Alaskan_Son

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  1. Alaskan_Son's post in Stair Starter Tread Question was marked as the answer   
    A Room Divider set to NOT Invisible will stop the started tread from generating.  It may however start casing issues with any wall mounted grab rail. 
  2. Alaskan_Son's post in Multiple different layout page tables in one layout - is it possible? was marked as the answer   
    We actually do have a trick for this.  You can Cut and Paste you Layout Page Table to a CAD Detail in Layout, and send that CAD Detail to  Layout.  You can then copy, crop, and reposition to create the illusion of either multiple or wrapped Layout Page Tables .  If you're willing to pay for a little of my consulting time shoot me over an email and I'd be happy to expand on the idea for you, offer a few additional tips, and/or make you a video walking through the process in more detail.  Just shoot me over an email to alaskansons@gmail.com
  3. Alaskan_Son's post in Can i display the library folder panel beside the filter results and preview panel? was marked as the answer   
    Click and drag using the title bar until your mouse pointer is roughly centered over one side or the other and you should see the new location highlighted:
     

     
    Then drop it and resize as necessary:

  4. Alaskan_Son's post in Did X15 come with a change to the Chief Blueprint font? was marked as the answer   
    I'm ot sure whether Chief changed the font or not.  A couple ideas come to mind though. 
    Change the character height in the X12 plan. Reinstall the old Chief Blueprint font. 
  5. Alaskan_Son's post in Materials list question x-15 (siding) was marked as the answer   
    Select your wall and open its dialog.  Click on the Components tab.  The top item on that list of Components should be your siding material.  This is where the Materials List is getting its information from.  You can make various modifications right there on the Components tab, but assuming you haven't and that you're just letting Chief do its thing:
     
    Now click on the Wall Type tab, take mental note of the Wall Type that's currently selected, and then click on the Define tab.  This is where your automated Components are getting their information from.  You should be setting your walls to use the proper wall type, and you should be properly defining your walls (ideally in your default settings and before you even draw them).  
     
    It sounds like what you've done is simply changed the Material on the Materials tab.  What you really need to do is change the actual wall definition.  At this point, you'll also need to fix your walls so that they reference the proper material by clicking on that Material tab, selecting that Exterior Surface, and then clicking on the little Use Default checkbox down at the bottom of the Library Browser. 
    Quick Tip:  You can also use the spray can (Material Painter) tool in 3D to return materials to their default state.  Just click on the Material Painter tool, check the same Use Default checkbox mentioned above or select Use Default from the Plan Materials, and then click on the wall to return that surface to its default state.
  6. Alaskan_Son's post in Custom Command - Auto-Place Lights was marked as the answer   
    No.  They're not.  You could use a macro recorder that will record and simulate things like mouse clicks and keystrokes, but that's nothing like the example you've described.  Chief doesn't give us any access to the internals like that.
  7. Alaskan_Son's post in Strange Duplicate Room Label was marked as the answer   
    Just a guess, but almost certainly being generated by the room between your foundation wall and your furring wall.  Try setting those as actual furred walls in the Wall's Structure tab.
  8. Alaskan_Son's post in How to change text size of structural post labels was marked as the answer   
    Are you perhaps changing the text style for the Post's layer instead of changing the text style for the Label's layer?
  9. Alaskan_Son's post in Custom Line Style was marked as the answer   
    Yes.  CAD>Lines>Line Style Management>Select the desired Style>Copy
  10. Alaskan_Son's post in Missing Attic Wall was marked as the answer   
    In this particular instance, it looks like you need to drag out an extra Attic Wall section on Floor 2 and set to Roof Cuts Wall at Bottom (Roof tab):



     
    NOTE:  It actually requires 2 attic walls because of the intersection with the pantry walls but you should be able to drag out a single wall.  The break should occur automatically.  Just make sure both walls have the correct settings.
  11. Alaskan_Son's post in Deck Railing Issue was marked as the answer   
    The floor heights are different on your landing than they are your main deck.
  12. Alaskan_Son's post in Weird lines in "plot line" views was marked as the answer   
    I use the Edit Layout Lines tool for those lines.  Activate the tool and then just delete them.  They may come back if you ever update view again, so you may need to repeat the process, but this way your views aren't static CAD Details. 
     
    You can also mask them with another thicker but invisible line or with a filled polyline using the invisible line style but then you have to make sure those things don't obscure something important if you make any changes to the model. 
     
    I use both methods depending on where the lines are and on how likely it is that the lines or fills will ever be a problem.
  13. Alaskan_Son's post in Room Area was marked as the answer   
    A few options:
     
    Select Room and click either Make Standard Area Polyline or Make Room Polyline.  Open the generated Polyline, get your information from there, and then delete it. Select the Room, open up the Ruby Console, and type either owner.standard_area or owner.internal_area and then hit enter.  You should see your desired information in the results. Simply turn on the Rooms, Standard Area or Rooms, Interior Area layers. Drop a text box into the room and insert either the %room.area.internal% or %room.area.standard% macros.
  14. Alaskan_Son's post in Match properties with Fill Style was marked as the answer   
    We have the aptly named Fill Style Eyedropper.
  15. Alaskan_Son's post in Which Layer? was marked as the answer   
    Whether the wall is displayed or not is controlled by the layer that the wall is placed on. Beyond that, the display is controlled by the Pony Wall Display settings for the Saved Plan View that you are using.
  16. Alaskan_Son's post in Chief developers fiddled with the roof spec, and it's broken (and I reported it to tech support, who sent it up to development) was marked as the answer   
    @GeneDavis, there's actually more going on than meets the eye in that plan (and possibly other similar plans).  It goes beyond improper calculation--in fact, it may not be a calculation issue at all but rather some other bug.  Check this out... 

