ComputerMaster86

Just throwing this out there. I have been actively using the project management mode. I feel I am overall a little more efficient with X17 because I am navigating between Windows Explorer and Chief Architect less. It so easy to start a new project using a template project and the new "Managed Mode". Open Chief Architect (May Already be Open) Duplicate My Project Template Give it a Name Versioning is also super easy because my template projects has this folder structure set-up inside. I just right click and duplicate the Ver ## folder giving it the new version number. + Docs + Images + Ver 01 + Layout File + Plan File Doing this in "Windows Explorer" there just seems to be a little bit more monkeying around. Plus you may have to navigate back into the chief program and hunt for your files to open them. Now there is definitely room for improvement with this new "Managed Mode". I have made a few suggestions directly to Chief on the matter, as well as other Chief users, and maybe they will get implemented in X18. Who Knows?

It might be just my imagination but, I have been using the "Technical Support Center" or the "Beta Reporting Tool", more and more, to give Chief Architect suggestions directly. I am really starting feel like it's alittle more impactful. There is one new feature in X17 Chief added that came directly from a discussion I had with them. It's the new top and bottom girt (horizontal framing) control. What's fascinating is, I don't believe I specifically asked them to implement that in X17. I get involved in a lot of post-framed buildings but, I don't expect chief to be a pole-barn program. It's nice that they did implement that feature. Based on my experiences it does seem like Chief will listen and take in people's suggestions. However, just mentioning things on the forum doesn't always seem like the best way to get Chief to acknowledge the suggestion.

I am not trying to stur the pot but, are you guys making your requests known to chief by using something like the beta reporting tool? Chief has said multiple, multiple times that just simply mentioning something on the forum does not always result in a feature request logged into their database. Get in touch with them and make your request known. to them. Help them understand your request and wants for the software. I get the feeling people don't always do this.

If you are trying to type in a "Quadrant Bearing" measurement, chief will let you type something like n33 45 16w and chief will know what is degrees, minutes and seconds. You don;'t have type any degree, minute or second symbol if you add a space between each value. That is the format degrees space minutes space seconds. I believe that also works for "Azimuth Bearing" where you would omit the letters.

Chief doesn't recommend storing the back-end data that it is managing on Dropbox or another cloud provider as it interfers and messes up the project management mode. Chief uses the phrase "It voids the warranty".

Everyone is going to have different feelings about X17 but, there are a bunch of small improvements and new features that are really going to be beneficial to me. Together they all are going to help my day to day work flow and help me save time, small bits at a time. It all adds up though! These things are... The rework of "Angle Snaps / Angle Guides". This is a huge biggie for me. I work with a lot of 2D drawings, like 2D steel layout drawings. The X17 "Angle Snaps" are boat loads more useful to me and a lot easier to work with. You can read about the complaints I used to have for angle snaps on this forum. Great work Chief! "Select Next Edge" edit toolbar icon. This is super helpful in selecting really short line-segments or overlapping segments that are part of a interconnected polyline, like a molding polyline. I have struggled in the past to turn off a molding on the edge of really short segments of molding polylines. A person can specify a hotkey for this edit toolbar tool and cycle through (toggle) the different segments of a complex multi-segment polyline at a fast pace. Both "Line Separation" and "1st Line Offset" under your various "Dimension Defaults" is now affiliated with a special dimension snap mode. It uses the values you have specified under "Line Separation" and "1st Line Offset" under your "Dimension Default". If you are manually placing or repositioning dimension lines, it will snap the distance specified for "Line Separation" when referencing another dimension line. Likewise, if you are manually placing or repositioning dimension lines, it will snap the distance specified for "1st Line Offset" when referencing something like a wall. Definitely a time-saver for cleaning up dimensions in a plan view. When using "Continuous Draw Mode" you can press the "Tab Key" to enter a precise distance and it will let you continue with "Continuous Draw Mode". In X16 and prior pressing the "tab Key" would end "Continuous Draw Mode". This works for drawing walls and drawing polylines. After a wall segment is drawn or a wall segment is broken into two or more segments, you can use the edit handle to continue drawing with that same wall type. What is different in X17 is you can now use "Continuous Draw Mode" when doing so. In X16 and prior "Continuous Draw Mode" was not available for already placed wall segments or wall segments that were broken into two or more segments. Basically they expanded the occasions where "Continuous Draw Mode" is available. We now have sub-folders for organizing "CAD Details", Cross-Section / Elevation Camera Views, 3D Camera Views and Plan Views. I was starting to think that sub-folders would never happen. If you have a growing collection of "CAD Details", you will welcome this. We can now drag and drop items stored and listed under a plan file in the "Project Browser" onto our layout page. This is very handy useful feature. Hex Color Codes. If you ever tried to reference a color by typing or copying and pasting RGB values this process was made easier. You can type or paste HEX Color Codes into the color chooser dialogue box. RGB is three separate number values. HEX is only one value. Easier to type or copy and paste.

You can turn off "Managed Mode" and work the way you did in X16. Under "Preferences" > "Project Management" de-select "Use Chief Architect Project Management". If you are using "Chief Architect Project Management" Chief is going to manage your files for you. It's going to be a lot more difficult to store files on Dropbox and still work on them. You might want to consider turning "Project Management" off to store files on Dropbox.

