GLOBE-Res

And John, just a fair warning, don't use the word Architect unless you are one. The State Architectural Registration Boards throughout the US have jurisdiction to actually fine you if you use the title or hold yourself out to anyone that you are an architect. Just a polite fair warning.

Unless you actually know what you are doing, buying a cad program is risky at best. As a former Vocational Technical Instructor and Architectural Designer with roughly 39 years of experience, do it the right way. PLAY with the cheaper software but PAY a professional to do the design, drafting & construction documents. CAD software does not make you a knowledgeable, skilled & able Architectural Design Drafter or Architect. I do a lot of projects for people who bring me their cad renderings and floor plans that give me some idea what they want but I still need to do it all over to be sure it is done correctly. Sadly they get mad when I tell them that it will take me 20 to 40 hours to create the total CD set. "Can't you just use the software to give us an idea?". Sure I can. And at the first sign of problems, guess who you will want to sue. So, like I said, go PLAY with the cheaper version but PAY an experienced, knowledgeable, skilled & able Architectural Design Drafter or Architect. In my humble opinion.

Awesome, tried it. Works like a charm! Would be nicer to be able to just shape the layout window but the work around is ok. Thanks all!

Ok so if I understand, I can send the drawing to the layout and in the layout draw a shape to suit my needs?

Are layout views possible to be a "shaped" view or is it strictly a rectangle?

Lew, Yep, I've been putting off updating because of the many people I work with who still use AutoCAD. I've also considered going to Revit because it is widely used in many many architectural firms. And, with the advent of Sketchup, firms are making the leap to that now as well. Each has it's own following. And each has strengths for specific applications. It's hard to make a decision to just use one.

Tom, As I have v9.5, I'm unable to go back and forth. David, same issue, I have an older version. Looks like I will need to upgrade.

Ok I think I know the answer but what about working with different versions of Chief? Not everyone has the latest and greatest version of Chief. Consultants, Drafting Contractors, other designers, all have different versions. The beauty of AutoCAD and Sketch-Up is their ability to work up and down the spectrum of versions. I have had opportunities to work with other designers but because of version, I wasn't able too connect. What is the answer to this issue other than forcing those people to buy an upgrade?

Thanks to all. Awesome help. Being an old AutoCAD user, I find that Chief's CAD tools are very hard to use. And then there is Sketch-Up. No significant learning curve, easy to use, simplistic yet quite powerful. As a former CADD Instructor there is nothing like having someone in the same room with you to get nearly immediate one on one training. Just watching someone go thru the steps and then get to practice that skill with immediate feedback is irreplaceable. This forum comes darn close, thanks to you all! ps, if anyone can utilize an experienced Architectural Designer/Drafter, please don't hesitate to write me. wdmay3@comcast.net

Dave, if you were my type I'd kiss ya....that is awesome, thanks so much! I'm trying to get to the point of using Chief as my only architectural cad software. I have version 9.5. I am using X7 at a client's office. For other clients I use Sketch-Up for massing models, Chief for 3D renderings for presentations and AutoCAD for CD's ( plans, elevations, sections and details ). If I can use Chief to do the things I do with Sketch-Up and AutoCAD, I'd be a happy puppy. I'm an experienced "Intern Architect" - working on licensure. I do it all in the offices of the client's/architects, builders, I work with, I do the design, the drafting, cad management, consultant coordination, client meetings, some marketing, and just about anything else. So, getting all the cad under one roof would really be great. Thanks again.

Is there a video to use as a learning guide on this?

Is it possible to do a complex shape like this with Chief? I have a commercial client who would like to do something like this for a façade.

Rod, Nothing was on the PDF?

I've been kicking around making the move from 9.5 to X8 but would like to use it more for commercial type projects. From what I see, no program has moved totally away from 2D drafting capability. Detailing is still the critical aspect of any CD set. Sections Still need to be tweaked with 2d information. The biggest aspect seems to be the learning curve for the many platforms. From my point of view, Chief can do a great job with 3D renderings that export out to ACAD.DWG. Each to their strengths. After all, we are STILL directly tied to paper 2D drawings that are used in the field. Until we figure out how to cross that threshold, it seems that we use what we know the best and are most comfortable with.

Ok, so, from what I have read, Chief needs to be used in conjunction with another package, like ACAD or even Sketch-Up. Chief's 2D CAD is or has been, Painfully lacking. Presently I use a combination of Sketch-Up, Chief and ACAD, each for their strengths. I have a business model for architecture that Real Estate uses. The biggest issue is scalability from one office to the next office. It seems that Chief has a real potential to scale with other software packages in mutual support of each other. To try to accomplish the entire range of building types with just one platform is probably not there and rightly so. For residential, Chief is fine. For Lite commercial, it's reaching it's limits and for heavy commercial, it's not going to do the job. But it has it's strengths, as we all do. So, use it for it's strengths and supplement the other needs with other software. After all, one doesn't need to have the newest version each software platform. Just my humble observations.

Does anyone here use Chief to do commercial buildings? If so, what are the Pros and Cons to using Chief to do Commercial type projects? I have some limited experience with Revit that from discussions with heavy users of Revit, that program has add-ons to do MEP as well as Structural, Civil etc.

Joey, Oh? I'm not familiar with Marcos. Is there a tutorial for learning how to create marcos?

Curt, Yep, got that, but I'm trying to have the Room TITLE say at 10 and the Room Interior Dimensions at say 5 so that it looks like this: Garage 23' x 29'

I'm seeing that Joey's method is not "Smart text" for the room , is that correct?

Is there a way to have a room title at one size and the room size at a smaller size? Living Room/Study 17' x 13'

Thanks Dave! Looks like I'm not the only one burning the evening oil. I was able to get my printing to work. This version is really due for an update. The version I am using at my client's office, x7, is really so much better. Looks like I need to bite the bullet and upgrade. Thanks again!

Hi folks, At the office I'm working in presently we have CAx7. But at home office I still have 9.5. I'm having trouble setting up my printer preferences in this older version. Can anyone help me walk thru getting my printer set up with this group?

I was wondering if there was a way, like in Outlook, to actually do an "Insert" rather than an "Attach File". Nope that doesn't work. Or, I'm not using it correctly.

Here is my issue:

How do I insert an image in this space? If I can show you my issue, you might be able to answer quicker.