para-CAD

abbreviations.layout I just did this with 2 rich text boxes. I have an ever growing list and funny thing is I maybe use 15% of the words.

I paid Dan Baumann for his template........If I could strip out all his configs I would post it. I'm not about to steal from Dan by posting his template work here free.

I will check that out. Odd that it started out of the blue. I haven’t been in preference for quite a while. Thank you. And they are totally randomly located. Some even off the model out in white space.

23 mins. I was using the file drop down menu to see what framing options are located and where.......SEH CRASH. No 3D open at all. Just a plan file. I am streaming Spotify. Who knows. I have my mac connected to an ultra wide single monitor. I just started using the Caldigits TS4 dock and hub. Crashes started before that. Now I have to turn 90 degrees to my other desk and try to work on my windows machine. Oh.....and random "x" temporary marks have populated in various locations on the plan.......1 every few minutes.......I'm not intentionally doing that.

I spent WAY too much money last year to get a 3080 Ti from Micro Center just to try it out. It's not something that benefits my plans-for-permit business. I'm sure its great for sales people, but my clients are mostly builders looking for plans that work and get through the permit office as prescriptive as possible. I just want a stable app that doesn't crash at random times.

Thanks Steve. And may I say, you have a great, calm, on-topic way of creating helpful videos. I've learned a couple of things from watching your work and you make it easy...thank you!

I have the latest M1 MAX fully spec'd laptop. Chief Architect randomly crashes. Everything else works as expected. The Studio should be pretty amazing for anything you might want to do, especially if you get the M1 ultra. I can't say I've noticed any performance increase with CA, however. The daily intermittent crashes have me looking at other design suites.

it's also a macOS problem.....CA software is having performance issues on two different OS platforms....that's a CA problem

https://bitly.com

On my mac, depressing the scroll wheel to pan when in 3D will cause an SEH crash

I bet David Michael has something nice.

well.........now I'm starting to have Chief Architect crashes on my win 11 machine, RTX 3080 It has happened twice when I was in a 3D camera looking at a wall of cabinets and I wanted to raise the camera up so I pressed the middle mouse scroll wheel to be able to drag the model "down". BOOM. Crash. Work lost. Now these things are affecting my business. I have a new mac and an aging PC and neither are having success with chief architect.

I'm lucky to be fully updated WIN 11, RTX3080 and way too much memory with zero issues. I wish I could ID what is the reason it's working so I could share. My new MBP (apple) is crashing with chief every day....almost every couple of hours, but the WIN 11 machine is working with NO ISSUES for 10 - 12 hours straight. - older CPU (see sig block) - its a Puget Systems custom build - it came with a 1080 Ti originally - last year I was in DC and was able to get a 3080 card for crazy $$$, so I could try the real-time ray trace. - picked up 128GB of memory to fill the 8 slots - no other changes I work out of Dropbox. For details I use a single plan file with all my details set in a grid layout and reference those for details in layout. I also create cad details from that master to each specific project as a back up And I then also have each detail saved in the user library as a back up to that back up. I'm using Dan Baumann's template (modified) with zero issues except for FONTs....I would love a permanent global font solution.............Arial or some thin, clean, EASY TO READ WHEN ON WET AND CRUMPLED PLANS like Apple SF Pro Text. Hopping between macOS and WIN 11 has been a struggle sometimes. If I can share anything regarding my WIN 11 machine hw/sw config, just ask......I will help in any way to get past this hurdle. We should be focused on our designs and clients..........and less on the tool's hiccups we're dealing with....

I have zero issues with the windows machine in my signature block. No lags. No odd behavior. No crashes. Runs like a champ. Apple silicon. Not so much.

Well now the link is accepted...............SMH

So I am able to replicate the black screen. Then, about 5 minutes later....like clockwork, the Chief app dies and pops up an SEH error. I'm looking into the M1 GPU architecture......I don't recall it being 2 separate types since its fully integrated as in System on a chip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_M1

I just recorded the whole thing and uploaded it to YouTube, but when I paste the link here on this site, I get a forbidden error message. So I took a screen shot of the error message and that also is forbidden from uploading.................very weird.

I’m having regular but random crashes (SEH) on my 2022 M1 MAX. It’s brand new and is awesome with every app I run on it but I have issues with Chief, X13, so much so that I have reverted to using Chief on my WIN 11 PC. Not happy that I purposefully chose a fully spec’d mac, $$$, only to return to my 2016 windows desktop. I haven’t had the black background lock up…but I have had the following: - when sending anything to layout, there is a lag, the display goes mostly black and in about 5 seconds, the plan or whatever, is present on layout. I’m seeing this as a Chief problem. I can only imagine the difficulties in coding for Apple when they totally changed their hardware. I’d love to stay on the mac, but I’m glad I upgraded my windows machine when I did. most expensive laptop I ever bought…….to browse the internet…..really fast….

Can a custom modified wall or roof be "locked" so that building new doesn't delete the pre-existing? I have that happen with decks a lot. My current work flow, is to get close to done, then manually tweak the things that I want custom - then print and hope for NO CHANGES

So I add that as a detail first, then I have to manually drag a sized beam from wall corner to corner. Since I haven't fully mastered the material list, I will annotate the size to order. I don't find value in trying to get chief to do things 100% exactly like I would frame.......it can do it.....but I haven't found it intuitive like that.

Wouldn't that be typical Murphy. Use a great template from a previous version and it starts causing problems when it's updated to the next version. That condition is just as valid as any one else. The crashes are so random that I have yet to see a pattern. I guess I could start with a blank generic X 13 residential plan file and layout and construct custom ones myself. That might take a while. When things slow down, I might just experiment a bit. I'm sitting next to my win 11 desktop which I can't remember crashing chief on......so if it gets bad enough I will put macOS chief on hold.

I have been having this issue for a few weeks. It's totally random so tech support was not able to solve the problem. It has happened 4 times tonight. Conditions: - file is NOT in dropbox (maybe a sync conflict). - not doing any 3D camera work. - super simple design of a 6 post carport attached to a garage. (not posting the plan. Bought it from Dan Baumann and it would like stealing to share it) - one time I clicked Make CAD detail - - BOOM. SEH pop up window - one time in elevation, turned off shadows - - BOOM. SEH pop up. - I'm using the keyboard short cut to save like I have a nervous tick. If I ever figure this out I will update. Other than Chief Architects random fails, the new machine is rock solid.....and w-a-y faster than previous year models. -- Mike

I bought Dan Baumann's CA templates. I will never share them with anyone, because then they would have his template for free and that would be stealing. Just like many of you have custom tweaked your plan files....never for sale or shared. You could export to DWG (chief does a somewhat messy job of that) if you felt compelled to give. Otherwise, they are acting like your work product belongs to them. It does not. My clients get a single project PDF in either ARCH D, ANSI D, ARCH C, or ANSI B. Sometimes I send the same plan in different size formats just to give them options. "This too shall pass..."

Building stairs using cabinets. Wow. I would have never guessed that was a thing.....ever.....without the input from those experienced on this site. Thanks!

Is Twinmotion worth the $499 price? I'm going to try the free option to see what I can do. I focus on plans for permit. 3D is not something people are asking for when wanting to get a project through the permit office. If I was a builder, then maybe more marketing....3D would be sweet. I'll noob my way through the free version over the next few days.