DavidJPotter

When doing a specific area, I usually create all the surrounding rooms that would be seen from the target room in my 3D renderings so they look realistic. If one is not doing a room addition where exterior elevations are required, I just concentrate of the target area. DJP

When you go to Tools - Cabinet Schedule and create an initial Cabinet Schedule, you open the dialog for that created schedule where you can limit the schedule to a specific floor or a specific room or rooms, take a careful look, please, it is there to see and use. DJP

When you create a deck like room over an non-deck room you MUST name it "Balcony" and not "Deck" and the roof over the covered entry needs to have its ceiling height lowered so the roof planes do not interfere with the balcony above. Decks and balcony's by default are programmed NOT to have a "ceiling" and as such you, in order to have a roof built automatically you would have to open the "Balcony's" room specification dialog - structure tab and check "ceiling and roof over this room" there so it then will build a roof over the balcony automatically, otherwise you will have to manually edit the roofs yourself. DJP

You import the data that is to be ON the sign as a "Custom Material". When properly imported it will be visible in your User Library area. You then open the "sign" object and apply the custom material set to "Stretch to fit" so it displays only once and not multiple times. If done properly it works every time in Chief or Home Designer. DJP

If you got an email "from me" that speaks of or says "Please see the below proposal from Chief Architect®. for your review." , it is BS. I did not send it to you. It got sent to me and others this morning. It is some type of email con or scam using my Hotmail account. I have since changed the pass word for that account. Please delete the email "from me" that speaks about a "Please see the below proposal from Chief Architect®. for your review." -delete immediately knowing that I did NOT send this email nor does it have ANYTHING to do with Chief Architect Inc. business. DJP

DJP

Also when laying out a floor plan a designer needs to be able to predict the 3D geometry of the roof over a floor plan. Especially new or armature designer often miss this important point that the geometry of the floor plan directly dictates the geometry of the resulting roof structures. When I start a new project the first thing I do is to set all project relevant "Default Settings" in all relevant categories for the project at hand. Then I create the floor plan with its windows and doors, then the roof system, then the foundation, next the terrain plane, then con docs and renderings as required. DJP

Not me. The only times I see this phenomena is when I am working on a new or some-time users plan file where they did not first set all relevant floor and ceiling heights Default Settings before creating the plan file. Resetting or changing Default Settings after the fact causes some plan file psychoses until it settles out after just persisting and making all the room dialog boxes comply. This has been true since I started with Version 4 back in 1994. DJP

Your invisible wall is the problem. Either as DB said above: remove the offending invisible wall or move the invisible wall outside of the edge of your cabinet run so it does not interfere with your cabinets display. If you can delete the invisible wall, then that is another alternative provided that action does not interfere with your cabinet wall elevations details. DJP

DJP

Set the "Finished Ceiling Height" to 10' in each shed roof covered area and on the Structure Tab you check "Flat Ceiling over this room" check box. When done each room you so mark will have a finished flat ceiling at the height you specify. DJP

You create a "new material" for each angle of the 45Degree siding if you want a left and right run of such a siding pattern (Adjust Material Definition tool per instance, you copy the original material and rename it, alter its angle etc). These video tutorials may also be of help: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=custom+materials+in+chief+architect DJP

Watch some of these videos or help articles on  the Chief Architect Website, please. DJP

Start over from scratch but try to learn from your mistakes and avoid repeating them. All of us had a hard time when we started to use this or any software, you are not unique in this. DJP

Open your "Display Options" dialog for Plan views and you will find the "Dimensions" layers named alphabetically there where you can display or not display or lock dimensions or any named layers in terms of display or not as you desire. DJP

This thread helped me advance my knowledge. At 75 years of age it is not too late to learn useful things. Thank you Eric! DJP

Mark, Cable railings are NOT supported (never have been) for stair objects. For specific railing types you have to turn off railings in the stair dialog and then manually draw such railings using the railing wall tool setting such manually drawn railings to "follow stairs". This has been so for many versions. DJP

You can use this file that I exported from my X14 LB, if you like. DJP Fences and Railings.calibz

x 14 -Library Browser-Architectural-Millwork DJP

In Chief there over 11 different "Display Options" dialogs, one for plan view and one for EACH camera type individually, so if the "Ceilings" layer is off in the camera type you are using, then it would appear that one has no ceilings. When I opened your shared file, all intended ceilings were visually present. If, you were perhaps using the "Floor Camera" it is programmed to not show ceiling's by default. Take a look and see... DJP

DJP

Open the outermost wall of your intended Porch and then go to its "Roof Tab" and uncheck "Eaves" Move the slabs up until they cover the visually unwanted portions of your walls that are showing. Or delete the slabs and emulate the porch using a Roof Specification Box-Structure Tab. Relative to your roof it is quite easy to just manually edit the roofs that it built automatically. You WILL need to learn how to manually create or edit auto roofs, believe me. Best to get started NOW. DJP

Many pre programmed tools in Chief often work flawlessly but sometimes they require manual help and adjustments from you to arrive at just the right look you wish. Sometimes those pre programmed tools do not work and require that you manually do what they did not do. The point is getting for you. Watch Eric's videos for sure, be intent to succeed. Your own intention to succeed and your persistence in getting just the result you intend is the most important "tool" you have. DJP

Chris, I just opened my X8 and it works EXACTLY the same as in X14: you turn off "Rails, left and right" in the stair dialog. Then you draw a railing wall on each edge of the stair object you wish to have rails. You then program the rails to whatever style you wish. Open the railing specification dialog of each railing wall, go to its "Rail Style" tab and select at the bottom "Follow Stairs". If the result is not visually correct moving the railing walls with your arrow key until they do display properly will then produce the visual results you wish. I just did this in my X8 so I know what I am talking about. DJP

I seldom think about it, commonly I just want to see, verify changes I made in plan view or an elevation view. It does not matter which camera used for that purpose. Such considerations are purely individual and not otherwise. Getting your work done is more important than how it is accomplished. DJP