rlackore

You're not missing anything in your example. But what if you want to quickly draw a centerline, in red, with a fat line weight, on your CAD layer? My point isn't about setting up or controlling objects by their layer properties - CA already does this as a default behavior. My point is about controlling the object properties INDEPENDENT of the layer properties.

The difference is that with the ACAD method you have immediate, independent control of all four things: layer, line style, line weight, and color. Why can this be useful? Let's say you want to draw a string of exterior walls, but want them to be on a layer other than the default (Walls, Normal). Simply select the layer in the drop-down, now all the walls you draw will be on the selected layer, rather than the default. Or maybe Walls, Normal is fine, but you want the walls to be a different color so you can easily distinguish them (for whatever reason) from all the other exterior walls. Again, use the drop-down to select a color, now all the walls you draw will be drawn on the default layer, but in the color you've chosen. No need to select walls afterward and change their properties in the dbx. Those are just two simple examples.

No. In ACAD you use the drop-downs to PRE-select the properties for whatever you're going to draw next - not to change the properties of an existing object (that is done in the Properties dbx, which unlike CA can be permanently docked and automatically updates for whichever object you have selected). These selections remain in effect until you change them. This functionality simply isn't available in CA.

Insert the default the symbol from the Chief library. Select the symbol and open the Symbol Specification dbx (toolbar icon looks like a pencil with chair). Select the Options tab and enter the new Height Off Floor. Close the dbx, and save the new symbol to your user library. There is no need to mess with the 2D block.

Yes, I get that. What I'm talking about is the ability to affect the object itself, independent of the layer settings. Here are a series of screen shots of an AutoCAD menu that shows the pull-downs to quickly change the current settings for CAD objects: It's a different method of working - I'm not saying it's right or wrong - but I like the flexibility it provides.

CAD lines/objects will always be drawn on the current CAD layer. Unfortunately, as I outlined in my previous post, you do not have the ability to change a CAD object's color, line style, or line weight on the fly - it will always inherit the settings of the current CAD layer; any changes you want to make must be done after the object has been drawn. It's a shame that CA doesn't allow us the kind of flexibility available in other CAD programs.

Thank you - I really appreciate it. I struggle mightily with anything related to terrain.

I think what the OP may want is the ability to quickly define the line properties BEFORE drawing the line. One of the difficult transitions from AutoCAD to CA is illustrated by this behavior. For instance, in AutoCAD, there are drop-down boxes to quickly select the "default" drawing layer, line style, line width, line color, etc. - without having to modify a layer set or dig through dialog boxes.

If you're using polyline areas, all that CAD stuff will get drawn on the Current CAD Layer - and they will be whatever color is assigned to that layer. AFAIK, you can't change this behavior.

Rich, Would you be willing to post this part of your plan? I would really like to be able to open it and study how you did things.

Have you tried using the "move to front of group" command for the table?

To assign the new rotated material to a different area of the SAME FLOOR (within the same room definition), you can use a material region.

Here you go: new.zip Dwg and .plan files included.

Is this what you mean? If so, just add a manual roof plane and adjust the height and position as desired.

It would be nice if we could mirror layout boxes instead of having to add all the extra geometry in the plan file.

A real brick ledge (and reverse brick ledge) tool that doesn't make me jump through hoops.

Perfect Larry. The one place it didn't occur to me to look, though considering my first response to the post, it should have.

Check out this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ59vHSFfZA Xeon vs I7 explained.

See attached. I think something was corrupt - but not sure what. Everything seemed set up properly. When I drew new interior walls, they all had beadboard, even though the defaults and wall type specified drywall. So on a lark I used the spray can to paint the drywall on one of the walls, and after a rebuild everything was fine. Plan 2 Main Level X6 Current.plan

I Googled Lanai, didn't get any hits that made sense within the context. Thanks for the explanation.

Did you use the Material Painter (spray can) to apply the beadboard texture to the exterior walls? If so, any changes you make in the Wall Specification dbx won't matter until you set the wall's Exterior Wall Surface to Use Default. You have to do this for every wall you've painted: If you painted EVERY wall, simply select the exterior room and change the material in the Room Specification dbx.

Jon, noticed you've recommended Boxx in several threads. I was on a Boxx for about a year before we hired a guy to specifically do our 3D stuff (this was back in 2006), and it was a good machine, solidly built - but, loud as heck and I thought a bit over-priced for what we got. Excellent interior build, though - easy to upgrade and good support - they still have our custom build on file and retrievable via the web. Our latest purchases are from Falcon Northwest, a custom gaming rig builder, and they have been impressive as well: Falcon Northwest Talon.pdf

Don't know what a lanai is. For a covered porch you could use a railing wall to define the extents of the porch, and use a soffit (or other method) for the tie beam (if I understand what you mean by a tie beam):

DWG and DXF formats preserve 3D information - they are not exclusively 2D formats. Have you tried FILE>IMPORT>IMPORT 3D SYMBOL?

Post the plan and you'll get better answers.