VHampton

EDIT... So again thank you everyone for taking a look. The culprit was finally chased down. As it turns out, this is not an X-15 plan issue w/ X-16. The house has a stone terrace with foundation walls. (Those outer foundation walls had "room definition".) By unchecking "room definition" for the terrace foundation, the exterior walls on the back of the house went back to normal behavior. (Meaning that they can now be aligned using the Align Wall tool.) Posting this for anyone in the future in case they come across this condition. Many thanks for offering to assist and for your time!! It is greatly appreciated.

Thank you Gene. I re-uploaded. The plan file is way over the limit. The upload works now. ...again, If I could only change the current foundation walls without having to rebuild the foundation.

Thanks Rene... I reset the defaults for the foundation. The walls are aligning correctly now. I'm afraid to do a reset defaults or rebuild the foundation after doing over a year of work on it. I may have to experiment and see if that's possible. Foundation & Wall.plan

Just recently, I noticed a plan where the foundation alignment is placing the foundation to the center of the 2 x 6 framing above. The main layer designations are correct. The foundation defaults were reset as well. Any help would be appreciated. In the first attachment, I made a 16" wide foundation wall (to show how obvious the center placement) is after using the Align Wall Tool.

Have you tried ARCAT? They've been around for very long time. Every product manufacturer has a free detail available for download. You may find something where it can be adapted accordingly. https://www.arcat.com/company/mortar-net-solutions-34325/cad

CA always has sample plans on the Home page. Not that they may be relevant to your project, but there's really helpful information, as well as some nicely detailed kitchens and baths. Check out a few of the plans and layouts for some boiler plate details and notes. Good stuff you will find there.

As mentioned the spike is temporary. The FEMA elevation certificate is the final word, and the pin no longer serves a purpose. ...unless monitoring the tree growth holds any interest.

Question... what layer is the color coding on? A.) If the color coding was made with room fill... then that's easy enough to toggle on and off. The layer is "Rooms". B.) If the colors were made with poly-lines (CAD, Default) then you may not want to turn off the primary CAD layer. Place them all on a new layer. Call it "CAD, Color Code" or whatever suits. Turn off that layer for the MEP layout.

Totally agree Eric. The manufacturer catalogues are excellent, and many times the files don't involve multiple surface counts. The OP doesn't have a signature with version, so it's hard to say if he can even download... but to your point, the digital locker is the best place. The 3D Warehouse is apparently endorsed by CA for various items, and sometimes that source has some pretty neat things... including real world cars. @Gawdzira thank you. lol.

Try here... A trusted source for .skp files. https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search/models?q=chaise+lounges&hl=en Scroll down the page. They've got some good ones. Nice and simple. Or you can use this one: Chaise_Lounge.skp

Interesting... In looking at both issues, they've got the same running bond. What happens if the pattern gets changed? Maybe try opening an archived plan and layout. It's easy to copy and paste them onto the Desktop for quick exploration. Changing the siding pattern to something else. If it doesn't act up... that's a good sign. Use a different brick pattern rather than the basic running bond w/o grout joints.

Glad that worked out Brian... ....and yes, there are indeed more ways to make this happen as per Perry. Hope you that have both have really great Father's Day - All the best!

You can indeed copy and paste a toolbar - and/or the entire Toolbar folder. Drop it into the Chief Architect Premier X14 Data folder. Once that takes place... open the version that you're working with (X-14) Go to > Toolbars ----> Customize Toolbars ----> Configurations. The Import tab will navigate to the primary Data folder where the newly imported version can be selected. Import the new one. Good luck... It should be relatively easy. ...There may be other methods, but this one works well.

What happens when you open TM without bringing in a model? If everything looks smooth... it's not the software. Possible issue... your model may be undergoing some Z fighting. Materials can bleed through one another if they're paper thin. Secondly... a model which doesn't have a close relationship to the point of origin (0-0) can result in z fighting as well. Try this... Take a 3D perspective overview in Chief. Turn off terrain. Get rid of any cars or 3D stuff which you won't need. Then make the .dae model for export.

As an option... if the older computer is still functional, load V10 on that system. Do a remote connect from your new computer. It's kind of like having a Cloud based server, but with an old school machine. In terms of the 64 bit vs. 32 bit, that could be the issue. Until then... sharing is pretty easy to set up.

The top windows were placed first. Frame at the corner glass is set to "Mitered" The bottom windows were placed second. Frame on the corner unit has a "Post". When you say join... you mean placed close together vs. "mull" correct? Nothing should be joined - aka mulled on the corner units (top to bottom) in case that's what was going on. Hope this helps. Plan is attached. All the best. Untitled 1.plan

Agreed that it's not quite clear on the issue. That said... Toolbars can inexplicably "lose" certain tools. Particularly with X-15. A factory reset solve issues, provided that loss of any customization isn't a concern. The switch method however (to a backup) ensures that a personalized setting won't be lost.

