Joe_Carrick

Bernie, This is a macro I use to set up some Ruby Global Variables by writing/reading a file x = "" $BuilderName = "Builder" $BuilderCompany = "BUILDER COMPANY" $BuilderStreet = "Street Address" $BuilderCity = "City" $BuilderState = "ST" $BuilderZip = "99999" $BuilderPhone = "(999) 999-9999" $BuilderFax = "(999) 999-9999" $BuilderEmail = "email@mailserver.com" if File.exist?($fnbldr) cBuilder = File.read($fnbldr) else cBuilder = "Builder BUILDER COMPANY Street Address City ST 99999 Ph: 999-999-9999 Fax: 999-999-9999 Email: builder@mailserver.com" File.open($fnbldr,'w'){|f|f.write(cBuilder)} end cBuilder = cBuilder.dump aStrings = cBuilder.split('\n') $BuilderName = aStrings[0].gsub('"','') $BuilderCompany = aStrings[1].gsub('"','') $BuilderStreet = aStrings[2].gsub('"','') $BuilderCity = aStrings[3].gsub('"','') $BuilderState = aStrings[4].gsub('"','') $BuilderZip = aStrings[5].gsub('"','') $BuilderPhone = aStrings[6].gsub('"','') $BuilderFax = aStrings[7].gsub('"','') $BuilderEmail = aStrings[8].gsub('"','') x Note: $fnbldr is one of several previously established Ruby Global Variables that are the names of the files to read/write and include the full paths. The names are derived by the following macro that needs to be executed someplace - I put in my Layout Title Block. It's important to note that I have a separate folder & sub-folders for each project, so the file names are guaranteed to be unique. x= '' $fnsi = referenced_full_filename.gsub(".plan","") $fnpi = $fnsi+ " Project Info.txt" $fnst = $fnsi+ " Struct Engineer Info.txt" $fnbldr = $fnsi+ " Builder Info.txt" $fnsurv = $fnsi+ " Surveyor Info.txt" $fngeol = $fnsi+ " Geologist Info.txt" $fnT24 = $fnsi+ " T24 Consulant Info.txt" x

To do the Slab 1/2 on the Block Wall you need a Pony Wall (Basically a "Brick Ledge" as Chief calls it) but on the interior instead of the Exterior. The Pony Wall would be the full thickness and the upper part of the Stem Wall would only have the 1/2 Block.

You need to have the Main Layers of the Stem Wall and the wall above align. The Main Layer of the Stem Wall should be the CMU and the Main Layer of the wall above should be the Stud Framing. Your Stem Wall needs to include the extra layers for the brick. Actually, you should probably use a Pony Wall so you have a "Brick Ledge" as it isn't good practice to have the brick extend below grade. Bricks tend to deteriorate when in constant contact with wet soil. BTW, the flashing should go behind the vapor barrier.

I put them on the 1st Floor, dimension them, then copy->paste->paste hold position on all the other floors. I have them on a separate layer so it's easy to just set all other layers off - then marquee select.

Richard, What is your System Configuration? This sounds like the problem with some older computers using HD2000 Graphics Cards and Drivers. I had this sort of problem on one of my systems and just decided to spend a couple hundred bucks for a new NVidea Graphics Card. IAE, contact support for to see if they can help.

Todd, In X6 File->Export->Export Hotkeys (will be XML) In X7 File->Import->Import Hotkeys (XML) This is no problem.

Glenn, Just hit the "Break Line Hot Key" twice in succession. That's the same as Double Clicking on the icon.

Well, I learned something new. The trick is to double click on the "Break Line" Tool - then click on the line where you want to break it. I kept doing just the opposite - never used this before and it's definitely not intuitive. Why don't you guys learn to be specific. It would save me a lot of time trying to figure out the trick. IAE, Most of the time I like to use the Trim Tool. It allows me to cut out a Wall Section from a CAD Detail created from a Section very easily.

