CARMELHILL

I've been using Strucalc for over 10 years. Can anyone recommend anything else? Or a supplement. I am looking for something that does a little more, like basic steel moment connections for those projects that don't have enough exposed wall for shearwalls. Concrete grade beams would be nice too. Is there anything that does steel reinf concrete, like columns, beams, and lintels. Would love a helical pier design program. I hate integrating an engineer into a project unless I have to. We've done all our engineering in-house but I'm starting find the need for more intense items. Thank you for your 2 cents. This will probably get moved into the chat room section.

I posted a few bugs to the "X8 Public Release" thread but they might be better off here... Sheet Label (1/A-1) disappears from section call outs in layout views (shows up as (1) with no sheet number below it. Extremely erratic text behavior. Text is missing from layouts but is still showing up correctly in plan views. Text wrap is erratic to. https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/8435-x8-public-release/ Posts 13 and 14

I am seeing a lot of bugs with erratic text and text wrap, and missing text just disappearing from layout views. Anyone else?

I submitted this to Tech.... Anyone else notice that your automatic section labels lose the automatic Sheet Label once you close the floor plan and the layout sheet updates? You have to uncheck "automatic" and put in your own designated sheet number.

I'm in a suburb of NYC on Long Island and I'm lucky if I can charge $3.25 per sf. It's a pathetic existence. Way too many hungry architects and drafters around here.

I found it. When "send to Layout", there are some options on the bottom that I never really looked at before, "Plot Line Options". I didn't have my options checked off the same way I did on version X7. I had to turn off "use Edge Line Defaults" and "Use Pattern Line Defaults". I left on "Merge Geenrated Lines". That makes it view correctly on the layout sheet. I'll have to resend all my elevation and section views to the layout sheets on my template borders.

I submitted this to tech, but I want to see if anyone else sees this happening in X8. In X7 I set up two layer sets, "Foundation Walls Solid" and "Foundation Walls Dashed". I used this nifty shortcut to display foundations in elevation views as solid lines above grade and dashed below grade. But now in X8 it doesn't work. I believe it's got something to do with the program new ability to show shadows on elevations in layout views. It's also affected by the Layout Camera View options of Live View or Plot Lines. The below grade lines will display as correctly dashed in Live View but very blurry. With Plot Lines checked the lines draw crisp but solid (should be dashed). But this weirdness ONLY happens with walls (or maybe 3D objects). If you draw an individual line it will draw correctly. You'll see the mess on the attached images.

It's already specialty.....it's spiral duct.

I never tried this, maybe someone else knows....how much of the original manipulation of original Sketchup items remain after they are imported into Chief? I'll try it at the office on Tuesday, just thought I would post the question here for some Sunday afteroon, below 1degree F, thniking...brrrr. Yesterday I was looking at Sketchup Pro and saw two extensions that would be tremendously helpful in lite commercial work. They have an HVAC ductwork extension and an Engineering piping extension. If you import a few symbols made in Sketchup with these extensions do you still think you can manipulate them in Cheif, or would you have to do the whole design in Sketchup and then import the finished piping layout into Chief as an end product? I hate having to switch back and forth for EVERY revision.

This approach might be in line with what your seeing on the Library portion of the site. Did anyone notice the "specialty" librarys like crime scene investigation are now an ADDITIONAL cost? Make sure you export it from X7 and import it to X8 before uninstalling your old program. Otherwise you'll have to buy it. but this approach would make sense for specialty add ons. Even Sketchup Pro has hundreds of extensions that are free and pay for. I saw a great HVAC ductwork and an engineering piping extension that would be great for cheif work. And I'd be fine paying extra for it because I realize many core residential users wouldn't want any of their SSA development money going into it.

I was pretty surprised also when I saw a fee on some of libraries when I was setting up my X8 beta libraries. The libraries were a major reason why I switched from Vectorworks back in 2012. This is a major mistake but lets see where they go with this. Sketchup Pro is still only $700 with lots of cool extensions. I would be ok with paying for options that other users don't need and don't want to fund the development costs...hvac duct work, better reflected ceiling plans, etc...

I do agree that the program is top notch for residential. But part of me says you never turn away work, even if it's outside you comfort zone. If your not expanding, not growing, your not truly successful. So how do we accomplish lite commercial with the limited tools we have? Give us some basics. HVAC schematic design symbols.

