Electromen

I must apologize, I've been in Riviera Maya, Mexico, for the past ten days.  I'll try to answer soon, just getting caught up.

I fixed it.  Somehow Preferences > Library  > had panes hidden. I don't know how it got changed.

Maybe I'm taking this thread in a direction the OP didn't intend.  I just wanted to point out the physical printing requirements.

Now back to our originally scheduled programming.

Let's say your Arch D pdf was a professional 24x36 photograph to be sold in a gallery.  Most professional print labs have a 300 PPI requirement.  Some will accept as low as 150 PPI.  That's why I don't go above 300 DPI in Chief for Arch D. 

Of course the Photograph would be jpeg or tiff, not pdf.  This LINK can improve pdf print quality

When you print to a .pdf, you are actually creating an image.   The image has a Resolution similar to an image from a camera. Resolution is measured in pixels, not dots.

Using the term DPI, when printing to pdf is a little misleading, since you are not actually creating dots.  You are creating pixels.  The only time the term DPI should be used is when you're referring to a printer that uses dots, like an inkjet.  Since the pdf is viewed on a computer, it's measured in pixels.  For simplicity, we'll say DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) are the same for this discussion.

If you create a pdf 12" x 18 " @ 300 DPI, the resolution of the image is  (12x300, 18x300) = 3600 x 5400 pixels or 19.4 Megapixels

If you create a pdf 24" x 36" @ 300 DPI, the resolution of the image is (24x300, 36x300) = 7200 x 10800 pixels  or 77.76 Megapixels

So why specify 600 DPI?  Because if your layout drawing sheet is 12x18, creating a pdf 12x18 @ 600 DPI it has the same resolution as 24x36 @ 300 DPI, they are both 77.76 Megapixels 

I don't see a reason to go higher than 24x36 @300 DPI.  If your layout drawing sheet is small, you may want to increase the DPI.

Some objects in Chief's Library are not perfect circles like a CAD circle would be.  In the attached image, look at the CAD circle compared to some of Chief's symbols.

This .pdf was printed at 4000 dpi and 24x36, the highest resolution I can create.

It's probably partially me not understanding some of the concepts, but I see these issues already in Layout, even before it's been sent to print/pdf. Have a look at the below for some line work I believe should be better.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it's the internal precision in Chief, if you look at this zoom of a roof edge, some of the lines goes of in another direction. It may seem picky, but it does distract a clean drawing.

 

 

 

It seems to me that it is related to line weight and the way Chief simulates thicker lines. I used the override of a line weight of 1 and everything looks more straight and circles more round as below. I did run into another issue though, where I seem to have sent two pages differently, as one is hair light and the other somewhat thicker. Both are drawn without jaggedness though, but I can't figure out what I made different. I've included the layout file if anyone would care to take a look at what is different between page 1 and 2? Looking at some of the lines I would guess they have different annotation sets or scale, but I can't figure out where I can find that info in Layout and both takes me to the same view if I double click them.

A layout file by itself only open the layout, it does not include the plan file.  Nothing shows except the layout.

Try looking and posting in this section of the forum.

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/forum/15-seeking-services/

OR this one

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/forum/16-offering-services/

Can you post the plan?

I answered my own question, solved

Are you getting the square footage from the materials list?

X4

Why not jump to X6?

It would be similar to this truss design, attached.

Is there a way to make the framing look like the attached drawing?  It looks similar to a truss but is stick framed with 2x6's.  The rafter sits directly on top of the ceiling joist and is cut to fit.  The overhang is 1 ft.  The rafter does not touch the wall, so there is no bird's mouth.   I want the bottom edge of the facia to be in line with the bottom edge of the ceiling joist.

Like Lew said, try printing to PDF first, then open it in something like Adobe Acrobat.

In Acrobat use File > Page Setup.  then File > Print.

This has solved my printing problem, especially on custom sized paper like 17x25.

Print to PDF also makes it easy to email the drawings.

Weird that it won't let you define a custom paper size unless you have a Mac. Better switch your computer!

Kidding aside, I have the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 and I really like it. It prints up to 17x22. A bit more than your HP and just straight printer, not an all-in-one, but it's an option. Looking at Epson's website, they have a line more similar to your HP. The specs for the WF-7510 indicate you can create custom paper sizes up to 13x44" so I imagine you could do 12x18".

I have the Epson Stylus Pro 3800, one model earlier than yours.  I print 17x25 on a Mac.  Excellent printer, especially for photos.

The reference manual is my best friend I have spent many hours with the toilet and the manual. I copied mine but I need to get it in a book because mine takes up 7 binders. It will not be getting any literary awards anytime soon.

The book is 7 1/2" wide, 9 1/2 long and about 2" thick.  I think it's worth the $60 to have it in book form.

I just received the printed Reference Manual.  I'm going to read all 1,244 pages, starting on page one.  It'll take me months but I'll do it.

Has anyone else done this?

Floor Structure is also one of the options when you first build the floor.  It's near the bottom of the dialog box

Curb height is controlled by the top of curb box, put it wherever you want, it looks a little high to me. Change the wall type to get block

Perry, I'm curious, what is a Curb Box and Curb Height you mentioned.  In our area those terms are used by the water company for street shut offs.

If you use a pony wall on the 1st floor then you won't have a dedicated foundation plan. It is better to put the foundation on the foundation level.

Good point.

The mason would be happier if the difference in height of the footers was 16" to work with block.  Block have a finished height of 8".

It all about the top of curb and floor heights

 

Fixed for you

Good job.  To match the OP's photo's, try using Pony walls on floor one, in the garage, with an "Elevation to lower wall top" =  -14 1/2", Change the lower wall to Block.

I'm I right?

Greg, I have been using manual roof planes myself for a short period of time, I still have a lot to learn but I could never get Automatic Roof Planes to do what I wanted. So after watching several of the roof building video by these fine users, such as video's by Scott, and by David Michael. (I can't stand watching video's done by Chief Architect, They put me to sleep) I gave it a whirl. I started out with a basic box, moved up from there. I'm not perfect, I still come across a lot of problem and hesitate to ask because I'm stubborn. I'll bust my butt on it something until I'm ready to explode and then I ask for help. About the Terrain tools... I have never really used them before. My three major areas I need to work on are Foundations, (especially crawlspace with the garage floor lowered) Roof's, and Terrain tools. All in all, I think you did a wonderful job!

Rosco, Thanks for posting.  It sounds like we're in the same boat.  A revelation of me was when I realized I could break the roof plane and have more than four handles.  Some of these roof planes have eight.  Terrain I did manually using multiple  elevation lines.  

It looks like you did a nice job with both,  congrats.

Thanks Scott, it means a lot coming from you.  I've used Chief a long time but never worried about the outside.  It was a real learning process.

I built this entire roof manually.  I just couldn't get automatic to work right.  I've never used manual before.  It's been a long learning process.  It's also my first attempt at Terrain.

Neither the roof nor terrain is perfect, but I tried.

These drawings are not my design, they came from an architect.  I'm putting them in 3D for the builder.