    If you adjust the Fascia Top Height of RP-4 to match RP-5 then all your fascia will align.  If however you open up RP-3 you'll see that it now has a different fascia height from what it was.  Changes to RP-4 are affecting RP-3.  Super weird for sure.
  17. Alaskan_Son's post in Stair - Full Arrow / Walkline Display was marked as the answer   
    Your best bet is to just turn the arrow off and place one manually.
  18. Alaskan_Son's post in How to split Square Footage in a condo unit? was marked as the answer   
    There are several ways, many of which have already been mentioned directly or alluded to.  One that hasn't been mentioned though is to simply use a Custom Schedule.  Just make sure all rooms in any given unit are set to report to a Schedule using a Custom Schedule Category and then set your schedule to report only that one Category.  Make sure your schedules for each unit are set to report a Totals Row and there you have it.  In fact, if you set your Schedule to Swap Rows/Columns and then Right justify the schedule text then your total will always remain in the exact same location so that you can simply use a cropped layout box or you could even mask it.  This approach can be used to tabulate all sorts of things.  The 2 key elements though are:
    Having your objects report to the appropriate Category/Categories Having your schedule only report the appropriate Category/Categories The tip regarding swapping rows/columns and right justifying isn't necessary, but it will help you not have to reposition your schedule after any changes to the plan have been made.
  19. Alaskan_Son's post in Tricky Roof Layout - Need Help! was marked as the answer   
    You'll have some additional cleanup to do, but start by adjusting the Baseline angle to match the pitch of the roof plane that your roof-plane-in-question is intersecting...
     

  20. Alaskan_Son's post in Running a .rb file in Chief was marked as the answer   
    I would suggest making a handful of changes to your current approach:
    Add your desired folder to the $LOAD_PATH OR place the desired file inside your currently defined $LOAD_PATH.  This way you can just use a file name instead of having to use the whole folder structure. Define a method inside your rb file Use require as Joe already mentioned instead of using File.read Call your defined method inside your Chief macro. All said and done, it would look more like this (using your originally supplied example):
     
    Macro: In CA
    require 'scope1'
    my_method
     
     
    Output: from text stored on a local drive
    def my_method
     
    rafter_length = (length.to_f.round / 12) + 1
    convert_to_int =  rafter_length.even?
    case
      when convert_to_int == true
      resut = rafter_length
      when convert_to_int == false
      result = rafter_length +1
    end
     
    end
     
    NOTE:  There are other potential approaches and corrections that could be made as well, but I wanted to stay as close as reasonably possible to your original attempt.
  21. Alaskan_Son's post in Pattern texture isn't showing in Elevation View was marked as the answer   
    3D>Toggle Patterns OR toggle the display of your "Patterns, 3D Views" layer in your current view.
  22. Alaskan_Son's post in Polyline area macro issue help was marked as the answer   
    You have all sorts of problems going on. 
     
    First things first: 
    That macro is overly complicated and was written by someone at some point prior to Chief implementing the Measurement class.  You can get rid of the error as shown below:
     
    $_2ExistingBoxSQFT = area rescue $_2ExistingBoxSQFT
     
    if $_2ExistingBoxSQFT.to_f == 0  #area is a Measurement with a unit and you're attempting to compare that to a unitless value of zero.  You first need to make the Measurement unitless as well.
    na = "N/A"
    "#{na}"  #These aren't actually breaking the code but they're unnecessarily redundant.
    else
    "#{$_2ExistingBoxSQFT.to_f.round(2)} SQ. FT." #Again, this wasn't causing the error, but you're adding some text to show a unit for a Measurement when a unit already exists.  You should really either use the automatic unit or first convert to a float and then use your own.
    end
     
    Second:
    You need to set that global variable before it can be used in a text box.  That macro was designed to both define a variable and display a variable value.  Your plan attempts to display the value before it has even been defined.  To define the value, your macros need to be placed into the label of your polyline object. 
     
     
    Now if you ask me: I would suggest an entirely different approach that completely bypasses Text Macro Management.
    In your polyline object use something like %$my_box = area% In your text box use either %$my_box.round(2).to_s%  or  %$my_box.to_f.round(2)% SQ. FT. It can really be as simple as that.  If you need further formatting or conditional arguments you can either add it right in line or you can go back to writing and maintaining custom text macros, but that stuff isn't necessary for most use cases. 
  23. Alaskan_Son's post in Terrain Region Not Behaving as it should was marked as the answer   
    Its because you haven't defined anywhere on the terrain as anything other than -8'.  You need to define somewhere as being 0' so Chief know where to slope to.
  24. Alaskan_Son's post in Can I modify a cylinder/pedestal shape? was marked as the answer   
    You can actually do all that pretty easily with the Pyramid tool.  Just draw your desired shape with CAD, increase the number of sides on the pyramid, and then change the settings accordingly...
     

  25. Alaskan_Son's post in Floor Number reported in Schedule, change to Text instead? was marked as the answer   
    @Chrisb222, there are no simple settings, especially since words like "Main" and "lower" are obviously subjective.  I would suggest a simple text macro. One of these placed directly into an Object Information Field should do the trick:
    Using to_s and string.sub
    %floor_number.to_s.sub("0", "Lower").sub("1", "Main").sub("2", "Second").sub("3", "Third")% OR using hash[key]
    %{0 => "Lower", 1 => "Main", 2 => "Second"}[floor_number]% OR using array[index]
    %["Lower", "Main", "Second"][floor_number]%  
    Side Note:  Are you still on X12 like your signature says?