DavidJPotter

I can help, let's talk! DJP

Then don't use the "Doll House camera"! YouTube video of my evaluation of your posted plan: DJP PJKirsha.zip

A quick fix is to change the material of walls to "Drywall" instead of "Fur Framing" (I know this suggestion is not "Politically Correct" but never the less IT WORKS!!!). DJP

See this Chief Architect Webpage please. DJP

I did open the plan and I whole-hardheartedly agree with Rene ( I tried making the invisible wall a railing wall, which sometimes works but not in this case). DJP

75.00 per hour, Twenty six years experience with Chief DJP

I can help you DJP

I thoroughly agree with "Michael" above in that "Software" is not and never will be any kind of "Causative Factor". The end user is at "CAUSE" or he is not based upon his knowledge or ignorance of the tool he his currently using. The results are his responsibility alone based upon his own competence or the lack thereof. Software will never be a source of "Causation" it is people who are cause and not material objects like computers and other tools. I am aware that Chief Architect is not, never has been and probably will not be "PERFECT" but it certainly has been and will be "USEFUL" to those who wish to graphically portray to their clients and other building professionals now and in the future. DJP

https://youtu.be/t0ar3gJO2rs A YouTube Video of how to get this done in X11 DJP

What exists can be perused at :CATALOG DOWNLOADS You can also search at the 3D Warehouse for downloadable symbols. DJP

Contact Tech support tomorrow is my advice. It could be that your Excel document exceeds the pre-programmed limits of a "Rich Text" dialog. You can try breaking the Excel document into two parts in the meantime. DJP

"Version 4" is the version I started with in 1994, it ran on Windows 3.1 and Windows 98, surely you are not speaking of that old antique? They moved fluorescent lighting fixtures in the LB but they are there, take a look! DJP

You can also designate a wall as a solid railing and adjust its height via the "Newels and Balusters" input box as well as its wall cap if desired. You can also just adjust the walls height in an elevation camera and manually set its height using temporary dimensions but I mostly like the prior "solid railing" method. As to your other questions, perfection is derived from within you and NOT the software used. You want something done a particular way, then make it so; it is nice when the software does it right but that is not something to count on. I utterly rely on myself and my personal intention. DJP

It is unfortunate but also a positive thing that you can get specific results in Chief using differing methods. It is both confusing (at first) but also nice to have more than one way to solve a problem. DJP

As you have surmised, Saved Plan views are for "PLAN VIEWS" similar to older layer sets and annotation sets. It has NO utility for saving "CAD Details" (those are strictly 2D in nature and are handled as 2D line and fill entities only that are stored in the Library Browser if you wish to use in future plans). I commonly draw "CAD Details" in a "CAD Detail window" ( "CAD Menu - CAD Detail Management - a custom CAD Detail window). From there you can copy such material to your LB if desired or just leave the CAD Detail in that section of your plan file, sent to layout directly from a CAD Detail window which is a 2D environment. DJP

Thank you for sharing this rather rarefied instance, very well done indeed! DJP

See if this helps, no matter what you have the procedures are basically the same. DJP

If you have a Windows PC it has built into it a "zip" utility and within your software under the "FILE" menu - "Backup Entire Plan - As a .zip file" will reduce its size to under 20Mb for emailing or sharing here. Take another look please. I specialize in helping Home Designer software users. What Home Designer software do you have (version and title name)? On a minimum you will also need a Local State Licensed Structural Engineer for the design of the foundation and advice on Structural design of the project. I can help with the plans but not the Engineering required by Law. DJP

You learn by first Study to learn how to use the tools and find out what they do and do not do. Then you practice using them and the more you successfully use them to get your products the better your competence grows while using them. DJP

Sounds like you need to use the "Make Parallel-Perpendicular Tool" but as Eric implied without showing us the condition you wish to create, how can anyone help you? We have not been staring at the problem like you have, help us out! DJP

Take a look at this X8 YouTube video I made for you: https://youtu.be/zGfMkpbQP2E Make sure that the deck room (if that is what you named the space) on its "Structure Tab" is manually checked "Roof and Ceiling over this room" otherwise you, no matter what you do will get no auto-generated roof. DJP

I have seen a tutorial about how to accomplish this effect. It entails creating a symbol of posts and balusters which is then applied as a "Fence Panel". I once followed this tutorial, made the symbol fence panel and applied it successfully. This was a year or more ago and I now cannot find the tutorial (by someone else) nor can I find the symbol fence panel I made from the tutorial but I am certain that it is rather easy to do. The tutorial was posted on Chief Talk where I saw it but now I cannot, by "Search" find it. I created the render below using a symbol made from custom slabs but this is NOT exactly what I saw in the lost tutorial (the end product in the tutorial was MUCH easier to work with) DJP

I order the software to create "4" and it just created "2". I suggest you call Tech Support tomorrow and see what they have to say (that is Free with your SSA account). It is either a bug or a misunderstanding of what is intended by Chief (looks like a short-fall to me) My opinion is "if I can get it done, no matter what, I am happy" but that is just me. DJP

I could find no "input box" relative to "Number of Headers" in "Default Settings", so I accomplished the result manually (you build framing and then turn off "Auto Rebuild Framing" so the "automatic setting does not "undo" your manual editing. Perhaps someone else knows a bit more than I do, we will see... DJP

What, exactly are you speaking of in detail please? To do what, exactly? Terrain in terms of importation, is kinda simple but very exacting and the results for complex terrain can even overwhelm the average PC or Mac with beau coup 3D faces making the results unusable in practical terms (Topography software does not use "3D Faves" for topo maps, chief does. If whatever you are asking about is so simple, why can't you please simply but in detail, state your problem with some exactitude please? DJP