Joe_Carrick

The 2nd Floor Exterior Walls of the Stairway seem to have been pulled down to the First Floor.  That's resulted in the Utility Room having no height.  Those walls need to stop at the 2nd Floor.

Turn Casings ON, UnCheck "Has Jamb, Turn Casings OFF.

For some reason the developers didn't think we should have independent control of Jambs.

Chief's Window Symbols are designed to be "Projection" Windows (like Garden Windows, Unit Bay Windows, etc.) and do not at this time have a way to offset the 2D Block y-origin so the 2D will be inset.

You can edit the Symbol and set the 2D Block to None

However, in the case of your window I would just use a "Pass Thru" with Frame and Casings.

No Casing, No Frame.  Separate Tabs in the dbx.

I am doing my first renders & they are taking hours. Would you share your settings so I can give them a try?

We must assume that you mean Ray Trace, not Render.

You should post your system specs and other information in your Account Signature.  That will give us a better idea of what the problem might be.  In addition, posting the Plan will also help to find out why you are having trouble.

ps:  A Ray Trace can be stopped at any point.  Generally 2-4 passes is sufficient and anything more than 20 passes is a waste of time.

OTOH, You can save those things and then open your Template and Import them, save the Template and it's done.  Chief provides many Templates and you can set one as the Default Template.  As you develop and modify you might want to save the new Templates using names that you recognize - either by style or even by Job Name.

When starting a new project, you always have the option of using "New Plan from Template" and selecting whatever Template suits the job.

If you have X6, there's a download in your Digital Locker for both the 32 bit and the 64 bit versions.  There is no extra charge.  When you get your new computer, simply download and install the 64 bit version.

I use SugarSync plus I have 3 separate computers and use LogMeIn to sync folders.

Maybe someone else in the office had the file (or a copy) open and saved that after your save.  I've seen it happen.

OTOH, I am pretty sure that Larry's a one man shop - so unless he restored from another computer or backup source I can't begin to explain what happened to him.

I agree, that's a wonky implementation.  But you can place it in a free space and then drag it to the point you want to snap to..

Thumbnail images are too small.

However, the way to insert an image is to use the "Attach Files" option below.  If it's not showing select "More Reply Options".

Click the "Browse" button and navigate to the file you want to attach (usually a jpg or png) and open it.

Then Click the "Attach This File" button.

Note, you can attach several files to a post (maximum 10MB total).

OK I'm starting to put it together.

Yes there is a window for changing the 2D block in that dialog box.

Wish they had context sensitive help.

Select an object - then hit F1 key.

It won't give you everything, but for the most part it should put you in the right help section.  Sometimes you just have to search with key words in help to find everything.

Now that Doug Park is off on a 2 month bike trek across the USA, who is filling in as the Moderator for the Forums?  He was doing a great job and will be missed while he's gone.

Place some CAD Lines with intersections where you want the Bay Corners.  Once you have those spaced correctly you can simply snap the Walls to those intersections.  Then just delete the CAD Lines.

Wow, got it.

Opening a 3D view & right click selecting the Receptacle then the chair w/ pencil icon, select 2D on left menu, then select a block I made.

 

Too many terms & concepts that I don't understand yet.

Thanks for your patience.

Patience Grasshopper.......

Rome wasn't built in a day and no one here learned to use Chief Architect in a day either.  I've been using it for at least 10 years and am still learning and refining how I do things. 

My father had a saying I will never forget:

Can't never did anything!  It constantly reminds me to be patient and persistent.  Just keep trying and look for the answers.

I was an ACAD user before I started using Chief and I was pretty competent with it.  While Chief is 3D, it needs 2D for certain things so we have no option but to learn how those things work together.  Virtually all of what you see in Plan View is 2D CAD but where there's an underlying 3D Object it's connected. 

OK at 5. I have a new CAD block in my floor plan

6. select what symbol? Isn't a symbol a 3D object displayed in a picture view or elevation?

Open the Symbol dbx I assume that is the chair icon only available when you can select a symbol.

 

Sorry to be so dense.

