VHampton

Thanks Michael... agreed that this has been one of the best threads in a long time. On a side, your prompts for maintaining accuracy with the AI work are stellar. Thanks for sharing them.

I’ve been testing this workflow on a few current projects. The speed is impressive. For example most of these took under a minute to generate. The biggest issue I ran into early on was losing control of the architecture… windows shifting, proportions drifting, etc. What made the difference was tightening up the prompt with clear constraints: – Preserve exact architecture – Do not modify structure, openings, or proportions – Enhance lighting, materials, and environment only Once those guardrails were in place, the results became much more reliable. Sharing a few before/afters here.

Thanks for clarifying this, Eric. I’ve edited my reply accordingly. It was a reasonable assumption that the searches might have been clocked as Google searches, which could explain where the ads were coming from.

The more likely explanation isn’t that Chief Architect is “selling” information, but that the web searches in the library browser may trigger an interaction with a search engine — possibly Google — which could be a plausible reason why the ads are showing up.

True — the snail’s pace of a remote server is not for the faint of heart.Patience is a virtue. ...except at work, where time = money and lag = rage.

Buy a PC and use the iMac(s) to connect to it remotely. This war’s been raging for decades, but there can be peace — a happy medium between staying loyal to what you love and embracing the cold, efficient world of Windows. For around $1,000, you can pick up a pretty decent Windows based machine and stash it in the basement like a server troll. Mac on top, PC underworld. Everyone wins.

It's probably a layer setting. Are both plan views being displayed with the same layer set options? First check and see if you've got 2 different layer designations. If so... Look for "Rooms" and see what the numerical value is.

You're running an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU — more than powerful enough — but Chief may still prioritize CPU or RAM in PDF generation. Make sure: Dedicated GPU is selected for Chief (not integrated). Try running in Performance Mode under NVIDIA Control Panel. Fixes & Workarounds That Helped Others with new versions where the camera dpi is set to 600 by default: Drop DPI temporarily (e.g., try 300 or 400) to test speed impact — sometimes 600 DPI just chokes the export buffer. Switch camera views to vector (as you did) or even tech line drawing style to reduce GPU processing demands. Observations & Potential Causes: Standard rendering views (especially with shadows, ambient occlusion, or PBR lighting settings) can be memory-intensive during PDF output — even more so at 600 DPI. X17 may be struggling with raster-to-vector translation or texture memory buffering during PDF compilation. Since it worked fine in the beta, it's possible something changed in the PDF rendering pipeline in the final build (maybe a bug, or different optimization).

Poly-line solid over the slab is the best way. Integrate the Chief made slab when drawing the solid for Cross Sectional views.

That’s a great question, and a prompt to name the backup at the time of export could go a long way. Even better if it auto-fills with a base name that includes the project title, date, and maybe an optional tag (like “layouts only” or “final set”). This would give users instant context later without needing to open the file just to see what’s inside.

Hey Gene, It really depends on the agreement—and whether interior work is part of it. Sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done, even if it leans more toward interior design than architecture. Chief has the tools to handle just about anything, as shown here. It really comes down to how deep you want to go, and whether the client has paid for and expects that level of service.

This looks like a rendering issue in the Layout view, where the arrowhead fill overlaps the callout circle until it's manually refreshed. It's unlikely to be a hardware problem—more likely a display or redraw glitch within Chief. To minimize the risk before printing: Try toggling zoom levels or pan slightly to force a redraw. Select all callouts on the page and open/close their properties to refresh them. Always use Print Preview as a final check—it tends to show what will actually print. If it persists, report it to Chief Architect support with your image—they may be able to patch it in a future update. Definitely worth catching before sending jobs to ARCH E.

You're very welcome Gene. With the latest releases they now have very good informational videos!

Yes — Chief Architect X17 does support editing newel placement in railings. In fact, the feature was introduced in version X16 and continues into X17: You can manually move individual newel posts in plan, elevation, or camera views using the Move Newels edit tool, allowing you to reposition them along or offset from the railing You can also add or delete newels with the Add Newel and Delete Newel secondary tools, or restore the default layout using Reset Newels Plus, X17’s feature set highlights include improved control and manual positioning of railing and deck newels So if you're running X17, just select your railing, click Move Newels, and you'll see edit handles for each newel. From there, you can drag them to your desired locations. You also have temporary dimension lines to lock in precise spacing if needed.

I see your point, Renne — and you make a good case for the benefits. For someone building out from scratch or looking for a faster way to manage templates and versions, I can see how the new system shines. That said, I still like my own setup — maybe it’s just old habits. Honestly, this feels a bit like being asked to drive on the left side of the road when you’re so used to the right. We’re still getting to the same destination; it just feels unfamiliar.