Paramount

I been searching around for how to select the sink or dishwasher that appears to be embedded in a cabinet that is all I can select? They both want to snap to the center of cabinet and I would not know how to move them in the cabinet or delete them?

Yes I was venting last night sorry to hi jack your thread. After spending decades in a structured corporate engineering environment now looking at the home building industry it does drive me nuts at times. Thanks for understanding. Good news is there is room for good designers/engineers to make a small fortune I believe. Hey I don't know if this guy has contacted you but he has me and seems like a knowledgeable teacher and driver at a reasonable price. He is a CE. Ysuf333 I may give a try. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/6186-roofs-and-shapes-a-short-video/

Structures analysis and FEA is one part of the equation but not the entire equation. Life cycle analysis, Fatigue(sustainable), physics and mold growth, chem and material science, building microbiology & physics, medically safe and healthy buildings, to mention some others. CAD layering without a clear understanding of these design parameters can lead to a disaster! That is where most CAD software and some that put it together falls through the roof, including America with far too many layers and a clear understanding of the interfaces and reactions. I'd barter with a well versed hygrothermics engineer or microbiologist, building physicist, rather than a structures dime a dozen any day of the week Follow IRC or your jurisdictions code for what it is worth(little) and you do not need a structures PE. 0 Terry Portier

Are you licensed in KS and know heavy timbers if so I got nothing to offer but cash. I know structures in my sleep but do not have a KS license. No luck finding a code path either. IRC Code points to AWC nothing there for traditional joinery. I need a local/regional miller & Timberwright if anyone knows of one, too. Here is a blog of a multi-million(~20) dollar commercial job we did I managed the production on and managed other trades including stick framing, and where I want to go with my home designs: http://paramountbuilds.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to my summary if you do not want to read the entire blog. If anyone cares to challenge what I wrote in the blog I be interested to hear your opinions, please provide data to back your opinions. I am waiting for a quote from a local Timber builder(Clydesdale) that deigned/built this an has their own PE, I am looking to reduce cost and I will not do a SIPs wrap for the reason stated in my blog. I can send you a plan of the bolts I have in mind. My email is Terrylport@gmail.com http://clydesdaleframes.com/ We finished what we were hired to do I need to get there and see the final which is awesome! The timbers anyway. The ref manual is your best friend & these forums, not the vids. CA needs to organize the vids by version so they are clear otherwise they can be a waste of valuable time. $125 hr you got more budget to R&D burn than I do I'll read the ref manual before I pay that I can think of better uses for my $$, outside of CAD software. If CA was integrated with BIMS, HVAC, WUFI, FEM, PHIUS, Electrical load analysis, CAM, etc, perhaps. Doing CAD design means nothing unless the design is robust & integrated you should know that. Edit: Structures analysis and FEA is one part of the equation but not the entire equation. Life cycle analysis, Fatigue(sustainable), physics and mold growth, chem and material science, building microbiology & physics, medically safe and healthy buildings, to mention some others. CAD layering without a clear understanding of these design parameters can lead to a disaster!

Good to know AutoCAD is a rip off and I made the right choice with CA, I was wondering about that. I've used AutoCad for solid works design and it sucks imo so I shyed away. With your background you should be able to pick it up fast with the reference manual and videos. I had zero prior home modeling experience and I am getting there. CA wants $120/hr for training on their schedule which is a rip off imo, others look at that and charge a ridiculous price. Be careful just because someone is a good driver does not mean they are a good teacher or have teaching credentials. Lots of great help out here, without it I would have got a refund by now. I may be modeling heavy timbers bolts soon as I get a quote back, not that I know how the heck to do that yet.

