DavidJPotter

Works on my PC DJP

Michael, It seems to me that where there is a will, there will be a way to do what you wish. I to, have had this same desire but only in thought, not action. A way to do this might be to make copies of material textures, pacing them in a Users Library folder at least that is the first thing that comes to my mind: create a custom library for materials and then use it. I think I will try that and see how that works. DJP

I often see the tried and "true" above statement in countless posts here and elsewhere. If that were really "true" one would not then be asking for help, would one. What it means to me is that the person saying this, never had studied the Users Guide or Reference Manual and in many cases have not ever used the Help Files or even watched, in a studious way, a video tutorial.. I am NOT saying this is somehow a crime, rather it is very Human and boringly common. You are in effect saying that " I am lazy, never study and when I get stumped, I expect others, who have been diligent, to fish me out of the muck.Do not misunderstand me, I like helping others, it is the purpose of this forum and others to help others. I am just looking at this with unvarnished frankness and clarity. It is as it is for you. : "I have tried everything" is not, substantially true anytime it is uttered by anyone. When that happens to me, I call Tech Support or I call a Geek and pay them both well, via SSA, check, cash or PayPal. That is the responsible thing to do or self-discipline oneself to thoroughly self-study followed by applied practice. Knowledge and competence are created in one by the practice of diligent ongoing study followed by practicing what one has just studied. It is also taking the time to look up words, that appear during study to make sure your own understanding of what you studied is well and thoroughly and understood by you, the student. Anyone who is competent, wise or a genius became so by way of study and practice. Wanna be smart or smarter than you are: STUDY AND THEN PRACTICE WHAT YOU JUST STUDIED and NEVER GO BY A WORD THAT YOU DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND. The English language words commonly have multiple meanings depending on how the word is used and intended by the Author of the study material. The Word "OF" has at my last count, 35 different definitions used in communications, verbal or written; 35! Study should become a discipline for anyone who wants to improve themselves, it pays for itself and is the foundation of IQ, try it and see for yourself DJP.

A client asked me to create a conceptual layout and model for building a custom home for a property he just bought. We had a quick online meeting, he sent me some conceptual photos of houses in the area of his property. So I put this together for him, emailed the link and a PDF of the layout, this is the result, all in just two hours in X10! :(click on the link to view the 3D model please): https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2F3d-viewer.chiefarchitect.com%2Fgo%3Fshare%3D144051735589548&h=ATPkfAnDEKZan6P5MJIZazcKjvCPc6pEStUDjBXs2ZdnkX_EoPiOCV1HvadNvql9JxQ5Kaq3jptoIGkbqqQTq8TTC5W80Pr7El2tunVDD6bC2PVvbAPqceVK0RlFqRDZIpYPoycAlSqAyx1ZsN-pWf8y3-cjbbXIOtsxpDaqGWXcuLJH7xXZULylXeZJEYMMUYObjCN5T_pBCCYdHQEyCnUK__jBA7Jhl-fIN3bYMsrzkGE2vpcps4nilOTmCd3Oj6I1fex2AeGQ3p05J8yGvYulZwPNXyBsJ2ACAwjW6BvFk5LCpucJ-veilpUZixB4OA Man, I love X10, even if it is still a little less that perfect now! DJP

Caca.Senior! DJP

The help files are in PDF format and as such can be made larger in a full-featured PDF reader. I think you have answered your own question above. How should Chief Inc know ahead of time, what your monitor resolution and settings are? A bit unreasonable if you ask me. DJP

Library (Main Menu) Download Core Content DJP

When you select the "All On" set, one of those layers is named "Main Layer Only" which by default turns off the layers except the "Main Layer", duh! So as an end user I am aware of this and act accordingly. The software is merely a mechanical aid construct, it is you who must provide the judgment and intelligence from moment to moment. DJP

You make a copy of the detail so you then have two separate details. I commonly do this in a CAD Detail window, make a copy so I then have two identical details, the second one I can then alter because it has a different name. Then I send them both to layout from the .plan file placing them wherever I want. A digital copy of a AD detail is merely another instance of the same detail, that is why I make two copies first, then alter the second copy as it is now a separate object with a different name, digitally speaking. DJP

Nope, not for months DJP

Call Tech Support is my advice. I do not have this problem and many others also do not, so it is probably resident on your PC or Mac. DJP

In floor plan that pattern would be on a layer called "Rooms" DJP

I suppose you could place a thatch type material on the fascia as well (same material on the roof) and get a little closer in appearance.One could also create a molding profile to apply to the fascia to have it emulate the thatched edges as well along with an appropriate material. DJP

That is a common problem with Brick in that lots of brick patterns use white or whitish mortar and in vector views, white does not print (it IS there but invisible to the eye in vector view cameras). So what you do is to set the line color to Black for Vector View camera shots in the Define Materials Dialog and then it will show up and print in layout views sent to layout from a vector view camera. DJP

I recommend to my custom home clients that they look around and find examples of an Architectural look that they like, either by taking pictures of homes that they notice or online via searches. The only problem with this is that most new designers do not yet get the relationship between the geometry of the floor plan and the geometry of the roof which then rests, structurally upon those walls. Sometimes what you like visually does not fit the geometry of your floor plan, just keep that in mind. DJP

I have reported an observed bug in the Physical Render engine that produces unwanted overly bright areas found usually at doors and between walls and ceilings. We will see if they get this corrected. For now, I am sticking with Ray Tracing. The new Physical Render engine shows some promise but is still very much in a Beta Phase. DJP

C:/My Documents/Chief Version you have DJP

This is a good question fo Tech Support so they can fix this (I have not yet used the electrical objects that are apparently at cause here). A a work round, I would replace the wiring connection from the last light to the switch using a mere CAD Arc, set to "Electrical Connections layer so the line style and colors match. then place the switch which should now stay single pole, one way. DJP

Have you tried just turning off, visually by way of Display Options, the Wall, Invisible layer? "Invisible" merely means invisible in camera views, in plan view you can turn off the visible evidence of invisible walls. DJP

Like Eric said or implied, custom cabinets you manually make using the tools at hand (mainly, in this case, Cabinet Tools). You use the cabinet specification dialog to achieve the desired effect or appearance. Most new users do not appreciate the power of your cabinet tools, in terms of modifications you can make on the fly. DJP

What is the size of your structure (about how many 3D faces are we talking about?)? When was the last time you updated your Video Card software drivers? What kind of video card do you have: stand alone with its own video ram or support built into the motherboard of your PC or Mac? Important missing data you need to provide to get a better guess here. DJP

That depends upon the geometry of your floor plan as to whether or not this can be preset and then auto-built. Manually you just do it manually by direct manipulation. DJP