R_Seales

I have been using the .PNG file type for over a year now and it really helps, no more slowing down to a crawl, and the resolution is great.

Thanks Mike! I'm looking at them now, I think I have enough room om my desk for one too!

Hey guys I've been wandering if there are some hardware items out there that would speed up the plan creation process. in 2015 I added a 42" 4k TV as a monitor and boy does the extra screen real estate help, last year it was a space mouse which did not seem very benifical at first, now I reach for it all the time. Are there are other "goodies" out there that I would miss if they were taken away?

Newell, I usually use a polyline solid for the chimney, then I use a chimney cap out of the library to top it off.

I was turned onto BLUE BEAM by one of the engineers I work with from time to time. I also have ADOBE ACROBAT, but once you learn your way around BLUE BEAM you will not want to go back, it was designed with CAD in mind and has many features that are geared toward collaboration with a team. I would recommend you give it a look.

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I'm going with a couple of plan versions (saving 2 different models) on this one. I can make all the options on the second plan as none of the areas overlap or interfere with one another, so it seems like the easiest approach for now. Lew I had not thought of this as a wish list item, but after reading your comments I do think it would be nice addition if Chief had a way to create an "option layer set" based on a user selected area. Hmmmmm? Thanks again for the feedback guys, I love this forum! Ricky

I have a client that wants options on their spec home plans. Options like a shed dormer over the garage, or swapping out a shower/tub combo for a walk-in shower. The options vary from plan to plan and run the gambit from exterior to interior, cosmetic to structural, I figure this type of request has been made before, my question is how do you handle it in the software? Do you save multiple variations of the model, or create some custom layers to show/hide the appropriate "options"? I can conceive of multiple ways of handling the request, but I figure some "been there done that" experience will save me some headaches along the way! Any thoughts/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Ricky

I've been using a 42" 4k UHD TV for about a year now in conjunction with a 27" LG monitor. I have Chief with libraries and layers on the 42" and I keep e-mail, internet, reference information and so forth on my 27". I've found that I don't like Chief full screen on the 42" I keep Chief sized to about 2/3 of the screen and use the other 1/3 for the library and layers, as for resolution the TV has a nearly identical pixal count (inch per inch) as my 27" It is truly wonderful to work on! Should you decide to go this route one word of caution is to make sure your graphics card supports HDMI 3.0 so you can get the refresh rates up to 60hz. It's not wonderful at all if you are watching refresh lines scanning across the screen!

Thank you Dermot! Yes I have, I may have chosen a poor example with copy/mirror. I'm more curious about customizing, I'm well versed in CAD software on how to create custom commands and customize the user interface, and I'm wondering what more experienced Chief users may have done to "enhance" their package.

Has anyone created a custom command for chief? I'm not looking for the "Grand Daddy of em all" just something simple like combining copy and mirror.

I use Bluebeam Revu, it's not a freebie but it has all the features you mentioned and then some. http://www.bluebeam.com/us/products/revu/

Sorry for the late reply on my part, I have been out of town and away from my Computer. A very special thanks to Joe, Mick & Perry...it's tough transitioning from another platform, your willingness to share your wisdom and insights is much appreciated. I a now one step closer to my goal of completing a plan 100% with Chief. Thanks, Ricky

Joe, Thank you for the reply, I have been trying to align my main layers to no avail. A better way to say it may be to say I can manually align the stem walls but I can not get the foundation to generate in the correct alignment automatically (derived from 1st floor). It always increases the dimensions for the foundation beyond that of the 1st floor walls. Is it possible to create a stem wall that will automatically align to the proper Main layer? My attempts to do so have failed so I have had to export my floor plan and manually drawing the foundations in my CAD package to stay on schedule. Something I would very much like to avoid on the next project. I also see you are an architect in California. I'm curious to see how our footing details may vary. I am not an architect, and I live in South Alabama. All of the Architects and engineers I work for use a similar detail with 3 to 4 courses of brick extending below grade. I think our Frost line being 18" is a factor, that and footings are stepped to avoid excessive excavation and brick work. What do you do at the grade line to prevent your brick ledge from showing? What I see on residential and light commercial construction sites in our area is soil being back-filled against 3 - 4 course of brick. As for the flashing you are correct sir it should, my screen capture is a higher resolution than it actually prints, I have never noticed it before. Thak you again for your insights. Ricky

Hey guys! I have a "Foundation alignment Issue" every time I use brick or stone on a house. I figure there is a setting, or wall type, or something I'm missing and this one is driving me nuts! What I want to happen is shown on my footing.png file. I want the brick to rest on the footing and extend up the foundation wall aligning with the brick above. What happens instead is the brick is stopping at the floor level, and the CMU wall is aligning to the brick above. What am I missing? foundation issue.plan