Why in the heck are you wanting a upper chord that thick? I'm fairly new to CA and just did my first trusses along with David's help(thank you). It is my understanding of the software that the program tries to calculate truss designs based on the distance between the ceiling and roof planes, if there is not enough as in too thick of an upper chord it cannot calculated it. In most truss designs it is the lower chord that takes the bulk of the span/live/dead load. Most of your load is going into ceiling/floor joist that will need Engineerng more than the trusses, but the I-Beams should do a great job if you use approved span tables or PE. Plus if I am understanding the model you are wanting CA to put a lwr chord/webing through a knee wall? You may want to clarify if you are trying to clear span that truss or take the lwr chord down to the tji/lvl so the guys can help you more. David is correct the truss designers have FEM (finite element modeling) I have ran before that lets them know the stresses, once it passes FEM the PE stamps. I have been designing and analyzing(PE) structures and mechanical systems for decades in large corporate and now on my homes. In corporate we ALWAYs as Architects/Designers do preliminary structural concepts as a best design practice as you are and submit to other disciplines. I have two mechanical designs since I am in a design seat right now being reviewed by stress, fatigue, analyst along with many others such as manufacturing/builders, chemist, etc..... Alot of DIY homes are out in rural with no codes requiring no PE although it is a good idea to design to such. I've taken the same approach in my building designs. I first visited a truss company to get a prelim idea of sizing and span. They told me my 50' clear span using their jigs would require a piggy back truss meaning more assembly cost for my spec builds (not a one off) or I need an internal wall/footing more cost. Now I have taken my conceptual truss design to 3 truss suppliers to get the span/pitches/sizing I want and reduce cost. I have made my requirements clear, no piggy backs due to tooling constraints, 2x 6 lower chord minimum for insulation, a energy heel, cantilever, soffits, etc....I have also used the conceptual trusses to get bids from framing trades, give me an idea of additional stick framing reflected in my ML that is out for quote. aid in designing my roof/wall insulation, help me visualize any additional installations such as trays, attic storage, aesthetics, and they allowed me to easily communicate with the truss designers since they wanted dimensions anyway, etc......I can also import the trusses to other programs like FEM/WUFI when I get the software. If I had to do these trusses again it be very fast and that will only improve in time. IMO you are on the right tract to create the most robust cost effective well communicated designs by modeling conceptual trusses for approval.

Thanks for the help guy's. My xmas list in on it's way. Can't wait to update my signature with my new pro rig specs and remove the "CA Noob"

My models are @ 0,0. Yesterday I had the back of a dishwasher CA placed/snapped in place in a base cabinet at 0,0 doing it. I think we should be able to model anywhere without it and CA needs to stop the ban-aids and permanently fix this in X8 once and for all. I have run ALOT of 3D software and never seen anything like it. I can see myself displaying CA to large home show groups and them asking what is going on. My answer will be that I sorta regret purchasing CA for this one reason, and there are others. Not going to help my sales nor CA's. If it continuous I cut my losses and go to autocad. Did not mean to turn this into a another z-fighting thread, already plenty of those and tech support did not provide me any good solutions for the ticket I submitted on my soffits, roof, siding, doors, windows, etc.

Cool, thanks I'll check it out.

My budget is what ever it takes to not hold up production that can cost me $$$. I'm not sure what I need so I was hoping with recommendations people can tell me what I can expect to pay. I travel the US often and I can tell you prices vary drastically, especially where I will be buying in KS compared to CA I frequent often, for example. Also we have an IT friend that builds computers for us in volume at a discount. I can see my future, running simulation models like WUFI and NREL SAM, then working CA whilst the simulations are running. Essentially running 2-3 games at a time. This junk labtop I have not runs CA fine so I'm not wanting to spend more than I have to nor do I care about bragging rights A competitive market has brought down the cost of computers and I think we will continue to see more bang for the buck in the future.

As far as I know I been a tad bit more nice than naughty this year and Santa is bringing me a new computer to run CA. We have a guy that has built our business computers but I'm not that knowledgeable with them or CA quite yet so I am reaching out to you all for advice on a pro rig. My eye sight is not the best so I have a 24" monitor I am running off a 15" cheap labtop I can barely read now that only has a VGA in/output. I'm thinking three monitors since eventually I will be running CA along side other software (HVAC, WUFI films, ETC). Not sure what other specs I need? I don't want to spend anymore than I have to. I'm hoping a more powerful card cleans up my z-fighting issues (seems like they exist on every model)....My intel core 3 Toshiba Satellite labtop has done ok, not slow or anything, I'll keep for when I have to go mobile to clients or get a new one. I'm not sure building a desktop or buying a labtop is the best way to go. We have a home shows we do too I need to be mobile for and run to a projector. Tips on how to set up a new rig would help. I'm on W10 right now but am considering going back to 7 which some say is the most stable of them all. Some drivers don't work on 10 it has other issues and I was never that impressed with 8. I don't use alot of the features of 8-10 perhaps that is a mistake. I dunno. I need to get my list in the mail to the north pole asap before Santa runs out so let me know.

