CARMELHILL

I posted this topic about the high failure rate of the new 2080 cards. Read before you buy. More info further down. They don't offer the 1080 because I read two weeks ago that they aren't produced anymore and back inventory is running out... https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2018/11/05/report-nvidia-gtx-1080-ti-no-longer-in-production-supply-running-low/#7853f77a723f As far as CPU's, you might want to look at the AMD Ryzen Threadripper, but you'll likely have to go to a specific builder for it. Compare it's price and performance to other high end CPU's here: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X has twice as many cores as I9, twice as many threads, but is only $449. Seams like a no brainer. It's clock speed is slightly slower, but not much. https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-threadripper-1950x The I9-9900 is $539 https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/core/i9-processors/i9-9900k.html The I9-9700 is $399 Personally, I'm waiting for the next Raytrace cards to come out after they've sorted out all the kinks. By then the Threadripper 2950X will be a bit cheaper and prime for a new custom build. That's 16 cores, 32 threads of goodness. And way up on the performance chart. https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-threadripper-2950x

Here's my video of how I do keynotes. I've stopped using them for structure (joist, rafter, and collar ties spans), but I use them for everything else.

I built an extensive library and system for key notes, without macros. Not all of us are Ruby wiz kids. It surprising how many options there are within Chiefs schedules that use can use. I was using it for mostly commercial but I've started using for my residential. Michael gave me a lot of ideas for this that I've tried to incorporate. I'll post a video later today. It gets a little convoluted when you try to use it on sections and elevations because of the way labels populate in those camera views. I'm hoping fingers crossed that we get something better in the next Chief. A good notes system like what Vectorworks has can be used and implemented in stages..... 1. notes management and easy updating or maintenance of your notes database. Just placing your notes (without keynotes) all over your plan is easier. 2. Keynote implementation with a keynote schedule streamlines annotations for 1/8" plans like in commercial work. 3. Using keynotes for details is less economical because the notes are usually directly next to the detail in layout space. So keynotes arent needed. But users with a mechanical drawing background will still use them here such as when the to exploded parts views. Not really applicable to Chief. 4. Using a schedule of keynotes could have an additional column in the note schedule for code refernce numbers or even referencing into the detailed spec book. 5. Universal layout file not updating....imagine you need to update every note where you changed the wall insulation R value from R-13 to R-21. Chief can do this manually with it's find properties tool, but a good notes database or keynote system makes one change easier to implement across all the sheets. If you use the tools we have now with schedules, you can click the line of the schedule, then find in plan, and you can update the note that way. It works, has probably too many steps, but it's manaeable.

Joe, I'm not sure if you can adapt this, but it might help you.... https://grabcad.com/library/tag/lighting?page=1&time=all_time&sort=recent&query=sputnik chandelier

I don't buy that I don't buy that because I think the program is relatively rock solid. Jump on the Vectorworks forum and you'll see users begging for next years release to have no new features, just fix what's broken. That's a bad indictment. I was thoroughly impressed with X10's release. The PBR was amazing. It needs some tweaking, but amazing. I haven't looked at Raytracing once since the release of PBR. But they seem to have tunnel vision on eye candy stuff, VR, 360 panoramics, etc.., Although, that stuff is what sells a program to new users. "Hey look at all these cool features your probably never use!" But you could never sell the program with "we finally gave you a real cad stretch tool, cross referenced call outs, and better general 2d tools." I think we're in for something special on X11 based on the absolute silence from Chief since June. No new x10 updates, beta hasn't been announced yet, and no mention of the new program for the upcoming Vegas Builders Show. X10 has new form fields that could be a precursor to REAL BIM fields, etc... there are things in X10 that hint about what's to come in X11. So they are either working on something really big or they are quiet because we aren't getting a new version until 2020, which is highly doubtful. Another indication, check the Vegas Builders show exhibitors floor plan, North Hall. The footprint for their display booth is HUGE. You don't spend money on a booth that size unless you have something to show off. Something new. see booth N1155 https://s23.a2zinc.net/clients/nahb/ibx19/public/eventmap.aspx?shmode=E&MapID=2

Maybe, but what's the deal with Archiframe? $5800 additional to do wood framing. Seriously? That better be one kick ass framing module if I'm going to switch for $8300.

