Joe_Carrick

Doug, Typically if these are Framed Walls, they could be done: 1. with over-sized studs cut to the slope. a. 2x8 tapered to 2x4 to get a 4" slope b. 2x10 tapered to 2x4 to get a 6" slope c. etc. 2. with a normal vertical set of studs (2x4, 2x6, etc) and then 2x4's framing the slope. Normally the bottom plate would be the full wall thickness while the top plate(s) would be the top thickness of the wall) Doors & Windows would usually be just framed as if the wall was strictly vertical of the thinner wall dimension and the sloped part of the wall would be held about 2 inches clear for trim, etc. At least that's the way I've always seen it done. It would be nice if anyone else could chime in to verify or dispute my answers.

You could also try using a Peninsula Wall Cabinet from the Library and change the "Doors" to "Opening" and then manually add the Glass Doors.

About the only way I know to do this is a Custom Symbol. If you display a cabinet in 3D without a Door you can then use "Delete Surface" to remove the front and back faces of the back of the cabinet. Convert that to an Interior Furniture Symbol. Place the Symbol in your Plan and add Glass Cabinet Doors manually. It is possible to take this one step further and Block the new Symbol and the Cabinet Door and then make that be recognized as a Cabinet so it will appear in the Schedule.

Should Chief add a capability of "Battered Walls" (walls that are vertical on the inside but sloped on the outside)? This sort of thing has been the subject of countless questions and suggestions over the years but I don't think it's ever been adequately defined. If they can, what should be considered for how the following work: 1. Window Openings? 2. Door Openings? 3. Framing? 4. Wall Slope (angle, thickness at top, thickness at bottom)? 5. Wall alignment (outside at bottom, outside at middle, outside at top)? There are a lot of variables to consider and it's a pretty complex problem - but if we can come up with a good consensus of what should be.......... Please - don't complicate this by expanding the discussion to walls that are sloped on the inside and outside. Those are a very different item which would need to be discussed separately.

Common Data and File Formats have been a goal for over 30 years. Back in the early 1980's there was an initiative to create a standard for 2D CAD called the GIS (Graphic Interchange Standard) which never really became a reality. As much as companies say they want a common standard for interoperability - they tend in the long run to resist actually doing it. Perhaps Trimble and Nemetschek will follow thru with a standard that works with their products. The chance that they would assist Chief or SoftPlan or other 3D CAD Software in this effort is IMO not very good. These big companies are not really interested in helping the smaller companies - unless they can swallow them.

It's probably going to be more work than he wants, but one option is a Layout using Letter Size and just sending the desired views to that Layout.

Michael, Make the railing outside of the "deck area" and check it as "No Room Definition". Then you can move it into place without effecting the existing walls. Works like a charm. Sometimes you just have to ask the right questions - or at least let us know what you really want.

This is a carryover from the days when colored pens could be plotted on vellum or mylar to provide different line weights when printed on a ozalid printer. Those days are long gone. With Chief you have the options of using either "Color" or "Gray Scale" for printing. Most of us print to a PDF and then have that printed on a large scale ink-jet or laser printer.

I think one reason that people sometimes don't get the "automatic update" of the Layout is that the Layout was not open when the Plan was modified. In Theory, opening the Layout File should open the Plan Files and update. I'm not convince that will work - but when I open the Layout and the associated Plans then any changes made in the Plan get updated. There are of course the "Elevations that won't get updated" when a Plan is modified which has to do with how the Cameras are linked only to their View Windows and not to the Layout directly. IAE, opening the Layout and the Plans before making any changes to the Plan is a much more reliable way to get the Layout to update.

To answer your question about the Plan knowing what Layout - it doesn't. this is because any Plan could be sent to multiple Layouts. You can have only one Layout open at a time (at least in a single session of Chief) and that Layout File knows what Plan each Layout Box came from. OTOH, there is nothing in the Plan File to indicate a connection to any Layout other than the one that's currently open. I've been told that all the Plan Files linked to a Layout are automatically opened when the Layout is opened - but they don't actually show in the Project Browser. I think they should. Currently, you have to specifically open the Plan Files in order for them to be displayed in the Project Browser.

