your preferred method).

Just a quick thought here, but as popular as it has become in recent years to skip reading "the manual" (there are technically 3 things that could essentially be considered manuals), some people may have overlooked the Delete Objects tool (Edit>Delete Objects or Control+Space). You can delete all automatic dimensions for a single floor or the entire plan...all with a couple clicks. By doing that you can very quickly and easily try a whole bunch of different settings and techniques to see if you get get automatic interior dimensions to work better for you.

You know Glenn, in all the years I've used Chief I don't believe I've ever once knowingly clicked on that Number Style button. Not sure whether or not I'll ever use it, but that is a very interesting little nugget. Thanks : )

Don't want to digress too far off topic or hijack the thread so I'll send you a PM.

Thanks. We actually wanted the purlins for visual reasons as well.

I figured it out. I just used lookout framing to get what I wanted. Just needed a little resizing is all. Thanks anywho.

I'm excited to start using X8. I'll probably wait till the public release so I don't have to deal with any little quirks that might need working out, but some of the new features were items straight from the top of my wish list...especially with regard to cabinetry such as the option to customize back and sides. For me that's huge.

Never had to mess with this before now... We're starting the rough designs for a timber-frame cabin. It will be a true timber-frame with REMOTE wall system insulation (for those unfamiliar with the concept, house is essentially wrapped in vapor barrier and rigid foam is applied on top of that). The roof will all also have rigid foam insulation on top of the T&G or 1-1/8" plywood (undecided). On top of rigid foam will be 4x4 furring strips to provide for ventilation and then 1/2" plywood sheathing. At this point I'm not worried about everything above the timberframe...simply leaving enough room is sufficient for my purposes. What I would like to quickly and easily draw though is some 6x6 purlins. The purlins are to be dovetailed and therefore will be exposed and visible from below. Is there a quick and easy way to do this automatically? Plan is attached... Emerson Cabin 2.plan

You'll probably have to contact Customer Support. Unfortunately it looks like they no longer carry any of the bonus libraries for X3. Must have just recently dropped them during the X8 roll out process. Maybe someone else who still has X3 installed would be willing to share their libraries with you.

After glancing back at this thread I realized one other thing that may be happening. To elaborate on what javatom alluded to... Layersets are plan specific and are not a global setting. You can proceed a number of ways but the 2 easiest are probably... A. Create your new layersets in a blank plan and make that plan your new Profile Plan under Chief Architect X7 Data>Templates>Profile (or ProfileM). Any future "New Plan" will open that plan along with with its default settings and your new layersets) And/or B. Open a plan that already has the layersets you want to use elsewhere and under Tools>Layer Settings>Layer Set Management, select and export your custom layersets. Then open the 2nd plan and use the same steps to import those same layersets. You could also optionally use File>Export>Export Layer Sets and File>Import>Import Layer Sets. Hopefully that helps.

Here's my settings...

Brian, Just one man's opinion here, but I rarely use auto interior dimensions specifically for the reason you bring up. When I have used auto dimensions I usually end up deleting multiple strings and/or nodes (extensions). You can try messing with the default settings a little but I personally haven't found a way around extra dimensions to at least some extent...not really sure there is a way around it entirely. If you think about it, the program really has no way of knowing what you do and do not want to display. I think the best you can do to clean it up a bit is to increase the "Minimum Area" in your default settings (maybe start with 100 square feet and go from there) and uncheck "Overall Dimension". Under Locate Objects>Openings you could also uncheck "Casing" to further reduce the extra and/or "duplicate" dimensions.