tommy1

It sounds like you are changing views with either the layer set or anno set and it sounds like the layer sets are not linked to anno sets.

Dennis, email me (email below) if you like. We could set up an online meeting for me to show you some things you need to know to get started. I'll give you the first hour free and a minimum fee for longer. I don't recommend much over 3 hrs. for any session because your mind can only absorb so much information at one time. Let me know if I can help.

Lisa, more information is needed to help. I don't know where you are but you are welcome to call me. I could do an online meeting to show you (free). My email is below too. If I'm not home, my cell is 832-754-6160

No thread to give. Just thinking outside the box. This is how I did it: In plan view, I placed 3D text (laying down). Do a cad to view so that now I have it as cad in a cad detail. Unblock the letters. Now you have closed polylines that you cad change the color of the fill and make it as transparent as you want. For letters like A, B, P, etc. that are made up of two or more polylines, you have to trace it with the rectangular polyline so that you can get it closed, Change fills with transparency as desired. You can also change the line color as needed too. Then I block it. The fill and transparency keep its properties when blocked. If it's something you use all the time, add it to the library (once it's blocked).

Just saw this thread. Yes it can be done.

If you move your cursor over one of the toolbars at the top, you'll see one for "cad detail management", OR you could go to the cad tab at the top and scroll down to cad detail management. I keep a lot of things there that I send to the layout. You can take any view and use cad detail from view, and it will place it in a cad detail which can be found in the cad detail management. If you send a plan, elevation or whatever (except a schedule), it will not be "live". Schedules remain "live" in a cad detail".

Always a cad detail. Almost everything sent to a layout is from a cad detail except for plan views obviously.

Be sure that when the person attaches the plan to their email, that Chief is closed or it won't send.

I agree. I have to deal with this all the time. There is another issue too with mulled units and the window schedule that I have brought up before. Either Dan or Doug already confirmed the behavior and said that they will present it to the programing dept. but it was not fixed in the last update. Do I know how to fix it? Yes.

I have found that you don't even need to click on something to activate it, you can just move the scroll bar a little and it will activate it.

Thanks. That worked. Apparently sometimes I do that and sometimes not.

We made a material change on the roofs in one plan and when I select the roof and try to change the material for the ridge cap, most of the time I can use the keyboard to hit the first letter and it takes me to the textures starting with that letter. Well, it doesn't do that. I have to scroll down to find the texture. Many times I can do this and it works. I don't know why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Anyone notice this?

I think I do what Scott does. I draw a cad line. I don't worry about setting an additional angle in the "allowed angles". I just make the line I drew perpendicular to the wall and it works just fine. Now having the "on object" snap turned on, I can make the camera view and it will follow the line. Works perfect every time for me.

The main advantage you have from using a dwg is that you can import it, place it on its own layer and lock that layer (not blocking). Now you can trace over that dwg and Chief will follow the AutoCAD lines exactly without dimensioning. You can control how Chief traces the lines by using your "AltQ" or wall defaults. You still have to place everything else like windows and doors but you can place the over the ACAD items. It does save a little time. You could also import an image, size it and trace too. You do need elevations to show you the plate heights for roofs and see how the roofs are done, window heights. etc.. Good to know the ceiling heights in case they are not the same as the roof plate heights. As you can see, not everyone agrees with me. That's okay.

Greg, call or email me (email in my signature below) if you would like for me to show you your options on how to do this online. Free one on one help.

BTW, since I don't do basements here, and therefore really don't have knowledge about them in Chief, I don't know if changing the floor structure would make a difference for a basement (ceiling height and basement floor).

This is one of two best tips for me this year.

It works with a balcony too. just tried it. A 3 story house with a balcony on the second floor.

It still works even using kitchens and baths on different floors. Just tried it. Not sure about "decks" since decks have its own separate framing.

Scott, I finally got it to work. The problem was in my profile plan. For some reason, the 1st floor default dbx did not have the floor structure box checked for default. Once checked, it works as you describe. I fixed the profile plan and now it works consistently. By not having that box checked, whenever you create a new floor, it will always use Chief's default setting and will not change when you do as you describe. Took me a little bit to figure out the problem.

Scott, I did a basic 3 story building and AFTER it was built, I followed Michael's way and it didn't work for me. Maybe I didn't do something right but.... I still think you need ot change each floor (after it's built). Watch the stairs as well as the ceiling.

Scott, I believe if you want to change the default floor system, then go ahead and change it in the floor default. Then you have to go to each floor (I start at the top) and check the default setting. It will not do it automatically. Once you change the floor system, you need to watch the ceiling heights as well.

You could also make a .dwg file in the 2000, 2001 format and they can probably open it an trace it.

I use wall hatching too to show demo walls in the existing plan. I use the hatch tool to show existing walls in the proposed plan. This is just how I do it. We only do mono slabs or pier & beam foundations here. Our main work is remodels. For mono slabs, I always do it manually using with cad (except for the main slab for 3D & elevations...I use a manual slab). In order for me to get how the foundation plan looks and to satisfy the engineer and planning department, cad for me is much easier and faster along with callouts for the foundation details showing how they look with steel and how an existing slab meets a new slab, flatwork, etc..

I sent you an email at your regular email (not private message). It would be nice to have your tel. # so we can connect.