DavidJPotter

You have to have a feel for who you are dealing with. Someone sane like D. Scott Hall would and should be appreciative but there are those who are not as secure in themselves (being nuts) and they might perceive your offering of help as an attack on their reputation or other nonsense. Anyone who does this kind of work can occasionally goof and sometimes those goofs cost unplanned for money, just use your own good sense. DJP

As Jared suggested these fully 3D numbers and letters work fine for limited constructs that require a 3D look but for simple street signage I would just create custom texture files in Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop to then be imported as custom materials and then assigned, "stretch to fit" to a properly sized 3D object (slab or soffit) to then emulate a stop sign, street signs, public notices etc. It really depends upon the exact construct as to what would then be used. DJP

What, exactly do you mean please? Convert a paper or digital drawing to a fully 3D plan file? In order to do that I need to know which Home Designer title and version you have and what I would use to do the conversion. DJP

Part of my business is helping persons like you. Please feel free to contact me for one on one help. DJP

I looked at both of your files, and had difficulty figuring out how the house in the photo you posted is orientated to either of the plan files you shared. Like I said before, the place to start is learning how to set up (program) the Wall Dialog box - Roof Tab settings for a Gambrel Roof. Get that done and then add the dormers, either using the "Dormer Tool" or setting up for the dormers manually. It is relatively easy once you know how, it is the learning how that is often difficult but NOT impossible. DJP

Welcome to the forum and Chief Architect! Rome was not built in a day or even several weeks, and your project is a complicated one indeed, especially for a new user. There is a detailed tutorial for each roof type found under "Roof Styles" as a tab of the "Build Roof" dialog (a great place to start). Part of my business is helping Chief Architect and Home Designer software users, if you would like some one on one help, I can deliver that service to you. DJP

The main thing is to not rely completely on the auto 3D framing. Such things work fine for plan views but for cross sections, the back clip camera and View to CAD give you complete control as to what shows and what does not. Between plan and cross section and elevation views and layering-annotation sets you can organize your displays of data to clearly deliver the communication of the structural layout. You just control and annotate. DJP

Here is my You Tube take on what is "wrong" which in this case, I think you are using the wrong camera tool for the job: https://youtu.be/J3r2n1PuHcE DJP

To get a useful, accurate Materials List, the model has to be PERFECT, on all floors, including the attic, the foundation needs to be drawn with the exact size grade beams etc. You check and check and then recheck and recheck . No 3D short cuts may be used (you must model the entire house exactly as it is to be built in the field, overlook NOTHING. For a materials list, I often take twice or three times as long making sure I get a relationally correct in all respects plan file to get a useful materials list. DJP

Your situation sounds a little worse than usual, what I mean is I expect this sort of thing when opening legacy plans (losing textures and symbols that may have changed several versions ago). What I do is to replace the material associations, one at a time and any missing or changed electric or other symbols, the same thing-replace them one at a time from the present time library Browser. It just comes with the truff (using older plans in later versions). DJP

I have not tried to do this but if I got your results, I would then just configure mine manually. Perhaps, I am not currently the sharpest tool in the shed though. DJP

You need to open the symbol using the "Open Symbol" dialog, go to the 2D Block tab where you can then control the fill of the block. Push comes to shove you can use the "Insert block" command found under "CAD Block Management", explode and redraw or edit the block and then replace the existing 2D block with your edited one. DJP PS: your file that you offered for download is zero KB and as such is unusable

You are possessed by demons, get them exercised ASAP. Such questions are usually expectant of "what is the origin or cause of such things", frankly I haven't a clue, I know you can fix the appearance with the placement of soffits, material regions, the relatively new custom backsplash tool and poly-line solid placement, none of which explain the phenomena. You require a technical explanation then call Tech Support and or share the file so others can look and see what is what. DJP

The most common error is not knowing on what basis the software is programmed versus, as Joe pointed out, what you might think the basis is. I think all you are seeing is the apparent difference in "opinion" as to how the software should be programmed as opposed to how it is programmed. Try to see how the software works devoid of your own preconceptions and just observe what it does do, when you make changes (confront and understand the changes to better understand how and why it is doing what it IS doing. This is part of the learning process, sorting out how it actually works versus your own preconceptions and biases. DJP

Here is a You Tube video of me inspecting and repairing your file: http://youtu.be/IyHfgsVDD54 DJP

Turn OFF "Auto Rebuild Framing" if it is found to be "ON" , that would explain why stuff is disappearing. DJP

I do not recall having to design a central vacuum system but if I did, I would first look (search) at 3D Warehouse. DJP

Part of my business is serving those who have not upgraded (I have versions 7-X7 on my PC on two hard drives), so you can leave it in place or remove it depending upon what you want to do. DJP

Go to the "A" (Attic or second floor), locate the auto-generated attic walls that you are complaining of and mark them "invisible" DJP

I have not observed this in X7, I have seen it in X6 and like everyone else, I just rebooted Chief and drove on. I shut down my PC every night. Running a PC just to leave it on is wasting it. I have observed that rebooting Windows and or Chief is the FIRST thing I do when confronted with a behavior problem of any kind. DJP

I came up with a work-round for this in that you make the shower pony-walls, lower wall have whatever material you wish exposed, setting it as that wall types' "Structural Layer" (it is merely a 3D appearance and plays hob with your materials list, if you care about that). I commonly set the structural layer to the same tile material I have on the shower interior walls, so you see tile instead of a fur wood pattern. The upper wall can be centered or placed where you wish via the pony wall - wall type dialog. A secondary method is to cap the transition point of the pony wall with a custom slab, counter top or poly-line solid, both methods are workable and get visual results. DJP

I have read the complaints about X7 like everyone else. I have observed that on my PC X7 is a little slower (a little slower). I realize that "slowness" is a subjective and personal matter based on experience. I would just also point out that a Windows PC's performance is not identical, machine to machine due to the variability of hardware and the variability of maintenance and use of that hardware by the end user. Only instances of behavior that will be found on all Windows PC's can be directly confronted and handled by Chief Architect Tech Support (if they can see the same results you are getting, then they can then AND ONLY THEN, do something useful for us all. The main slowness I have observed is when I open the Library Browser, it takes a moment for the library images to parse or appear on screen. On my PC this takes about five seconds from the time I open the Library Browser and select a visual category to view. The visual display of the Library Browser is much appreciated but does seem to tax my PC's video card more than X6 does BUT the X6 Library Browser is still harder to use, if "faster" . This is something that should be relatively easy to duplicate and observe. DJP

Nothing should BE wrong but it is, so I wonder you said " I imported them as calibz files...". I wonder what, exactly did you do? When you have the proper files downloaded for YOUR VERSION they should then install without a hitch but if you downloaded calibz files intended for X7 then they would NOT install no matter what you did. Make sure you download the library files intended for X6 and then import them and see if that makes the difference please. DJP

Contact Charles Volz Mobile: (210Mobile: (210) 744-7489 Work: (210) 494-7488 Fax: (210) 494-7415 Skype: CharlesVolz Email: CVRE@sbcglobal.net Web: CastlerockDesignerHomes.com DJP I am in Austin, Charles is in SA if that makes a significant difference other than 70 miles

I learned from Dan Baumann to add invisible walls beyond the railing walls which thus extends the deck (invisible walls) but allows you to place the railing where you wish. Essentially you are creating two decks, one with railing and one with invisible walls, the invisible walls define the outer extent of the deck. DJP