BenPalmer

I like a lot of the new features! Well heck all of them!

 

Plus the big bonus of the software working faster!  thumb up

All 3d views are up very quickly! 

Especially the line style view!

 

Thank you Chief! 

a great improvement in making, detailing, and presenting our designs!

 

3d view styles are definitely faster.  Very nice.  Still want even more speed if possible,    but still better..  really like the opaque window glass option.

yes, i think same problem i'm seeing??  I can copy a new wall and make changes, but I can't rename it no matter what I do.  But i can still function with the wall, just can't rename it.  i just sent a support request in on that and another item I found.

 My initial guess is the layer is off due to layer sets or other.  make sure that layer is on in 3d view.

If I'm reading it right, that pricing is on 'Upgrades', not 'renewals'.  So, no additional discount for current/active SSA subscriptions.  Let me know if I'm reading it wrong.

Thanks for all the Beta Testers do.  Much appreciated.

Per your picture, you have the grid, so as long as 'grid snaps' are on (Ctrl + F9), then the new cad lines will draw on grid even though you won't see any snapping visual aids.  If it isn't on grid, then there is a setting wrong, or something that is snapping off the grid forcing the line to move.  Just stay away from anything else for the cad lines to snap to.  The new cad lines don't even have to be close to the corner.  If you want to be sure, upload your plan, and someone can take a look at it.  Beyond that, we can only give you are best guess based on the information provided.  It works perfectly for me every time.  Never had a problem getting things back on grid.  Staying on grid in the first place or how people prefer to use it is a different discussion.

If you are really curious about what is in X8, you might want to apply to be on the beta team. 

 

Use to be on multiple beta teams many versions ago and enjoyed it very much.  Just too busy now to commit the kind of time that I would need to be responsive and helpful.  It would be more of a feature and function input then bug input.  Perhaps X9.

Keep 'em coming! 

To answer the original question: I occasionally get a plan off grid due to autocad import, rotating a plan via edit area, etc.  New plans are automatically on grid if set up correctly, but for those rare times it is off, here is what I do: I draw two intersection cad lines on grid, somewhat close to the corner of two walls (like in your pic), then 'edit area all' and then do a 'point to point' move from the wall intersection, to the cad line intersection.  Should be good to go after that, regardless of what your preferred grid settings are.

 

Hope that helps.

Shadows in elevations that can send to layout live, very nice!

Foundations have certainly become more temperamental in recent releases.  Especially when I bring an old Chief version plan forward.  Support doesn't agree, and I don' have the time to change there mind.

The problem is the different molding lines are on different levels and so they aren't snapped together.  I like to draw these in floor plan view to avoid this issue.  one is on the 2nd floor, and the other is on the attic floor.  simply delete one of them, and go to the floor plan view, and select the molding line (turn on molding layer)  the lines are thin, so if you can't find them, use the 'all off' layer set and turn on moldings, and you will see them.  then simply select the line, then select the diamond handle at the end, and extend it in the direction you want and they will be joined.  if you want the straight ones that aren't on the corners to have a return, then do the same thing, pull new line with the diamond handler 90 degrees towards the interior of the building an inch or two and adjust length for desired look.

 

Hope that helps.

Okay,  I see your attachment and you got me there....  but I still don't believe it......  wow...... i don't know what to say,  I am waiting to hear from the owner of an independent plan checking service,  if he says I am wrong,  then all I can say is I have done thousands of room additions that did not comply with the code......  

 

please reread the attached pic and see if you would agree that a projection  (roof eave)  can encroach 2 foot into the required 5' separation from building wall to property line.

 

There are lots of things in the code that are not enforced that could be.  I find that as new plan reviewers come in, or reviewers take a training, or start reading things more, that is when you start seeing them enforce things they didn't before.  I'd say that definition seals it pretty good.

Yes,  thanks Ben,  again if we look closely at what you posted I will assume the minimum distance is between buildings and not from building to property line.

 

I see where you are going.  I concede that it isn't specific, but I think it's vague by design so that each municipality can determine what "the line used to determine the fire separation distance" is, however, throughout section 302 including exceptions, the 'lot line' is sprinkled into the wording.  So most places define or interpret that line to be the lot line.  Incorrectly or not.  Good luck fighting them on it.  Hope you win.