I was using Vectorworks years ago. At the time I was almost 100% residential work. I hated 2 things, I felt they were starting to gear the program more towards commercial work like Archicad or Revit so they could pull in more corporate money. I also hated that the program truly lacked automatic elevations, sections, and details. So I switched to Chief X2 and have since been EXTREMELY happy. Now my practice is starting to pull in some commercial work, and I find Chief is woefully lacking. I don't want two programs in the office and I must stress I HATE Autocad. I feel Chief has done a tremendous job refining Chief into what it is today, and adding a Mac version was probably a good idea since so many schools have converted to Mac...you have to provide those graduates with a drafting option. But isn't it time Chief starts coming up with a few solutions for some commercial projects? What do you think could be improved or have you found a work around that you could share? I might be doing some things wrong, but here are some problems I encounter...... 1. Their solution to reflected ceiling plans is absurd. Have you ever watched one of the training videos and tried to make it work? Because it doesn't. I think they are mirror image backwards from what I've done in the past. Vectorworks had a great tool where you drew a 2d polygon, it filled with a 2 x 2 or 2 x 4 pattern and you could adjust the pattern within the polygon. You could then insert lights into the pattern. The pattern self centered in the polygon. Simple but genius. If you could transfer that into a 3d method so it appears correctly with interior renderings and 3d 2' x 4' light fixtures it would be awesome. 2. Input a symbol like a smoke detector or carbon monoxide sensor into a 1/8" scale project and the symbol is tiny on the sheet. Can we get some auto resize instead of having to create a new 1/8" 2d symbol block and reattaching it inside the plan. 3. A basic commercial symbol library would be nice. The restaurant symbol library we have is a good start. A dedicated commercial electrical and HVAC symbol library that auto scales the 2d plan symbol into an 1/8" or 1/4" scale plan would be perfect. 4. More useable macros that we can use to compile complicated site plans for septic designs, parking designs, parking drainage, landscaped area as opposed to paved impermeable areas, etc... 5. A better door and window schedule. X8 looks better so far, but in most commercial projects, each door needs it's own number. I know there is a work around to attach a specific number to each door/window, but it's needlessly time consuming. That needs to be improved. It would also be nice to be able to modify a door or window directly through the schedule and have it update in the plan. Vectorworks had this ability way back in 2010. I still use Chief for lite commercial but I know it's not the best implementation. Can we get some commercial stuff moving along?

Where is the official bug submit forum? Or are we supposed to submit via the tech support web page? Or email directly to Beta@chiefarchitect.com?

Justin, Are you using Lumion Pro or Standard?

Does anyone know where we submit bugs for X8? I have an auto roof that works fine in X7 but X8 can't do it. Images attached.

It's gotta be a problem with my home computer because the office is running the same build and I didn't see the problem replicate this morning. I'll review it again on Sunday night, unless it's an operating system flaw. The office is Windows 8.1 x64 while the home is Vistax 64.

I downloaded the update tonight for build 17.3.2.2x64 onto my home computer and I immediately noticed it running a little slower, but it's a 5 year old machine. Vista 64 bit. But more importantly, none of my trees are showing up in 3d views. All layers are on and the trees are there in the plan view, but not any 3d views. I am trying to update my Plants through Update Library Catalogs to see if that makes a difference. I also couldn't get a bow window to model correctly. Some weird things going with it also. I also just noticed that some other items used from the library are not showing up.....I have a 9/12 millwork roof eave that shows up in elevation and 3d, but not in plan view. And all layers are on. EDIT: I just found the bug. The plants only show up in 3d once you render the 3d image. The program has to be pushed to render them in. EDIT 2: I just had my first program crash in two months. I guess I won't update the office computer tomorrow. Anyone else?

I just realized what the problem was....I had a filter turned on in the library that was hiding half my items. My bad.

Doing restore point didn't do anything. I REALLY hate downloading the entire catalog all over again.

When I left last night my computer did a windows update. I started up this morning and I lost half my Core, my Bonus, and Manufacturer Catalogs. Rebooted, no good. Ran Chief as Administrator, no good. But my User Library is here. I'm going to try a system restore point.

I did notice late last night that exporting a jpg or png of the plan results in very poor quality. You have to Save to PDF, open in Photoshop, save as jpg. Then do all your mentioned steps. It helps to over-emphasize all the line weights otherwise it doesn't look right, it comes out too light. Thanks for responding guys.

Wow that's weird. I just found this article published by Chief two days ago......but not what I was looking for. http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00347/

A little off topic, but does anyone know how you can create a tilted blueprint image of one of your own projects, like a set of plans laid out on a table. I want to superimpose a 3d rendering of a project over the blueprints for a marketing project. Similar to what's attached. I understand I'll have to add the 3d house design in photoshop, but how to you get the blueprint image to show as a 2d flat perspective. I know some programs can actually tilt your plans into a perspective and still be editable. I haven't done this since I was using Vectorworks.

I was hoping for almost instant. I know the old shaded rendered took a little while to compile, but they had crisp lines. Raytraces are a waste of time for me. I don't get paid enough to invest that amount of time.