Joe_Carrick

I just make a cad rectangle that matches the sheet size. I display the sheet boundary to get it right. Then when I send to layout - full sheet all my plan views are perfectly aligned.

From 1969 to 1984 I was the Project Architect for several Hospitals and Medical Office Buildings. All of which were from 3-8 stories. We did those buildings using manual drafting, slide rules and simple calculators. Clash Checking was done by developing cross sections, etc. Revit and full BIM didn't exist but all those structures got built. In fact most firms didn't even have ACAD. Architects and Engineers have produced incredible structures without computers, and could do so today if the computers suddenly disappeared. That said, I'm sure I and many Chief users could do it today with Chief Architect in lieu of Revit. The only reason Revit is being used in most commercial firms is that they provide it free to the students and schools. It's all about marketing & promotion. My 10 cents worth.

Have you turned on the "Line Weight Display"? There's a button for this on the display toolbar. Also note that depending on the scale of the drawing that the line weights may not be what you expect.

Do it floor plan view. Then marque select all the characters and create a symbol. you can rotate the symbol to be vertical and set it to attach to a wall. Adjust the height from the floor and you should be good

I have a client who has Chief Architect X12 and wants to be able to open, view and collaborate with me. I don't think he has maintained SSA so he will either need to update or maybe get HD Pro 2025. I'm not sure what he would be able to do with the HD Pro. Any help with making the decision would be appreciated.

Normally I keep the previous 2 versions of Chief installed. IAE, you can always go log in to your Chief account and download previous versions to install.

Your X8 version should still work. If you kept the SSA each year you should be able to download the newer versions up to X14. AFAIK Chief hasn't terminated any old licensed versions. The subscription model is only for new users. At some point in the future I may decide to not upgrade and forgo SSA - depending on if I think future versions will provide additional capabilities I will use. Chief still has a lot of room to add features and improvements so I'm not there yet. ps: I'll be 83 next month so I can't say how long I will need to keep up the SSA.

Pretty difficult for Chief since it could be one side or both. If CA wanted to do it the better method would be to accumulate loads from Rafters and Joists that bear on Beams. It would still be fairly complicated to program the nodes, etc. Structural Program like Strucalc have much more capabilities for transferring loads as well as different load types. FWIW, I have custom fields: Tributary Width Span - (calculated from length - cantilevers) Span Left - cantilever Span Right - cantilever I also have arrays for the structural properties of each member type: Lumber LVL PSL Glulam I-Joist Steel-I (WF Beams) hash for this instead of an array. My macros check for the size required based on the maximums Moment and Vertical Shear using the S,A & I properties of the member.

It's easy to set the size of framing in a plan. However, there's no way to verify the size is sufficient structurally. So I've devised a macro system for labeling Joists, Rafters, Beams, Posts, etc based on Uniform Loads, Spacing, etc. This system checks standard sizes against the specified size and labels: The current size vs what's actually required. The label is displayed as whichever is larger. It doesn't change what is specified in the model I wish there was a way in Chief to automatically have the sizes modified. But at least if gives the information to allow individual and global modifications. This system is not a replacement for structural engineering but it provides a starting point for a licensed professional to check that the sizes, etc are OK. An example would be: 2x6 Rafters @ 16" o.c. with a 28' span The macro Labels indicate 2x12 Rafters @ 16" o.c

Gene, If you set you Garage Door Defaults to use the Library Object it should work for all new doors placed.

From the pic in the OP it's obvious that the correct tool would be "Mull Windows". This is not about "Custom Muntins".

Try specifying the fill to have either a transparent background or set the fill "transparency" percentage.

Most jurisdictions have standard "Minimum Construction Specifications" that can be downloaded as a PDF. I typically just use these because they cover almost everything and reference the applicable code sections. Here's an example of the San Diego County specs: I do have some special notes for Fire Sprinklers, Deferred Submittals, Stairs, etc.

Add an invisible layer to the exterior of your railing "wall type". That will make the railing set back from the edge. Otherwise just move the railing a few inches. That should stop the deck edge inside the stone column.

Best solution is to use "Elevation Lines" vs "Elevation Points". The Terrain will look much better. It might not be real easy to define just a few elevation lines but if you can do that running completely thru the Terrain Boundary you will get the Terrain to be pretty smooth and then you can use additional Terrain Tools to fine-tune.

If this is a Symbol - you can't edit it other than stretching, etc. Even that will take a lot of experimentation and wil probably not give the results you want. Editing the CAD Block will not effect the Symbol itself.

For $100 I will provide a Spiral Stair Symbol to fit your configuration. It will conform to the requirements of the Residential Code. Here are some examples:

Hi Ron, Spiral Stairs have very specific requirements which the current Stair Tool can't address: Max Riser height = 9.5" Min Tread depth at walk line = 6.5" Min Tread width 26" inside Handrail Generally the above will mean a minimum Tread angle of 30 degrees. The number of treads will be determined by the floor-floor height which means the total included angle may be more than 360 degrees. To get all of this Chief would need to have a completely separate tool for Spiral Stairs which would need to specify the above plus: Inside Radius (pole diameter/radius) Outside Radius Bottom Elevation Top Elevation It's not realistic for Chief to just provide a stair symbol since there are too many variations. Several years ago I created a set of 3D symbols (components) to make up any required Spiral Stair. These included: Treads (with and without risers) Poles Handrails (a variety of styles) Landings If you have a specific situation you need I can make the symbol for you - $100 each symbol.

It wasn't intended to be rude. Architects are licensed by the States as professionals. Being a self taught draftsman does not qualify. My comment was totally valid and was intended to keep the OP from getting in trouble.

Sure

Not that difficult. Just add one to the Library with a new name; repeat, repeat, repeat...

I could be wrong, but I think you will need a separately named symbol for each different rope light.

Quick answer, no

Here's a couple of pics of my system: Detail Sheet automatically numbered by using a macro in the layout boxes based on the location within the drawing area. The macros are in the default Layout Box labels. Detail Callouts in the Plan linked to the CAD details sent to Layout. There are macros in the defaults of the Callouts. This system is very complete and handles all Layout Boxes including Plans, Sections, Elevations, CAD Details, etc. It coordinates between the Plan Views and the Layout Pages. Also notice that the Layout Box Labels include the view names from the Project Browser in the Plan. The system consists of 3 macros and instructions for setting it up. Price is $100 - send me a PM to purchase.

I have a macro package that labels any framing. Rafters, Joists, Posts, Beams, etc. Either by placing a single macro in the label (Owner Context) or placing the macro in a text box and adding an arrow connecting to the members (Referenced Context) There is a text box included for the Referenced Context which can be used in Cross Sections, Framing Plans & Wall Details. I sell this package for $80.00