Lew, ok, I see where you are coming from. I've been using BIMs in aircraft design at different levels for about 10 years now, it is nothing new as in building design. Just a quick review of goggle searchers I can see the similarities. BIMS we use as a design-build collector if you will where all sorts of design-build data can be collected and monitored over the life cycle of a program or building in this case. Large companies will benefit the most when there are several design types (structures, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc) doing an integration design. We use ENOVIA in aircraft that collects the different design models, the CAD software is CATIA that has the different software licenses one can purchase that is not cheap. Enovia (BIMS) is integrated so that CAD and build planning, schedules, cost, etc, can all sit in one "collector" everyone has access to. There is still alot of verbal communications, meeting's, notes that go into a BIMS "work package" that everyone has access to and can add, sign, modify, per permissions granted. It really helps at holding, tracking, monitoring, empirical data for future designs and builds. From what I read briefly in your links .dwg files and others that CA export have an interface to BIMS. I believe CA does have a BIMS future here. Seems like there are different levels where one can import/export or purchase as many license types as needed and do it in BIMS as a collect. Nothing I can see is stopping CA from developing such an integration now, or CA can interface. I think what are you are saying is CA does not have the quality design licenses to do HVAC, Electrical, plumbing, etc? I don't know I am too new to CA. In any case, I do believe there is BIMS software that all those licenses can be loaded into a collect BIMS software if large companies that have a need and can afford to do so wanted to? For example I can do the CAD design in CA and export a .dwg to BIMS, I can do HVAC in WUFI export to BIMS and use it to enhance my design, same for structures analysis and electrical loads. I'd say for the small home designer it's too much and too expensive since there are not many people handling the design. Not that I have used BIMS in building design-build so not totally sure. Anyone see it differently or have direct experience I'd be interested.

Lew, I guess my experience with BIMS must be different than yours. Can you please explain the interface you are referring or "BIM orientated programs" and why CA needs to interface with BIM to do HVAC load analysis? From the way it looks Rescheck is a steady state (r-value) for the purpose of obtaining code compliance reports that can be very misleading. I'll try and run a model. Any WUFI experience out there or who is there competitor?

What HVAC load software interfaces with CA well that I can use to determine loads based on insulation values. If be nice to hear of some recommendations of people that back checked the software results from a monitored build for accuracy, realizing some of that is dependent on the user. I have an envelope (exterior walls, roof, foundation) I want to see where I am at and whether I need to thicken or re-design (materials interfaces, components) it before finishing the plan. Seems like a good idea to me anyway since I am designing healthy building $ energy efficient in hopes of getting at or near net zero. Having hygrothermal software sounds interesting. I have read of accuracy issues with WUFI and $4500+ is pretty steep for WUFI plus 3.0:https://wufi.de/en/webshop/ https://wufi.de/en/software/wufi-plus/ Are there other dynamic CFDs that compete with WUFI? Anyone used any of these? Tuff call trying to figure where the thermal bridges are, moisture and heat dynamics, comfort, IAQ, etc....I've used some accurate CFD software for plumbing but not whole building's.

Ok thx bud will try.

Here is are some words CA needs a better understanding of "consolidate"!! "Simplify" !!!

Thanks Micheal. My my the simplest things so difficult in CA. I see CA has tried to reinvent the wheel taking standards such as ASME and ANSI Y-14.5 and did it differently than most software and lost sight of what is needed. It is so easy to dimension and text in others but CA needs pages( a book in itself defaults and more and more DBXs) in ref manual to make simple task so difficult and overkill! Been driving me nuts, especially between plan and layout views. I'll add some comments to that thread. I been down this road before is there a way to no-show the value and put text in it's place?

I been searching high and wide. Can someone please tell me how to rotate a dimension label (value only) so they can be read without people I send this to having to rotate the sheet. The handles rotate the entire dimension and the ref manual does not tell me I could find anyhoo. My first truss framing plan. I like CA when it works and I know what I'm doing In the pic below I want the vertical dimension to show horizontal values? Like the horizontal ones.