 

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R302.1 Exterior walls. 

Construction, projections, openings and penetrations of exterior walls of dwellings and accessory buildings shall comply with Table R302.1(1); or dwellings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section P2904 shall comply with Table R302.1(2). 

Exceptions: 

 

1. Walls, projections, openings or penetrations in walls perpendicular to the line used to determine the fire separation distance. 2. Walls of dwellings and accessory structures located on the same lot. 3. Detached tool sheds and storage sheds, playhouses and similar structures exempted from permits are not required to provide wall protection based on location on the lot. Projections beyond the exterior wall shall not extend over the lot line. 4. Detached garages accessory to a dwelling located within 2 feet (610 mm) of a lot line are permitted to have roof eave projections not exceeding 4 inches (102 mm). 5. Foundation vents installed in compliance with this code are permitted. 

1 hour required in phoenix

 

2012 IRC

 

Yes, printing of the typical items are much faster, and no issues.  However, somewhat off topic, would love to see the printing of 'rendering techniques' speed up dramatically.  That is just as painful as the time frames listed above.  Seems like it renders 3 times before it will finally print instead a screen grab which is what 'print image' does, doesn't it?

Using this post for the opportunity to repeat the feature request to have functional spreadsheet capabilities that can do basic mathematics.  Not even looking for complex functions, but simply mathematics would be great.

No , both for me. For me That's too much of a difference when you could re-draw all the walls in 30 min. Maybe an hour later, its all new.

 

But why not just use your new layouts with the existing plan, you could save that 30 minutes.  What am i missing?  For me, the existing building, elevations, dimensions, foundation, dimensions, annotations are done and easy to show 'as-built' and 'demo' conditions, and simply update/change the existing plan to what is needed.  Then I would just use my new layouts for the latest codes.  My number of pages have also increased significantly from that long ago, but it's still worth keeping the original model that is done, and use new layouts.  Just curious your process, thanks if there is a better way.

I use old plans all the time for stock and reuse, etc.  My experience is that the time it takes to update some items to the latest version is much faster then working on the old plan and definitely faster then starting over.  This is due to all the new and great tools of X7 compared to the old version, and many of my templates including latest codes and details are in the new version as well, and even just losing time in remember how the old version does things. With importing layer sets and defaults, it is usually just some line weight and some other defaults that need updated.  Maybe 30 minutes of getting it up and going to the latest version.

 

Hope that helps.

Curt.......this would definitely have been easier, but in plan view I wanted to show an actual wall.  

 

Larry, the idea referenced was for a new feature to be able to use the 'change line/arc' tool at the top of the wall. We could add to that a feature to be able to add a profiled cap...perhaps using railing wall cap could work?

 

I like the roof on top as well.  However, if the situation warrants and I decide a polyline would be better and want it to show as a wall in floor plan view, I simply put it on the wall layer (I use 2 lines for my walls and not all the other layers).

 

It's good for us to have multiple ways to achieve something since there are so many situations and some work better then others depending on the specific situation.  But the ability to edit a wall in 3d the same way we would any CAD makes sense or it's 'intuitive'.

Ginkohouse nailed it, poly solid quickest but roofs allow more detail. Not sure we need a magic

button to create it.

 

The feature request (or magic button) would be the ability to curve the tops of walls...seems like the 'change line/arc' tool would be great here.  Select the top of wall, 'change line/arc' and edit as needed.  Nice and quick...faster then polyline solid in this case.

I usually do that out of polyline solids.  Bill's curved roof cap idea is good to.  Definitely needs to be a feature in chief.

Running into similar issues as well...much more temperamental then before.  In fact I opened up a plan in Chief 9 the other day and it was so simple and smooth.  Not as many options, but it worked as you would expect it to.

Pretty good work around.  I guess the biggest issue I see besides potential image quality, and the extra time is the ability to edit the elevation of stray lines.

 

Would still be great to have it built into the vector views automatically without workarounds.

Like Glenn, shadows in vector elevations that I can save and notate are at the top of my feature list as well.  Many of the examples shown are nice, but they are not vector elevations that can be sent to layout at a scale, with notations.  There are ways to get it to work but it rasterizes the elevation into an image and doesn't allow for scaling or editing.

 

Dark windows via the color of glass chosen or some other better method would also be great.