jtcapa1

Looks like laser devices are getting better and better.  One device called VH-80A, has auto calibration, level, angle, volume and being a Bilateral laser distance meter, you can quickly get wall to wall, and ceiling heights without bending down to the floor! Anybody try a device like this?

I'm trying to puzzle out why the 3d interior camera view will not show the "poles" (posts) except in 3d framing view?

My wall type has nothing on the interior surface, how can I get the inside 3d view to look more like the framing view?

On 8/31/2023 at 6:45 PM, MPhillips said:

The part I really like is that the HVAC plans have to be done to the stage of specifying the exact equipment (to the model number) on the plans and I am also now having to add an appliance list showing the approved energy star appliances that will be installed.  Alll prior to issuance of the permit to construct

That does not sound right. Your in Walla Walla, where everything is almost over the counter on napkins.  What happened?

I'd make it more custom, as the expensive modern stair you drew requires something just as unique.

I just left mine open, and pushed the closet to a sidewall.

Thanks Jacob.  It is a decent work-around.

I would suggest we need a few more tools in the window specification dialog box.

This one is in a growing list of previous requests.

Where do you suggest we post our desires so the team can add them into the magic black box?

On 7/31/2023 at 10:58 PM, Renerabbitt said:

slowly glances dermot's way

Very clever out of the box thinking Nikiley!  I like it.  Just another window treatment.

Allows us designers to be more creative.

This is where Chief needs to step in and generate a more powerful parametric or AI tool that can do that work for us!

I want to stop Chief Architect from putting in a mullion or casing trim when I pull two windows close together.

I would like it to look like the real world condition when there is no exterior casing, and siding between.

Chief will automatically put trim in when they get within 7" of each other!! 

Maybe I am missing a setting?

What is a bit scary is the ability of an AI that has full access to the internet or specific databases to big for us to search.

There is the young Architect who published a YouTube video on head to head designing a 3d image for a specific hillside lot.

She worked her design (took many hours) and the AI worked its design (took many seconds)  Her design was much more specific to the lot and owners design sense, but the AI can regenerate an infinite about of possible 'looks' in seconds.

This might be a good tool for us designers, but would only confuse most clients.

True, that CA could incorporate a new tool to better convert a full PDF set of 2d plans into a 3d model, but that may still be years away.  They seem to have dropped their support and work on the CAD lines to walls and windows feature since it creates more problems than it solves.

I've had this problem about 3 times a year.  Just often enough to forget the solution.  Mainly because it is not real obvious, although logical if you are a power user.

In a rush to change exterior wall textures, I will use the camera-paint option (bad). Or I will use the rainbow tool and force a change for that wall type (semi-bad) or I will open that walls specification dialog box and monkey around with the texture (semi-bad).

All of these tend to "uncheck" a very important box, nested down inside the default settings.  Then the problems appear when you want to make more changes.  So I call SAS staff to get the answer and I wanted to publish the steps here for others and myself, when I forget again.

No. It was a DEC mini, but we did have some calcomp components.  What we liked was the whopping 10mb bernoulli removable drive.

AI is moving at breakneck speed, just like skynet, but in this case it would be a real money and time saver if you could get AI to link with CA and draft over a PDF plan set, taking a 2d set and making a 3d model.   Can we have that please?  Then you can launch nuclear weapons and wipe out all humans.

On a side note, as I spend hours drafting over my latest PDF plan set, I'm noticing how much more information we now have to provide in our permit packages.  Compared to the 10 year old PDF 2d plan sets I import, I'm shocked at how little information we provided.  Especially with contractor sets.   Less was truly more.

6 minutes ago, Joe_Carrick said:

The first version by AutoCAD was demonstrated at the 1982 Comdex and released that December.  This was the first CAD software that worked on an IBM PC which wasn't available until August 1981 - and even then only with a couple of 160 KB Floppy Drives

 

The earliest you could have had AutoCAD was December of 1982.

