Alaskan_Son

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.

Looks like Slash gained a little weight and quit smoking??

Obviously SOMETHING changed with X8 or you wouldn't have started a thread titled "Area Analysis Now Possible In Chief" in which you state "a new feature was added that made data access in Chief more user friendly. Labels have been added to polyline derived objects which allow for data gathering via macros" and then proceed to make several hours of video demonstrating your methodology. This sounds almost EXACTLY like what Joe was trying to tell you when he said "The macro I've created was never possible before X8 - at least not in any way that was realistically feasible for the average user, myself included. This is a single macro that can be assigned to the "Label" of any Polyline. That's all that it takes - a separate macro isn't needed for each Polyline and Text Boxes with arrows connected to the Polylines are not needed." And for the record I started watching the videos in that thread but macros are too far down my priority list to spend that much time on.

Thanks Scott. That is much appreciated : ) I'll have to let you know if we make it down that way again. You do the same if you head up this way.

You're right. I DID miss that. Reading through the somewhat broken English I had misunderstood the first time. Reading back through it now it seems pretty clear though. Thanks for pointing that out.

This is definitely true for me. Original download of libraries typically takes several hours but updates are much faster.

Larry posted the answer already. You have to be current on your SSA through 02-24-16 which it appears you are not Kjell. I'm assuming that February 24th is around the time they plan to release the final version. I assume they're trying to avoid letting people download X8 who may not be eligible for the upgrade. Pretty basic stuff. Edit: I was just submitting post when Dermot's post showed up at the same time mine did.

Cliffy, First of all, its important to differentiate between LAYERS and LAYERSETS. I'm just guessing here, but is it possible you're talking about LAYERS disappearing? You have to make sure any new layers you added are actually turned on in the default set. If thats not your problem, you should probably attach the plan so one of us can take a look. You'll get a quicker and more accurate answer that way.

To clarify... As I understood it, Joe stated that his new macro would make it possible to complete and display area analysis calculations in a way that wasn't possible before X8. Your response, in essence, was that it was nothing new and was already possible. Now I see you starting a thread saying that area analysis is now possible in X8. From what you've written it just really sounds like you're talking about the same method Joe was referring to before you knew what it was.

You're right. I did NOT watch the videos and frankly I don't plan to. Studying macros is a ways down my priority list right now. My question was simply out of curiousity due to the fact your statements in the previous thread were made before having access to X8.

Any chance you might owe Joe at least some semblance of an apology now that you've seen X8? https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/6595-joes-macro-a-month-subscription-service/page-2#entry68711

At that point, what's the point of even using the stair tool? Seems like building individual components and using transform/replicate tool (or any other number of copy/distribution methods) might be just as easy, more accurate, and more versatile... Would just take a little arithmatic.

It's not unusual. It's a ton of data.

It depends on the speed of your Internet connection, but yes… mine took several hours as well. Actually, I left it running overnight.