Joe_Carrick

Essentially yes. You create a rectangle with a solid fill (background color) and then select that polyline and click on the "Create Hole" icon on the Edit Toolbar. This will allow you to create a rectangular hole in the original rectangle. That hole can be shaped anyway you want.

Michael's video was very good - not crappy. The one thing he didn't mention was that you could actually create a new "Custom Toolbar" with only doors on it and then dock that at the edge of the screen. Then you can set it to be visible in any of the "Toolbar Configurations".

Or, you can just put a filled rectangle with a shaped "Hole" over the layout box. - That's know as thinking "Outside the Box"

I would try using the NVidea Control Panel PhysX setting to put the NVidea in control instead of the CPU or Intel. The Intel is what's causing the crash.

You need to make sure the NVidea is in control. Sometimes the Intel GPU is what's being used. I had that problem. Once I had the NVidea GPU in control the problem disappeared.

When creating the Symbol (Convert to Symbol) you should use "Exterior Furnishings" and set the Options to "Hangs on Wall".

Not quite true. The cameras can be in the Plan Template. They can all be sent from the Plan Template to the Layout Template. Then any new Project using those Templates will automatically be linked. The same is true if you copy an existing Plan and Layout to a new Folder and rename them. Relinking will then update everything.

Larry, If your Plan Template has all Cameras already present and saved, those cameras will be in any new Plan. If those views have been sent to your Layout Template then it works. Scotts SAM is essentially a set of Templates that are constantly being updated and used for the next project. If you have Plans that were created without using the Template with the Cameras then there's no connection. Chief knows about the Floor Plan Views because they are always the same. That's only true for Cameras, CAD Details, etc if it was a copied Plan.

Personally, I do a door of each type (exterior, garage, interior, sliding, pocket), set their parameters and then set them as the defaults. Then I place all the rest of the doors. Actually, if you have your defaults already set you can skip directly to placing doors using the door tool.

Larry, The Elevations and Sections (actually any Camera View) will update only if it's the same camera. Scott has multiple saved cameras in his SAM. I do the same thing essentially by copying both Plan and Layout to a new folder. In your case, you must have created the elevations for each project separately so the cameras don't have the same "name". IOW, the path to the view is not the same so Chief has no way to update the view.

To do things like that I use the Library. I just organize the items in folders. It would be nice if there was a way to use a drop-down button for arranging "Place Library Object" but I don't think that can be done.

In case anyone has trouble with Yusuf's video, the method he used was an extra set of narrow stairs for the stringers. You can then suppress the handrail on the main stair and make the risers/trim on the thin stair different from the risers on the main stair. IMO, this works best with "Closed Stringers " but even with an "Open Stringer" it works very well.

Another thing that is possible is to create a "Face" - either by using the "Solid Face" tool or exploding a 3D Solid. The Face can be extruded to form a Solid. It's a little tricky to learn the process and what parameters to use for the extrusion, but once you get the hang of it......

You don't have to export the molding polyline to another app. Just display it in 3D and convert to Symbol.

True, it's all a matter of what you need. As I stated in post #14, I personally would use Panels just because I don't like installing tall cabinets - particularly when the sides are unsupported.

FWIW, I just did some further testing and I get some slowing with all the text tools - but Leader Lines are the worst.

Exterior Room Molding Polyline

Select the object, open the "Object Layer Properties" tool.

Just to clarify what I think is happening. Macros are normally only executed when the current active view is refreshed. With most tools in Chief only the thing that's being created or modified is updated, not the entire screen. Apparently, with Leader Line Text that isn't the case. With Leader Line Text, it appears that all macros are being executed repeatedly. That shouldn't need to be the case - and since CA's built-in macros are executed in the main Chief thread (unlike user macros which are executed in a separate Ruby thread) it causes the Leader Line Text to be slow. Once they find where it's happening in the code it should be very easy to fix.

If not, I'm going to start screaming !!!!!! I don't even think it's user macros. I believe it's the quantity of CA's own built-in macros that result in the slowdown. IAE, adding a macro to a CAD Detail or Camera View shouldn't effect the speed in a Floor Plan View.

Perry, It's not just your problem. CA needs to fix it and hopefully they will in the update this week. The problem is not the macros per se - it's the Leader Line Text.

Bernie, One place where it's handy is in my "Openings" macro package. I have a macro that I place in the Label of all Exterior Doors and Windows. This macro collects the areas and other data of each opening and stores them in a Global Array. Other macros read that Array to calculate and display totals, etc. In order for it to work, there needs to be a Door Schedule and a Window Schedule, with "Group Similar Objects" unchecked. When the macro is used in X7 it only works when "Use Callout for Label" is unchecked. When the macro is used in X8 it works when "Use Callout for Label" is checked or unchecked. Basically, using any macro in a Label of an object with a Schedule would only execute in X7 if "Use Callout for Label" was unchecked. That problem has been fixed in X8, so you can now put macros in Labels of Doors, Windows, Cabinets, Appliances, Fixtures, Framing, Furniture, Plants and Electrical - and be assured that they will execute even if you are using Callouts.

Perry, I agree that the Plan views don't have Labels, but they do have names - as shown in the Project Browser. I edit those names (already done for all Cameras, CAD Details, Sections, Exterior Elevations, etc) and then in each of those views I have a 9" (for 1/4" scale) text %view.name% positioned as needed. When I send (or previously sent) the view to Layout that name is included. There's no need to type it in the Layout Box Label. I'm all about having everything done in the Plan and the Layout being AUTOMATIC including as much text as possible. It's also noteworthy that the view name is displayed in the Plan so you know exactly what you are looking at. Interior Elevations, CAD Details, Wall Details, Elevations, Sections, etc are all automatically named in the Plan and that name is in the Layout.

Larry, Glad I could help. FWIW, CA's reason for using %scale% is that no matter what sheet size the Layout is printed at, the scale will be correct. I use not only the %box.scale% in the Layout, but I also place a Graphic Scale in the Plan. I have a note (Page 0 of the Layout) Graphic Scales govern - Text Scales are only correct it Printed Sheet is %sheet.size%

Michael, Personally - I prefer panels due to the basic problem of installing such large/flimsy cabinet wtih the side panels already attached. For me it's much easier to erect the panels and a wall cabinet in between. But in Chief, either way works.