kMoquin

Here's my CAD resume (in the order I used them):

1991

AutoCAD (V3? in college)

Arris

Architrion

1996

Mini-CAD

Form-Z

1997 (first job)

PowerCAD

AutoCAD

1999

DataCAD

2003

Vectorworks (Vexerwerks)

2004

Archicad

Sketchup

2007

Chief Architect

still use sketchup to make objects for Chief and make quick design studies

I feel like I use/understand a majority of  Chief

That's just it, I find it hampering to my creativity that I have to create a carefully measured and detailed as-built before I can start with my ideas. My process is iterative, I want to add more and more detail as the project is refined. The architects I know hate this part and typically outsource the as-built to the intern.

Funny, I find creating a carefully measured as-build essential to starting the design process.

Abandon what you know about other cad applications and embark on chief tutorials using the methods presented. Meaning try to learn the software in it's native language. Don't try to force something to operate the way it did in your old software. Use it at first with all the out of the box settings and understand how things work before you customize things.

really enjoying 10 as well

pretty painless upgrade

Chief is a parametric software for residential design and documentation.

Sketchup is a 3D modeler that can be coerced to produce documents.

Hire an architect?

Go to IKEA?

It's not clear what you are asking.

I realized that the window and door details are individual cut sections- no big deal there- just a waste of time IMO.

The foundation, rake and eave details seem ridiculous.

At 1/2" scale my standard fdn wall detail with callout and notes is about 6" square- and they want 1-1/2" scale.

18"x18"- really?

I mean I would only get 6 details on 1 page of ARCH E

Not sure what you're missing, but 1 1/2 is a common scale for these details. (3 is not uncommon for intricate trim details) Especially for high end projects. Heck, I've eve done full scale trim details in the past.

I easily get 10+ details at 1 1/2 to fit on a sheet. 

I use CAD for details only and the occasional line in plan or section if it is truly easier to white out and draw over instead of modelling correctly.

The design process is back and forth from trace to Chief and back again.

as long as they serve burgers

Yes, you can draw just about anything with Chief.

You may need to insert the picture as an "Image" object. (Build > Image) This will allow you to scale and position it more accurately.

That is how I created the streetscape in the attached.

I get that warning pretty regularly. (Ie - a few times a day) I work from a Dropbox folder. I assume it's a syncing issue.

DSH - Would love to meet up with you when you are in Maine. I'll buy you a Lobster Roll (Image from today's paper - that is not me)

Check out Portland, they have a great GIS system:

http://click.portlandmaine.gov/gisportal/

Free. One resource I use is Vision, but it will be of little use to you on the west coast. Many cities and towns here have their own GIS systems accessible via the city/town website.

In plan you can drag your elevation camera in to the plan so it cuts a section, go to the view to snap your lines to the correct spots, then drag the camera back out to produce the elevation.

One trick I learned to make exterior fly-around's less jerky is to make the camera path a true circle or a single arc.

Here's one with no production outside of Chief. (I probably should add music in YouTube.) I usually send these to help clinets get a handle on the forms of the design. I usually do it without a lot of embellishment to the model beyond what I'm building for the elevations, etc...)

https://youtu.be/YavrACnWgkY

Here's one I use:

Stone Patio.calibz

Here's a ChiefTutor video that explains thsi well:

http://www.chieftutor.com/roof/eyebrow.html

If you are on another machine the path to the PDF is likely different. You need to reestablist the path in Chief through the pdf's dialog box.

field of view does not change the perspective. Station point and vanishing point all remain the same. field of view setting only manipulates the cutoff point at the edges.

I'd much rather hear "Hey I don't think this is right" than "I knew it was wrong all along and didn't say anything." at least beforehand everyone has a chance to fix a mistake before it gets too expensive.

In the northeast we frame the corner the same way as Chief so we can get some insulation in there. there's a big thermal bridge at the fully blocked corner.

X7 is brutally slow for me when opening the print dialog box.

Though I would not consider dropping back to X6.

I like to use invisible walls on the second floor to accomplish this.

You'll need to delete the baseboard from he room created by your invisible walls if that is how you plan to detail the finishes.

It is the operator of the software, not the software, that creates drawings that will work for your city or town.