After Autodesk went the subscription route, their corporate earnings and stock price did very well. But shortsighted I think. You don't screw over your customers just for quick bucks. I've been hearing rumblings that more than a few shops are looking at different CAD packages. Bricscad Bim emphasizes this a lot in their product presentation. But I don't know how much Bricscad is like Revit, or maybe more like Autocad Architecture.

Many other users have said this, and I have to grudgingly agree, there is no one platform that will do everything you want. You might need to adapt your own design and drafting styles to the limitations of your software, or have a multiplatform office. I crossed Archicad off my list because it didn't have cross referenced keynotes built into the program as a base feature. After spending $6g on the program you have to then add a monthly license for a plugin from Cadimage. AC 22 supposedly released a feature that addresses this, but it looked extremely confusing. Another plugin is buy once and you own it, but a $6g program? Come on. A super powerful commercial program should have this basic feature built in. Modern designs with slanted walls and curved roofs, or standard centerhall colonial houses, or commercial work, you need the program that fits your office. And don't forget added costs.......$6g for AC sounds like a lot, but what about the months of additional training, diminished office productivity while your training, etc......it makes more sense to stick with Chief and use what you have available.

Sometimes the auto dimension won't pick up the edge you want. I've had instances where I had to zoom in and add a point, real small and barely visible, then dimension to that. The only negative is it won't auto update if you change the design. But this is less a pain than converting the image to Cad Detail from View. I rarely do that, except for "dumb" generic details or elevations. What's the point of using a 3d BIM software package if your going to convert everything to 2d lines and then lose the ability to easily update the project later.

I think 7 years ago the great training videos and the amazing Bonus Catalogs were what won me over from Vectorworks to Chief.

I have to compliment Chief programmers on keeping Chief fairly intuitive and easy to use. I've been looking at some other programs to supplement Chief and some are an absolute horror of hidden values, hidden menus, and hard to use command lines. I am not, and never will be, a programmer, and never nearly as good as Joe Carrick or Michael Alaskan_Son at Ruby. A good design program should free up the designer to get work done, not to learn a crazy difficult and overly complex programming language. Otherwise go back to paper and pencil. This might be a naive statement or I'm taking my 7 years of Chief experience for granted. But between their interface, quality training videos, and the IMMENSE value of this well developed and very deep forum, I think this program is top notch and can easily be made better. I remember years ago looking at some of the cad program on the shelf at Staples. Punch 3D, etc..I was amazed at what some of them were able to do. But there is some of a tradeoff for keeping it simple and dumbing it down, many features were automated with no ability to customize for you own particular needs and preferences. Chief's Home Designer probably was one of those programs on the shelf. But I gotta say Chief Premier has a good blend of both worlds. Sure it would be great if they opened up the program to third partys for app developers and plugins. Some car turning radius apps would be nice. Cadimage Keynotes for Archicad would be nice. Third party hvac design pps would be cool. But I still feel this is a dam good program. Moderator: move this thread to Chat room if needed.

One thing I have noticed about this idea. When you physically draw all the details on the same plan, and send those individual details to different parts of your layout, Chief slows WAY down. I'm not sure if Joe does it this way and incurrs the same slow down. Maybe he keeps all his 1/4" scalel details grouped together and then send that to one sheet together? My work around has been to still keep all details in one plan file, but they are details in the cad detail management area, not on the plan. They are then sent to layout from there. It's weird though. When you open you detail plan file it looks blank. The details are there, just not on the page. No slow down incurred. Chief is probably going to give us a preview box in the next release of the details in the Cad Detail Management dialogue, just like we already have for the Cad Block Management dialogue box.

Agreed. I've noticed a move to yearly title releases for lots of programs, with Archicad and Chief so far sticking to numbers. Maybe they'll change to a different roman numeral. XXI. I hate the Superbowl numbers.

And that's why I am still here. Chief is rock solid stable for me. Rarely crashes, even on a 115 room hotel job. And it's basic rendering ability is top notch. I've looked at Archicad and VW. Switching to those would be, in my opinion, a step backwards when it talking soley about the design process....for houses anyway. But they need to work on the con doc tools. We as users need to always push for better tools.

