johnny

Yes, i have but there aren't snaps on primitives either in elevation....not to mention I guess you can only draw a primitive in floor plan view. Right?

x8 rocks. There is a crash issue i've had very occasionally but i happen to know its related to video drivers. I know this since it was only after I updated video drivers did the issue become present. Just because Chief may crash doesn't mean it has anything to do with Chief. This happens with all programs, and 1/2 the time its related to other issues.

There is a good video on this in the Chief training section if you have SSA. Yes, you have full control over your dimensions and walls.

So I was going through the "framing" menu which has similar tools as under the specific roof framing section. Is it a bug then that you can't control the same info under the general framing Dbx? Yes, I got mine to work like Glenn did, but if you can't control it under the "general framing" section (see my video) Chief should probably just grey that out - so you know. Thanks Glenn - in some ways I am glad to know about that nuance. (edit - I really think this is a bug. The settings under the general framing Dbx should also work for this function since its the same info - right?)

OK, here is a basic roof file - I wasn't able to turn off the sub-fascia like I have in the past. I could swear that is how i've gotten it to work before. subf.plan

Actually he may be right. I swear this is how i've done it before and I just opened a new file and tried to turn off the sub-facia and it rebuilds and re-checks the box automatically. Its like the app isn't listening to the request.

lol...gotcha. but what if you are working on 3D objects you can't convert?

Its in the structure section of the roof plane tab.

Sorry to act completely noobish, but what is CDFV?

You can create a poly solid of any size, and place any picture on it by making that picture a new material with the "stretch to fit" option selected. Then, just place molding around that poly, save as a symbol. You can "paint" any new picture you want since it will replace the other picture material only - not the frame material. Basically, any material can be a picture with the stretch to fit command applied. Here is a good reading resource. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00007/creating-a-custom-picture-painting-or-sign.html

One thing that I keep running into is when I create say a poly sold in floor plan view, but switch to a side elevation view, I no longer have snap-able corners to pt-to-pt move with accuracy. It becomes a sloppy trial-and-error of zooming way in and trying to grab those lines over and over. Is there any way to solve that? I was going to make a suggestion that CA add snap functionality to all views, but I thought there must be some solution.

I think we need the tool you suggested Michael. CAD work can be the most time consuming element of the process (for me I find that to be the case) and its better to have quick, direct tools for the job. Id think of all tool types CAD 2d tools would be the simplest to implement inside CA. Joe's comment from the other thread makes a lot of sense in that CA was a 3d app 1st - 2D app second. Its made CA shine in residential 3d work, but it would be great to have strong basic tools as well - since we are in the 2D plan production business.

Macs are good out of the box - but a PC allows you to better upgrade elements if you need to down the line. The operating systems are nearly identical now-a-days. I was Mac from 1996-2012 but switched to PC once I realized I wanted a certain setup I just couldn't get with Mac.

In Chief you dont have layers in which objects exist - unlike other apps. The only thing layers determine in CA is the visual of an object, as objects are actually on each floor - so that is why Joey recommends the save-as method. Although I seem to remember a Chief video where they showed a way to display multiple dormer options - you may want to see that vid. (added - never mind about that video, it appears they too used the save-as method) They then used layout to show pictures of the different versions.

Sounds good - that works well for the hand-rails!

Thanks Glenn I will try that. I guess I didn't do it since the transitional newel wasn't working correctly. However, I suppose I could get the top banister to work out. Isn't it a bit odd though that the block for a symbol cannot be brought forward or back? What happens if you had a symbol under something else - are you just SOL?

Very nice - I like how you carried your lines through the different materials - and I like the rafter tails.

Sorry, yet one more question. Symbols dont seem to have front/back group options. Railings dont either. Is there a way to get the railings to show "under" the symbols ive manually placed a newel posts?

Thanks guys!....just trying to learn how to do what I did in Vectorworks inside CA. Up to now i've been exporting my model from CA into Vectorworks to finish, like I know some others do - but I am trying to jump both feet into CA to see if everything I want to do can be done. So far so good, but its hard to know exactly the best method to use. Again, thanks for the help too.

Perfect - thanks. Also, I am trying to finish the entire plan in CA currently, and finished a wall section. Adding the dark profile line was really a pain. Is there a faster way to get profile lines on CAD sections other than tracing the entire drawing?

I am probably missing a key easy option, but what do I have to do to draw on a layer? (or i should say on the layer's properties) The only way i've been able to do that is by setting up a separate anno-set that defines the CAD layer....but there has to be a faster way?

Is there a way to turn off moldings on a certain wall?...or do I need to set the entire room no moldings and place a modeling poly? If it doesn't exist, I would be nice to have a checkbox on the wall Dbx for "no molding" on that wall.

Good to know - I was hoping it would apply to the macro, but I guess not. So does that mean if I want to use a room macro im stuck with inches?

Thanks for the info - that stinks though. I guess I should just type what I want then and skip the room label?

I can't get my room labels to display the number style i've set for that text box. Im using a macro, but how do I get the macro to display the way I want? Thanks.