Joe_Carrick

Macro Pad in 2003 -2004 would not have anything near the capabilities of Stream Deck. The technology just wasn't that far advanced. Note: If you search for "Macro Pad' on Amazon - Stream Deck is the main result.

Or you can define your Layout as 22"x34". Custom Sheet sizes are allowed.

No, but if Chief adds some new tools they would need to be added along with the Hotkey to access them. An example might be if "Automatic Truss Framing" is added - then a Hotkey would have to be assigned along with a button icon.

I have a friend who has to get a new phone because his old flip phone is not going to be supported any more.

I'll need to study that. I'm not sure how I could/would use that with my setup. I generally just position things where I want them and let Windows 11 control that.

Another very cool feature is the ability to assign a typed text string to a button. Then in Chief wherever you need that particular text you simply press that button and it's automatically typed for you. It will work in: Labels Text Rich Text Notes etc. It can even contain a user macro so that the result is retrieved from the Chief Object.

How much do you want for that utility? It would definitely be nice to have.

This is my Default Profile: Notice that Chief X14 is on a Button that provides access to all the Chief Folders which provide the tools available on Chief's Drop-down Toolbars. My setup required that I have Hotkey assignments for almost everything. There's simply no way I could remember hundreds of multi-key shortcuts. The Stream Deck allows each of those to be accessed with just a single button press. Each Folder has all of the tools for each category available at a single glance. I also have used several different keyboards including the G13 but the number assignments were just too much for me to remember and they were too limited. Yes, the Stream Deck is much more than a keypad. It was designed for "Streamers" having the ability to access any Application, WebSite, etc. In addition it can access multi-media files. The cost of the XL is over $200 but what it can do is well worth that. The number of available keys is almost unlimited. I've assigned well over 4000 keystrokes to about my setup. But I only need to press 1 or 2 buttons to get any of the Chief create tools. The fact that I can see the tools so much quicker than using Chief's Toolbars makes it totally worth the price. BTW, most of the buttons on my Default Profile automatically switch to the appropriate Hotkeys for that App. You cold never do that with a keypad with "stick-ons".

Hi Justin, I concentrated on Chief's Architectural Objects. I didn't include any of the "Edit Menu" buttons because they are specific to the current active object and would only work if an object was selected. IOW, my buttons are primarily "create" vs "edit". For editing I use the mouse and keyboard. Basically I tried to eliminate the Toolbar search for a command which I find particularly time consuming and a strain on my eyes.

It's the cost of doing business. That along with inflation is why the cost is what it is. I can remember buying gas for 29 cents per gallon and a good hamburger was just 19 cents. but that was 1958. Yes, but generally the "cartoony" icons are easier to recognize - most of those I use are directly from Chief.

Here's a couple of pics of Elevations that are labeled with macros. These macros were written to provide the labels for: Floor Plans Roof Plans Elevation Views Wall Schedules They specifically provide a slightly different set of information depending on the view type. (ie: LayerSet) Almost all of my annotation is done using macros that get their data from the objects themselves. The Section, Elevation & Detail Callouts are all coordinated via the attributes and Chief built-in macros. It can be done. It just takes time and a full understanding of what's available.

FWIW, I don't understand why you aren't just using a Wall Schedule for the Walls in your model. Assuming that you have your Wall Definitions set to use the correct materials and those materials are named & sized appropriately (not Chief's standard names) then everything will be taken directly from the model and you won't need to use anything else. Note that the materials in the Wall Types for the above Schedule are not what I would normally name them - those are mostly Chief's standard materials. I do use $Global Hashes for some things - Site Area Analysis for example where I get areas directly from Closed Polylines - but otherwise I tend to avoid extra $Globals that aren't fixed data - such as structural information (standard properties, etc). IOW, things that Chief doesn't otherwise provide. It just seems to me that you're making it more complex than it needs to be. The Chief Model has an enormous amount of data available. Adding extra data entry doesn't make sense to me. I know I'll probably get slammed for this post - but so be it.

FWIW, I know some will think that my price of $200 is too much. But I can assure you if you try to replicate my setup it will cost you more in billable hours than my fee. I wouldn't do this for anyone as a custom setup for less than $2000.00 If I get 10 users to purchase it I still wouldn't recoup my costs.

In order for Elevations to update automatically they must be specified as "Live View" and "Update Automatically" in the "Send to Layout" dbx. Plot Line views will only update when specifically requested as DB indicated. It's a matter of personal preference as to how you do it. If you have a really fast computer with a good RTX GPU using "Live Views" makes sense. AFAIK there's no Preference or Default for using "Live Views". You just have to do it for each Section or Elevation you send to Layout. -or- Modify it in the Layout Box dbx.

Scott, I understand that some cities - San Diego for example - have such rules for the FAR calculations. That's not the same as "Living Area" which is used for Real Estate purposes. I had a project in the "Bird-Rock / La Jolla" area of San Diego where there was a high ceiling area which the city counted for the FAR. OTOH, as far as I know San Diego County doesn't count such areas.

Scott, I count stairs only for the floors on which they land at the bottom. IOW, the top floor which is only a stairwell doesn't count - it's just a hole in the floor. Another way to look at it is: "Tread and Landing" areas are only counted once. Elevators are only counted once. Doesn't matter which level it's stopped at, all other levels are just holes in the floor.

Assuming that Chief X14 and ChiefTalk are both to be buttons on the Default Profile: What other Buttons would you want? Apps such as WORD, ACCESS, EXCEL,....(they can have Smart Profiles assigned so that when active their Hotkey buttons would be displayed on the Stream Deck) Control Panel Task Manager Edge Email Windows Explorer are some that come to mind. I can set those up in a "Miscellaneous Buttons Profile" which can then be copy/pasted to your Default Profile. Let me know what you would want. Basically the things you use often and want quick access to from your Stream Deck Default Profile.

Yes, I've been fighting with too many toolbar items and the StreamDeck makes it infinitely easier to see.

Here's my Stream Deck XL Setup: It's taken quite a bit of time to get it setup the way I want. It includes a complete set of Hotkeys for all Basic Chief Objects and a lot of organization. Each Chief Object category is a different "Folder" so when a button is selected on the main Chief Folder, the corresponding id Folder is opened. I've also included a Custom Cabinet folder that works for Rabb's Kitchen Tools (won't work unless you have that package) and several buttons that lookup things in the Library. I need to put together a package that includes some of my user libraries (which are used by some of the buttons), the Hotkeys and a few instructions for importing the entire system. The price for this setup if you want it ---- $200 USD ---- PM me and I'll provide you with payment instructions.

Send a View from the Plan to the Layout. The Referenced File Name & Path can be retrieved from the Layout Box. That way, no manual entry is required.

That's because they are Chief Session specific, not Plan Specific.

Check the little folder icon to the right of the search window. If you have the wrong things checked it can cause some things to not be found. I prefer just "Keywords" and "Folders".

Ahhh, I see the problem. There are some symbols that need to be broken down to their component pieces. I just avoid using those. I guess it requires the "Pro" subscription to have those capabilities in Sketchup. I suppose in Chief you could delete the surfaces and then create a symbol of what's left. That's not always very easy.

Hi Gene, I don't have a subscription and just use https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/ Am I missing something?

When you copy a library object you can then paste it in your user library. There's an option at that time to "Paste Link". Keywords can help, but there are tradeoffs because you may find more objects than you actually want. Another thing that works is to begin the search with a quote mark. That will also minimize what's found