para-CAD

Talk to Dan Baumann

Can the area be designed with 3 or 4 attic trusses? See what the truss design guys say. I bet they work with this scenario often in your area.

Use a rectangular polyline then disconnect and delete the 3 unwanted lines. The rectangle always comes in square. Kind of a lame workaround but it works.

Weird The Video won't play for me.

Same experience. Even though it’s 2D, it acts like there is a foreground snap point and a background snap point just a bit off. AutoCAD never does this, and I’m exploring SketchUp pro and it snaps very accurately too. I noticed with CA quite often when I am trying to dimension the run of a jack rafter from outside of framed wall to face of hip or valley. It tries to stop along a centerline of the jack instead of snapping to the long point. If you zoom in to fill the screen with the width of the jack, you can sometimes catch the long point for a point-to-point dimension. Accurate snapping is critical.

Chief’s roof framing is not always as it would actually be done on site. Is such a 3D framing image a requirement for your permit office?

Garages of old have always been cramped. I prefer the deeper garages that fit a full-size truck and then a work bench. Makes for a great place to go to do man-stuff.

I use a wired Cad Mouse from 3d Connexion. It has the ability to customize the cursor speed per application. It’s pretty crazy to go from fast cursor to slower cursor by just navigating from one application to another.

Dimension to the center of all openings in ICF and then, on the job site, follow the vendor’s literature as to how to buck out the opening in the blocks. Logixs has changed their method from pressure treated 2x12s to their own system.

What is your work around? I only ask because if in the future, someone has the same question and this thread comes up in their search, it won’t be much help without you providing a solution to your problem. thanks in advance

If it’s a PDF, can you grab the grip on the side and drag it in the direction of the PDF so that it covers the part you don’t want seen. You know how if you grab the diagonal grip it scales the image or PDF, but if you grab the Edge grips you can actually visually crop, non-destructively.

On a mac, I just right click the schedule and re-number is in the context menu. I’m not in front of a computer so I’m going from memory. Confidence in accuracy is not 100%.

I have three or four builders who I keep their information dragged off the plan to the right in the gray space on page 0. I don’t know if that works for you.

Chief does a good job of irregular pitched roofs if you set the roof pitch in the wall before building. Here's a framing breakdown. Most won't need or care, but if it helps.....that's all that matters

From step to step only ⅛” variation is allowed with a max of ⅜” cumulatively over the entire stairway. I’ve cut stringers at code limits, but I don’t like to be that close. And that is a pretty steep stairway to transit. If you can add a step, passing inspection is much more easy. https://www.dropbox.com/s/k5zawo1rrm2agfx/RISER MATRIX.pdf?dl=0

Robert, Can you update your video link? It goes here in error (see attached) I'll start videoing as I draw and catch when this happens to me.

I built this when I was still doing Army contracting and home design

Yes. I use point-to-point move a lot and at least half the time, when I grab an object at an end or corner, once I start moving the object, I notice that the cursor and snap point are not located the same. My cursor will be a slight distance away from my chosen snap point. This results in having to place the object somewhere and retry the P2P move. Also, 3D solids have multiple snap points on a corner, when viewed in 2D. The snap symbol (circle in square), will jump around when the cursor is hovered over the corner. Feels loosely gooses at times.

Alaskan Son built me this for a very inexpensive price. I added hinge side

I saw a great video by Eric/Solver where he wrote a macro to change inch output to Feet & Inches. Is there a way to universally change ALL system dimensions (or even selected dimensions I suppose) to be Feet - Inch - Sixteenths (FIS), like the truss companies use? I would like to dimension my plans using FIS. The format would look like 10-1-12 for 10'-1 ¾" Maybe Eric or the macro man from Alaska can figure this out. Thanks for any input.

Hotkeys are great. Stream Deck makes them even better. Dark mode icons here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hpsir2s1we9iryy/AAC64FOVqGFHY72VK4MQXpPUa?dl=0

I only draw for permit plans. No 3D needed. Not selling the job....job is to get the permit. Loaded M1Max MBP works great. I run clamshell to 2 monitors, an ultra wide and a 43" beast. ARCH D almost fits at 100% on the big screen.

Rene. I honestly have not integrated your template to its full potential yet. That's on me. (I think I suffer from over layering syndrome - lingering AutoCAD). I create saved page views for all kinds of things, then I have to create different layer sets or I run into wrong text appearing on wrong sheets. It's crazy. I don't mind spending the $$$ to support your work....and yes I will keep trying to learn your method(s). I will watch your video and see what I can absorb. I still use AutoCAD for detailed production drawings where I have to dimension each piece for cutting and assembly. Somethings in 2D are way more efficient in AC. To a select few builder/framers, I provide sheets for rake walls and hand cut roofs that have each component dimensioned and laid out. AC works in much less time than CA. Alaskan son did a great job for me recently and I highly recommend his one-on-one approach. I bought an area tool from Joe, way long ago, and I couldn't get it to work. Support was absent so that is not a route I will try again. Just my 2 cents

Having that process automated would be very cool. I currently dimension to ROs and place the dimensions in a spreadsheet to do the math. Lot's of extra work. I hope an automation solution is available.

Second file: Imported on a MBP M1 Max