SHCanada2

If you are not already, you need to calculate the ceiling heights using elevations. There is a topic on the forum somewhere

I've been looking for apps that tell you once you are done scanning if the scan is successful (cubicasa does this). I typically draw the plans onsite with CA. I find its worth the couple hours to ensure it is correct. But I also scan using cubicasa as it is only $10 and you get the floor plan the next day. I will also use cubicasa for floors that are not actually being renoed, as no one cares if the dimensions are out by a few inches. But I do ensure the outside walls are correct, so that I can do correct elevations. Polycam supposedly does the floor plan as soon as you are done scanning, but I have not been able to get it to work on my phone. What I would really like is as soon as I am done scanning, I get the floor plan, and the 3D model (so I can see other things like furnaces, hot water tanks, etc). Today I take a video. If you find something that works, please do post it. For me, I can draw over a floor plan provided by these apps and pay myself $100/hr, vs paying 20c/sq ft for a CA file. i.e. for a 2000 sq ft house, I can draw onsite in CA in max 3 hours, vs paying $400. The largest variable for me is roof lines and split levels, and I dont know if you actually get proper roof lines with canvas?

its a terrain feature, which I assume even thought it is represented as a pline, means if I break it, it will no longer move up and down with terrain changes

well I realized another option is to make that terrain feature really tall, downside is, I cant cut it off at the PL line because it is now a large pline: but maybe thats ok. so final problem: The above is vector view, and I print plot lines. But plot lines does not seem to print the dashes "well", in that the dashes are not consistent as soon as the line curves (pdf screenshot is below): Is there a trick to this? or is it just a vector and plot lines limitation? I tried live view, but had to change the line weight to 18 to show up, but it then shows as tiny dashes:

I assume then if you want to lower or raise grade, then you are lowering or raising your manual grade lines, as I assume your topo lines are static from a 3rd party survey(i.e. the topo lines are an initial reference only)? Or are you using a 3D topo program, getting the grade to where you want it, then importing those lines back into CA to then manually adjust your manual grade line?

hmmmm How do you do that? Are you manually drawing grade lines or are you using CA's terrain? If the latter are you then doing a CAD detail from view and then copying and moving?

The jurisdiction here has been moving to measuring building height from any point where the building meets grade, in order to determine if the height complies to bylaw. This is a bit flawed because roof peaks are in the middle not at grade...but this seems to be the trend du jour More and more revit drawings that I have seen now show a max bylaw height envelope which mirrors grade. I was playing around with terrain features: and thought maybe add in another terrain feature with it x feet above the terrain. It worked okay: but because it is not a line, but 3d, I put it at 0.1" or 0" thick, but the dashed line does not turn out great because it is drawing two of them, one for the top and one for bottom of the 3d terrain features. How are others accomplishing this? CAD detail from view and then offsetting it? I tried a fence with just a top rail,but max height seems to be 200 in+ 120" vertical offset for the top rail equals 320", where for residential here it is between 33 and 36 '....short by about 8 feet

after fiddling with terrain on elevations, and on my last job actually had to draw a line in because it looked like this: I finally decided once and for all to implement a terrain feature that is really slim, in my template plan, to allow control of the grade showing in layout without having to move the camera and fiddle around I have four of these elevation features, one for each elevation. This is the downside, it means a separate layer set for each elevation, but because I have these elevation already in my template layout, its not that big of a deal, as I changed them there as well: Layer sets in plan: then in my template layout I have, for example, for my left elevation layout box: and the layerset has for the above: Note the "terrain perimeter" is off. That is on purpose in order to not show the terrain, but to show the terrain feature slice instead. The terrain feature on the plan is shown below (4 of them, one for each elevation) Each is assigned a different layer (I used "Terrain Featureslice bottom PL", ..top to PL, etc. I named them PL erroneously as I copied these from another plan where I had to provide grade at PL) The thickness(which is actually how deep the terrain feature is below the top of the terrain) is that large of a number so the bottom of this feature is well below the bottom of a basement. You can then move them to wherever you would like on the plan for the grade to show on the elevation. The elevation on layout using the layer "terrain perimeter" (normal method): The elevation on layout using the terrain feature and the terrain perimeter layer turned off A much cleaner look.

