robdyck

I'm sure there are others who can answer more eloquently than me, however the short answer is no, you can't do the editing you'd like within the Define Material dialog. When making improvements to material textures, it's usually best to go 'all-in'. For me, this means identifying specifically what I'm trying to replicate and then taking the best approach possible. Usually that means creating my own material using an edited resource from within Chief or from an alternative source. For this particular material, I'd suggest that there's not a whole lot about it that looks realistic. In Western Canada, for example, there are 2 main types of treated lumber: incised green treated lumber suitable for below grade foundations and smooth brown treated lumber suitable for above grade use, like deck framing. I have created my own realistic looking materials to replicate the materials that are regionally available. Can you provide a real world image of the product you'd like to replicate? That can be a great starting point to provide some better advice on how I'd handle this material for use within Chief.

I was just typing all of that ↑↑

Check the window defaults...are the labels set to absolute angle or relative angle? I believe you want 'relative angle'. This will need to be adjusted on all windows already in plan view...defaults for this won't update to windows already in the plan.

No, just open that wall's dialog (double click it), go to the Foundation tab, and you can spec the sill plate for that wall.

Gerard, if you're using a typical PVC or Aluminum window with a nailing flange, the frame depth or wall thickness may provide slightly confusing information to a supplier. I could see my phone ringing with questions about why I'm specifying a 7" jamb instead of a 6 9/16" jamb. Seeing as in our region, jamb depth is measured inward from the nailing flange, the frame depth or wall thickness could have the exterior layers removed from the reported value. This is simply done using a manual calculation added to the macro, but it does mean that you'll need to know the exterior wall cladding layer thickness and subtract those from your reported value. Perhaps @solver knows a way to include a macro that automatically reports the wall thickness, minus the exterior cladding thickness, plus 1/16" for construction tolerance.

@Ed_OrumHi Ed, while we all need to work in the most efficient manner for our own skill sets, I can tell you that Chief is remarkable for all aspects of residential design. I NEVER use a cad detail for exterior elevation views and 99% of the time I don't have a single errant line produced in those views. In other words, Chief is producing the drawing and the model perfectly! That being said, I have over 20 years of experience with Chief! I also use almost no CAD drawing or detailing in plan view. If you wanted to find improvements within Chief, you could frequently contact Tech Support with a specific issue or immerse yourself in the Help section. Better yet would be to hire a mentor who could virtually meet with you and show you exactly how to address a specific issue. I can tell you that to learn the software, (a very long time ago) I have read several versions of the manual cover to cover .After 20+ years, I still refer to Help and watch Chief's videos to refresh my skills and look for pointers or methods that I may have forgotten, overlooked, or rarely used. If you're ever interested in some assistance, I'd be happy to discuss what you need and how I could help.

Did you check the box for 'Attic Wall'?

That's a good point! I thought about that and 'thought' I had checked that but I didn't realize that Gene has a separation set to 1.5" so his vertical lights were partially buried inside the front cabinet frame! After relocating them, I opened the camera and they still don't show up when the cabinet door glass material is Glass Standard (straight from the Library). I can get the lights to show through the cabinet doors with Glass Standard as the material but only if I uncheck 'Refraction' in Technique Options. It's worth noting that Gene's door style has 2 panes of glass whereas Chief's default glass door has only 1 pane of glass, however I tested that and it made no difference. Here's a nighttime view: All vertical rope lights are on and only 1 UC rope light is on.

The only thing that comes to mind right away is that I would suggest some experimenting in a saved version of the file. When I've imported surveyors contour maps and converted them to elevation lines, the terrain has generated far too many elevation points and it really slows the the file down. I've had the same experience when importing terrain data from a survey. What I prefer to do is use simplified methods and manually enter the elevation data in a way that I know will keep my file operating efficiently but still represent the terrain accurately. Alternatively, I may import the data in a separate file and then create a symbol that I can use for visual reference in my main plan file. But I've found that importing data, then cleaning it up / simplifying / deleting / altering for the terrain to generate efficiently in Chief can take longer than placing elevation points / lines / regions manually.

The material used for the glass cabinet doors has the most effect. Using a General Material will enable the lights to display in PB rendering.

Can you provide more information? Several screenshots of the problem or even better, attach the plan file! If you do this, someone will provide you with the solution almost right away!

@Renerabbitt Can you speak to this Rene?