I am running an nVidia RTX 4070 super 12G graphics card. It's not the fasted ray- tracing card on the market but does alright.

When you are adjusting or placing or adding additional lines of dimension, you now have a special snap function. The snap wiill utilize your "Line Separation" value you specified in your "Dimension Default" to allow you to offset from another dimension line that distance. 2025-05-10_03-21-20.mp4

I have invested in 3Dconnexion's various peripherals. Each device has special programmable buttons that can trigger an 8-position on-screen radial menu. The menus are configured using 3dconnexion's 3dxWare driver software. Each position on the radial menu is practically 4-tools per an icon. Thta is if you combine the use of modifier keys. (32 program commands (tools) per a radial menu.)

@CADustinWhat is the best practice if your trying to generate a texture with the tile builder and you want the tiles to be a specific size let's say a single rectangle tile 4" X 8"? Sorry if someone has asked this before.

I have read this thread a billion times trying to take in knowledge of these number formaters and conversions. I have one question if you don't mind. If using text to display room height as a custom room label, why can't one simply use something like... %room.height.ceiling.convert_to("foot")% to change the output to feet??? The output is inches. There must be something I am not understanding.

There is not really an easy way to auto rebuild a certain section of roof. If you turn "Auto Rebuild Roofs" back on it is going delete your manually edited roof planes. With "Auto Rebuild Roofs" turned off, you have to re-edit the roof planes everytime the footprint of your building changes. I like to use the auto generated roof planes with auto rebuild roofs turned on, when I can. Every wall has a "Roof" tab inside the "Wall Specification" dialog box. Those settings along with the settings under the "Build Roof" dialog box the software uses to auto generate your roof. Sometimes you can break a wall into two sections using the "Wall Break" and modify the "roof" tab settings for one of the segments. This method allows you to keep "Auto Rebuild Roofs" turned on. The one big downside is sometimes no matter what combination settings you adjust, the auto generated roof can't always give a person exactly what they need. In these situations I just manually modify what is auto-generated to get what I need. Many prefer to manually generate their roof planes right from the start. Some users would say manually editing roof planes is easier than trying to adjust the different combinations roof settings to get what they need.

Here is a short video I generated where I manually edited the roof planes to create a rear gable on the back of my structure . Rear gable is the same with as the front gable. My video creation skills are not the best.

Most people prefer to manually edit roof planes to get what they want. I lean towards using methods that keep "Auto Rebuild Roofs" turned on when I can. I have started to use the "Gable Roof Line" tool on some of my projects. If you are using auto-generated roof planes, you can place a "Gable Roof Line" using the "Gable Roof Line" tool. Line it up with your far front edge of the main wall layer and draw the line the same width as your front gable. Then you can select line and move it to the back relative to the where you want the back gable. Keep the line centered on your front gable. Some users would like say this is not the best method of accomplishing what you are trying to accomplish. I like it I can keep auto rebuild roofs turned on.

Pictured below is pretty much what I was after. I normally don't get this detailed on my projects. I was challenging my self at creating the look of steel ratguard trim using an actual to size molding profile. The ratguard fastens to a treated grade board at the bottom of a post-framed wall. The steel sheet metal panel sits on the ledge of the steel rat guard trim. I have been experimenting with the extension wall layer feature too see if I could come up with something like I have pictured below. I wish we didn't have to have walls placed on floor below to make use of extension.

I added foundation walls on the floor below. The foundation walls were placed to have the same footprint as my walls on the 2nd floor. Those foundation walls were set to hidden, no room definition and no locate. I also turned off the sill plate and footing. I was then able to get it to do something. It frustrates me that you have to have some form of a wall below to get the extension to do anything.

Below is inside the zip is my X16 plan I was playing around the extension settings with. Extension X16.zip

Inside the wall type definition dialog box I am trying to make use of the extension setting. I can not for the life of me get wall layers to extend past the concrete floor or by using a negative number get them to extend upward exposing the concrete floor a little. What am I doing wron?

Daniel Bauman has a bi-weekly free webinar called the "Designer's Show". I have picked up on a lot of things over time viewing his free webinars. I have also viewed some of his paid content. I also pay for Rene Rabbitt's YouTube video content. Both have allowed me to pick up on a lot of things over time.

I have had that happen before. I never understood what causes it but, restarting CA always fixes it.

Just out of curiosity, I merged all the materials together so there is only 1 material. I wanted to see if their was still a lag with the 3D model in your elevation views. That did speed up the load time of the elevation views. I am guessing if you have some method of condensing and cleaning up the materials so their is not so many that may help speed up the load times. I wasn't able to pin point any specific textures causing the slow down.

I like to save the most recent and latest Chief installer for each version (X14, X15, X16, etc.) for a just in case scenario. I have a special folder on my NAS I keep program installation files in. You just never know when you will be saying a few choice words while realizing you have to reinstall something. Plus it's handy for setting things up on another computer.

I am not liking how Chief handles the primary wall side for interior walls.