johnny

I have to say, Text in Chief is awful. Text in CAD/BIM apps aren't the best overall anyways, but Chief's is especially bad and near completely broken in key areas. I can mitigate my issues to some degree using Michaels schedule suggestions. Its fine Chief wants to put us in a Dbx to type and format text (other apps do that as well) but not having a WYSIWYG environment in this day and age is pure insanity.

Graham - that is a very nice job for Chief - very nice. I think we all admit you aren't going to get such a complex scene in Chief where it appears to be a real photo, but that last version you have it about as close as it gets (from what i've seen).

Does everyone realize you can just geo-locate-grab topo in apps like Sketchup? Other apps do too, but its fairly accurate and you can just reference your source on your plan file with a reminder to verify with surveyor if the client wants to. Dont get me wrong, there are projects where I insist upon a current survey and topo from surveyor, but for less critical sites or simple projects the geo-located topo is good enough and fast.

Here is a diagram.

Trust me - think about it for a sec and you'll see. Its basically placing each lite division as if it was per panel. You have 2 lites across = 4. you have 4 lights "tall" so its 8, 4 for each side.

Well, in a double casement isn't there automatically 2 panes?....so each number is basically doubled up just based upon 2 panes of glass. It seems right to me and what Id expect.

I feel the OP's pain. Unclean connections are the bane of my Chief experience. Chief doesn't even make a good way for us to cheat the issue like Sketchup and other apps do - hiding any line/edge you want. Michael is a connection god in Chief, but it really involves some deep knowledge on how chief behaves.

+1 from me as well. Any chance you'd be willing to do a quick vid showing that? If not I understand, but thought id ask.

There is an architect i've seen on the forums from Hawaii - i dont know what island though. I spend a lot of time in Kona...but i live and work in WA.

The "vector" version is more descriptive and will reproduce much better in print.

Is it happening for walls only?

I was trying to search for this function - how do you get that to activate?

Thanks guys - yeah, I agree the walls cuts bottom was best choice - but so you guys know I didn't start with 2 walls, and I was simply reshaping the wall to fit in the area and couldn't get the wall not to change on me during reshaping.

Yeah, but I am finding even with it off it still doesn't operate without outside influences. Here is a work in progress plan and I am trying to shape the wall (see pic) and its not reshaping without quirky things happening. I do get this often. Thompson Residence2.plan

K - i will do that when I get home but it may be a bit later.

Ill try and do that just a little later - calling it a night at my office, going home.

I did have Attic walls rebuild "on" - but I just turned off and it still acts the same.

Attic walls would be so much easier to shape if they didn't seem to have a mind of their own - or rather have interaction issues that caused them to jump around, separate themselves, or overall spaze out in some other way. Is there any way to make attic walls stay put in every direction other than the edge you are reshaping?

The other important aspect to consider is if you are looking to create a perfect single picture of something vs having more dynamic way of getting multiple pictures or presentation from a model using a single setup process. Lumion and Unreal allow a composite visual approach to your model with the ability to then "walk" thru a model or extract still images from nearly any angle without going through another "setup" process for each location. Static rendering apps/engines like Thea/Vray/Chief require more setup for each individual image you extract...but you can get the lighting and other aspects for those shots refined. I think if you are looking for multiple shots per house this method would take the longest... not to mention far more time for the actual "render".

What made me think you were a DIY (which we get a fair bit of since Chief markets to that group) is the fact you were asking first if someone would just fix the roof for you, and it appeared you were copying a plan-book type plan. Typically people learning the software are foremost looking for guidance on how they can get it done - which you did ask for secondarily. I appreciate you letting us know the situation more, and I apologize if we got off on the wrong foot there. As Perry said we all started somewhere, and good luck in your venture. Id personally recommend someone starting out in this field to look to find a starting position at a small architectural (or design) firm and grow from there to work on your own. You'll spent 10+ years learning on your own what would take you 1 year to learn absorbing what more experienced people know already. Keep in mind that learning to use Chief isn't the most important aspect of design or even drafting - since Chief is simply a tool. Its like learning how to use a hammer and then thinking you can frame a house. Yes, learning how to use a hammer is important, but it means very little in the scope of being a framer. Again, good luck to you.

Thanks!

Crazy good video Michael. Though, I was a bit disappointed you didn't go on to model the clay liner or smoke shelf/chamber....lol

Chief is a very good interior design app - even for commercial - but their focus is residential. If by "template" you mean objects like elevators and other commercial resources then you may need to create those elements in Chief or try and find downloadable resources like 3d warehouse (Tremble/Google).

I personally think this would be something covered by better generic modeling tools. In 20 years of designing about 800+ homes I can remember about 2 brick fireplaces - though many more masonry block/rock fireplaces. I think the design/types/methods of all the options out there would make a "tool" in a Dbx for this very difficult.

The OP would be best off hiring a professional to complete the work. I realize after watching a few Chief videos someone gets the idea they can buy or rent Chief for a month to complete their plans, but that simply isn't the case. I promise you will get stuck over and over through the process and you'll look back thinking a professional would have been a better route.