lbuttery

Why does everyone want warnings for everything, its not rocket science Ummm, kinda nice to know if "something" is about to happen However, every warning should be a preference or default that can be turned off for those who don't need/want them Lew

Richard: this has been CA's policy since they introduced SSA with X2 not to say that they can't make the notice more prominent etc Lew

Raymond: with a macro recording feature you don't need to learn code 1. turn on recorder 2. click to perform your tasks 3. turn off recorder 4. save/name the recorded macro 5. run that macro whenever you need to repeat the recorded steps also, just like symbols you could also buy macros created by others also, many users would post macros for free on the forum basically, you would only need to use macros if you wanted to otherwise you would use Chief just like you do now macros just save time/effort - lots of time/effort macros are for the "lazy" Lew

I checked the legacy forum and there was only one thread no replies or solutions except mine stating contacting CA's tech support I suspect you are SOL until X7 arrives Lew

Bob: don't know ??? it used to be available here http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=46368 I and others have been recommending it for years guess things change ??? I used to have it saved on my PC no idea where it is now since I had to get a new PC in Jan maybe someone else saved it ??? Lew

They don't care nor do they want to pay to see where outlet switches, sprinkler bubblers or trash cans will be locate The solution is simple don't use these features Lew

throw in that Sketchup is a BIM solution, the discussion is starting to take almost comical proportions I can only hope that Chief will be as comical .... somehow I must have watched BIM webinars on a different planet because very few of these comments make any sense to me concerning inter-operability thus, I have decided to dis-engage from any/all conversations concerning BIM I feel like I am "pissing" in the wind over and out Lew

Eventually, if you take the BIM/Interoperability idea to it's ultimate conclusion you end up with vanilla software that can only do only extremely basic things Doug: I have watched many a BIM webinar where this is not even close to being true Lew

full complete Ruby access to CA's internals with ability to record macros as we click JUST LIKE VBA CAN DO IN EXCEL etc Lew

If chief gave up on the materials list as an internal process and no longer supported it but allowed 'an efficient file exchange' between excel and chief. That to me would be a very valuable function. So inter-operability would get a tick from me Ed: this would be negative for me I would then have to setup/program Excel to create some kind of useful ML a positive would be if Chief could exchange with dedicated ML software such as PlanSwift or the former Cadest It's like Chief is my GP Doctor and I need to see varied specialists Lew

Bill: we are 100% in agreement by delay I meant that X6 was anticipated for release Feb 2014 it could have been delayed due to "issues" and not released for another year then you would have had to pay the SSA again before you got it I've said this before: SSA is like going to an all-you-can-eat diner some day's there is steak or chicken on the menu some day's there is plainer fare but it's all you an eat then occasionally there is lobster or filet mignon (an upgrade) your SSA fee does guarantee that there is food on the table every day - all year long CA needs that money to continue to pay the cooks (developers) and ensure the food is plentiful (tech support, libraries etc) yearly is a goal, CA met it going from X5 to X6 and will do so again with X7 but there is no guarantee about X8 or any future release Lew

That's $840 for the X6 upgrade Bill: NO, that was $840 to keep SSA active it could also have been $1285 if X6 had been delayed SSA policy is clear that IF an upgrade comes out WHILE your SSA is ACTIVE then you get the upgrade - for no extra charge CA introduced SSA with X2 and they planned to be yearly but it took until X6 for them to meet that goal - it appears they will meet it again with X7 CA HOPES to be yearly with a new upgrade but there is NO guarantee SSA includes a lot more than an upgrade from my perspective getting the upgrades is a BONUS with X1 we had to spend $1200 to get the newest training videos Lew

Does it mean it has to interact with other programs? Not in my view Ed: this is the fork in the road you say no to interact - I say yes to interact Chief should not remain an island in the sea of BIM Lew

Steve: seems "reasonable" to me Lew

Ed: this has been discussed in a zillion threads if CA doesn't know by now they never will I've said it a thousand times - check out all the apps that Sketchup can interact with that would be a good place to start short list would be Affinity, material lists, cost estimating, energy calcs, structural calcs collision detection, sun studies etc etc etc can Chief do some of these things - sure but there are apps who are solely dedicated to one of these tasks thus, they can do it far better than chief could ever hope to I would suggest attending some of the free BIM webinars they can be eye-openers and cause drooling Lew

So for me looking outside of Chief for another user (engineering, landscaping, electrical, plumbing etc) is not the way forward Ed: inside Chief is fine but Chief also needs inter-operability with other BIM apps uni-dirictional via file export is ok but bi-directional would be fantastic without inter-operability Chief is like watching B/W tv when we could be watching color in HD Lew

I'm not sure how much interaction and coordination takes place with primarily residential plans Jim: yes, BIM is for residential: just a few sites detailing this - many more out there http://www.probuilder.com/bim-home-builders http://www.vicosoftware.com/bim-for-construction-software-products/tabid/84567/ http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/construction-trends/residential-bim.aspx http://network.aia.org/AIA/Resources/ViewDocument/?DocumentKey=00c106b0-eeb3-40b4-818f-da719ae98b4f Lew

Val: sounding like it was going to "blow up" is not good You should contact CA's tech support since CA prefers Nvidia video cards - maybe the ATI card ??? but as Dennis stated Rays use CPU ??? Lew

Ed: I had seen this before but didn't post a link I should have as it is a good video and shows how Chief could be enhanced by doing inter-operability with other BIM software Alas, I doubt if it will ever happen Lew

as a side note: by skipping the X3,X4,X5 upgrades you saved approx. $1200 but to upgrade from X2 to X6 will cost $1395 so you are paying more in the long run AND you never had the benefit of the missing versions ..... I don't see the sense in skipping upgrades unless you are destitute or certain that you will "never" need to be current again but when PC's age or die it becomes necessary to get software that can run on the newer PC's and it becomes necessary to get current again anyways just some thoughts for those who don't see the sense in staying current with SSA Lew

Bob: thanks for the feedback seems there is no "perfect" canned software solution Lew

1. yes, but they should be reviewed for issues - may need adjustments etc 2. yes, I hear it is not an issue 3. I hear it is not an issues glitches best answered by Mac users Lew

Robert: I prefer to do my own "save as" I keep Chief's archive setttings at the minimum as a former 30+ year programmer I prefer saving when I want to save and using my own naming conventions etc Lew

Debra: desktop or laptop ??? budget ??? Lew

Robert: thru the years CA has stated that a large # of undo's can slow down working in the plan I have always kept my # low Lew