Joe_Carrick

Tools > Space Planning in X6 is standard. It's been there at least as far back as version 9 - at least that's what I recall. I tried it once or twice and decided that I'm more comfortable just drawing the walls. I haven't used it for at least 6 years.

Note: I have the Layer Eyedropper, Layer Painter, & Layer Hider Buttons on my Toolbar. It's really easy to use them and works pretty much like "Match Properties" tool in ACAD.

OK, I guess it's time for me to chip in. IMNSHO, Scott has it right. To simplify that statement: 1. The Layer has Linestyle, Color, Thickness & Text Style (Those are the only Properties available in Chief) 2. Edit the Layer of an Object and all of those properties change. 3. Each Layer Set can have different settings for each Layer, so it's infinitely flexible. It is of course possible to over-ride the Layer Settings for any object, but it's really better to stay with Use Layer so that you take advantage of #3 above. Bottom Line: Select the Objects and Edit the Layer - that's as good as it gets!

Curt, If you save that light to the user library after making the fill transparent - does it come in as transparent when you select and place it from the user library? Yes, of course it does. The problem is that we can't edit the symbols except in the User Library or in the Plan, so anything from Chief's Libraries have solid fill and you have to either modify the Text Style or select a different Text Style.

I think it's because it was created in an earlier version and the materials simply didn't come into X6 when I imported the symbol. I edited all the materials and now it looks OK. IAE, the size doesn't match what I have at HD and Lowes,

Use a Room Polyline - edited to match the area that will be covered with flooring.

Tommy used a Doorway - I used a Window Pass-Thru. I haven't been able to get Tommy's to display as anything but black - don't know why.

The easiest way to do this - IMO - is "replace from library". That gives you options

I use a Rectangular Symbol (just a Flat Box) with a macro displaying the (width x depth)/144 as the Label. Generally, I have this with a Transparent Fill but you can use any hatch pattern. The only problem with this is that it has to be a rectangle. OTOH, it does dynamically update as you stretch it.

Very true. To use this reliably you can't have an arrow pointing to a location where there are two or more coincident lines. Sorry about the multi syllables Scott.

Closed Polylines have a Ruby attribute "area" which can be used in a reference macro. You will need to have a Text Box with an arrow pointing to the Polyline.- it's really that simple.

Not bad - not perfect but it works.

Here is another Version of the Symbol. This one auto-magicly creates a pass thru for you - but you might have to adjust the height above the floor. In addition, if it is on the wrong side of the wall, you would need to rotate the symbol about the z axis and adjust the y origin (both of those edits would be in the general tab of the symbol dbx. In the Pass-Thru Window dbx, suppress the Frame. Washing Machine Outlet Box-AutoInsert.calibz

Niches should be fairly simple - CA could use their subroutines for "Wall Material Region" to cut holes in the wall layers as thick as the niche recess. It might require a new Symbol Class or it could just be a flag and y-origin adjustment. IAE, I agree that this feature is long overdue. My back is better - I got a cortisone injection for a pulled muscle. Still some pain but not too bad.

Without the Plan nobody can answer your question.

Hi Cheryl, Sorry I got tied up and forgot about this. Here's a symbol that should work for you. It's set to mount on a wall 42" above the floor but you will need to provide an 8"x 6" pass-thru window at 42" above the floor and move the symbol 3-7/8" into the opening. If the wall is exposed on the opposite side you will need to put a Solid into the Pass-Thru on that side to fill the hole in the wall finish material. Washing Machine Outlet Box.calibz

There are also several on 3D Warehouse but nothing exactly like yoiur pic. The solid door on the left side in your pic seems to be unique.

Try downloading the Jenn-Aire catalog. I think Sears uses the Jenn-Aire range with their own label.

This is what Heather asked for: I used (as Scott properly suggested) 2 cabinets. I Blocked them together and specified in the Block dbx that they should be treated as a single cabinet. If the Cabinet Schedule includes "other" then the cabinet will show in the Schedule. If you want to change the Description in the Cabinet Schedule - just open the Block's Component dbx and edit it there.

You should learn how to make you own symbols within Chief or with Sketchup (I prefer Chief myself - others prefer Sketchup). As an alternative, you can download symbols form other sources including 3DWarehouse. There will always be some symbols that aren't in the Chief Libraries - but you can add as many to the User Library as you want. I currently at least a couple of thousand - which I've organized in sub-folders. That's one of the great things about Chief - you can add and customize to the way you work and what you need.

Or, you could be SMART and use the superb method that Chief has provided.

Lew, Would you prefer that a Script allows you to place that cabinet - then opens the dbx and makes all those same changes - or, requires you to specify what you want? Either way, it's more work than just selecting the desired cabinet pre-configured from the Library and placing it in the Plan.

Lew, I have no idea what you said - and obviously you missed my point. I can take a standard tall cabinet, Insert an Oven, Warming Drawer and a Built-in Microwave - then change the door style, overlay,various dimensions, materials, hardware etc. I can do all of this in the Cabinet's dbx. Then I can add it to the User Library. The next time I need that cabinet I just pick it from the Library and insert it in a Plan. I'm free to further modify it of course but all those steps that I took the first time have been saved - it's really better than a script. Likewise, I can draw a half wall and make it a single layer 5/16" tempered glass and set it to "No Room Def" with a height of 80" and 6" above the floor. When I add that to the Library and name it "Shower Wall" I then have a Wall that I can draw in Plan with all of those steps already done. As I said, this isn't called a "Script" but it in essence does exactly that job.

In thinking about Scripts (macros to perform repetitive tasks) I think there's been a tendency to ignore ways that Chief provides for these things. 1. Templates, Defaults, Layersets & Annosets all provide a level of repeatability of certain tasks that might be provided by scripts in other CAD programs. I recall using Scripts to set up the displayed layers, working layer, etc in other CAD programs - Chief handles that sort of task much easier and faster. 2. Symbols, Wall Types, Material Definitions, etc stored in the Library provide another set of repeatable functionality. 3. Ruby Macros provide for formatted text annotation based on Object Data. There's a lot missing in how much of the Object Data Chief has made available and where it can be used - but there's still a lot of functionality in this Tool. Would a Scripting Tool (recording and playback with spots where the user could enter values) be nice to have? Yes, I think it would. However, I also recognize that a huge amount of that is covered in the Object dbx, Edit Toolbar, Right-Click Menus, Hotkeys, etc. Chief has added some really great tools over the past several releases that many don't even realize or haven't taken full advantage of: Make Current Default - this little wrench on the Edit Toolbar takes the currently selected object and sets its parameters as the Default for both existing and new objects of that type in the Plan Add to Library - Allows the currently selected Door, Window, Cabinet, Fixture (and even a Wall) to be added to the User Library so that it can be reused. Whatever steps were required to set up that object's parameters never need to be repeated again. Drawing Schedule & Revision Schedule - Eliminates a lot of work coordinating sheet names, etc. Perhaps not 100% perfect yet but really a big step forward. Select Same / Make Same - I don't use this as much as I could but it's a very powerful editing tool for those cases where you don't want to change the defaults but you want to make identical changes to a number of objects. Those are just a few examples - there are many, many more. As I have learned (and am still learning) to take advantage of the above - I've acquired a greater appreciation of just how great a program Chief is. It can be made better, but it's already d*****d good!!!! My point is that there's a lot of functionality in Chief that does what a script might do - but it's kind of hidden in how Chief operates. These things are not named "Scripts" but they do the same job.

You need to go into the "Defaults" and set up everything there the way you want it. Save that as your default template and it will be that way for all your new plans. You can also import defaults into existing plans from other existing plans.