robdyck

I think a conversation with clients about how materials report is also worth having. For example, some people would actually want the sheetrock reported in area instead of board count. And last time I checked, the drywall area on exterior walls was essentially the same area needed for vapor barrier and insulation. The long and short of it is, to get these reported usefully, we need to control the input. Chief doesn't just do it for us, but it gives us the tools. And my main point about adding an insulation layer to exterior walls is to keep the material count in chief instead of adding it to an external spreadhseet, and to avoid the black hole time suck of trying to alter the default batt insulation count.

Good point! I assumed Rob was debating over the complexity of actual construction to decide if this type of element suited a particular project budget.

the math can be performed right in the components tab for walls. simply add the math at the end of the existing count formula and apply to the source object. The text to add would be "/50" (replace the number with your correct sq ft number per bag). However, if I may be bluntly honest, I think this is dumb because there are so many types of insulation and they all have a different quantity per bag. There are couple of ways this can be organized but it could require multiple wall types with a variety of insulation material names. And obviously some project are simple while other are complex. For example, I frequently have projects with 4 different types of wall insulation. And almost never any with batts in floor or ceilings. All these variables lead to an increased opportunity for error. Fortunately in my region, there are no GC's who need to know insulation quantities. They are all looked after by the sub-contractor.

Hard to build...this is relative to the skill of the person with the wood and the saws. Time consuming, yes. The real cost to this type of roof is in the cladding, not the framing. They take 5-10 times longer to frame than a simple roof, but still, we're talking a couple of hours instead of 15 minutes. Curved standing seam metal...be prepared for $$$$!

Theo, perhaps you could be more specific about the output you are looking for. My own preference is to report wall insulation by area instead of by number of batts. Perhaps the simplest way to have the insulation report accurately in the materials list is to add a 0 thickness layer to the wall definition and use a copy of the Vapor Barrier material and then name that material something like "Insulation Area". The mat list output will then report the same area for insulation and vapor barrier and it will take openings into account.

IMO there are 2 main data points to set these elevations; Baseline Height and Fascia Top Height. The roof plane baseline should remain exactly aligned at the exterior of the wall top plate. For joining varying roof pitches, you should first set the desired Baseline Height for the lower pitch roof plane. Then copy the Fascia Top Height from the lower pitch roof and apply that elevation to the higher pitch roof, and ensure the Pitch is locked. The elevation of the roof Baseline Height minus the wall top plate elevation will then equal the truss heel height. Depending on your roof default settings, Chief may not report the Top of Plate elevation correctly in the Roof Plane Specification dialog, so it is important that you inherently know the top plate elevation.

Here is another tip for locating a 3d molding that was created in a section or elevation view. Notice that if you single-click (in plan view) to select the molding, you have limited tools available and the only object handle is in the center. But if you marquee select the molding, additional tools are available, especially the point-to-point move tool. Single click selection: Marquee selection:

Wouldn't it be simpler to just use a text macro? How are you going to get that information from the wall into the plan view? A referenced arrow? The wall label? A text macro will allow you to place the text in multiple views and allow you to edit all instances at one time. Text with a reference arrow...would you trust that arrow to stay connected to your desired object? Experience has taught me not to trust a referenced arrow for con docs.

FWIW in a 1/4" scale plan (or smaller) I wouldn't have room for a door label reading: 2'-6" x 6'-8". So I use inches. For 1/4" scale: 30" x 80" For 3/16" scale or smaller I omit the space between the width and height: 30"x80" For garage doors I use feet-inches: 10'-0"W x 8'-0"H This method has kept suppliers and trades from phoning me with the obvious questions....until I have a builder who demands the format 2668. Then, you get to explain to every homeowner, and some of the trades and suppliers what that means:) And that default (old-timey) format fails when you need to use metric windows (1500x1500) displayed with imperial labels (411411)! O Canada!!!

Here's a video showing the steps to accurately position the molding on the door panel. moldinganddoor.mp4

Here's a video showing the steps to position the moldings: moldingsandwalls.mp4

There are a few ways to move them back to the wall surface. In plan view, you can select one or more and use the point-to-point move tool to move them on to the wall surface. You could also use the dimension tool to measure the distance, then select the moldings and use the transform / replicate tool to move them that distance in the x-axis. If you post a plan, I or someone could make a video showing you a method. It's important to keep in mind that when drawing a 3d molding in a section or elevation camera, the molding will 'land' on the main surface that you've drawn your polylline on. So make sure your initial polyline is located entirely on your desired target wall surface.

BTW I need a bigger monitor because of your signature!

I've edited the material properties of 3d plants. Have you tried blending the texture with the color?

It's simply too large for the 3d viewer. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-03068/viewing-managing-and-sharing-3d-viewer-models.html It's recommended to keep the number of exported surfaces below 500,000 and exported texture memory below 50 MB.

Yes! It will naturally locate the upper unless only the lower wall is displayed in plan view. When that is the case, the locate will then automatically move to the lower wall.

For the portion that extends outward you need a wall that has only 1 finish layer on either side of the framing, or better yet, a wall type that has a single layer.

Thank-you for the reply and effort Bob. Unfortunately, altering the sizes of the sub-fascia or the finished fascia are not an option. They were already modeled correctly. A bit further up the page, I've marked what I find to be an acceptable solution to correct the soffit protrusion. I did hear back from Tech Support and they confirmed that this is undesirable behavior and an alternate method of modelling is the only current solution. For anyone wondering about the sizes I've used; they are modeled to represent pre-finished aluminum fascia covering nominal lumber sub-fascia. I have the finished fascia set to 0/16" thick because that's as thin as it can be made and it allows the roof plane lines to be at the correct design dimensions while still placing the lumber sub-fascia at essentially the exact correct location as well.

I don't think 52 MB is a huge file. Better plan organization will help improve the file performance. Review your layer sets and turn off layers that are not specific to the tasks required by that type of view. Create a layer set for exterior camera views. By turning off just some interior items, the model surface count drops by 1M surfaces! Once your decks are finalized, turn off the auto-framing for those rooms. Purge materials. Simplify the CAD block for HVAC items outside. Don't use concrete fill in plan view; save it for section views!

I did send this to TS and I'm quite sure I've sent this same issue to TS in the past. IMO the soffits should connect cleanly in situations like this.

Thanks to those who replied. You are correct, the described issue is caused by the settings. My question was how to solve the soffit problem; changing the roof structure settings is not an option. Many of my projects do have 2x8 sub-fascia at gables and 2x6 sub-fascia at eaves. My correction to solve the soffit projecting below is to create a small roof plane the size of the offending projection and remove the soffit for that small portion of roof plane. This does leave a small triangular gap in the level soffit which I could fix however it doesn't show in any normal views so, I probably wouldn't correct it unless it appeared in a rendered view. BEFORE: AFTER: