para-CAD

Lot's of big homes in the south have 10' first floor, 9' second.  Furr downs are used quite often to make custom ceilings.

Cheaper to set the regular floor truss high and furr down around the outside to create the boxed effect.

Amazing work, Steve.  Thanks for all the work you have into this and for sharing!

In all my time framing, we made the rough opening the called size plus whatever vertical trim was being used to trim out the door so that the final finished rough opening was the actual door size.
 

For example and 8–0 door was actually 8’-3” RO because we used a 2 x 8 to wrap the doors, thus making the final rough opening from finished surface, 8’-0”

I’ve never made the framed rough opening the exact door size because then trimming out that opening would be wrong when looking at the garage door. 
 

is this how garage doors are framed in your region?  It seems I learn something new every day. 

Terrain video today

can you open object on the wall you want to change and manually enter the angle you want?

His screenshot is from a mac.  

No PBR (No Soup for you) yet for apple computers......c'mon Tim Cook

Is 1970 angled cedar siding making a comeback?

Chief has very helpful tech-support people who might be able to walk you through solving this problem for you. 

6 hours ago, Northriver said:

I use Chief Architect to produce floor plans and construction documents. I use Sketchup with Medeeks wall, truss, foundation, and electrical plugins to produce details. Most of my details are in 3d, I have copied the details workflow from architect Nick Sonders from Truckee, CA. who uses Sketchup in its native form to produce some spectacular mountain vacation homes in Truckee, CA. His work is nothing short of amazing.

YESSS!  You are using the same work flow as I am.  Plan views and layout in Chief.  Extremely complex and accurate details in Sketchup Pro with Medeek BIM or sometimes no extensions at all.

Larry Belk pointed me in the direction of Nathaniel Wilkerson and Nick Sonders.

Hey Cadwork22

I was in Pinedale last summer framing at 7300' elevation.  That was fun 

So the way you want to build that winder will cause people to miss a step or 2 going down the stairs close to the turn side.

I know much of WY doesn't require permits or code compliance, but stairs can make or break a house. 

When you create such a busy winder, it looks like stairs were an afterthought in the design.

I hope you can rework your stairs into a single landing or maybe a split landing.

Winders should go the way of the dinosaurs.

Layout (.layout file) is like advanced Paper space in AutoCAD.  

Maybe more like a print / PDF sort and compile tool.

Title blocks and standard text goes there.

Model space (.plan file) is everything being drawn at 1:1 real-world size.

For example, when you send a plan view to a layout sheet at ¼" per foot scale, 6" tall text in plan view becomes ⅛" tall text on the layout sheet.   We use 4 ½" tall text most often for 3/32" tall text on the PDFs submitted for permit.

Layout is pretty amazing to quickly configure your plan.

Strange.

If a disclaimer was initially warranted, it was to focus liability correctly.

Yours is the first time I've heard of that.

I guess you could consolidate all your disclaimers onto a general notes sheet (that no one will actually read)

Shift+enter on a mac as well

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP854?viewlocale=en_SA&locale=en_SA

I have a 16" M1 Max running a Dell 43" 4k and a Dell 34" Ultrawide through the CalDigit TS4.  I also connect many external USB drivess and GB ethernet in.

The 43" is new enough to run on USB-C from the TS4.  The ultra wide is Display port (also found in the TS4)

No issues.

https://a.co/d/3D5xjGC

Have your students work one summer as framers (framing carpenters).  

Their ability to understand what they are designing will be greatly increased.  

I'll take the survey now. 

That sure is a pain for your work.  

For people without photoshop, here's a PNG

Critical error writing to the Chief Online Authorization Preference.ini file

I wouldn't reset the computer as much as maybe log out and log in to your authorized copy of chief, or reinstall Chief first.

Very smart folks will be along soon to help you get a resolution.

Good luck.

Are you looking for FREE or PAID?

I have used different paid options, all are pretty good.

Right now I switched from Join.me to paid zoom.  Zoom is pretty sweet.  AI does a transcript by name (like a script) and the time is unrestricted.

I tried Google Meet a few times.  It seems a bit clunky.

8 hours ago, 5Design said:

Thanks.  I'm sure there is some obscure, irrelevant setting that's causing it to tilt.  I've done hundreds of plans in Chief and it's always something.  My overall point in the post is that it shouldn't be the case, certainly not on such a basic structure and maybe someone at Chief will start to look at some of these things.  Point in fact, I didn't change any of the other settings, just went in and changed the materials (which I did to begin with) and left it at that.  But after all the responses here, just to prove a point, I went back, without changing anything, and added doors and windows to the other walls and guess what happened?  Nothing.  It just added the doors and windows.  It's a glitch, period.

 

In response to your questions, yes, I use the same template for each plan, which I am always trying to update and improve.  Happy to send it over for your input.

 

Thanks,

I love when I use chief for typical/standard home designs.  Super fast and accurate.  But when I am working on some really complex projects, I quickly see the limits of what chief can actually do.......and out come the work arounds.  

I approach design as a former framing contractor and when someone says to create a second floor that is 1/16" tall to achieve some desired result, that kind of thinking is completely foreign to me.  If I could wish for one thing for chief it would be to draw in the way the structure is actually framed.

I make no $$$ providing 3D renders, since people come to me for plans for permit that work.

I NEVER say...."the framers will figure it out on site."  That's just lazy or incompetent designer talk.

I feel your pain, like just the other day, I spent 2 ½ unbillable hours trying to get the model to reflect reality, but it just wouldn't.  I then revert to straight 2D for those issues since the permit office only wants dimensioned 2D plan sets.

Always I wish y'all the best in your design adventures.  Even the petty down voters. 

For people who want minimal step, drop the floor system inside the foundation (crawlspace or basement).

Some designers have zero elevation change for people with mobility issues.

I would have NEVER for the life of me come up with the idea to make a micro ridge.  Wow.  You are probably good at complex puzzles.  That is a helluva work around suggestion.

When I get stuck like this, my default is 3D polyline solid...I know, the cheater way.

Lately I've been creating accurate 3D framing drawings with sketchup.  But then I am importing a .jpg, .png, or .pdf so that's a pain when something gets changed.

Wow.  That is so weird.

Is it always on the same template (like hidden geometry)?

Can you start a fresh plan, from a different plan template?

If you PM me the size and location of items (screen shot of your plan) I'll create it in my template and send it back to you.  

Then we can troubleshoot this together (NO CHARGE FOR FREE)

Also, someone thinks your frustration is worth a down vote.  That's lame.

Yes there are koolaid drinkers out there.

I don't think there is a drop structural ridge for auto framing.  

I've always done complex CAD framing mostly manually.

This is a Lindal Cedar home I once framed a while ago.

Auto Dropped Ridge would be handy when drawing this.