Chrisb222

Create an object using the color you want as its material. Click the Adjust Material Definition tool on the material you want to change. In the Define Material Spec DBX, click the Material box, then use the eyedropper to pick up the color in the object: When you close the DBX the color will be applied to all objects with that altered material (all walls in this case): Before you close, first click the Texture tab and click "Blend with Texture."

I don't have the Mastic library but you can apply the color material to another object and then use the eyedropper to pick it up from the Define Material DBX

If you want the color change to also show in Standard render, in the Define Material DBX click on the Texture tab and click "Blend with Texture."

You're changing the pattern from a pattern to a solid color. Use the Adjust Material Definition tool, click on the wall, and change the color there.

If you're asking me, I was talking about the pattern line color I use, set in the Layout Box Spec DBX using the Edge and Pattern Line Defaults method I described. On a Mac it gives Grayscale as a percentage of brightness. Those Edge and Pattern line defaults are global settings, by the way. Everything in that layout view will respect those settings. David's response directly above yours is using a different method, and he has more control over individual objects.

I love it when that happens.

Personally I use 30 and 10, with 75% brightness on patterns.

That works. I selected the Exterior Room, made Room Polyline, converted to Sidewalk (Center Line), 1/8" wide, 1/8" high, placed on custom layer. It perfectly follows gently contoured terrain, right at the house. Thanks!

Does anyone know a way to automatically show a line where the actual plan terrain is cut by the house in elevation view? Just the line as it would be at the foundation wall. If I check terrain layer to show it gives everything the camera sees, not just the cut line. I draw these manually now and try to approximate the intersection of the house and the terrain but on sloped lots it gets tricky. Would be nice to have Chief show the intersection line only. I messed around with generating a terrain hole from the exterior room polyline, but the results were quirky. Thanks

I want to elaborate on this technique a little in case someone wants to use it. The descriptions in this thread are a little vague. When you send a vector view to layout and choose Plot Lines, you get the option to check "Use Edge Line Defaults" and "Use Pattern Line Defaults." These are only available for vector views > plot lines. Chief has these unchecked by default, and actually discourages using them. Help says they're only there for legacy files. I don't know why they're discouraged because I find them very useful. When sending the view to layout, these check boxes only allow you to specify the line weight. But once in layout you can select the view, click Open Object, and there control the thickness and also the color of the lines. By default, when these are unchecked Chief will use the line, color, and fill information in the plan file's Layer settings and the model's Material Definitions to create the layout view. You can get a lot more control using these methods, but it might change your model in ways you don't want, and it can take time to set up. Finally, if you don't check these boxes when sending the view, you won't have this control in the layout page. To get the control you have to check the boxes when sending the view. The boxes can be checked after sending, in the layout, but they won't do anything. You will however still be able to switch to Live View whether you check them or not. The defaults above make quick work of having simple control of edge and pattern lines in Layout vector views.

Several ways to do it. Lots of information in this recent thread:

Correct. It seems that, for now the choices are one model that retains its colors in Vector views but can have limited edge and pattern line colors and weights in Layout, or a grayscale model in vector views with full control over the Layout view, or two models. Pick yer poison!

I use this method as a quick easy way to make pattern lines gray, keeping the edge lines black, and apply global line weights to both. All without changing the colors in the model. Shadows work too but I usually don't show them on CDs. With this method I can get close to what James does and still have colors in my 3-D vector views, which I like. Everything looks dark, crisp and clean on printed CDs, I only use gray for the pattern lines. I asked James about his method killing colors in other vector views because I didn't want that. The advantage to his method is it gives you much more control over line colors and weights of individual objects. As you can see in his pic, he also has a gray fill on his foundation walls, gray fills in window panes. My method won't allow that. I was thinking about going to that system but I don't want to lose colors in the model, or have two models of the same project.

You can get grayscale (or color) vector views in Layout without changing the model by checking Plot Lines, color fill unchecked, and then check "Use Edge Line Defaults" and "Use Pattern Line Defaults" in the Send to Layout DBX. You can also use shadows with this technique. This will preserve your color settings for other Vector views, AND give you some limited control over pattern end edge lines' thickness and color, independent of the model.

For Vector views, yes. You can still do color in Standard or any render style other than Vector.

Very nice. Does this mean that your model is always in grayscale in vector views?

It just looked odd, but maybe not. The perspective view showed a large gap beneath the roof but it turns out your exterior walls were defined as Foundation walls, and you need to reset them to Default Wall Heights in the wall DBX Structure tab.

They are all zero. Go to Edit > Reset to Defaults, All Floors, Floor and Ceiling heights. Rebuild roof. You have other problems, though, with your Current Floor defaults. Get that corrected too.

Again, if you're sending Vector View, Plot Lines with default settings, you can control line weights -- and colors -- in the layer (for edge lines) and material definition DBX (for patterns).

I send elevations, sections, etc as Vector View, Plot Lines. I like a black and white with gray tones look, with sharp lines. You cannot send other view types (technical, watercolor, standard) as Plot Lines, only as Live Views. Plot Lines are not "live," you do need to update the view in layout as the model changes. However, you don't need to resend a new view, and I wouldn't recommend it. Just use Update Layout View command, or if you want to make changes to the view double click the view in layout to open the original view, then close it and select "Yes" when it asks you if you want to update the view. This will bring your current model into the layout view. In the past I always sent elevations as Vector View, Plot Lines, and checked "Use Edge Line Defaults" and "Use Pattern Line Defaults" because this gave me the ability later, in layout, to go into Layout Box Specifications and make the pattern lines a gray tone. I like this look, and there you can also increase or decrease all edge and pattern lines. There is no control over individual objects' lines, however, and Chief actually discourages using this option -- according to Help it's only there for compatibility with legacy files. I'm experimenting now with keeping those defaults unchecked (the default method) which pulls the edge lines and colors from the layer settings (in most cases), and the pattern lines and colors from Material Definitions, which gives even more control of the line weights and gray tones (or color if desired), but it's more cumbersome than my previous method. More control but more work, so I'm debating. I've been happy with my previous method but I like the idea of having, say, Roof Planes have a much thicker line than the other edges in my layout display. In the past I have used Edit Layout Lines to do this manually but you lose that work if the view needs update due to a model change.

My default font for 1/4" floor plan prints is 5" Arial Narrow. It looks pretty decent sized to my old worn eyes. I would think 4" would be fine, if a bit small, but still easily readable. Here I compared 4" Chief Blueprint to 5" Arial Narrow. I think you'll be fine.

In the layout, click the layout box you want to be black and white, click Open Object. For plan views, uncheck "Show Color" For elevation views, uncheck "Color Fill"

Try using the Refresh Display command under the View menu. It's supposed to clear up randomly generated unwanted lines in the current view.

I'm going to guess you're talking about the brick mortar lines being too light in a black and white elevation in layout. In your elevation view, using the Adjust Material Definitions tool click on the brick wall and under the General panel, "Lines" option, change the mortar lines to a darker color or black, then when you close the elevation let it update your layout.

I liked that function too, but the current method allows you to pin the function which couldn't be done before. Different approach, with added function.