Joe_Carrick

I just got a new laptop and after installing Chief I synced my other computers. Unfortunately, the new laptop user library had a later date than the one on the other computers. So now my user library is empty. I don't have a backup that I can find. Does anyone have any idea how to recover this?

I avoid editing in Layout as much as possible. Positioning and cropping & maybe a small amout of masking out unwanted items that get thru. But ingeneral, I do everything in the Plan - notes, reference callouts, etc. mostly in the Camera Views.

That window in the OPs original post is an Andersen Unit Bay Window. It's a pre-manufactured unit. I have developed Symbols for these and they should be able to be used in Chief as "Projection Windows". Unfortunately, X6 didn't quite get it right and there are problems with the opening being properly sized and finished. Currently the method that works best is to apply one of the Symbols as an exterior furniture or fixture item and create the opening behind it using a "Pass Thru Window". -Joe

I found that by converting a straight section to curved - I can then snap additional straight sections and they snap together. Interestingly, creating a "Clck Curved Stair" - I can't get it to join to a straight stair section. IAE, I have a solution.

What's the trick to get a curved stair section to connect to a straight section? I know that with landings we need to build the landing attached to a stair section - but I can't figure out how to force the curved section to link.

I don't know if it would work, but you could try making the center cabinet counter top 1/6" thicker.

1. Place the Symbol in a blank plan. 2. Dispaly it in 3D and use Transform Replicate to resize it. 3. Convert it to a new Symbol (Electrical, Ligtht, Hangs on Wall, Set height from Floor) That should handle everything. As mick said, it was probably a scale problem with the original symbol. If the above doesn't take care of the 2D Block then you can resize that as Perry indicated.

Nana will object......

Sorry, you can't delete them once they are in the plan. Chief comes with certain line types that are in all plans. If you just want to have the most common that you use: 1. Create your own and place a "_" at the beginning of the name. Those should all show up at the top of the list.

Lew, As long as the drive me home after drinking - it's OK!

I think you can solve that by using a different Wall Type for the railing (a different wall thickness should do it). Another possibility would be a different height wall (shorter) on the left - run it to "C" from the left - then run the wall on the right up to the one on the left..

Larry, Copy/Paste to a new thread in the correct forum and delete this thread. I would do like Alan suggested - you can make some walls railing walls and other walls half walls and other walls regular.

Glenn, There are some problems when importing 3DS Cabinets. The way the import works is that it analyzes different material objects and allows you to assign them as: Cabinet Box Door Drawer Toe Kick I've yet to figure out exactly how to define the Toe Kick so that it works. Additionally, if you simply use an Exported Cabinet to import the Doors and Drawers wind up being perpendicular to the face of the cabinet. The Doors and Drawers need to be 3D Faces in order to be properly shown as Doors or Drawers in the imported Cabinet - and you better have those Faces oriented in the proper direction or the cabinet hardware will be inside the cabinet instead of outside. In short, creating Cabinet Symbols in Chief is extremely difficult to get right.

Gerry, I assume that you just found out that an Architectural Block doesn't show up in the Schedule as a single Cabinet. I'm actually surprised that you didn't know that - it's always been that way. Here's an example of a Front Frame that I can order from my supplier (custom) but only slightly more than a stock cabinet of the same size. If the Cabinet Companies can make it - Chief should be able to draw it.

Yep! Most Cabinet Mfr provide such cabinets as single units. Even vanity units purchased at the big box stores can have such unique configurations - and more. Chief allows us to do 1,2 & 3 column faces but doesn't allow different things within those columns - nor does it allow the columns to be different widths - all of which is available from the Cabinet Mfrs. I can order from my supplier virtually any combination of doors, drawers and openings - but Chief can't match what I can order.

I started with 3 cabinets The number of drawers are fixed. There are 3 ways to accomplish this: 1. Configure it from 3 Cabinets (actually, 2,3,4,..... will work) and then Convert it to a Furniture Symbol. That will show up in the Furniture Schedule. 2. Same as above but suppress the Countertop - export to 3Ds - Import as a Cabinet Symbol 3. Create the Geometry (3D Planes) for all the Cabinet Elements (Cab Box, Doors, Drawers, Toe Kick) - export to 3Ds - Import as Cabinet Symbol. The last is the most comprehensive but also the most difficult to achieve.

Yes, it's a symbol, but how was it created as a Cabinet? It can be stretched, without affecting the hardware. It can have a Sink placed in it. The Counter Top can be changed (edge moldings, material, etc) The Cabinet Materials (Cabinet, Doors, Drawers, Hardware can all be edited in the dbx) In short, it's a Cabinet.- how did I create as a single unit?

Take a look at the pic. This shows in a Schedule as a Single Unit. In Plan it has a Single Label. It's not an Architectural Block. How did I accomplish this? I'm off to bed for the night - I'll be back in the morning to see if anyone has the right answer.

PLEASE FIX THIS ASAP When a 3D Symbol's origin is offset from [0,0,0] the 2D Block should (but doesn't) be positioned to match the x & y offsets. This results in incorrect placement of the 2D Block - errrors in CDs - that should never happen. Chief is a 3D modeling program and for the CDs to be inconsistent and inaccurate relative to the 3D model is not acceptable. It's time for a bug fix version of X6 - there are enough known bugs that I'm sure CA's been working on that we deserve an update!!!!!

In general, Chief cuts thru all Windows on a Floor. This is a case wher if you want something to fill in the hole that Chief cuts in the wall (Plan View) then it's CAD to touch it up.

I did a little experimenting with Scott's idea. ie: using a Standard Fixed Window To make it work, you make the Sash as small as possible and recess it up to the full wall thickness. Then you set the Sash and Glass to the same Material. You can use an Arch if you want and suppress (or not) the Frame and Casing. One of the biggest problems that I've found however is that Chief doesn't allow us to reverse the inside/ouside of a window as *** does with doors. So maybe using a door is a better solution to the simple alcove type of recess - but you can't use custom symbols and you can't control the depth of the recess. Seems there's more than one way to skin this cat - but each has it's advantages and disadvantages.

That should work, but it's not the same as recessed bookcases, toilet paper dispensers, medicine cabinets, ironing boards or niches with arched tops. With my method virtually any 3D configuration can be recessed into a wall. The actual wall cutout can be sized smaller than the symbol itself, so if there's a part of the object that isn't recessed (frame or flange) you still get the correct opening size.

It can be done as a part of the Symbol in the Library. Once done there's no further problem as the new CAD Block will travel with the Symbol.

The problem is that when CA set up the Symbols they provided the 3D offsets in x, y, & z - but there's no corresponding offset for the 2D CAD Blocks in the x & y directions. I've asked CA for this to be automatically adjusted (2D Block should match the 3D) but so far, no one at CA has indicated that they'll do anything about it. It shouldn't be that difficult to program (2D is always easier than 3D) but ?????

To make it look right in PlanView you have to create a 2D CAD Block with just the part that projects from the wall.