Joe_Carrick

If you have those in the Plan and/or Elevations, they will be in the Layout. It's a matter having a material that has an assigned "Pattern" rather than just a "Texture". Patterns are "Hatch Patterns". There are many available in Chief as well as others from external sources that can be imported.

So just wait until you have the rooms finalized. Some things are never going to be 100% automatic. OTOH, I prefer a methodology that is more comprehensive. If all rooms have unique names, a global hash table can be maintained and a single macro can be used to sum the areas of any one (or more) rooms. This only requires two macros: 1. A macro In the Default Room Label to accumulate and maintain the hash table. a. The hash table would contain at a minimum the internal_area of each room. b. It could if desired also contain the required vent and opening areas 2. Another macro to display the desired output based on summing the values in the hash table for specific rooms. a. This macro could be used in the Default Room Label for single rooms but could be easily modified to use for multiple rooms.

In Ruby, you can add numbers and you can concatenate strings using "+" but you can't mix them. To get the output you've indicated you have to use the .to_s method to convert the numerical values to strings as follows: height.round(0).to_s + " x " + width.round(0).to_s

To control the number of decimal places you will need to use Ruby. Chief's built in macros can't be rounded. There are examples of how to do this in another thread. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/9401-polyline-labels/?hl=round#entry82412

Use a "Custom Counter Top"

Place your Logo on Layout Page 0 in your Title Block. It can be one you create graphically or an imported image.

That's exactly how I would have done it.

As an Architect, I consider it my responsibility to provide the best possible design (functionally and structurally) within the clients budget. If the client wants more than they can afford then it's my job to provide guidance. To provide a design and documents that are totally outside the realm of possibility - including budget - is a moral and professional failure. There can be a reasonable variance from budget but it must be within reason.

Teresa, Are you talking about Chief's "Plan Check" or the one done by the Building Dept?

FWIW, ceiling mounted outlets should not need to be weatherproof. Assuming that they are under the roof there shouldn't be any way for them to get wet. If you mount a light fixture or fan on the ceiling of a porch for example, they don't have to be waterproof fixtures. Maybe it's just a matter of a notation on the plan that the outlets are "ceiling mounted". Or, you could indicate a light fixture and then have the fixture changed to an outlet later. GFCI protection could also be used.

You need to modify the 2D Block to include WP and save the outlet to your user Library so it's available for future projects.

I will say this just once. Find a good Architect or Building Designer in your area that you are comfortable working with - then hire them to do the job. Preferably you can find one that is proficient with Chief Architect and that will work/consult with you on what you want/need. A good residential design professional will save you many times the fee they charge for their work. Not only will the finished product (your home) be less expensive but it will be done much faster and it will function much better for you. The training and experience is they have is invaluable. You will spend hundreds if not thousands of hours learning to use Chief proficiently and you will still not be as good as a design professional.

Dermot, I think there are many of us who would like the ability to have things cut in sections to be heavier and possibly a different color. The same could be said for the edges in elevations. You might want to rethink your long term goal for this case. "Live Views" have given the ability to make our elevations and sections much more artistic. Please don't do anything that goes backwards.

See the help file for "Custom Muntins"

Thanks Michael. So now I get the RED in both Plan and Layout for both. CROSS SECTION CALLOUTS CROSS SECTION LINES Scott, the Key to the Cross Section Lines being in color in the Layout is using a "Live View".

This is nutty, I get the Cross Section Lines as RED in both the Section View and in that View sent to Layout. This only works for "Live Views", not for "Plot Lines" But I can't get the Cross Section Callout to be RED in the Plan - even though I've changed those Layers - but when I send the Plan to Layout the Cross Section Lines in the Layout are RED.

Hi Val, If you use the Schedule Callout it replaces the Text Label. It is possible to use a user text macro (Referenced Context) in a Text Box with a Leader Line to add the size and other attributes. This can be done in conjunction with the Schedule Callout. However, that only works in Plan View, not in an Elevation View. One of my requests - for at least a couple of versions has been additional labels for elevations and sections. IOW, one label for Plan Views and a secondary label for Elevations/Section Views.

Ryan, As other users have stated: Chief doesn't know anything about engineering. It puts in the framing according to what you have specified in the Framing Defaults. You should study those and as previously mentioned - Consult with an Engineer or Architect.

Arnstein, You are correct that thinking like AutoCAD is not going to work in Chief. The key is realizing that Chief is Floor/Room based. Within a Floor Level you create Exterior Walls that encompass a set of Rooms. Each Floor Level has a height and various other Defaults. Rooms also have Defaults as do Walls, Doors, Windows, Cabinets, Roofs, etc. Almost any of these things can be modified for individual objects as you build the model. Just remember that you aren't drawing lines and arcs. You are building a structure that consists of spaces contained within the perimeter walls and the floors above and below. It's a different way of thinking - more like stacking boxes than drawing on a sheet of paper. All the paper output is done by sending any view of your model to Layout. That can be almost totally automatic - but it requires some initial setup of Plan and Layout Templates.

Start with the exterior walls and get those set to the correct distances. Then you can add interior walls, select each one and set it's distance from the exterior walls. This can be done very simply by just selecting the wall, then select the displayed dimension and enter the correct value. Do this for each interior wall starting from top to bottom and then from left to right.

Chief has a built-in "Ray Trace" capability. You simply display a "Standard Render" view and invoke the "Ray Trace Tool". You can let that run as long as needed to get the clarity needed. Usually 4-8 passes is sufficient for a good photo quality. Each pass will take more or less time depending on the model, the number of light sources, reflective materials, etc. Your system specs (CPU, Memory, etc) are also factors in the time it takes. It is also possible to use external programs like Lumion to do Ray Traces.

The pics you posted are "Ray Traces", which are not the same as "Renderings". Here's a sample "Ray Trace" I did in Chief. The same view displayed only as a "Rendering" would not be as crisp but could be done using a variety of techniques such as watercolor, watercolor with lines, vector, etc.

Scott, Tell us what you really think. BTW, I am in total agreement with you.

It's the 2D CAD Block for the Hood. You might have to expode the CAD Block, find the Polyline that has a fill and remove that. Then Block it and set the Symbol's 2D Block to your new version.

No, but you can use a Spherical Panoramic Backdrop Spherical Panoramic Backdrops Spherical Panoramic Backdrops are a special type of backdrop that wraps around the model in 3D views as though it were applied to a sphere surrounding it. It takes an image processing program or special camera to generate spherical panoramic backdrops. If you have such a file, you can specify it as your Backdrop image, then check Spherical Panoramic Backdrop in the 3D View Defaults dialog. The Use Generated Sky option in the 3D View Defaults dialog produces a special Spherical Panoramic Backdrop that simulates a daytime sky using the Generic Sun or active Sun Angle data. See Sun Angles and Shadows.