Yes, a Symbol is a 3D Object.  However, when you select the 2D Block that's attached to a Symbol in the Plan View (IOW, the original outlet placed on the wall) you get the overall Symbol and not just the CAD Block.  You will notice on the Edit Toolbar that there are 2 icons for the object.  One is the "Open Door" and one is the "Chair".  This is the same as selecting the Symbol in a 3D View.

In most cases the 2D Block is a close representation of the 3D Object as viewed from above.  In the case of Electrical Fxtures and some Appliances the 2D Block is just a Graphic that looks nothing like the 3D Object at all.  That's why we have the option of modifying the CAD Block - but we have to tell the 3D Symbol what CAD Block to use.

Joe thanks so much for your presistance in this task.

1. OK

2. OK

Once opened the pop up window does not have a menu or allow Ctrl V with out exiting the pop up.

I assume that steps 1 & 2 were to assure that the block exist in the drawing.

 

3 & 4  Inserting the block with this menu did produce as block that I could explode. Thanks you

5. There is no Unblock option only Explode doint so I was able to edit the text object block the objects & choose an insert point.

I added it to the catalog. Which it chose User Catalog.

 

The problem I now have is that the block is a dumb block which does not insert as the electical block, snapint to walls, auto rotating & when this block is rotated the text is no longer positioned correctly.

 

I do apreaciate your efforts &  I see how to edit a block now

But I still want the smart block from electrical to insert smartly.

Is that doable?

You missed the step of editing the Symbol by assigning the new CAD Block using the Symbol dbx.  It's not the CAD Block that you need to add to the Library, it's the Symbol after you've assigned the new CAD Block to it.

Check Steps 6 & 7 again.

You just need to understand that a Symbol is a 3D Object and a CAD Block is a 2D Object.  2D Objects are essentially "Dumb" as you call them.  However, each 3D Symbol can (and usually does) have a 2D CAD Block associated with it to use in the 2D Plan View. 

FWIW,

This is a fairly complex and tedious process but it's not something that you will need to do that often.  It's really a case of a special 2D CAD Block being needed with a built-in label.  Most of the time Glenn's suggestion is the way to change a Label.

OK, you can do what Glenn says, but it's not the same thing.

The Electrical Symbol that you get from the Library has a 2D CAD Block associated with it.

The text is a part of that CAD Block.

So here is the process to Change the CAD Block itself.

1.  Select the Symbol that you have placed in the Plan and Open the Symbol using the little Chair Icon

2.  Find the name of the 2d Block. "Outlets:Wall Mounted/110V/GFCI"

3.  Go to the Menu and select CAD>CAD Block Management or just hit the V key

4.  Select that CAD Block From the List and select the "Insert" Button.

5.. Once you have placed it in the Plan you can select it, Unblock, make the changes, Block it and Name the new Block

6.  Now Select the Symbol and Open the Symbol dbx

7.  Select your new Named 2D Block

You have now assigned a new 2D Block to the Symbol

Add it (The Symboi) to your Library with an appropriate name.

Just left click on the object and look on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen

OTOH, it doesn't look like you even selected a CAD Block - You selected the Symbol.

Just in case you don't know how to create such a stretch plane:

1.  Select the Symbol and Open it (chair icon on the Edit Toolbar)

2.  Click the "Size" Tab

3.  Set the z Stretch Plane at just slightly less than the height of the Symbol.

That will cause any resize or stretching to occur only at that height.  Everything above or below that will be unchanged.

Scott,

When my friends and I were bicycle touring we averaged about 70 miles a day but we only went for 2 week trips.  Two whole months living out of touring paniers (saddlebags) could be a bit of a strain.

Add "WP" to the cad block. Find the cad block and insert it on the plan , unblock it and change it, then block it again. Change the name to something you will recognize. with the outlet selected, open the 3d symbol DBX and change the cad block to the new one.

Don't forget, once you've done that - add the symbol to your User Library so that it's available for future use.  Don't continuously reinvent the wheel.

BTW, you can make it "No Room Definition" if you want.  That way Interior Elevations are for the whole room and are not stopped by the shower enclosure.