I'm not understanding, IF you are using project management mode, you have projects and have no access to the project files unless you export or backup. if you are not using project management mode, you save files to directories. Are you using project management mode?

i've always used layout boxes with update on demand for renders to avoid the whole create an image from a render over and over and over again The painful part is printing, because CA then renders it again for printing

@Renerabbittsells a template plan. You could ask him if his has what you need. I will also add that the use of saved plan views which use default sets, makes things a lot more consistent

I do basements as most of my work, and used a furred wall as one wall in CA, concrete, air gap, 2x4 wall.. Never had an issue with a window that I can rememeber. I will duplicate the wall and adjust the air gap for walls that have obstructions such as plumbing. What I dont like is I cant get a dimension from the outside of the stud (next to the foundation)..easily I tried using two walls(foundation then draw inside wx4 wall) with the no room definition but kept running into the issues Doug noted

I use them all the time for my details. I have no issue like the one you describe, where the contents were there and then they mysteriously vanish

I have not, but I have on multiple occasions edited the macro and then I think what I have done is not saved (or cancelled) in the TMM..or something(I'm not at my CA computer to show) and then lost those changes. But I have never seen where they were there to begin with and then vanished. The other thing I do for some macros is store them in text files as it is easier to edit. IF you did that you would have a separate record of the macro

Are you trying to get the schedule to only have one line that shows the sum of the drywall lengths?

Looks very nice, if you can get 64GB ram for a couple hundred dollars or less, I'd add that if you use MS edge. I use MS edge and it is a memory hog. I'm with Jonathan on the HD storage, go for speed over quantity.

exactly. For instance I get a survey on the email from the customer, I download it to \documents\CA\customer - addresss\ I then import that into my plan because I superimpose my building on it. But videos, pictures, old plans, other docs, I download to the above but dont import into CA's "project". Then when I print(save as PDF) my layout, I save to the above directory, and then when I email, I just drag and drop from that directory to my email. The PM mode is great for keeping all the versions of layouts, and plan files right there in the side pane project browser

I think many of us concluded that the most efficient way to use the new PM mode is to have a hard drive directory structure like we did before. For a couple reasons. 1. If you need to email these layout exported PDFs, then you need to attach them to the email. If they went directly into PM, then you would need to export from PM mode to "somewhere" and then attach it to your email. So more steps, 2. other documents or information which are relevant to the project, but not really relevant to the drawings need to go somewhere. Sometimes I get photos video, etc sent to me. I need some place to store them, so might as well be the hard drive directory structure like I had before X17

i dont use auto build foundation as it then deletes everything in the basement, and I adjust stemwalls frequently to match the basement foundation height Adding +24 to stemwall in floor 0 defaults works on my template plan(which has a basement):. so not sure what the issue is, unfortunately, maybe post the plan. My guess it has something to do with the "no change" that shows for the ceiling (multiple rooms with different heights as John indicated)

that sounds efficient. I find the eater of time is finding the right furniture, colors, carpet

you could try opening up the PDF in another viewer, such as MS edge to see if it actually a PDF problem or an adobe problem

my experience as well

search for "All words" macro feet inches I've seen a few posts on it. I think I saw one by AlaskanSon, so you could also try search by user

couple options 1. draw it on level 0...depending on what it is. Is it a terrain object, or a foundation/wing wall? 2. create a reference plan view for level 0 where the reference plan is level 1 and create a separate layerset with just the layer that the retaining wall is on. CA has a good video on how to do this. I would also suggest saving as a separate saved plan view to avoid confusion. I have to do 2 on occasion to have things that are on level 0 (where I have my terrain) show on level 1. If your retaining wall is the type for terrain, you would have to do 2. or move your terrain to level 0. There is a forum post a few years back on why terrain on level 0 is a good option for those of us that do basements if I am lazy I will just copy ->paste hold position for some things (CAD objects) to show on both levels

merci, worked perfectly