Please excuse... meant to give a more detailed reply. The toolbar which seems to have gone amiss is your layout toolbar. The back up is there. A good sign. With the Layout page open, right click on the toolbar and select the Customize Toolbars option. When that dialogue box opens, go to Configurations. There you will find the option to Switch To the back up. If the Extended Tool Configuration Backup is working as it should, that's a great sign. You'll be back in business. Make a copy of it so that if this happens again, you'll have another spare. The one which went haywire can be removed. Here's how to switch as well as examples of multiple backups... Hope it works out.

Check the toolbars. Toggle to another one and see if those missing icons come back. If they do reappear... then the default toolbar lost a few tools. Suggestion... do you have a back up of the Chief X-15 data files? Or go straight to that folder (usually stored in your Document Files) Look for the back up toolbar, and see if you can switch out the wonky tool bar with the archived version. That could fix the glitch.

Last observation... and in total agreement with John. Main Layer is typically the way to calculate living space, less the stair holes. Living area is typically (frame to frame) in most municipalities. In other words, concrete to concrete dimensions. The plan should be set to Main Layer "Building Coverage" is the frame + the plywood and shingles. The inclusion of 1/2" plywood + 3/4" of siding (or shingles) will skew the Living area, but it's accurate in terms of "lot coverage". This equals Surface Layer. ecode is a nationwide standard in almost every building department. There may be zoning restrictions being applied towards the house size in relationship to the lot size. For example... The intent of GFA (gross floor area) regulations is to reduce mass and scale. A half acre parcel may not be suitable for a 4,000 square foot house because it could be in conflict with "character of the neighborhood". The local zoning may involve a formula where you can only have 3,000 sq feet. Small details like this are often crucial to be aware of depending on where you're working. In addition, in some municipalities, they may or may not count double height spaces. If they do, they might only count ceilings only greater than 15 feet in height. This is why that Main Layer tab is essential. When in doubt... concrete to concrete poly-lines as John shared is the best answer.

Thanks Doug. Chief Architect is certainly capable of building just about anything. And you’re welcome LD. That’s quite interesting about your project, because that’s exactly the timeframe when those slanted glass walls were quite popular. The TWA terminal at JFK airport is not too far away. (From the Worlds Fairgrounds that is.) The architecture at that time was incredibly cutting edge, and influenced many trends. …This is still probably one the coolest building ever. Anyway, glad to have been of help. I can’t think of any other way to achieve the result with the exception of 3D solids …which would still be kind of tricky, since the facets are hard to make and join for a tilted wall section. Maybe when the Z versions come out, they’ll have a tilted wall option available. …All the best!

Chief doesn't draw sloped walls... however Chief can draw roof planes. Suggestion... Draw an exterior wall and make it invisible. Draw the roof planes with a very steep negative pitch. Add skylights to the steep roof sections for the "windows". Use a 3D molding poly-line for the sill. After the first roof plane is created, the process should be easy. Edit... The attached plan file may be of help. (2) roof slope options. (-77 in 12) as well as a positive slope (33 in 12). It's a start... The roof structure can be made thicker as necessary, but the general concept is there. Untitled 1.plan

For the initial post... In terms of missing toolbars, usually closing the program will reset the header field. Making a clone of the factory toolbar can help in case it goes wonky again. Just change the tool bar to the "copy" version. My recommendation... Do a clean reinstall of X-16, and keep any virus protection turned off while doing so. The program should be more stable. Typically Beta releases will have unknown quirks, but they will settle down in due time as more official releases are provided. As a general rule, it's best to wait until all the growing pains have been resolved before diving in, unless it's a small project. That said, being a pioneer sometimes has its risks, but the initial users invariably help bring about the solutions to these various issues. On a positive note, many have reported good results with this beta release. Keep the faith. and keep posting if you've found a resolve to the issue. Been there and done that as they say (with over 25 versions)... The clean reinstall often solves the random issues. All the best.

Geometric shapes. There's a tapered base just like that. The house that you're working has some close relatives in the samples galleries, but the bases aren't tapered. It's a common detail in Craftsman Style architecture. You may want to take a visit there as well... just to see the details etc. Good stuff. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/products/samples.html

8" of concrete block or an 8" thick PC wall may offer some semblance of load bearing in addition to the ledger. Existing garage walls might be 2 x 6 or even better yet, 2 x 4... and that'll provide room for a small knee wall or at the very least, vertical 2x's on the flat to add reinforcement to the ledger. For what it's worth, clear spanning that room w/ TJI's is still going to involve some bouncy floors despite manufacturer's recommendations. A small knee wall down the middle should be a must have even if the slab has a crack. Option 2... On at least (2) sides of that garage, they could always cut the sheetrock off, and use the foundation for load bearing. (see link). That method provides better ceiling height if they don't mind the floor being lower from the main house elevation. Even if you still had to keep two treads. In looking at the door height, the ceiling is low. Based on the model... the current windows already look lower. A raised floor may result in the sills being right at the base board. Perhaps there's a happy medium. https://www.contractortalk.com/threads/garage-to-living-room-conversion.117918/#lg=thread-117918&slide=1