Chrisb222

Here are four unique views of one foundation, in different scales, on two layout pages, using layer sets to control what is visible:

What's displayed in the Layout Box is controlled by layer sets, or annotation sets. Select the Layout Box and click the Layer Properties tool to see which layer set it's referencing. Your Layout Box is probably referencing the Default layer set in the plan, so whenever you alter the Default layer set in the plan, it changes what's displayed in the Layout Box. If you set up layer sets for what you want to display (or better yet, annotation sets) it gives you much more control over your layouts. You can then change which layer set (or annotation set) a layout box is referencing in layout. This is very powerful because you can copy the layout box and paste to another layout page (paste in place keeps it tidy), change the referenced layer set or annotation set, and change what is displayed without changing the original layout box.

You're welcome! Before Chief, when I drew plans on paper, or later, a 2D CAD program, I always worked in 1/2" increments for framing, and 1" increments for foundations. As Joe indicated, with studs at 3-1/2" and 5-1/2", minimum of half-inch is necessary for framing. My plans don't get into dimensioning things like drywall, but on rare occasions there will be something that does have to dimension to a smaller than 1/2" fraction, but it's the rare exception. Post spacing for 5-1/2" posts is the most common place I encounter this, since they're 2-3/4" to center. If designing a block foundation (don't often encounter those now), I tried to work in 8" increments when possible, for efficiency of block-laying. But I'm not an architect, I'm a builder who also designs, so I'm thinking of keeping things simple on the jobsite. Plus I just think a plan looks cleaner with only whole or half-inch measurements. When I work in Chief, my dimension defaults are always set to "Grid Rounding". That way if all my dimensions read how I want them to (whole or half-inch), I know the sum of all dimensions in a string will match an overall dimension even if some dimensions are not really in 1/2" increments (see example). I've never had any "surprises" due to this approach.

Personally, I use 1/2" as the smallest fraction on plans.

Thanks for that info, but I would probably run the software native on whatever system I'm using. I do run Chief on a PC, the HP laptop, but prefer the Mac. Haha, my "first" computer was a TI 99/4A. Spent some time with basic programming on that jewel. Then moved to a Radio Shack TRS-80... WITH dual 8" floppy drives, that contained all program and user data. No hard drive. Yeah, I'm old.

Yes, it's a bummer, I'm in the same boat. Luckily, I was following the discussions here re: issues with rendering in X10 and so have yet to start a new project in it. I'm playing with X10 but still doing workflow in X9. I want to take advantage of all the other great new features, but rendering has to be sorted first.

I'm not 100% sure what exactly you need to do, but if you're trying to eliminate a narrow rip deck board at the end of the deck, try altering the spacing between deck boards, "Plank Gap Width" in the deck room spec DBX, Deck tab. If you want to move the rip to be against the house wall, try changing the "Plank Direction" 180°. I tested this and it worked to reverse the plank order, but one time when I tried it I had to change it from 0° to 180° then back to 0°

Yes, and I expected that, but my current system is GPU handicapped. I haven't given up but RT still works, just differently. So learning is required either way... Come "back" to a PC? Haha, I began computer-graphicing with a Macintosh SE in 1988. Can you say 9" Monochrome Screen? LOL Of all the many Macs I've owned, I only ever bought one PC for myself (although many for the kids)-- an HP laptop for remote Chief presentations. I hate it. However, I may be forced to go that route just to run Chief. The bad thing is while I'm fairly nimble running a Mac, I know next to nothing about operating a PC...

Thanks, I know I need to invest the time to learn the ins and outs, just not sure that's practical with my current system. I'll try though, and thank you for the tips!

I don't delete apps but as a Mac user since 1988 I can tell you, just drag it to the trash. If you want to remove the only other bit of info, go into the Library on your root drive, find the folder for the app you're deleting and move it to the trash too. Then empty trash. Done.

Take an elevation, select the wall, grab the top edit handle and pull the wall down level. Then grab a corner handle and pull the corner down. Use dimensions to get the desired shape/slant.