I would make an entire Floor to use instead of the Attic. That way I could define that area as a Balcony with Railings. Then I would just Lower the Roof and edit the Roof Planes as needed.

Generally, a metal texture will not appear to be correct in a "Render" view. If you do a "Ray Trace" is should look correct. If that doesn't work, open the Symbol and change the material to "Chrome" (there are a lot of materials in Chief's Library). Do not use the "Spray Can" to change the material - use the dbx.

Here's a macro I created to label Simpson Strong Tie CAD Blocks. It needs to be inserted into a Text Block with Arrow. When the Arrow is connected to the SST CAD Block it will display the Simpson Part #. It's very useful in "to scale framing details". SST Label.zip

I believe you will find that the Text Styles are carried with the Layer Set. If you Export the Layer Set and then Import that Layer Set to another Plan the Text Styles should be there as well. Note: If you have Text Styles that are not assigned to any Layer Set in your Plan then Export/Import of the Layer Sets will not bring over the unused Text Styles.

Sherry, Save the Plan As (use another name). Now go ahead and make the changes to the original. You can always go back to the saved Plan to get the Roof Planes as you had them.

Alan, I would just copy one object, rotate it and then copy that one to wherever I needed it. It's so fast to select, copy/paste then rotate with the mouse and then make multiple paste operations. You can use the "Sticky Mode" - the Push-Pin icon on the Edit Toolbar to paste multiple copies in succession.

How about "Red Chinese Propaganda"?

For Exterior Walls I set the Default y = -6 I left the Interior Walls at y = 0 It's really your choice. There are different Defaults for the various Wall Categories.

You can change the "Pad Elevation" for the Terrain. IOW, you move the Terrain up or down - not the building.

I have my Wall Types named so I can easily see what the construction is. I have defined the default Label for Exterior Walls and Interior Walls as: Wall-%floor_number%.%wall_id% -- %wall_type% so that when I draw walls the label shows me what I'm using. I also have most of my Wall Types saved in folders in my Library so I can just select what I want to use at any time. This takes a little bit of setup but it works for me. Note: The Label is the name that will be given to the Wall Detail in the Project Browser. That's a nice additional feature.

When the electrician has to do a horizontal run thru a solid framed corner it is a lot more difficult. I do understand your statement about hold-downs and very often we have something even more substantial than 2x's at those locations. However, particularly for interior walls it's less material and less work for other trades if the corners are framed the way Chief does it. The pic Greg showed in the OP also limits the sheathing attachment at the inside corner to a very small width. The pic Larry shows is better. OTOH, I don't usually show Chiefs' framing in the ConDocs - leaving it up to the framers to do it the way they are accustomed to. That's normally the way that will require the most material and labor

Perhaps I misunderstood one of your videos. It looked like you were using Level 1. I will have to review that vid again.

My approach is a bit different because I very often am working with a site that slopes up or down away from the street. Depending on the terrain, the Garage may be at the lowest level, an intermediate level or the top level. I seldom have a basement that's totally below grade - mostly every floor exposed on at least one side. Consequently I set the lowest Floor at "0" elevation and that's my Level <1>. I really don't care what it's called Basement, 1st Floor, Sunken Grotto, etc. I then set the Terrain using that Floor as the "Pad". If it happens to be the Floor that has the Garage then it's pretty much what Wendy described. However, if the Street and Garage are 20 feet higher then it's a different situation. So basically what I'm saying is that I always make the lowest usable floor Level <1> and I don't care what I name that Floor. If it's a 3 story house with the Entry on the Middle Floor I will call that Main Floor Plan and the others Lower Floor Plan and Upper Floor Plan. IOW: Level <0> Foundation Plan Level <1> Lower Floor Plan Level <2> Main Floor Plan Level <3> Upper Floor Plan Floor Names are just NAMES. Levels are numbered and Chief has it's own rules. Unlike Scott, I use Level <0> for the Foundation - but I do handle the Foundation Stem Walls in a similar way.

If you do change to that type of corner framing - the electrician is going to hate you.

Wendy, You are not - as Scott Hall says - out here in Mono-Slab Land. But it sounds like you also put the Basement on Level 1. Is that correct?