Joe_Carrick

Gene, You can set the width & depth of the Beam in the Railing dbx (the Beam is one of the "Rails"). This has been available at least since X7, maybe before that.

In X9 you can combine Panels and Rails. Just make a simple Panel with Screen Material.

Gene, This can be done. After creating your railing wall and setting as Post to Beam: Insert a Door - it will be a Doorway Select the Doorway, open the dbx, change the type to "Hinged" Edit the Height to what you want. It's been this way for a long time but I think it may be working a little better in X9

There's always at least one I've been advocating keeping notes and details in separate Plan Files and sending those to Layout (in most cases to the Default Layout Template). For some reason many users don't want to do it that way - even storing notes in the Library by first blocking them. PITB!

You are correct - except if you've "Sent the CAD Detail Window" to Layout. IOW, don't just copy/paste the Detail to the Layout page.

I agree with Michael. But you have to make sure those are assigned in the Layout Box Layers Tool.

I don't think everyone would but it would definitely be a nice option for all openings. But sometimes the programming effort to satisfy everyone is more work than it's worth. This might be one of those cases - or it might not.

You are probably going to have to just use a CAD Box for that. Chief just doesn't have that fine a control over what "headers" show. For Reflected Ceiling Plans I use a Room Polyline that I put on a "Ceiling Boundary" layer.

Call Customer Support.

See the complete list at Joe's Macro Packages

Subscription Service has closed. See Joe's Macros - Current List for Currently available macros.

If you have questions or wish to purchase any of my macros - please send me a Private Message. I would like to keep comments in this thread to a minimum.

This is the list of my currently available macros at $10.00 each: Format_Number adds Ruby methods to automatically format numbers into the standard display for the type of plan (Imperial or Metric). This allows a value in inches to be displayed in feet-inches-fractions: 80.8725 --> 6'-8 7/8" (rounded to a specified fraction - in this case 1/8's) or a value in mm to be display in m 7650 --> 7.650 m (automatically displayed to 3 significant places) Living Areas Opening Labels w Header - sample output: X7: W04 - 3040 SH - (3) 2x6 Hdr X8: W04 - 3040 SH (3) 2x6 Hdr X8: W04 - 3040 SH Tempered Egress (3) 2x6 Hdr Note: In X8 if the opening is Tempered an/or Egress, those options will also be displayed in the Label Post Footing Labels - sample output: 24"x24"x12" FTG w/ (3) #4's e.w. 16" Dia x 12" FTG Note: This macro requires X8 to be used in a Label - but it can be used in a Text Box with Arrow in X7. The reinforcing depends on the size of the footing. Wall Label- sample output: Wall 1.01 Wall 1.02 Wall 1.03 Wall 1.04 ... Wall 2.08 Wall 2.09 Wall 2.10 Wall 2.11 .... The whole number is the Floor and the decimal number is the Wall #. The Project Browser Wall Details will have the same names as the Wall Labels.4 BlockName used with Leader Line Text to annotate CAD Blocks. This is very useful for annotation of CAD Details made up of Library Blocks. To change the annotation, simply rename the Block. This will change the annotation for all like Blocks in the Plan CounterTops - These are used to accumulate and display the Areas of Counter Tops %Counter Top Areas% is placed in the Label of Cabinets and Custom Countertops %Counter Top List% is placed in a Text Box %Counter Top Total Area% is placed in a Text Box Example output is: For Metric Plans the output is in mm rather than Imperial units. Chief Architect Version (Displays the Version of Chief Architect in use) Area_Perimeter_Volume (Displays those values for Polyline, PSolid & Solids) Vent Labels (Displays a 2 line Label for Vents) -provides a 2 line Label for Vents as follows: I. Line 1 a. The first letter of the "Component Code" (upper case) Attic..........A Foundation ....F Garage.........G b. Any preceeding characters specified in the Label Tab of the Schedule V- as an example c. The Schedule Number Examples: AV-01, AV-02, AV-03 FV-04, FV-05 GV-06, GV-07, GV-08, GV-09 II. Line 2 a. The size (width x height) b. @ <height above floor Example: 16x6 @12" Naturally, as with all my macros, if the plan is metric the appropriate units will be used. In addition, the following "Macro Packages" are available at the indicated prices: Site Area Analysis Package ($75.00) - uses object type and line weights to provide Site Area Analysis Building Area Analysis Package ($75.00) - comprehensive area analysis based on room names/types Roof Area Analysis Package ($25.00) - calculates and displays the areas of roof planes Project and Consultants Package ($35.00) http://screencast.com/t/EUwgvruMXz0H Wordwrap Package ($25.00) Framing Labels ($50.00) - labels all framing members on Framing Plans and Wall Details - updated to use the current layer set for Cross Sections. Openings ($35.00) Vents ($25.00) - includes labeling & area calculations for required vent areas Wall Labels ($35.00) - includes the above Wall Label for Plan View display and additional macros for Elevation/Section display and for a Wall Legend display. The following require Chief Version X8 because of reliance on the layer attribute: Areas - Polyline Area Analysis ($75.00) - Site Area Analysis using Polylines and Layer Names. This package is easily customized by simply naming the layers of the Polylines. Video of the EASIEST TO USE Site Area Analysis Package. &nbsp; The following require Chief Version X9 because of reliance on the floor & layer_set attributes: Stair Labels - Section & Stair Label - Total (25.00) - provides comprehensive labeling of Stairs and Landings example: Plan Name ($15.00) - Displays the Plan Name in a Text Box based on the Floor and the Layer Set in use. Layer Set Scale ($10.00) - Displays the Scale in a Text Box based on the Layer Set in use. Rooms ($35.00) - Extends the Areas - Polyline Area Analysis to include the use of Rooms - available March 1, 2017 LayerSet Opening Labels ($25.00) - Displays different Labels for Doors, Windows and Wall Niches depending on the Layer Set in use. Basically this provides for the Header Label to be displayed on Framing Plans while the regular Door or Window Label is displayed on other Plan Views. I will be adding videos to the above "Macro Packages" list during the coming weeks and months as time permits. Some of the packages will be updated to take advantage of new X9 features. Special customization of any of the above is charged at $25 per hour.

