DavidJPotter

Each time you order "New Plan" from the file menu in any version of Chief Premier, it presents a copy of your "Profile.plan" that is stored in your "C/My Documents/Chief Architect X3 Data/Templates/Profile.plan". If that file or plan file is somehow corrupted you can open it directly in Chief X3 and edit it to suit your personalized needs and perhaps repair any damage you may have accidentally caused earlier. Another option is to reinstall Chief X3 which should overwrite your existing "profile.plan", so if it is corrupted it will be overwritten by a usable "profile.plan". If you no longer have your installation discs, my own X3 "profile.plan" is attached for you to try. Part of using software in a Windows environment is being responsible for knowing a little about computers, software and operating systems, I am not a programmer or software Architect but I have learned enough about such things to get by using Chief. You can do this as well. DJP Profile.zip

I have Chief 7 through X11 active on my Windows 10 PC (7, 9.5 and X1 are installed in a separate hard drive that runs on Windows XP Pro x32). However, the rest (X1- X11) all run happily on Windows 10 with ZERO problems and for many years. I keep my PC clean (I physically clean my case monthly), virus-free, malware-free and all drivers up to date. I have run Windows 10 since it was first released in Beta. The only trouble I ever had with X5 was a mouse driver that, once updated I no longer had any crashes or freezes (it only takes one mouse driver or video card driver to screw things up, Check for that first, then make sure your machine is cleaned and protected/maintained. DJP

You answered your own question in that the camera you need to use is either a "Crosssection/Elevation Camera" or a "Back clip crosssection/elevation camera", only those cameras a pre-programmed to show attic and foundation walls as you have already demonstrated above. DJP

Older versions of Chief are "No longer supported", remember? The trick is you do the installation manually (automatically you are quite correct in that the newly installed files with the same name will overwrite each other). You have to use common sense and keep the files separated. The old files must be added manually as "Custom Materials" to the LB. A bit of a pain but that is what you are confronted with. DJP

Chop, I have X1 through X11 on my PC and they do not bother each other including library files (I can run several of them simultaneously which used to not be true). Each application has its own folders and so they do not overwrite each other at all. It is importing those legacy materials that will be a little complicated. DJP

Steven Green, here is what I found DJP

Thanks for sharing a copy of your plan. I downloaded it and opened, created several camera views and overviews with NO error messages. The plan file navigated normally, no slows. Since you did not add terrain, I have no opinion on the location of the "Safe Room". Commonly, safe rooms are interior rooms that protect one's family from intruders and or the weather, being an interior room adds additional layers of protection for loved ones. DJP

(Copy-Pasted from Home Talk) Tiffany, Thank you for the question. If you are already using Room Planner, you will be able to continue using it. It is not available to purchase or download a s new app, but existing users can still access and download Room Planner. We received feedback from customers that the Room Planner app was lacking in detail and accuracy for capturing as-builts. Chief Architect is if focusing development resources on the desktop apps for OSX and Windows and the 3D Viewer on mobile to ensure we continue to lead the market with these products. Many are using Home Designer on a laptop or tablet computer such as the Microsoft Surface to capture as-builts. Leica offers Bluetooth compatible laser devices that will interface with the computer and Home Designer, so that the measurements will go directly into the Home Designer similar to Room Planner. Here is a help article on how to hook up a Leica device with Home Designer. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-01846/using-a-leica-disto-device-with-chief-architect-software.html Kind regards, Derek Chief Architect Software Quote Chief Architect Sales sales@chiefarchitect.com 208-292-3400 DIY: HomeDesigner.chiefarchitect.com Pros:chiefarchitect.com Mobile: RoomPlanner.chiefarchitect.com

No, sorry, I do online meetings all the time with NO crashes at all for years. I have two monitors one is 32" and the second one is a 24". The first thing I would look at is your Video Card software drivers in terms of updating them. If no joy then contact Chief Architect Tech Support to see if they can help. DJP

reoriginate

I have been teaching and tutoring people in the use of Home Designer and Chief Architect software since 2,000 AD and I have helped others with their Custom Home desires as well as countless Remodeling Project designs since 1995. Whatever is holding you up, I have seen it and have a solution, just call or email me and I will help you. DJP

