Joe_Carrick

Rob, Check "No Molding on Selected Edge". Then add a new Molding PLine at that location and assign the same (or a different) profile and change the material color.

You should watch the videos Wendy did on Annosets and Defaults. If you set up those correctly (different Defaults, Text Styles and Layers) you shouldn't have any problems.

Glenn, Currently that's the case. I've asked CA to add the attribute floor_number to Rooms, Doors, Windows, Cabinets, Roof Planes, etc. That attribute already exists for Walls and I was told at the UGM to let them know what additional attributes and global variables should be added. That was my #1 item but there are several others I've requested. Hopefully we'll get them in X8. The example you gave (a room on the 1st floor with a floor elevation equal to that of the 2nd floor) would in fact evaluate to floor #2. That's not ideal but it would be an unlikely condition. IAE, until CA provides floor_number as an attribute for Rooms, etc it's the best I've been able to figure out.

George, I do have some more and I do have some that are closely related and will be offered with discounts as a group. Right now, I need to do a bit more on the documentation/instructions. In addition there are some things I've not yet tested to make sure they work with both Imperial and Metric Plans. It will take me a couple of days to do that. I have the areas and floor numbers worked out for Imperial units but I need to check those things to make sure they work properly for Metric Units. Chief uses mm and sq.mm. for dimensional values. In almost all cases those need to me converted to m² and m. Since Chief doesn't provide an attribute for floor_number I have to calculate that based on the floor_elevation. For Imperial Units I use an average floor-to-floor height of 100 inches. I would assume that for Metric Units the average would be about 3000 mm (3 meters). Let me know if I should use a different number.

This video demonstrates 3 of my Area Analysis Macro Packages. 1. Building Areas ($100 USD) 2. Site Areas ($75 USD) 3. Roof Plane Areas ($35 USD) For each of these packages there is a macro that is placed in the Label of the object that accumulates the areas and stores the data in Ruby Global variables. In addition, there are a set of macros to calculate and display the data in Text Boxes or in the Objects' Label. If at any time the model is changed, the data will automatically be updated to reflect those changes in both the Plan and Layout. http://screencast.com/t/fDqTIdWZw1

One thing I've suggested previously was separate labels for Sections/Elevations than for Plans. My primary thought for this was for annotating walls. But there are really several places where it would be nice to have: Rooms Roofs (both Elevation & Sections - but with different appearance) Walls Wall Sections There are undoubtedly other cases but this thread has indicated a few more.

Attached is a video of a Macro Package ($35 USD) that fills in the blanks for what Chief left out. It provides Project Info for: Project Info Structural Engineer Surveyor Geologist Builder T24 Consultant It also provides the ability to create a complete new project including the folder structure from the currently opened layout/plan. This eliminates a lot of steps required to copy and rename folders, plans, layouts, etc. It allows any current Layout/Plan to be used as the basis for a new project. IOW, instead of: New Layout from Template - save as - maybe requiring the creation of new folders New Plan from Template - save as - maybe requiring the creation of new folders copying various files, etc. It's just a simple matter of opening any existing Layout/Plan combination and entering the new Project Name. Please watch the video to see how simple this makes creating a new Project with all the additional information. The macro package is all packaged in a zip file containing all the macros and some library items (blocked text boxes) to facilitate the initial installation. http://screencast.com/t/EUwgvruMXz0H

Great videos Wendy. Even as familiar as I am with Defaults and Annosets, you gave me a lot to think about and some things that will improve productivity. I gave you a rep point as well. Thanks for the ideas for some extra Annosets and ways to improve.

Build Roof Dialog

Curt, We are not supposed to reveal (NDA) anything presented at the UGM regarding X8. There are some really nice new features in the works and most of them are pretty close to being perfect. OTOH, some of them are still being refined and you'll just have to wait until CA releases them.

Scott, As I see it, the OP was asking why they didn't show on the second floor in both 2D and 3D - or in one or the other, etc. This is a 2 fold problem with the "Spiral Stair Symbols". 1. This type of Symbol doesn't cut a hole in the floor for the "Stairway". That has to be done via a Room "Open Below". 2. It will still not show the 2D Block on the Second Floor because the symbol is on the 1st floor so either your method or mine would be needed for the 2D Plan. 3. The Spiral Stair 3D Symbol on the first 1st floor would need to be the correct height and "Show Floor Below" would need to be ON in order for the display to be right in 3D. If the question isn't 100% clear then the answers we give might not be 100% either.

Rob, Yes, you have missed the step of first adding a sub-category to the Component dbx for Windows. Getting additional sub-categories added into the Window Schedule is a rather complex and exacting process. There are tutorials and help file instructions and threads in the forums (maybe the old forum) about this. If all else fails, Tech Support should be able to guide you thru it. Just changing the name of a column in the Schedule won't get you what you want.

There is another way. On the second floor, open "CAD Block Management", find the CAD Block for the Circular Stairway and "Insert" into the Plan. You can position it as needed.

Bumping his thread

You might also check the resolution that's being printed for your PDF.

IOW, it depends on what you have set as the smallest fraction. if you have dims set to display a 1/16" fraction then the +/- will only be displayed if the actual dimension is not exactly a multiple of 1/16"

It's possible to select all the Interior Elevation Callouts for a Room and send them to a single Layout Page as a "Batch". They will all be "stacked" on top of each other but it's easy to separate them horizontally and move them as a group up or down on the Layout Page. If you do this, be patient as it will take some time for each Elevation.

I don't think it should be too difficult for Chief to add the things I liked. I think all of them have been requested multiple times so they should be on the list for X8 or X9.

They actually look like they are right out of my yard. We built on an old granitic core of an ancient volcano. Wherever I dig I hit boulders ranging from 6" to 100". Our house foundations are secured to solid rock with rebar epoxied into holes drilled into the rock.

Defaults > CAD > General CAD > "Use Line for Framing" at the bottom of the dbx.

FWIW, I saw some things in the Revit Demo that I liked: 1. 2 way Schedules 2. Ability to enter data directly in the Schedule 3. Ability to Group Schedule Columns 4. Levels - (Platforms, Ceilings, etc.) 5. Wall Intersections 6. Room Numbering I also saw some I didn't like: 1. Library access tied to Project rather than System Wide 2. Material Textures - very weak. Then of course there's the Price...... As far as how fast the building could be put together and the various views being created - I think Chief is just as fast, maybe faster. The Symbol Libraries available to Revit are probably more extensive but I don't know if they are better or not.

Have you checked the text color? It could be "white".

I'm with Richard. During my career I've done several Hospitals, Office Buildings, Custom Homes, Condos and Apartments. I won't do Condos any more because of the law suits that inevitably come after a few years. My current practice is limited to Custom Homes of various sizes. I've never done a project over 8 stories, but none of the projects that I have done couldn't be done quite quickly using Chief. There are several things I would like to see improved so that I could do less text entry, but Chief already saves a massive amount time and does a better job than any other 2D or 3D Architectural Software that I've seen. I have tried several demo versions and Chief is my favorite by a lot. I spend most of my time now making Design decisions and very little converting the design to ConDocs.

Thanks Jon

Doug, .....sometimes the code that tells the program that something has changed is not always hooked up correctly. . Adding or Editing a Text Macro doesn't trigger the "something's changed" flag.