That's what I was afraid of. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and slug thru it. It would be nice if there was an additional selection "Modify Selected Layer Sets". Currently it's "All or just this one".

Lew, you misunderstand. I have 3 Layer Sets for my Architectural Plan - 1/2", 1/4" & 1/8" Scale. There are 2 things that vary in these Layer Sets: Displayed (shows or hides certain layers as appropriate for the scale) Text Style (adjusts text size depending on scale) For my Framing Plan(s) I have 2 Layer Sets (1/4" & 1/8" scale). I want to copy the Text Styles of the Architectural Plan 1/4" Scale Layer Set to the Framing Plan(s) 1/4" Scale Layer Set. Architectural Plan 1/8" Scale Layer Set to the Framing Plan(s) 1/8" Scale Layer Set. etc.

The message "Chief has stopped working" is IMO a pretty good indication of the program being caught in a loop. IOW something in the program is performing the same operation over and over with no way out. Since it's not repeatable by what you've been doing in the work flow, I strongly suspect a bad macro. The execution of which could be happening at any time.

Larry, I've not had a crash in X9 for a long time. There must be something that's causing it. Do you have any idea of what it is? Is there an error message? Does Chief Architect just freeze If it just freezes it it could be a faulty macro that's caught in a loop.

I am making adjustments to my Layer Sets. I've got 3 set up with the Text Styles I want for each Layer. Now I want to copy the Text Styles from Layer Set 1 to some other Layer Sets while not effecting all the Layer Sets and not effecting any other column in the Layer Sets. Does anyone know an easy way to do this?

I totally agree. A sequentially numbered/lettered grid on detail sheets would be a nice feature. The Layout Box could pick up the grid ID and put that i the top half of the Callout.

I have a macro package that uses "Room Names". Those names have to be different for each room so that two rooms with the same name don't over-write the area accumulations. With X9, you could use Room Type, but it's superfluous because then you still have to have a different Room Type for each room. This is just a detail of how macros work in Chief.

OK Richard, I see where you and I are talking about different things. To do what you want it would take another "Link" of the Callout to the CAD Detail Window and then a "Link" of the CAD Detail Window to the Layout Box. It's not impossible but it would take a little more programming.

Jon, The "Make Standard Area Polyline" tool doesn't split the wall between the Garage and the Living Area. It stops at the Interior Garage Wall Surface. This is not new to X9. It was changed back in X7 or X8.

Richard, I'm talking about a CAD Detail Window in the Plan that has been sent to Layout. That creates the link. I do not place Details in Layout from the Library. Almost everything in my Layout comes from a some view in the Plan (Listed in the Project Browser)

Charlie, There could be an issue with z-fighting. That would generally be a result of the plan being located too far from (0,0,0).

How do you know that? The Layout Box has a link back to the view in the Plan. It really shouldn't be that difficult for it to scan that view (usually a CAD Detail Window) and find any Callout that is tagged "Use Layout Label" and fill in the sheet number. This is what it does for Section/Elevations so there really shouldn't be much difference.