Chrisb222

No. Only have to connect every so often. If you were recently signed in it will work offline for a few weeks, I think. I present at client's homes offline all the time.

+1. I would like a preference setting to never ask to save changes to Plan Views. ....off to the suggestion board!

In my opinion, yes, plus you can also assign floor level and zoom if you want, which is also very handy. I rarely use the floor up/down arrows anymore, almost all of my navigation is through plan views. And it's very efficient once your brain catches on. I still use specific layer sets, specific default sets, and specific defaults for each plan view. In my opinion this helps prevent an unwanted and unexpected change to something I didn't want to change. Not sure how easily changing an active default could screw up another plan view, but I'm not taking that chance.

What if the specified methods are for morning shadows, and the subs don't show up until afternoon???

I use the same method as Michael describes above, except I stopped using shadows as they were causing confusion with some of the exterior finish subs. Another difference is I also check "Use Edge Line Defaults" which makes all the edge lines black with consistent weights, regardless of line settings in layers. In other words, leaving that unchecked will cause edge line weight and color settings to be pulled from the settings in the various object's layers. In your example, neither method would address every type of detail. For instance, using my method the edge lines of the chimney and the gable roof beyond would be black lines. For this, you can use the Edit Layout Lines tool in the layout file to select those lines and change them to gray. A neat trick for selecting multiple lines in layout is to select one line, then hold shift and marquee-select the other lines. (Marquee select doesn't work with this tool unless a line is already selected.) Another detail that would not be automatic is the random pattern lines representing the brick. You could edit the material's source pattern to get somewhat the same effect but it would still have a repeat pattern that wouldn't be as random as your example. For that you can again use the Edit Layout Lines tool to remove random lines to get that effect. Finally, the varying thicknesses of the edge lines can again be adjusted by selecting those lines with the same tool, opening them and changing their thicknesses. That said, you may prefer to vary edge line thicknesses by NOT checking Use Edge Line Defaults, and controlling them with layer settings. But in doing so all roof edges would be the same thickness so manually editing in layout would still be required to get the effect in your example. Just keep in mind that any edits made with the Edit Layout Lines tool will be lost if you ever have to refresh that view, so save that for last.

LMAO!! Yes, I don't begin to try to understand it all. I just know not to rely on Distance Rounding for my plans!

Here's a quick example of what can happen if you always use Distance rounding and don't snap your walls to the Snap Grid. Add up the interior wall dimensions, compare to the overall:

Read the Help files on Distance vs Grid rounding. You may prefer to just change the accuracy for that ONE dim to 1/1, and keep using Grid rounding. Distance rounding has the potential to cause much worse problems than this current one.

Play around with this. Results vary.

I'm in the Plot Lines crowd, sharper printed lines and the Edit Lines tool win it for me. Yes, anything to do with the model itself. However, many elements of the original view, when changed, will update automatically. Text and CAD added or deleted will update live, as well as dimensions and story pole.

Totally depends on the situation. In most cases I can control everything through the dialog box enough to satisfy. Railing walls are tricky and took me some time to wrap my brain around... and still wrapping... In your particular case manual placement may work better since you might not want the railing itself inset into the room so much.

The outer edge of the wall width setting is also the edge of the platform/room/foundation. Your wall width is 3-1/2" but your column is 12" so the column will hang over the edge. Widening the wall width will pull the columns onto the floor. Alternately, sometimes it's better to set columns manually. Your Railing Wall has only one layer. This forces Chief to build the "platform" (floor structure) out to the edge of that layer, which results in having no layer to cover the floor structure. There must be another layer to cover the edge of the platform, outside the layer you're instructing Chief to build the platform to. Even if you place another layer in the Wall definition, it needs to be in the Exterior section so that layer can drape down over the platform area. Try a Wall definition something like this: This probably won't give you exactly what you want but it should get you on the path.

As Mark said, changing to the other Interior Railing wall type works, but just to explain why the Copy doesn't work, look at this picture: When you "Build Platform" to the outermost wall layer, that outer wall layer material can no longer extend down to cover over the platform space. Since you have no platform built yet, you see nothing, because the platform is interfering with the wall layer material. The other Railing wall type works because it's set to build platform to the Main layer, "Fir Stud."

Oddly, when I add any random corner point to the common edge of either ceiling plane, the corner instantly falls into place correctly...

Michael, great videos, thanks. I tried rectangle method four times last night using my template with no luck. This morning I thought, there must be a problem in my template (which has been true before with other things), so I tried it with the CA Residential Template, still no luck. Then, noticing that your videos were produced in X10, I tried it in X10, and had no problem. Something is happening in X12 on my end, that when the two planes are both made into triangles the corner where they meet gets screwed up (see pic). The corner is fine when they're rectangles, and after making one plane a triangle. It happens only after they're both made into triangles. I wanted to see if this happens in X12 with you too, or tell me what I did wrong. Test file attached. Groin Vault Test X12.plan

Similar thing happened to me last week. Opened a plan and a layout, all the links were broken for no reason. Had 20+ dialogs telling me files not found, then the layout was mostly blank. I closed the plan and layout without saving changes, quit and relaunched Chief, opened back up and all was restored. Please report back what you find out from tech.

I don't think it's a room lighting issue. Look at the three columns, the one on the right is a different color. I've had that happen too. For example several cabinets all the same material, but when rendered in PBR one of the doors is the wrong color. Weird.

It's not an error it's a temporary point. Do I get a prize?

Did you check that the layer "Framing, Floor Joists" is indeed on in the views where they're missing, as Joey suggested? By default, chief has that layer turned off in elevation and 3D views.

I'm more concerned about where you go when you get to the bottom of the driveway, OP pic.

Yep that worked! Thanks

Is there a way to prevent polyline solids that touch and share the same plane from changing to appear as one? Each connection within the three circles shown are individual PL solids (2x4s), but in 3D vector views and elevations they lose the separating line. I'm wondering if there's a way to force the program to show the lines. I can do it by creating a tiny gap between the solids but that's a little tedious. I tried converting to a solid but no help. Thanks

This is how I do it. Lower window label Y offset is -12", uppers are -48" and yes my window schedule has the sizes and controls the labels.

Good luck!

Did you turn off Temporary Dimensions?