johnny

No matter what I choose (rich text or standard) I can't get the text locations to align - even though using standard mode it should be in its own "cell". Visually in the Chief text box everything looks fine, but then on the plan its incorrect....or on the plan its correct but in the text screen its not. I can't have it both ways - a bit nuts. Anyone had issues like this? Super frustrating....

You're going to have a lot more luck getting an engineer to help you than architect for a DIY project like this. I don't know many architects that would do this sort of thing. You may want to indicate what state you are in since engineers are licensed per state.

This is what makes Chief unintuitive in my opinion. Add to this the fact Chief requires near perfection in the modeling of certain items to allow automation of their function...and the potential of problems multiply exponentially.

I think that is a great job in chief - one of the better I've seen. However, I still think the lighting on the other render is more realistic how it floods the space. I've just never seen something done in Chief that I thought could be a real picture. Here re are some Vray renders to compare.

Fully agree. I've been exploring using unreal game engine where you can send a customer a link to a file that has incredible visuals and they can walk thru the house/building like a video game. They can turn on/off lights and use plumbing fixtures as well. It also integrates with Halolens and Google Oculus. Harder to learn upfront but I think its the future.

Upgrade to X9. At some point all software stops being compatible with the OS if you dont upgrade even somewhat often.

thanks guys - ill try a couple of these ideas and see what works best for me.

I was wanting to have each plan view, on different pages, align with each other. So corner of foundation plan aligns with the same corner on the floor plans - etc etc.

Are there any methods or tricks to aligning plans (easily) in Layout? The problem is that nothing snaps in a viewport so adding a marker or something doesn't seem to work well.

Nope, not well. If that is your budget then you may want to find a better used laptop on Craigslist with dedicated video card, and something that typically ends in an "x".

Yeah, there is not specific coordination between the programs. However, there is a stand alone version.

Id also make sure you've seen renderings from Chief (and only Chief) that you want to emulate. Frankly, i've not seen anything rendered in Chief alone that looked real. Its not a knock on Chief as other apps that specialize in rendering have gotten to be really really good. For a packaged product Chief does fine - but its not "real". I do think Chief could help us by making better go-betweens for these 3rd party apps. V-ray is one of the best. https://www.chaosgroup.com/gallery

Looks like it is regional, but your instructor (and the architects) aren't doing it 100% correctly - and for homes in your area perhaps its just fine. If a contractor comes out to a site and wants to set the floor elevation, how does starting the datum at that sub-floor actually help him? Typically you'd use the actual site elevations, local survey monument, OHWM (if close to water), or some other marker that is already defined as the basis for the first floor datum. Example: A local monument in the street is 350.20' above sea level, and you want your FFL 10.50' above that elevation point, so the FFL is 10.70' and you note on the site plan, or site section where the 0'-0" point is coming from.

I really think you need to readjust your thinking and not try to make the floor 100'-0" from the default 0'-0" Z coordinate Chief starts at, but rather set your terrain information accordingly. There are training videos showing this in the library. I've also never heard of contractors using a set 100'-0" first floor levels - is that a regional thing?. I know that above sea level or OHWM some start at 100'-0" instead of 0'-0", but you'd always then set the floor level in relation to the actual above sea level elevation plus the 100'-0".

As Perry said I think you are going to need to model this yourself - or hire someone else to model it for you and make it a Chief door symbol.

I approve this message (TM). The negative effect caused by this could be somewhat mitigated if we could (a) explode all "object" models into shapes/groups and (b) had semi-decent generic modeling tools.

Thanks, I didn't think it was rendered in CA. The lighting is just too good for it to have come from CA.

From the pictures this issue is related to design - not Chief. You dont want to simply fix the visual, you should look at the fundamentals you've got happening in that area.

This is what i've started to do - but I also fill the terrain skirt with gray or something so it works perfect.

Yeah its a great tech - especially if you do a lot of remodel or interior design. Almost a must have....though am curious how easy it is to work with the scanned files.

It depends what product you're talking about. I can tell you Office 365 has 24-7 support since the calls are forwarded to somewhere in India as the support center. Myself, I find t he forums here to be better than any tech support i've seen.

That is as perfect as anything that can be built IRL can be.

As a side note, I am curious how you modeled the chinking in your log home? It appears to exist in the upper sections of the gable but less in the lower areas. Did you hand-lay the logs or use a material?

Curious if that was all done in CA?...meaning rendered in CA.

I'm not saying there aren't designers out there capable of designing a modern house, but id suggest seeing if an architect would work with you on the concepts and then use a draftsman model it up for you in CA. Unlike traditional designs which can semi-mask bad design (sometimes) with the standard overlay of gingerbread detail and cladding, modern homes contain design principles to make less mean more - and there is no hiding bad design. Most see modern as looking so simple, but its massively complex and attention to small details and scaling more important than any other design style.