Sorry, you are having difficulty. I have found this tool utterly reliable for over twenty years. The only thing I can think of is if you close the dialog by clicking on "Cancel" instead of "OK". If you change the shade of a material by altering the color you must also check the box on the "Texture Tab" that says "Blend with Texture", if you do not nothing then happens except in Vector View camera views. The adjust pattern has two areas of address per material: 1. the Texture Tab which only addresses "Vector View" and other line-based camera views. 2. You must also address the "Texture Tab" of a material, making the same adjustments to the texture image that you made to the pattern to then see the changes in "Standard and PBR" render camera views. All materials are made of a pattern for line-based camera views and textures for Standard Render, Physically Based Render Views, changing only some attributes only effects the camera type you adjusted the material for, you must do both in order to display the change in all camera types. DJP

Please explain exactly what you need and I will be happy to do it for you but only if you can precisely communicate what is needed and wanted. DJP

I have functional seats of Chief Premier currently for X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11 (I have clients that use older versions to serve them better). I charge $75.00 US per hour using Chief's internal "Time Tracker" DJP

For exterior elevations one uses a "Elevation/Cross Section" Camera tool for the basic graphic view, the one uses "Text Tools" to add labels, you can also, if you wish, turn on "Window, Door and Roof" labels as you desire. Also, if you like, you can set up the "Story Pole" dimension tool to apply elevation dimensions. I recommend that you read first material that explains how to use these tools and then trial and error practice using them until you feel you have gained some competence with them. LINK TO HELPFUL ARTICLES AND VIDEOS DJP

This question is best posed to Tech Support or Customer Sales. I say this because in order to sync "Preferences" (which is set in each PC or Mac on a single computer and the only way I know of is to do that manually on each computer's Chief Architect instance), ".plan files" is another separate matter. The reason I suggest Tech Support or Sales is that they sell "Seats" of Chief Premier designed for classroom use where multiple students then can use a single seat of Chief the technical details of which I am not privy to or I do not know exactly how that works or if it might fit your situation. My solution of doing it manually, making a list of Preference changes and then manually making those changes on each of your target computers will work. DJP

When I taught Classroom Seminars the Begining and Intermediate Seminars follow a course outline and the Advanced Seminar is a little more "freewheeling" and mainly addresses just what the class wants to address. Each Seminar is as fast as the slowest attendees. DJP

HOME DESIGNER WEBSITE DJP

What I currently do is to create custom wall types where I can dictate the fill or lack of fill at will, for instance the City of Austin, Texas (where I live) requires that demo walls in as-built/Demo plans be solid black and in proposed remodeling plans that the same fill is used to show new construction walls in proposed plan views, so that is what I do for them which basically does what you want but NOW. I always create two separate plans for each remodeling project so each plan file then shows what the Plan Checker at the Permit Authority sees what he or she wishes to see. DJP

DJP, see if this helps please Untitled 1.zip

DJP

There is currently a special forum section for Dallas-Fort Worth-Metroplex users here, take a look. I grew up in Fort Worth but moved to Austin. DJP

The thing you must understand about Chief Premier is that it is pre-programmed along particular lines and if those pre-programmings do not fit what you are doing then you must preset things to arrive where you wish them to. Chief Premier is in the end, just a mechanical drawing device which must be guided to all reasonable results only by the end-user. No pure Automaticity can ever perfectly read the users mind. Simple Auto-Build roofs operate on default settings or custom end-user settings only. It is damn fine Architectural software but it is not and never be "perfect" by those that use it. DJP

Solid subtraction then add a polyline solid end cap and block then create as a symbol DJP

in terms of laptops, I would look at Sager and or Alien Ware. Whatever you get needs to have the fastest CPU and video card that you can afford. DJP