VHampton

You can always download a texture and reassign the default grass to take on the properties of the image import. As a long term Chief user, I keep a separate folder which is filled with a variety of textures that the program may not readily provide. Save the new jpg or bmp in your new folder, open up the plan file with a 3d overview, and click on the grass with the rainbow tool. That's where you can change the texture file by navigating to the new folder. Here are tons of samples...Just click and "save image as". https://www.google.com/search?q=grass+textures&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE4qGo2I7XAhUGPiYKHc19CE0QsAQIJQ&biw=1414&bih=865 Alternatively, as far as changing the existing grass color... you can use the same "rainbow" icon to click on the texture, and change the color to a darker or richer green if you don't like the shade.

That's exactly why...Eight foot pre-cuts are common in every US lumberyard. 97-3/8ths allows for 3/4" flooring and 1/2" or 5/8" Sheetrock at the ceiling.

Same problem with the viewer. Except my project is much larger, with over 2.5 million surfaces. Here is how we solved it... Send your plan file to the client using WeTransfer (it's free and can forward up to 2Gb of information). Have your client download the Trial Version of Chief Architect. I would recommend doing a "back up" of the entire file to a zip folder at first, so that all of the textures are associated with the plan file when your client goes to open it for the first time. After that, you will only need to send the plan file by itself.

Thanks for the tip Jared. By far this has to be the best way to use a template page without undoing the numerical ordering system. Since template sheets will "associate" with any given page inside the set... it makes total sense to keep them at the very end.

This is really helpful Joe! Never knew that this feature ever existed. I can immediately see the benefit. Brilliant. ...I'm almost glad that my woes about template sheets started this thread! I've never once read that manual, and still have no idea what a ruby is. But I can draw with the best of them. Lol Thank you. ...I am going to try out the numbering system as well, The way you guys set up your layout sheets makes total sense.

This makes perfect sense. I have a unique system which is similar...As each Non-Architectural Plan becomes part of the set... I keep the page numbers associated with the layout numbers, but then we throw in the S1, S2, S3, or E1, E2, E3 alongside the sheet numbers. That way we can just say to the builder... look at page 30 for example, and there they find the structurals or electricals. The double template page is definitely quite organized, but the set gets all wonky (for me anyway). I got frustrated when I couldn't print ages 1 through 15 in the print dialogue box because this sheets were not in sync with the layout. By way of example, having three template pages made page one actually page three, It was just weird, and change can be hard to get used to when someone else has their own way to skin the cat. Keep it simple has been my method, and old dogs sometimes get set in their ways. Thank you for explaining though. I do see the benefit.

Thanks to you both for the quick replies. Solver, you are absolutely correct...the template page can be deleted once you find and destroy anything associated with it. I managed to kill off page two by locating some cad details tied into. ....Could not do this for the third template page unfortunately. The solution was to simply send it to the back of the set. Still don't understand why anyone would make more than one template sheet. It creates quite a mess unless I am missing something. Thanks again.

Thanks very much for having a look! The template pages can be opened via the dialogue box, but they won't delete. It's really strange. If you uncheck the tab for a page to revert back to a regular sheet, it won't budge. Wiill give this a try in the morning and let you know how it goes. ...why the darn page won't just vanish after checking the box in the screen capture has been a mystery. No wonder they call you the solver! Thanks very much.

Hello all, I had hired a fellow user to help with a set of Construction documents. A long story short, he created three template pages. I only want one. Page zero. This way all of the numbers in the set will correspond to the page numbers on the layout. This has been slightly frustrating, as the template pages can not be deleted. Is there a trick to this? The draftsman I hired said that he did not know how. Now I have to manually add the page numbers as the set grows. If you insert a new page, every number in the set bumps up to the next sheet. And back to the manual page numbering system. Thanks. - Val

There is no so thing as a dumb question. ...Most fellow user are more than happy to oblige. In fact, it's quite incredible to see the generous display of assistance which invariably arises when a new user needs to get a better grasp of something. Wendy... you may have added that one should be forewarned that posting an image or plan is encouraged to garner a response by some of the first responders. Just as the Grinch had a very good heart when all was said and done, so do the bridge trolls, even if they give you a good kick in the shin before sharing their wisdom. lol

You can use polyline solids for the pool walls, as well as the water. The attached may not be perfect, but it's pretty close.

You're almost there! Make a poly-solid for the siding... with a "hole" to allow the tilted window to show through. Do the same on the interior for the sheetrock. ...on a side note, I always do an edit and cut...then place the polylines up on the attic level where they don't mess up the floor plan.

This was not an upgrade issue it seems. It turns out that a far away object in the plan view can cause shadow glitches on the model. The only remedy is to search out whatever is off by its lonesome on the far reaches of the drawing.

Yes ...the good old days. Before the golden archive parachute was invented! After all these years, I still use the letter Z as the safety net. (No control plus another key.) There aren't too many words in our business with a z in them. ....just tap on it fifteen minutes or so. Old habits die hard!

A few weeks ago, I was having at least a crash an hour, thinking that it was the video card... The auto archives saved nothing!! Kind of scary. So I got in the habit of saving every five minutes with a hotkey. A long story short, I discovered that it was an "apphang" problem with Windows. Not sure if this is your situation Larry, but if it crashes again, have a look and see why. This screen shot is what I ran through to clear the problem, and knock on wood, it has not crashed since. On a side note, I wonder how many users have experienced crashes, only to find that the Auto Save is not archiving the file (after a crash).

You can always go to your auto archives, pull up an old copy and just delete half of the plan. This gives you a better sense to see how it behaves after being chopped in half. There could be a quirk in there that you may not realize. (CAD fill) has been known to bog down a plan. Be careful of using too much concrete or sand. Although this may not be your issue, it's a quirk which can be seen when exporting a CAD file, or when trying to open up a pdf. I recent drew a volleyball court, and gave it a tight fill style using granular sand. The pdf just spun endlessly as it tried to open the drawing. Try the surgical plan reduction method on an archived copy for a speed test. There very well could be an object that's causing an issue....

Thanks Perry. I thought pretty much the same thing. Updating every single viewport in real time, is probably asking way too much of the graphics card. This is a good solution, and I will definitely give it a shot. ...it's probably time to buy a new desktop anyway...

Not to get off subject... but I usually keep at least a dozen or more 3d camera views (in layout) set as always update... A long story short, Chief crashes, or should I say, locks up very often, and it never auto save the plan (only the layout) Never happened in X8 . It always happens after rapid fire changes or zooming in and out. ....Graphics card is up to date, and has plenty of memory.

Awesome Bill.... and Thank You!

Hi all, Have never used 3 x 12's and don't think that we ever will. .... I have been making my own CAD arrows and text for years, and thought that there has to be a better way to create a typical TJI designation. There must be a setting somewhere to adjust the default joist label, but I can't seem to locate. Thank you in advance!

I use live elevation on perspective views. It works great. ....meaning no noticeable slow down. Just a hunch, but maybe live elevations work much faster all depending on what kind of view was sent to the layout. Standard Camera (colors and textures) seem very fast, if not immediate. Line drawings or Vector View ...agreed, not fast. Maybe because the drawing process involves assembling a much greater number of lines and shapes.

I use this all the time Larry. It's a great feature, but as you pointed out, the process isn't exactly something that you want to sit around and watch. I usually hit the update tab, get up from the desk, and find something to do for half an hour.

Thanks Joe. Will do. I've wasted enough time trying to be my own exterminator. It's time to call in the experts.

I figured the same. It's strange because it only shows up in a layout view. Regular camera shadows are fine.

Has anyone seen this?