 

It was a loooong time ago Joe, and I did not double check the dates with Google.  I only remember I had recently graduated from Architecture school full of bright new idea's.  I do remember the goofy IBM PC and a Heath Zenith user built PC, I also remember those amazing floppy disks and drives.  Only reason we had it was the Heath/Zenith user club met in our office up in Alaska, so we had these funny nerds gathering and nerding out on the new operating systems like HDOS and CP/M, then the various cards they could get for adding memory or floppy drives.  I only wish I had listened to those nerds and invested all my money in the recent OS startup called MicroSoft.  These nerds seemed to think it was inferior to their favorites OS. I don't think any of them became super rich.   It was a crazy and amazing time for early adopters of CAD.  We instead, invested in a mini-computer workstation for about $70,000.  It worked great but only lasted about 4 years before we switched back to Autocad.

Well this is good to know.  Your panos look great from inside or outside, but it is still a lot of work for little reward.

Like trying to do a maximum bench press.  Might impress a few people looking on, but less so as they call 911 when you blow out your shoulder.

On 7/17/2023 at 12:14 PM, EDCsharon said:

I am in utter shock and appreciation at 1981! That is the very nascent stage of autoCAD. I remember plotting lines with points back when I learned. Can you imaging doing this now! There is a level of appreciation knowing the vector software from the beginnings. So it does afford us a little bit of knowledge. 

Being in sales, design and production, time was valuable and I remember the older Architects in our office making a pronouncement after looking over my shoulder at ACAD version 1; "it will never go any where..."  ;-) I thought so too at the time, as personal computers were still just a novelty, not destine to go any where either.

10 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

Alternatively you can model a site and render it out realistically as a pano. Which is what I have done on a few of my backdrops.

Do you have a video showing how to do that?

I'd like to do custom on-site client specific panoramic backdrops for each project.  But, I'm not sure what are the best settings or method for capturing a good 360 shot on-site.

Anybody do this?  Can you share your tips and tricks?

Hey Rene,

Those full backdrops are wonderful, and I'd like to know how we can take those pictures ourselves?  When I do a site visit, I've always taken pictures of the Front, Back, Sides, and view to use in CA, but they are not the surround kind.  What do I need to know when trying to take a panorama on site??

As another older user who started on Autocad 1.0 waaaay back in 1981?, I got used to working with it using the tools which kept getting updated at a furious pace, much like CA.

I applaud you in making this change to CA and trying to pound into your worn out bag of new tricks, a better and faster way to get your projects finalized.  The older I get the harder it is for me to keep emptying out my old bag on tricks, and stuff new ones inside.  Like most old dog's, I get used to working this program in previously learned ways.   So I feel inspired to see people like me (older, former, ACAD users) take on learning something new.  Everything they are saying here makes sense, and is worth trying to work into my own workflow.

So where is your fancy 3d mouse Rene?

The Atlas OS is touted by LTT's as a great way to speed up your system for 'gaming', and CA's PBR kind of falls into that arena.

Has anybody tried running Atlas stripped down OS yet?  It is scary with all the security and updates turned off, but I like where they are going with this freeware program.

Might try it on my home computer first,  which is a basic older system that is slowing down with all the Windows 10 bloatware.

Thoughts or comments?

1 hour ago, plannedRITE said:

Sure, here is a screenshot-

Wow, that is a lot of visual space! Do you need to adjust your font sizes so you can read all the menu's?

14 minutes ago, plannedRITE said:

Man, you are missing out. Hop on the 21:10 curved ultrawide bandwagon and never look back!

Can you post a screen shot of Chief running on that one?

Seems like having 38" would stretch things, but you also have two flanking monitors.

I've got a 55" 4k monitor on my standing desk, so I rotate sitting and standing every hour.

I do like not having to strain to see details.  I'm going to have to rethink my setup now.

Rene, what is with the tetris wall decoration?

Love seeing everyone's setup. Now I don't feel so odd with my 4 monitors taking up my whole office