VHampton

that's the answer. If the balcony rail moves over, then the newel will receive the stair rail. The offset is obvious.

Thank you Mick. ...and this is what I meant about the default grass in Chief. It sure is green! Not that there's anything wrong with vibrant green, but often times there's a client expectation for models to look as life-like as possible. A worthy render invariably sells the design because they (the homeowner) can visualize themselves within the scenery.

Chief's default "Grass 7" works really well but the texture size and colors are slightly too lime green. Going a bit darker gives the best results. Same with a simple adjustment with the texture size. ...and yes, TM is an extremely handy software in conjunction with Chief. Render capability in Chief has come light years in recent history, and things will probably only keep getting better. ...Looking forward to X15 even more now. Thank you for the preview!

Yep. That's probably the best solution. ...and on a side, it's always great to see folks at CA perusing the forums, and doing the follow up. The OP's thread is ancient history now, but conversations like this always prove to be a helpful resource for future users. ...and maybe even the suggestion box on new releases. Have a great rest of the day.

It may be plausible. Windows can be made into varying sizes, and can be assigned to the door schedule. There's no option to add hardware (to the "window"), but the handles can be inserted as a symbol. The one on the left is a door. The one on the right is a window.

Thank you Michael. Agreed w/ Twin Motion being a wonderful resource. Regarding the curb, I guess that's just what we happen to call them. Technically they would indeed qualify as extremely low parapet walls. The design intent is to make them not so obvious. ...That said, the parapet method is going to be looked into! Appreciate the video. ...and thank you. Back to the original post... Chief Architect can build just about anything.

Thank you for posting that Michael. For years I've been using "gutters" to create the curb. We don't use parapets, but rather let the EPDM ride over a 4-6" tall curb. and then it gets flashed. The roof is pitched in real world (towards internal drains) but for the sake of the 2D elevations, the roof is specified as flat. The pitch board detail is shown with CAD lines in the details. ...regarding furnishing etc... the 3d warehouse has some helpful .skp models, but you have to be pretty careful in selecting low surface count furnishing. CA will get there though. They've come a very long way since the Victorian arm chairs!

Thank you Larry. Much appreciated. That said, it's really great to have a software which can adapt to any style of architecture. Chief can perform alongside any software in the industry, and with what appears to be a much lower learning curve. To the original post, Europe is a bit further ahead of the US housing market with modernism. The demand here is growing however. That said, the Chief Architect marketing department has never quite showcased much beyond traditional dwellings, but perhaps they should. For example, in So Cal the houses are literally over the top... Chief could draw this no problem.

Agreed. There are absolutely no limits with what Chief can do. Like a piano or a violin, the instrument will sound according to whomever is playing it.

The fascia and roof edge(s) of gable end return and primary gable appear to be at the same elevation. The attached may or may not be the desired look, but it works. The primary roof can be "broken" along the rake boards so that a hip roof section can be created with the gable end return. Note: Per Rob and Mick, you should probably post the plan file. In X-14 what your plan file is showing has been a bit of an anomaly. The fascia on the gable end return should exist, even if it doesn't merge with the rakes on the main gable.

For future reference, there may be a time saver in exporting the newer X-14 plan to CAD. The CAD import can then be brought to life in a previous version w/ the "CAD to Walls" tool. It's not perfect, but it works fairly well. There's a dated tutorial on the web by a fellow user which helps explain...

Thank you for starting the thread Gene. When I've attempted to make varying roof planes merge at a common roof edge height, the fascia will often behave as you are describing. Meaning that roof edges won't always line up, even when the top of fascia input is a perfect match. The gutters don't always line up as well. A 3D molding (for fascias and gutters) has been my work-around for many years. That said, Robert appears to have described the optimal method. Thank you. ...It's great to learn more about making Chief work as it should.