HI Jonathan, interesting question. The commands in CA are different than solid based CATIA/PRO_E/Solidworks I use mainly which is more product based than object and only found in part in solid functions CA offers. I do not think that is what is taking so long. If anything that experience helps me learn CA faster. My comments above were not meant for me. I figure if I am taking a while since I have a large software background others will struggle even more depending on their background. CAD/CAM programs were just some dream when I went to high school back in the late 70's. Drafting was on the board, ink and mylar. Kids coming into industry these days are better since it is taught in HS levels, nothing but CATIA are fast since that is all they have ever been taught. When it comes to closely related software I think it easier to want to do commands that are closely related and get confused. CA object drag and drop commands would not be an example as compared to subtracting a solid from one another, CA is entirely different so is auto-build than CATIA. In solid modeling software we build in detail what one would drag and drop in CA or auto-build. I just started a new job using V6 CATIA mechanical HVAC design after working building engineering and construction in my own company past year. I and most have little experience with V6 more V5, some have only learned V5 their whole life. I know whats it's like going in with cold feet under pressure. The difference when I am around other users in corporate we walk over to each others terminals and questions get answered in a matter of minutes so the drawing release process proceeds fast. I am expected to have drawing out fast too, or we have in house IT support. The biggest struggle has been pushing CAD data to BIMS and ML's. Time is money whether that is working for someone else or ones own company. When I am using CA I am alone, I do not work in a firm where I can reach out to co-workers or IT. All I have are the videos, ref manual, forums, me, myself, and I. That is a TOTALLY different learning environment than a firm or class room setting. Granted, how effective we learn from others has variables too. Yes we all learn and teach differently and teaching requires credentials especially when high prices are charged. Thanks much I just may take you up on that offer. I just spent the past 6-8 hours doing my first trusses and I had several issues I finally figure out. I had followed the ref and videos but none described the complexity of what CA was auto building around my trusses. When I put a truss at the intersection of the ridge hip intersections CA was twisting one of three ridges at an angle to the ground for whatever reason and muti-copied from that one truss it solved the problem. Prior to that setting a truss one at a time, auto building roof framing to identify what was causing CA to twist that ridge was a very long process. Had I been next to another user with that experience 1 minute fix. Had I found a video with that or it in the ref manual a 5 minute fix. I have some other weird stuff going on I posted on a Framing thread noone answered. I may start another thread if I can't fix one remaining auto-siding issue this morning. I'd appreciate your or anyone's watching and answering my questions. I'm trying to get some spec homes built for my company asap and plan a long relationship with CA. I think it's great CA realizes the learning curve for most is a little steep, markets "massive learning resources" to sell licenses. I still hold that CA should have all it's training videos it puts in that marketing to latest version released. Also, include in that training some of the many identified and resolved issues from these forums. Put the videos in a version folder, it is waste of my time to pull up a V1 video when I have V7. I also hold that the price of private training is way too high and the need for it would be low if the proper up-to-date and comprehensive training were available. That will sell more SSA and licenses.

As a new user I'm struggling to learn the current updates new ones are the last thing on my mind unless they are easier to understand and come with good training I do not have to pay an additional amount for. Not sure how long it's been since seasoned users have been through the training videos but many I have watched are not at the X7 level and for a new person that can't 'read between the lines' it makes it more confusing and frustrating. The Ref manual is next, not easy to follow unless you do as a video and open the ton of screens it references and other parts of the manual. I bought a second monitor just so I can do that, I can see how a third would be needed using it to train. Not easy putting it all together using it alone. Of course the other option is pay CA $120/hr for training if you are available on their time zones and can afford it, not likely. SSA gets me a 10% discount off the ridiculous price of training and add the cost of software and cost of learning curve, SSA, pricey. I started renting vs trial with monthly fees for doing so incase I wanted to cancel and not loose any more money. I would have by now had I not found this forum and a few that answer questions well and take the time. Thanks! Just paid off my account and wondering if that was a mistake since I have limited times since I run solid based software all day for corporate and CA is taking longer to learn than I thought or was lead to believe. I'd suggest if CA is after selling more licenses, which you would think, rather than SSAs catch ALL the training videos up to X7/8 and put more staff out here to answer questions as in every question well. Drop the price and need for training to around $50 hour...for that the instructor should know how to teach as well as run CA which is not always the case. Ironically, others look at the $120 and think they can charge $50-100 and are offering a discount and they are not CA staff or have teaching credentials. Again thanks for all the help on the forums, as soon as get up to speed I'll pay forward. More licenses, more users, more forum, better affordable training, more $ for CA to put out better user friendly software at an affordable price.

