jtcapa1

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really tired of using the laser measuring device with paper and pencil. Since I know nothing about tablets and don't really want one, I spoke to tech support and the every helpful Nigel told me that a Surface type windows based 2-1 type machine, "if it can run Chief Architect, will also work with the Distro". So I decided to pull the trigger on an inexpensive Woot purchased Asus Transformer T100 ultrabook. The detachable screen is 10", very thin, and light, it also meets the bare minimums to run CA. So with fingers crossed, I also bought the $150 Disto and pray that the three things will work for doing my field measuements. I'll keep you guys informed. This system is as cheap, if not cheaper than a powerful tablet, plus it allows you to bypass the Room Planner App and input information directly into CA. We shall see!

Is anybody using this software for as-built dimensions? I'm thinking of taking the plunge, but cannot decided on the right Android pad, that will communicate with the Bluetooth Laser. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Jon, Can you give us a bit more information on this Texture site? What is the benefit and cost of using these? I have rare occasion for extra textures which CA does not have, and have created a special file for these, but I'm always interested in finding more like the site you listed. Can you give some user feedback?

I'm new to tablets and if I get this it would be strictly for "as-built" dimensions. I'm still using a laser and paper! So what tablets will this work on? Getting confused by the 2gb ram issue and the Bluetooth "LE" as the specs on tablets don't often say what version of Bluetooth they have installed. Anybody know which Android tablets this APP will work on??

Also please post how to turn that into a panel so we can experiment with other options. Good job.

Any of your talent CA user know of a way to mix and match balusters in railings? My client sent me some picture idea's which look cool but I'm restricted not by the choice of symbols in our CA library, but by the single railing choice for balusters. Can't come up with a simple work around yet. Any idea's would be appreciated. And this is the actual model...

I notice Ben Palmer comment about the check box for printing in color, and his lament concerning this as a new default in X7. I'm wondering if I'm alone in taking advantage of the lower cost to print in color, and if anyone else creates permit/construction documents in full color? I've been doing it ever since my print house brought a large scale color printer about 5 years ago. I know it is not AIA or CSI standards to print in color, but I don't really care. I like the way it makes the drawings easier to read rather than just depending upon line weights and grey scale screening. CA does such a fine job of rendering color, it just makes sense to create final documents in color too.

Thanks Ben, Looks like they are now aware of the transparency problem so hopefully it will be solved in an update or in the next release. As to the color check box, I'm going to open a new thread as you pose and interesting comment about printing in color.

Here is the answer from CA's tech support ticket people: John - When I follow your instructions, and add the transparency fill to the plan - and then send to layout, I can reproduce it every time. I will forward this issue to our Development Staff; hopefully they can get it fixed. In the interim, the 'Save as PDF' option will work. Like you, I have been using PDF995 for a long time, so it's critical that we make this and other PDF drivers work. Hopefully, we can get this fixed ASAP. Thank you- Nigelk

I'll do that. Other than that, I'd say my question was answered successfully! Thanks everyone for all your help.

Well I finally found the "SAVE as PDF" in the destination Print dialog box, right at the top. It was fast and worked great! I hate to ask how long that has been there! Anyway it worked great and the problem is gone! Thanks Doug for the explanation. Obviously it is a glitch in the 3rd party PDF printer driver software. SheetA7_SavePDF.pdf

I've got very little in the Layout layer dialog box, I've tried turning the few I had on, off, and turning off those that don't have the red + sign.

Well I tried upping the DPI to 1200 and the problem is just as evident for me. Since there is no internal PDF printer like the useful 3d party ones. How do I "save to PDF"?

I'll try the internal PDF printer provided by CA and see if it goes away. I'll post my results. It was on every page of the layout btw.

Drat, I've never looked to see if CA added a good internal pdf printer. I'll have to give that a try.

It is subtle, Like a 25% screen over a portion, if you zoom in 100% you'll see it.

That is my issue, I've not found anything in the template. It seems like there is something there but I cannot find it. It only appears on printing, not on the image on the computer before creating the PDF

I've been having an issue with creating PDF's ever since VX7 came out. It is very annoying. Only way I can describe it is like there is an invisible box over only a portion of the sheet layout and it is causing the layout image on the sheet to look like part of it is being screened. I've searched and searched to see if I've got something on Layer 0, but I cannot find a thing. I've update PDF995 and that did not help. Has anyone else run across this problem?? I've attached a typical D sized sheet showing this anomaly. SheetA7_Roof_Framing.pdf

I so often need to stretch my entire 3d model, all floors all items in either the X or Y direction. Man I wish there was something like that.

Can you explain how that first landing/tread is created with a Volute? You guys tend to skip over the basic key to creating these things.

Glenn came up with the cleanest way to do it while we wait for CA to work it into the railing dialog menu. "This is easy to do with railings. Build you deck to the correct size and make the railing Invisible. Draw another rail outside the deck and configure it how you want (no shoe, etc) and make it No Room Def. In elevation, select the rail and uncheck railing to make it a plain wall (you need to do this because you can't drag the bottom of the wall down if it is a rail). Drag the bottom of the rail down past the deck. Make it a rail again. The beauty of making it from a rail is that it is easy to modify balusters, newels, spacings, heights, handrail, etc." Here is the end result for a recent project of mine: Last edited by Glenn Woodward; 07-09-2012 at 07:21 AM.

Thanks, for the life of me searching I could not find it. Sometimes my search engine skills really suck.

I'm pretty slow when it comes to this tweak of the black and white elevation views having heavier line weights as shown by the above people. So I take a standard "elevation camera view" and I turn on my Layer set and annoset for elevations. In the annoset dialog for layer control we then turn on just want we want for elevations, but to get the line weights we then adjust things like "roof planes" to a thicker line weight? but I don't see the layer name for roof hatching to turn that to a grey tone? I do for walls and wall hatching. Although the line weight ends up light for roof hatching, I'm just not sure how that happened. I see I've got that wall hatching confused with the plan view interior hatching. So I'm not sure how to set line weights in elevation views. Could someone do a screen shot of the dialog box to show and example of changing to the roof and walls?