lbuttery

While Chief Premier has a "Cad to Walls" tool I'm not sure if HD PRO has it this tool has never been that successful - the CAD drawing has to meet certain criteria and it usually never does I have been active on this forum since 2005 and this tool is rarely discussed which means it is rarely used the recommended method is to scale in the cad floorplan and then start placing walls, doors, windows etc basically starting from scratch plans created in Chief Premier can be read/edited by HD versions IF they are compatible versions IF the edit flag is set in Chief Premier to receive better help state which version of HD PRO and post the CAD file you have also note: there is the Hometalk forum which is dedicated to the HD products but PRO users can benefit from following Chieftalk also as PRO has many of the same manual tools just be sure to mention you use HD PRO when asking questions and understand the differences between Chief and PRO as not all reply will apply Lew

yes, they can read the documentation I don't know too many people who read documentation cover to cover they run into an issue and they look in the "user friendly" places like the menus etc if "reading the documentation" were the solution to every problem then why even have this forum why even have tech support there is NO need for this to be BURIED where it is it is NOT "user-friendly" and it is STUPID Lew

"Tools -Checks - Plan Check", running that utility will cause the "Living Area" display to display again David: good of you to point this foible out to the newbie's as there is no way in hell they would ever suss it out on their own Here we are on X12 and we still have this stupid "bon mot" to deal with as a hidden easter egg CA should have fixed this silliness over a decade ago Lew

is there a way to copy the folder format without having to create it from scratch? I have been requesting since X4 introduced the current library system that Chief allows us to mimic the website folder system I was told by a staffer that it was a good idea but too late for X4 I guess its time has not come yet I have also requested to be able to download catalogs as a batch rather than have to do them one-by-one still no joy Lew

thanks for the workshop - very informative I liked the bit about showing the as-built and remodel live without having to use a cad mask Lew

I think I still have mine but I am wintering away from home and won't be back for a few weeks message me in early April if you still need it I will only send a copy of disk 3 as the updated versions still belong to CA I will request a $5 payment to cover postage Lew

Brad: X8 and earlier can open the older format files so can the X8 Client Viewer which is probably still available for download from CA's website Lew

I proposed over 15 years ago that Chief should create a schedule giving the sqft per the various "official" standards then the user could apply the desired value for the appropriate client all of this should be "readily available" without the need to use macros yet, macros could be used if desired Lew

I recommend buying X4 or later or HD PRO or the monthly rental Lew

I have Paintshop Pro and It has a video capture tool but you have to play the video while it captures it there are probably other video capture software available - either free or fee Lew

also, consider buying HD PRO as it has many of the manual tools that Chief Premier does then when ready the $495 cost can be applied - in full I believe - towards the cost of Chief Premier or you can use the rent-to-won option - and spread the payments over 10 months if you do chose HD PRO it is a good idea to follow the Hometalk forum but also the Chieftalk forum as many of the tips etc will apply just be aware of HD PRO's limitations if you post question be sure to note that you are using HD PRO as it may affect the replies you get Lew

While Chief may not be "Causative" and most issues are "User error" there is a "ripple" effect where a change in area A "ripples" over to area B if the user is not aware of or 1000% vigilant that "ripple" MAY cause changes that are unwanted If I have area B done to my liking and a "ripple" effect is going to make a change I would appreciate a "heads-up" warning otherwise, that change MAY go unnoticed until much later and could be costly etc Lew

Michael: I think you over-exaggerate but don't worry - CA has shown no interest in implementing true locks Lew

Rockney: I have advocated for true locks for over 15 years Locks prevent YOU from doing things - but if Chief decides it needs to make a change IT WILL I have recommended that if a lock was on then Chief should issue a warning before making ANY change to that area so far CA has been resistant to that concept and have even fought the concept of it Lew

yes, I would use it but as with any storage - keep backups - lots of backups I use Carbonite - unlimited storage but they do charge extra for external drives or USB drives etc Lew

Hmmm, I have always made the house a symbol then placed it on the master file that has the terrain very easy to move the house symbol around as needed Lew

I can only suggest using MUCH shorter file names that is one monster of a file name ... I believe folder names are also included when bumping into the overall path limitation which is 255 characters if I remember correctly Lew

I am running Chief on Win7 and Win10 and have had no issues installing them Chief X9, X10, X11, X12 Lew

my partner and I made $56K in our first full year of operation I was full-time - he was part time we had 13 clients and 18 projects and won a historical merit award from NARI my partner started thinking of going full-time but he had a son in college and waited then 2008 came we were charging $50/hr and had plans to raise it to $75 or $100 after we gained more experience we did switch to collecting a retainer before starting work and then requesting additional retainer as needed we working mainly doing projects in the metro DC market which included the surrounding counties of MD and VA but we were also doing projects across the USA and international via the internet I believe within a year or so we could have broken $100K level Lew

Graham: and I did state that other software may benefit from the Quadro card Lew

Graham: sorry, but CA has repeatedly stated time and again that Chief is gaming based and not CAD based their recommendation has never been about cost CA has stated time and again that there is no benefit to Chief from a Quadro card since it is CAD based Lew

correct, from everything I have read here over the last decade is that Chief doesn't need a Quadro but can use the best video card with a decent amount of video ram other CAD software may benefit from the Quadro but Chief is gaming based - not CAD based Lew

CA has stated the more cores the merrier probably best to chat with tech support on that to be sure of avoiding overkill Lew

not in my digital locker either ? my SSA ends May 31 Lew

yes, check out the Edit area all floors tool there will probably be some "repair" needed afterward make a backup copy first Lew