I agree with Scott. I actually tried Glenn's method but could not get it to consistently work with Mono Slabs. I would really like to have a set of coherent Defaults so that I could get the Foundations to be at least 90% accurate using Automatic Mono Slabs. It shouldn't take that much to get it done. For any fairly large home the Foundation takes way too much time and then it seems like once I have it the way it should be something happens and I have to spend another hour fixing it.

Clever Glenn, Maybe MonoSlabs can work after all. But I still think this should be much better handled by the software.

They should also probably have a level "basement" that doesn't necessarily need to be used.

Todd, 1. Draw a thin rectangle that crosses the lines you want to break (red in pic) 2. Select that Rectangle and click on the trim tool (scissors) on the edit toolbar 3. Select the fence on the edit toolbar 4. Draw a line inside the thin rectangle so that it crosses the lines you want to cut out. (green in pic) 5. Delete the thin rectangle This is really the easiest way to do it. You can skip #3 & #4 and just pick a line inside the rectangle - but then you have to repeat #2

Use the Trim Tool. You create another rectangle to encompass the things you want to cut out. You might need to experiment a bit with this tool to familiarize yourself with how to use it.

Just try it. You can have X6 & X7 at the same time. If X7 is too slow for your hardware you don't have to use it. I have X7 installed on 3 different machines. The oldest machine had an Intel HD2000 Graphics card that I upgraded for a couple hundred bucks to an NVidea with 2GB Ram. It works fine.

Alan, I'm don't think you want to use a "Room Divider". I personally would use a normal "Railing Wall" (Post to Beam) and suppress the Rails, Newels & Balusters - or use a simple 4" Wall Type and check "Invisible Wall"

Or you can make railings outside of the balcony and set them as "No Room Definition" and then move them into place where you want them.

OK, so for this 2nd Floor Room over the Garage, set the Ceiling Height to 9' and just move the roof planes down 5'.

Known issue. Wall Material Regions do not meet properly at corners. In Plan they tend to extend past and in 3D they stop short. This has been reported to CA. For such corner conditions I would use a Polyline Solid.

Do you have a pic? FLW did a custom door for almost every project.

Mickey, I understand the terminology and how the builder thinks of the Foundation/Basement relationship. That's just not the terminology that works with Chief. In order to get the best results with Chief and not run into the problem that Elder_Designer had you just need to follow the practice of doing all "Basement" development on Level 1. Chief doesn't know it's a "Basement". Maybe sometime in the future we will have an option to add a "Basement Level" similar to how we have an "Attic Level" - but for now we have to live with the fact that there isn't one.

If you mean that you just want the Garage to have a very high ceiling - just build the 2nd Floor above the rest of the house and adjust the garage ceiling height independently.

Todd, Create a CAD Detail Window in your new Plan. Marque select your detail from the other Plan - Copy (Ctrl_C) Go to the new CAD Detail Window and Paste (Ctrl_V) This is much easier. For most details I use a separate Detail Plan that is at the scale I use for details. For Wall Sections I usually create them from Sections - Auto Detail - CAD Detail from View - Trim to eliminate everything except the area that I want and then annotate. Note: You might just have the Layers not displayed - try turning on "ALL LAYERS".

I've been using Chief for it for at least since Version 9.5 Some people use SketchUp (or something similar). In fact, I think CA uses 3DMax. If you use one of these other programs you still have to import the Symbol into Chief and the Symbol Dialog is where you make changes to material names, origin offsets, options, stretch planes, etc. Note that you can right click on a symbol in the Library and open the dialog right there. Any changes you make that way will be automatically used when you place the symbol in a plan.

NO! The Foundation is Level 0. The Basement - if there is one should be on Level 1. It's inevitably going to have a Floor Slab, Interior Walls, Exterior Walls (which may even be partially above adjacent grade as in a Walk-Out). I like to think of it this way: If it's usable space of any kind - it goes on Level 1 or above. If it's structural support in contact with the ground - it's the Foundation and Chief builds it on Level 0. Just because the Basement Walls are Concrete or Masonry doesn't mean they are the Foundation.

Of course. It's just a matter of assembling the 3D Objects.