I think I may have found my issue for #1 above. I set "lock outside bottom height" to my wall height although it will not let me lock it. When I try and go back in CA keeps "lock inside bottom height". That dropped my lower vaulted ceiling plane base to my top plate ceiling height of 124 1/2 and it seems to be staying locked. Now my walls are not following the height setting I have set of 124 1/2. My ceiling planes are over my walls and I have checked "stop at ceiling above" for platform intersections. I have no idea where the 11' 5" is coming from? S/b 10' 4 1/2" ? When I build roof planes at a raised off plate value of 6 3/4 for a end truss with a reduced gable it builds a proper cantilever. 6 3/4 won't work for the field trusses that need 8 1/2 high roof plans. So what do I do? See pics. #2 above cleaned up when I build the trusses starting at the other and multi-copy toward the hip. ParaFlex_Spec_3.plan

I've had some limited success creating my first roof trusses but have three issues I need some help with. 1. I did as the ref manual said and built the roof planes for the outer upper chord def using "trusses no birdsmouth" and I gave it a raise off plate of 16" shown in the pic below to get an energy heal cantilever truss to work but when I build the wall framing CA is not building the lower chord to sit on my top plates? I created the ceiling planes with a pitch of 4, not sure how to lower the base so it sits on my upper plate? 2. CA let me put a truss at the end of front garage hip but is not using it since there is not enough room between the ceiling and roof plane so I moved the end truss def to the next one rear but it is still not auto building my lookouts and end gables over hangs? 3. The gabled upper roof forward end truss builds a wall but the siding is not auto building? Plan: ParaFlex_Spec_2.plan

New here have not got to CA grouping tools yet but other old software I have run we would "nest" a symbol, block, group etc meaning for example make a symbol out of a symbol or block then try and perform the boolean operations? Boolean operations (union, subtract, etc) are old news now due to limitations and they are time consuming been replaced with constrained planer sketches of CAD lines, etc, that are extruded along a control line, polyline, surface, etc....like CATIA that is not object based but more primitive or poly solid product based.... I could do what the guy in the vid did in one operation, copy and create a instance that creates a linked parent_child relationship. Perhaps the best answer is do the operations outside CA in better 3D solid software and import into a symbol or block.

We have a license to Xactimate. It has a "price list" for the city we live in that updates monthly to include the average cost of area labor and materials. It is fairly accurate, insurance companies use so we know what they are estimating. I do aerial roof take offs without even going on roofs other than to note layers. The rendering and modeling capability is no where close to CA, not even remotely. It cost little over $2K. Seems there are a ton available but not with both the power to estimate and render well. That would probably be $5000+ a license. We are looking for a way to export from CA to a good estimating software too. Last I checked with Xactimate I'd have to import an image, use to it to build the model again in Xactimate. From the price list I can also produce production schedules in a Microsoft Project type format, assign labor resources, set milestones, track schedules, etc. I been looking at the ML lately. I'm new to CA ML but it appears to be accurate withing 1-2%. I'm having to call around get quotes, populated my own excel, add it to CA ML after babysitting the heck out of it from the beginning of the model. And/Or, I can use Xactimate price list and manually feed CA after converting the math. Cumbersome! CA should add plug-ins like at the level of Xactimate, etc, for a price. I'd buy it to save time. It's not easy to putting all that together. In corporate where I work with deep pockets I spent most of last week working out issues when data is pushed from CAD to CAM to BIMS and back. The IT guys once again tried to consolidate but we downstream are feeling the pain as in long leads to get drawings released... we'll the company is really but that's the price for being at the forefront of technology When it does work the ML is very accurate, no brainer, do not even have to think about it or check it.

Yet another Guru on the scene That is the way to go. Thanks Michael. Take a look at the vectors (edge lines) on the blocks, something funky going on. Take note of the block directions at bottom wall compared to side wall, and the long blocks on the side wall that look longer than 36". The bales show up in the ML as needing 118 when I set the wall rough ceiling and floor heights @ 108" (9' wall heights) which allows 6 x 18" tall full course bales stacked and staggered 9'. Doing the math for the 1.33' (16" thk) x ((2)16' & (2)14')) x 9' bale wall CA generates in the plan = 720 ft-3. The bales in the material section of the wall def are 1.33' x 1.5' x 3' (16" x 18" x 36") x 118 = 708 ft-3 That's a difference of around 1.3 % or more precisely 2 bales close enough. I attached my modified plan if case any cares to check my math. ML is in the PB. strawbale wall model(T).plan