robdyck

Edit All Roof Planes is definitely a super quick way to get the rounded area to the OIP, no doubt about that. So I get to choose between using rounded areas or including the totals row. I think the totals row trumps the rounded area.

That happens! Way too often, there are changes other than just edits! I know you can edit / copy a roof plane, but if you forget and add a roof plane, now your schedule is incomplete. I can't be the only one who has already got enough places where user error sneaks into a plan set.

I'm not sure how or where you'd setup a default Roof Label...

Yes, but if there are changes to the completed plan then that work will need to be redone.

Thanks for the confirmation Joe. That's what I suspected. I will submit a formal feature request. I'd prefer to give my customer's as much information as is reasonable on a plan set, however IMO adding macros to roof planes is not reasonable for most projects. 2 decimal places it is. To me, the programmer's choice to use 2 decimal places in these fields is a head scratcher.

I refuse!

Yes, I can, I just don't want to. The real question is can CA do that? In my original snippet, I've added an example column titled "MY AREA" which contains a macro showing an example of the rounded area. I do not want to use this column. I do not want to use macros. Why not? Because there is no default OIP for roof planes so this can't be setup in a template plan. My goal is a cleaner output automatically with less work. I have no intention of actually adding macros to roof planes on dozens of plans.

For the "MY AREA" column I used a custom object field: %surface_area.round% I actually do not want to use macros, I just want to know if there's a way to get Chief to automatically drop the decimal places for areas that are included in a Roof schedule. By contrast, in a Room Schedule, the included area column is rounded.

Is there any way to get CA to report this area in the schedule rounded to a whole number without using a custom field? The custom field doesn't populate in the totals row, and I feel that area to the hundredths is perhaps more exact than needed for calculating roof sheathing / shingles!

So, You've used the "post" to act as a "pier". The deck Room Spec does not allow for a beam, post, pier and footing.

No, they don't. I was demonstrating to the OP my use of my own library symbols for deck piers. Footings can be added to deck pier foundation after they're built, however the shape of the footing will follow the shape of the pier. And if auto build for decks is on, that footing will disappear when the deck is re-built.

Yes, but not auto through the Deck Room Spec dialog, correct? And the shape of the footing follow the shape of the pier (which is simply a slab), so no square pads under piles. I've never seen a footing contractor with round pad footing forms on their trailer!

Why not just copy / reflect the one that is correct? Select, copy, reflect about object, click on the ridge.

I'd suggest making your own deck foundation piers / piles that can be saved to your library. These could be rapidly placed using sticky mode and Chief's piers can be deleted. Anyone building in a region where there's frost should be adding a footing of some type underneath the pier to prevent friction uplift due to frost. Chief's auto piers for decks don't include a footing option. So library items work really well. Here's a snippet of a few I use depending on the region and builder. The nice thing about these being in your library is you can have preset heights, depths, components, pricing, labels, etc. We have a choice for these type of items: click our way through Chief's dialogs, then edit, or find quick ways to do repetitive tasks right the first time. And, if I need to make a wholesale change, Replace From Library is available for my footing symbols.

Yes

By experimenting with layer settings and a few other techniques, you can keep the color but enhance the visual appearance of your exterior elevations, especially when printed on paper.

Terrain Perimeter ON Terrain Perimeter OFF Terrain Perimeter ON - View clipped to sides:

I get that flash with every elevation or section view update as well. I also need to click "save active view" 2x for it to work for all section / elevation views.

Enter your inputs line by line, making sure to lock the appropriate start or end of the segment prior to entering the info. Also this requires that Start and End are displayed and they'll show up as an S or E when turned on and when a line is selected.

Here's your plan to help you out. Investigate to see what and how I've changed things. Keep in mind that if you alter any of these settings, the auto framing will adjust. In other words, there's a reason for every change I made! Det-Shop-Htd-Insl.plan

Then, you'll need to: turn on automatic wall framing adjust upper window sizes adjust all rough openings adjust all header sizes adjust all trimmer count adjust ceiling plane This is as close as Chief's auto framing will get. There's no auto count for king studs and trimmers can't auto extend down to the conc. slab. Also, it'd be a good idea to start the plan on 0,0 on the grid and/or add a framing reference marker.

For starters, the wood siding portions should be material regions.

I've found that using these live views take significantly more time than using images. As you've realized, for some reason they are unreliable in their cropping and view positioning, even when the camera remains saved and untouched. Not to mention the larger pdf file sizes, significantly slower performance in layout, and the unbearable eye-bleeding blurriness of the on-screen image. One might assume the intent is a tool to improve productivity for Chief's customers but more often than not, the live views end up creating hassle and embarrassment, much like the online 3D viewer.

You can turn on automatic wall framing to see framing update throughout the design process...automatically! To remove wall surfaces within the attic, you need to check "Lower Wall Type if Split by Butting Roof". (paste quote into Help) Quick tip: double click a wall, go to roof tab, press "help".

Did you post a plan?