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GoldenFeather: In the "old days" it was necessary to use SU as you propose back around ver X2 or so it became unnecessary for the most part to need SU I speak as one who reads the "traffic" on this forum and not one who can do symbols at all SU still makes a good companion for Chief - just not used as much these days Lew

upgraded from X5>X6>X7 If you sell a license you are suppose to give all of the old versions along with the newest or destroy them Lew

(I wonder how many rules there are?) Glenn: just before I retired in 2012 I was making a spreadsheet for each of CA's auto-roof videos for the 36+ auto-gen roof types that could be done it was coming down to a common set of parameters in a few of the dbx's I'm sure there are many more styles than what CA had covered in the videos and more since 2012. if anyone is interested is following up on this study I think i still have my hand-written notes and the start of the spreadsheet Lew

It makes sense to invest your time to really understand how the tools you use actually work. learning how to do auto gen roofs is learning how the tools work according to my Intermediate Chief instructor "any" roof can be done with the auto gen tool he then illustrated with a very large Victorian Hospital with lots of turrets and other "fun" roof features all built with the auto-roof gen I personally believe there are probably some situations that do require using manual roof tools and to be a true master of Chief they should be learned also neither set of tools should be ignored ... Lew

you can also check Ebay create a search and save it and you will get an email each time a sale starts to determine if it is a good price look at CA's upgrade cost and add that in then knock off about 20% to make it a deal otherwise it would be "better" to buy a new license for the latest version also add in $50 cost to transfer the license - transfer could be $400+ if the license is for a secondary seat or student etc whether you buy from here or Ebay the seller must be willing to work with you to transfer the license or you won't be able to use it Lew

if SSA is current then probably knock about 20% off the new price if not, then determine cost to get license "current" then knock off about 20% the transfer fee for second license can be $400+ to make it a primary license a first seat license transfer used to $50 - probably best to chat with CA's customer service to ensure you do the transfer correctly etc and know what you are selling etc

I like to display sqft for actual dims I place my own Lew

This is one area where I would really recommend people be careful. On the surface, it makes sense, but I see incorrect and conflicting information here on the forum ALL THE TIME. Michael: yes, but so ? - if they have the time they can even try the wrong answers and they will still learn In time, if they follow every post they will learn who gives good answers and who doesn't Lew

Sorry, but I already donated mine If someone donates they should only ask for $5-$8 to cover shipping You could consider looking on Ebay - you might find one there create a search and then save it and you will get an email each time an auction/sale starts Lew

Rocky: locking layers won't help those locks prevent you from making changes while locked but Chief will make the change if it "needs" to based on something you are doing Chief walls are very stable so you must be doing something wrong watch more videos or take Tommy up on his offer you shouldn't be having this issue HOWEVER, there are times when you have a room or floor or wing "done" and then due to a ripple effect Chief WILL change that area with unintended consequences for over a decade I have requested that Chief be able to place locks at various levels and then issue a warning if Chief "needs" to make a change based on the "ripple" effect CA doesn't believe these locks are needed Lew

Edward: I agree - I was able to do 60-80% of a model or remodel then my partner would have to do the "tough" stuff I probably could have learned roofs and terrain if I spent the time but it was easier to email the plan to Joe when I needed his skill I doubt if I could have done that with any other cad software Lew

it still amazes me that a user has to know the super secret mumbo jumbo on how to restore the Living Area Label on what planet would a user be sitting there frustrated and then go "oh yeah, I should do a plan check" ? - silly me there is NO logical thought process that would ever lead to a new user knowing that or remembering it in the future this is a newbie trap Lew

this software may help ? https://www.xactware.com/en-us/ Lew

CA has stated "the more core the merrier" Lew

Note: Chief Material List is only as good as the Chief model CA states this in the manual the more "workarounds" you use the less accurate the model any "complex" material list derived from a Chief plan will probably require export to Excel for manual manipulation I was studying this area some a decade ago and decided a working partner with software like PlanSwift or Cadest (not sure available anymore) would be a better choice to go https://www.planswift.com/ Lew

I agree with David, HD PRO has a far better feature set having manual tools for roofs, framing, cabinets, etc Many small shop designers use it for their business but if you go with the lesser product - the full cost can be applied to the upgrade when you start banging into the limitations of that lesser product Lew

room planner is a feature that very few use or talk about Lew

David: my point is that I ran into many of my software that wouldn't install on Vista or 32-bit after receiving this hassle numerous times I bit the bullet and upgraded to Win 7 PRO there may have been ways to get each software to install but I didn't have time or inclination to fuss with them Lew

if you are try to run on Vista consider upgrading your windows to Win 7 In late 2016 I planned to use my 2008 Vista laptop as my primary PC while going to NC for the winter I found software after software was having issues with Vista I spent $170 to have the shop install Win7 Pro and all is well I have yet to find any software that won't load on Win7 Pro Lew

David: the "and" should be "any" sorry for the typo that has been my understanding all along thanks for the confirmation your first posting left my "confused" Lew

Tools>Checks>PlanCheck This "super secret" fix has got to go talk about not being "user friendly" how would anyone know this - without knowing ??? Lew

David: so just to be clear X10 can set the edit flag and work with any version of HD products and X7 can work with HD 2016 and earlier If so, then yes that has been my understanding all along thanks Lew

David: wow, I knew there was a correlation since I started with HD PRO 6 - compatible with v9.5 but I thought that Chief could work with any "earlier" versions of the HD products it is limited to a one to one relationship with the versions ? If so. that sorta stinks Lew

My personal preference would be a separate plan for each building then make a symbol of each building and save in the library then have a master plan where all the buildings are added - if needed one layout can access all the separate building plans Lew

Note: just an FYI, X4 would be a decent choice also (or any later version) but avoid X3 due to horrible library subscription system that they replaced in x4 X4 also introduced anno-sets you can also get X10 the latest with a monthly payment plan from CA Lew