Well I did put Elf on the Shelf out for my kids to find tomorrow morning. I also believe in rogue waves, the JFK conspiracy, Area 51, white cows make white milk and brown cows make chocolate milk, GOD owns a golden retriever, and a few others that keep me sane.

I don't want to say anything voodoo here because I don't want to be excluded from the eventual beta, but I gotta say.....there hasn't been an X10 update since June. Last year they released the last update in September. So that's an extra 3 months of development and programming time they are hopefully spending on X11. Maybe we can expect a colossal version release with lots of new BIM functionality, data tags, and some real 2d drafting tools? An updated interface might not be a bad idea since it's a little dated 90's looking. Everyone else has switched to contextual ribbon interfaces (Archicad, Revit, Intellicad) Vectorworks is still stuck in the 90's too. I'm personally not a fan of parent drop downs. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it over to Vegas for the National Builders Show to eyeball it with the head honchos. So what ya all think? Is Santa going to take a seriously look at the Wish List and grant us some miracles?

I'm hoping this means they are spending some serious programming time on a significant x11 release.

By the way, I was playing with Vectorworks 19 and a sample 5 story office model today. In 15 minutes of manipulating, it crashed three times when I tried to render a shaded black/white image. So I let the 50% discount offer expire without purchasing. Chief rarely crashes for me. RARELY. Let's see what the Chief beta produces in December.

The problem with Andy's version, is he used a continuous uninteruppted grid for the whole floor plan. Not every project is like that. Many projects require the walls go to the deck, or 6 " above the ceiling, so each room needs it's own grid centered in the room to maximize the grid/tile layout. That's trimming and extending for every room. Oh my god........

Andy, How about this? No trimming or extending needed!!!!!! And it was posted to the Wish List section a while back.....

I'm looking into an additional platform for my commercial projects, but I'm too old to learn something new. I used Vectorworks in 2012 but I don't recognize anything in the program anymore so I'd have to relearn everything, just for the odd couple of commercial jobs I get every year. Probably not worth it, so I'll continue to struggle using Chief for it. As for Chief, I've heard guys say they create a room polyline, then overlay a grid from their user library that is saved as a symbol for quick insertion. They maneuver it around to get the best layout of grid/tiles within the room poly, then explode it and trim the lines. TEDIOUS. Plus lights never seem to insert correctly into the grid. VW has a GREAT ceiling grid tool. Stupidly simple. I've begged Chief to implement something similar. I'm crossing my fingers for February's release of X11 to see what they come up with. But it's my understnading that it generally takes two years for a new idea to make it into the program.

It depends if your talking for residential, with lighting layouts, soffits, differing ceiling heights, and circuiting....... or for commercial with ceiling grids and easy placement of 2 x 4 light fixtures and scale-able symbols. If you meant commercial, forget it. Chief doesn't bother to provide or support any decent commercial tools. A lot of us are hoping this changes in X11. Better basic CAD drafting is hoped for too.

This isn't really Chief software related, so this thread might belong in the Chat section, but... The new Ray Tracing Video cards from Nvidia, the Geforce RTX 2080 Ti, is failing for lots of users. And the replacements sent from Nvidia are failing too. It's affecting some of the 3rd party cards too. https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/nvidia-rtx-2080-ti-graphics-cards-dying/ https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3065361/nvidias-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-cards-are-reportedly-failing-in-high-numbers

I think they'll definitively be spending more development time on this for a few reasons. If Lumion continues to develop fast renders and animations, then programs like Chief, Softplan, and some other lower end CAD programs will lose market share to users that decide to employ Sketchup and third party rendering programs. So Chief NEEDS to have an all in one competitive solution. Chief always spends an inordinate amount of their development time on eye candy rendering stuff, rather than 2d con docs tools that we REALLYy need. Look how long it took to get a cad stretch tool.....version 10. Still no keynotes. But we have virtual goggle, virtual panoramic, tablet apps and all that other eye candy stuff. Faster Real Time rendering PBR dedicated video cards are coming out this year.

Thanks Glenn. I must have read it on the Archicad User Forum when I was shopping around.