TheKitchenAbode

Although I prefer not to have recessed kicks on cabinet ends you can achieve your look by creating and placing a separate block on the floor the size and height of your desired kick. Take your base cabinet, remove the kick, adjust height accordingly and place on top. This process replicates the technique of building a separate kick platform first and then placing your cabinets on this platform. It's a bit of an old school technique, some installers liked this as they could level the kick platform in advance of cabinet placement. You can create you platform by using a simple shelf. Graham

Mike, maybe Chief should set-up some type of motivational reward program based upon the "Vote this post up". Could have a weekly, monthly & contributor of the year recognition reward. That would really kick the forum up a notch or two. Yearly winner could get their SSA free for the next year. Graham

Thanks Alan. Chief is a very comphensive piece of software and it can take a bit of time to get ones head wrapped around it's features and structure. I believe you have considerable experience using another similar competitor program which can often make it a tougher transition. Keep at it and keep posting, everyone benefits from this, even the most exprienced user often discovers something new as they explore a solution to your issue. It's just difficult for some to admit it !!! Graham

Believe I just had a Déjà vu experience. Was this not covered in thread #11 ??? Graham

Although I have a few gripes I'm 200% for Windows. With 8.1, OneDrive and 365 Office subscription all of my devices (desktop, laptop, tablet & phone) are always in sync and provide a consistent UI across each. When Windows 10 is publicly released I will upgrading that day. I think Microsoft sees the future here. Just hope they can pull it off. Graham

Yep !!! It was only after I pressed Post that I noticed the vector & standard view reference in your post. Sent a retraction right away but the original is still out there for all to see.

My mistake, yes you are correct. The elevation camera was set to standard view. Graham

Here it is with shadows, interior, no window, just used the sun. Graham

I have played with every setting I can find for lights and placed different types and # of units. Only the Sun settings and Daytime Ambient effect my scene brightness in elevation views. When investigating these things I just draw a new basic room to keep it as simple as possible. Even if the room had no windows the Sun still changed the brightness. Graham

This was an interior view/elevation in a kitchen. I still needed to use the sun. Without it I could not adjust the overall brightness no matter what I tried. X7 Graham

Ok I've played with this far too long, but here's what I have found/discovered. Too increase the scene lighting in an elevation I had to have the "Sun" turned on in the "Adjust Lights Dialog". Then you can increase the intensity in "3D", "3D View Default", "Daytime Ambient". No other lighting options had any effect. If you want the Shadows too show (Final With Shadows) you may need to adjust the "Sun Angle" in the "Adjust Lights Dialog". Using the quick "Toggle Sunlight" had no effect only settings done through the "Adjust Lights Dialog". For me turning lights on or off had no impact on the scenes brightness other than the shadow cast. See if this helps, Graham

Excellent Advice Perry. Microsoft has not had a very good track record starting with Vista. It can definitely take a while, they are still fixing Windows 8 and that was launched 2 years ago. Now they are trying to fix it with Windows 10, Bye Bye Windows 8. Love windows but the bugs and constant changing starts to wear one down. Almost every time I boot my system there is a new update to install. Graham

Very Interesting, did a quick read. Looks like there are a significant number of limitations. Basic wood frame construction using only well established construction methods & materials. Nothing deemed commercial work except maybe in an agricultural situation. Requires you to "sign" everything and there is a duty of care clause "Responsible Control" which appears to require you to perform your duties in the same manner and care as that to which an Architect is required. Appears that a County or Jurisdiction in which a permit is to be issued could require something more stringent than the State. It really appears that it is primarily intended to cover renovation & repair work with some options for a homeowner who desires to build the own home. Thanks for Sharing, Graham

Unfortunately I don't see any available lighting or ambient light options for elevations. You could boost the % Emissive of the materials in the Material Definition Properties, this is reflected in elevation views. Maybe another poster has a trick. Graham