Bummer. Layout files and plan files sometimes get placed in different folders. Usually a quick check of the Archived folders may shed light. In some instances, I've found numerous plan folders there w/o realizing that there had been so many saves. Chief Architect Premier X12 Data > Archives

The floors and glass walls are all Chief. The vertical columns and angled steel is either solids or molding poly lines. It's a valid choice either way. Just out of curiosity, the real world image sheds a lot of light on what the end result would be. That entire building can be done with Chief and a combination of solids no problem. https://visitnordlys.com/cabin/metallark-tower/

Totally agree Kb. Thank you for making that distinction. (I only use 24 x 26 sized layout, and thus the unconventional fit to paper method) My response was to describe how a larger layout can fit more snug (onto an 11 x 17 sheet) - which are typically for 'show and tell purposes' only. There's also a slight benefit in making a reduced scale PDF (before sending to printer) in that it reduces the file size for emailing. But just to recap... In the event that someone wants a "scale-able" 11 x 17 tabloid print, then a 22 x 34 layout is the way to go when using "Check Plot at" [1/2 scale]. 24 x 36 sheets can be 'check plotted' at exactly 1/2 scale onto 12 x 18 paper.

In the preview pane, try setting the scale (fit to paper input) to 95% when printing to a 11 x 17 PDF (Tabloid size). This works quite well for layouts which are set up for 24 x 36 formatted sheets. The 95% however may need to be fine tuned for 22" x 34" ...meaning a few % less. ...like 92 or 93.

Agreed. The looks like some kind of grid (in CAD) which can be deleted.

Agree with Gene. The beige bleeding through (Sheetrock) is indicative of a wayward roof section. Looks like the ceiling is poking out When weird stuff like that happens, it's often because the roof has a slightly uneven edge. It could be the ridge, or any one of the 3 remaining sides. Opening up an archived plan, and tinkering with a new roof is a relatively easy and helpful exploration process without messing up the original plan file. To add to that... if the beige can be clicked on in 3D view, the roof may very likely 'highlight'. Then you'll know for sure where the issue lies.

If I recall correctly, one can make symbols in X-8. In a new plan, per DB, one could presumably make a "panel" by drawing poly-lines with the appropriate spacing. Create a symbol while in 3D mode. Then utilize the new railing 'panel' per DJP's example.

So agree. It's amazing to see the generosity. ...and that's very good advise about posting image files - and if need be, a plan.

Welcome Jim. ...you may note (in asking general questions) that it's helpful to have a signature w/ the hardware specs. Lots of times folks will say that they have such and such going on, and many here will go above and beyond to get to the bottom of the issue. This often happens quite a bit with renderings for example. You could liken it to someone saying that they can't cut down a certain sized tree when it's not known if they're swinging an axe, or have a Magnum Stihl chainsaw at their disposal. So all this to say, welcome - and at some point, don't be surprised if you get asked for the hardware info. All the best - and have a great journey with Chief. It's the absolute best drawing software in the industry.

From having browsed the forums since X-14 was released, there is excellent information available on how to gain some speed. Just a few things to add... On any given perspective camera (saved in layout) - make sure it's set to update manually - never automatically. Any busy patterns... things like sand, stucco, concrete, and intricate stone patterns... they are known to slow down 2D generation in layout. If there are any large 3D objects in the plan - try to switch them out for smaller ones - meaning with lower surface counts. Even with massive memory on your new computer... set the default undo/redo to about 2 at the most. And as posted in this thread... any framing which is set to be automatically updated can bog things down. Eliminate that option too. While CA keeps making vast improvements, all of the above features work quite well for a modest home. ...meaning that the software should operate with relative ease when the program isn't pulling a heavy load so to speak. Any large projects or plan files however, will certainly benefit from making these minor adjustments. ...looking forward to more user comments.

3D solid as "patio.... The benefit to this method (albeit unconventional) is that you can create a hefty stone edge, and get the stone to project past the newels. Concrete foundation walls were created for the masonry slab support.

There is no need for a "deck" definition. The attached was done with the deck as a "balcony". Just make certain that the stairs are twins (of each other) - meaning the exact same specs. Get them to touch ever so slightly (at the corner of the 'deck') and presto - they will join and miter. Raised slabs... you could always make a poly line - convert it to whatever the stone patio material is - and elevate the height. There are many ways. I prefer the poly line solid method personally. Untitled 1.plan

Thanks for noting Mick. Usually I start w/ the textures. ...When I went back to show John what was meant by "calibrating" the spacing, the screen capture showed the patterns being offset, not the textures. Doh. Either way, it's quite a handy feature. -meaning that when the sync box is checked, both will rendered and 2D views will align (texture and pattern)