So far, nothing in this thread addresses why CA needs to automatically change zero-width walls to a thicker wall thickness. Understood that CA changes them, but why is it necessary? Why would a "Room Divider" that divides an open space into two "rooms" ever need to be more than zero width? Why would the software arbitrarily override my desire for the Divider to remain zero width? It seems to me that this behavior defeats the purpose of the wall type. It's a thing that makes you go "hmmmmm" This comment escapes me. What is it about differing floor or ceiling heights that causes us to need a thicker "Invisible" wall??

Hmm, great point, I'm sure that would boost my graphic engine's capabilities re: PBR. Thanks! (Nice pics, BTW )

Thanks for the reply. I used all the suggested settings, but did not set up defaults and PBR as default camera. I will try that. However, I'm certain my little Mini with CPU-based Iris graphics is not up to the task. It's just frustrating that X10 now requires a super system for this one feature, and now Ray Trace behaves differently...

I hear ya. I'm pretty disappointed with PBR and X10 rendering in general. I love the other new features but can't start using X10 until I sort out the rendering. My humble MacMini runs CA just fine, and I'm pretty good at getting nice Ray Traces in previous versions. And since RT seems to rely on the CPU my system did just fine. However, it won't handle PBR at all, since my computer only has Iris graphics, no separate GPU. PBR is slow and the results are horrible. Can't even begin to use it although I have tried, using this thread as a guide for settings. I don't really want to buy a new system anyway, since what I have runs CA just fine... but not PBR. And Apple has no good high-end system right now, and when they DO upgrade the MacPro, the price will be sky high. I'm loathe to, but have been considering the move to PC and found what seems like an excellent system for the money: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3ZSPKK/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza I'm a little sore that CA gave us a great new feature that only runs well on super high end systems. Oh well... for the time being I'm experimenting with adapting my RT routine to X10. It seems to be working... Recent Ray Trace in X10 on my MacMini, 26 lights, 10 passes in about 5 minutes (plus I can work in Chief while it's running): Same scene in PBR, best I could do, cannot use "Improve Lighting Quality" as everything goes black:

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00370/adding-drywall-to-part-of-an-exterior-wall.html Edit: Oops, I see I misunderstood the problem. Oh well, someone else might too...

I'm going to ask this here before making a Suggestion, but I cannot find any way to delete, reorder, reorganize, or otherwise change anything about the OOB Line Styles. I know I can create and add styles and have done so but I want to delete all the trade styles I never use. I'm constantly scrolling past hundreds, thousands it seems, of unnecessary line styles to get from the top to the bottom of the list, both of which are where the styles I use are located. In the attached pic I need to change the Blank style (bottom of list) to the Solid style (top of list). If anyone has a tip to blow up this list I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

I'm missing something. The stairway for the railing buried in the wall is cutting the wall at the bottom of the stringer. Can you explain a little more about your method?

Who has the best method for hacking this effect? I use a method I picked up here using ramps but it goes squirrely. One free delicious American lager for the best method posted....

Crap. Well... it should. This type of stairway is daily stuff around here. Thanks anyway Eric.

I thought I read here that X10 will now allow a rake wall with railing as one automatic piece, but cannot for the life find the thread... Was I dreaming? I've got the railing wall following the stairs, which I could do in X9, and I already know how to hack this effect, did it in previous versions. Looking to see if there's a setting I'm missing to add the railing on top of the rake wall automatically. Thanks stair rail X10.plan

In the overview video, CA also suggests even saving views of certain rooms, since you can save the zoom level with the view. Very useful for navigating to often edited rooms such as kitchens and baths.

I recently upgraded my Mac to High Sierra and did not experience anything in terms of slower 3D rendering. No change whatsoever.

If you're using a window, you can't get rid of the cutout, except in certain cases in pony walls, and then only in X10 it seems. For now CAD lines & masks is how I cover up the cutouts. I posted a Suggestion asking for cutouts to be hidden when their parent window is hidden. Click it and give your support:

It's easy to change the drywall color to whatever you want, without a paint layer, using the Adjust Material Definition tool. Just click the tool on the drywall in a camera view. Applies to all walls with "Drywall" material: That won't work if you want multiple colors in a plan, but for that you could set up additional drywall materials with different colors.