I was hesitant to suggest this as there are going to be a lot of changes in the Start Screen/Menu and this is were most users are having difficulty adapting from previous versions of Windows, especially on non-touch based systems. Of course one could always set it to boot to the desktop and configure it to avoid the Metro based start screen as much as possible, things would then be pretty close to Windows 7. Graham

You could load it into a photo editor like PhotoScape (freeware), it's quite a good program for doing quick adjustments. Graham

Suggest waiting for Windows 10. The launch is expected around July month end. There are a lot of changes in this compared to Windows 8.1, would save the frustration of learning one only to do it all over again in a few more months. I use and really like Windows 8.1 but there are a few quirky bits that are not very intuitive, Windows 10 will hopefully resolve this. Also, Microsoft will likely be very aggressive to get this out there, even if your current windows version does not qualify as a free upgrade I'm certain the cost if any will be very attractive. Graham

What you are expressing in this post appears to be different than your original post. Your first post indicates an interest in the build aspect while this post indicates that your skills/pride are in design. These are two distinctly different endeavors requiring equally important but different skill sets. Design is a creative process, it focuses primarily on form & function, proportions, balance, surfaces, color and the likes to impart, express or encapsulate something within the structure or space that acts as a connection between it's human occupants and the inanimate materials around them. Every structure or space needs a soul, personality and individuality. This is the objective in designing. The build aspect is the physical/mechanical process of assembling these inanimate materials in the order needed to permit the structures personality to emerge/come to life and to be sustainable throughout it's intended life (the structural part). This requires skill & expertise in material properties, assembly techniques/methods/order, site & trade management, time/scheduling management and cost & budget control. The question to ask yourself is, within these two, where do your true skills and passion lie. Is it Design or Build? Successful people and business understand this and focus on what they do best. Graham

Great Advice - One person can't wear every hat in their business. Focus your skills were they are best suited and work with others to fill in the gaps. Even large engineering firms sub-out significant portions of their projects to others. Building a team of skilled resources is the best way to service your clients. Graham

Agree Joe. I guess they are hoping it will stretch things out long enough so they can catch a flight to the Cayman Islands. Likely that's where the holding companies mail box is. Graham

I did hear that some custom home design/build firms set up a separate corporation for each project. The primary firm is just a holding company. Once the project is finished they shut it down to protect themselves against future claims. May not pass the ethical litmus test but it is legal. Graham

We ourselves do not take on this type of construction work as our focus is on residential cabinetry design/installation so I am not sure of the minimums a GC would require. However, just for this we need at least $1 million in liability for single residential occupancy work and $2 million liability for multi-occupancy or commercial. This also applies to all trades. It would not surprise me if this will be increased shortly as a tar paper bulldozer shack in Toronto is going for almost a million $ now. If we have a kitchen to do in a Condo tower we must submit proof of insurance & workman compensation to the board before they will even open the door. I think the main issue for designers is that it does not have the same association power that the Architect and Engineering community has. Suspect there is might be some job protection going on there. Graham

Larry - It also surprises me. The state of California & New York (especially the city) are typically the most stringent and usually lead the rest including us here in Canada. At a time way back when I was involved in Code & Standards writing committees it was always these two States that were of greatest concern. The codes and standards here are highly influenced by these, we just had to creatively plagiarize things a bit to reinforce our independence. Graham

Robert - What mainly drove all of these mandatory designation requirements related to the City washing it's hands from any liability what-so-ever, it all falls onto the submitter. It was also a way to cut costs, the building department was spending way too much time providing advice & guidance to every renovator trying to get a permit with a chicken scratch of a drawing. Now as you said so politely they can focus all of their "expertise" on the professionals. Graham

Robert - It's more stringent here, the city will not even look at a plan unless it has been stamped by an Architect, PEng or Certified Designer. The only exception is for the residential homeowner who can prepare and submit drawings directly. If they think the homeowner is just acting as a go around for a behind the scene non-professional they will even refuse these. Best not to make the drawings look to good if this is what you are doing. Graham