VHampton

Thanks for the message Ron. It's helpful to hear that it's not just a quirk on my machine alone. The failure for the RayTrace engine to start could be just about anything, including a simple NVidia setting. ....And again, by no means did I post my bush fix as a way for others to follow. Windows 7 is like having an old car, where you can get under the hood and do a bit of tinkering if you know what you're doing. ...Anyway, problem solved, even if it's not recommended!

Totally agree Brian. But I finally had to do my own troubleshooting after exhausting each and every step. For what it's worth, the RayTracing results are equal to, if not better than the X8 release. Very crisp. However unorthodox a fix this this may have been, I agree not to try this without the understanding that it could backfire. It's still much better than getting an error message though. My computer is only 12 months old and it's definitely not a hardware deficiency. Have lots of ram, and 4gigs on a video card. This alone should run circles around most laptop set ups ....thank you very much for looking into this. Like you said, don't try this at home.

It's a faulty program install. Hopefully an easy fix. I'll stop whining in about 15 min.

Thanks Graham. This is good to know. According to the lengthy troubleshooting checklist which I followed, apparently if all else fails, it's an anti-virus setting. This seems seems strange, because X8 works just fine. Things that make you go hmmm?

Thanks again Perry. It's only been a few weeks since the beta download. Sorry to sound like a teen age girl. Will look into the 745 and see what's up with that. Appreciate your time.

I'm glad that you haven't. Thanks again though. My video card is a GeForceGTX745 with 4 gigabytes of muscle. ie...4G Oh well. Back to X8. ....This latest version only seems to have stair rail options, and so far, ...that's all I can see, other than the camera settings and line work options are more intricate. ...Not so sure that the beta upgrade is worth the hassle, especially when this kind of stuff happens.

Thanks Perry. I went to update the driver and Windows deemed it up to date. I may be wrong. For whatever reason X8 can spew out Ray Traces like nobodies business. X9 is still a mystery.

Hi All, The new version has a glitch when attempting to Ray Trace even something as simple as four walls and a base cabinet. Have tried all the possible fixes and it won't get past go. Anyone else? Is there a setting somewhere? Thanks in advance. Val

Awesome. Thank you! You guys rock. Am very glad to see this. The pool water looks incredible when it has a reflective quality. Was getting nervous about starting a new house with the beta, but so far it's rock solid. ...Just need to figure out where the new features are hiding. I did not see the other thread, so thank you for taking time to point this out!!

This may be premature, since X9 is still in beta version. But mirrored textures are not available. I always use mirrored slabs for swimming pools. This is an awesome feature of X8, and I would really hate to see this not make it into 9. It seems that the preferences options between each version are somewhat different, so with any luck this is just a beta version issue.

if it can be built, it can be drawn, There's nothing that the program can't make. Post the plan and we will ultimately generate a ten page thread about why everyone has a different work-around. More importantly... You'll also get your answer!

My community reputation is apparently neutral. so therefore I must be a Swiss member. That said, you have now been bolstered to 12 points and are well on your way to being in with the in crowd.

When it comes to any large plan files....Turn off the undo re-do feature in your general preferences. The plan should operate with zero lag time. If you feel the need to be indecisive, keep the "un-do's" down to one.

Thanks to everyone! Really appreciate the quick replies, and tips on the separate text style. Never once read the manuals, which always made for very good paperweights. Have a great weekend, and all the best in the holiday season!

Is there a setting somewhere to change the layout sheet text (for the viewport)? The deafult style is what it is, and for the past umpteen years, I just suppress the label, and type in the text. Thank you in advance if anyone has a quick answer.

Thanks guys. That's what I thought. I have always used the sizes on elevations, and then add my own text callout for window number. Guess that the dual call out for the plans and elevations will need to go in the suggestion box. Much appreciated. All the best, Val

Are window labels in elevation and plan view able to show both the Call-out and the sizes? Since using the schedule, only the call out appears. Thanks in advance for any guidance. Much appreciated, Val

The one problem I've always had with dormer walls is that they show up in plan view just like Samson drew. When you draw the actual dormer wall, it migrates into the room and gets confusing in plan view. The "fake wall" using polyline solids works in those conditions where you need the wall to show in 3D but not on your floor plan. Using two different poly-line solids, you can have one with siding and one with sheetrock (interior and ext.) I hide the solids on the attic level so that they don't show up in the floor plan drawing.

Johnny's idea, ...but less post modern.

Thank you. At the risk of sounding like one of those power users who makes up work-arounds, the program can make pretty much any shape you can think of. I still don't what a Ruby is though, so I guess I'm safe.

Looks great. I was going to suggest making this thing by using the roof tool, using uneven hips, 1 inch thick rafters (no ridge caps and no gutters of course) Place the flue pipe ontop, and convert the whole thing into a symbol. You got it though. Nicely done.

I make yearly Desktop folders for "Chief Drawing files". It's easy to navigate from year to year on various projects this way. The "Archive" folder is intended for resurrecting an old file in case you need to open up a drawing from a previous save. You'll see a whole bunch of both plan files and layout files stored in here. They are basically your safety net in the event of a crash. Archived plans are saved in your Documents folder (Chief Architect X8) along with the core libraries, textures, patterns and everything else. There's really no need to go poking through there unless you have to. Regarding embedded images in your plans...you can make a project folder for each drawing file, and save your information there. Just a thought... It's easy to keep things simple with a basic organizational method.

Agreed with Johnny's method. Case the window as usual, and place a rosette with enough thickness to cover the molding. You can get many things at the 3d warehouse.... Just download the object, and the drag it into you floor plan. (If you have two screens this is a very easy process to drag from your desktop monitor straight into you chief monitor). https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=u1965f32a-e608-477e-9e9f-dec95d9fbddc

Awesome work. Thank you for sharing! I've been using slabs (with a mirrored property texture) on top of the pool terracing. (X8 now allows for mirrors to show up in non RayTrace views.) It looks very nice for renderings, but yours is over the top!