KevinWaldron

VMware = http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/features.html or Virtual Box = https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads Either of these programs will allow for a virtual PC inside of Windows 10 platform where you can load XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 10, Unix or several other operating systems......... in 32 bit or 64 bit ( on a 64 bit machine ). You can also have a multitude of virtual PC's. ( Not sure you have all the flexibility in Virtual box seeing as it is a free program but for sure in VMware) Once the program is setup it will allow you to boot run programs etc. and have a live Icon on the desktop of VMWare and of Windows 10. Your mouse, printer, screen everything will pop back and forth. If you have 2 or more monitors you can run VMware on one monitor and Windows 10 on another............ pretty incredible program that allows older programs to work that you wouldn't otherwise be able to use...... We use CadEstimator which will only run on Windows 7 32 bit all the time........We also drive some CNC equipment this way...... so you know it has to be stable. Blessings, kevin

Perry, This all sounds good for PDF but if you have programs like Snagit, or SimLabs Composer........ not being able to copy or print files etc is no longer a restriction. Bottom line if someone is going to steal your work they can do it given today technology, if they have a mind to......... By the way Composer offers a lot of what many of you guys are wanting to do in regards to presentations of work in 3D. We use this program with a lot of other Cad software. kevin http://www.simlab-soft.com/3d-products/simlab-composer-ultimate.aspx = Simlabs http://shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/pd/productID.289200200 = Snagit

Converted PDF to a DXF sometimes this will work....... kevin Dondero Partial Topo.zip

We use several Epson SC-T7000 and the 5000. Excellent quality........ test file 1st)720x1440 dpi full color 24 x 36 1 minute15 seconds from the time I pressed OK to print and auto cut........ Black and white 1minute and grayscale 1:20 same criteria 2nd)Same plan 360 x 720 dpi....... 40 seconds color 3rd)Same plan 1440 x 1440 dpi........... 2:25 minutes color Hope this helps. kevin

You might also look at section 1406 in the IBC........ Blessings, Kevin

Joe, Your talking about layer sets. Part of the problem with Chief is the ability to truely define your layers and materials. Attaching an example from Rhinoceros ........ Note: how you can do sub-layers, then sub-layers and so on..... I also opened up a layer material as an example of a lot of the power that other programs offer simply through being able to use layers much more effectively. If Chief offered some of these possiblities items could be in the same space and different shapes, sizes, colors, etc. could be played with by simply turning specific layers off or on. Blessing, Kevin

You should probably check out FormZ 8......... fairly easy to draw as you are inspired and few of the limitations that Chief forced upon you.. Blessings, Kevin

Not being an expert on Chief but working with many other 3D programs...... looks like to me to make this an easy fix for coding it would be advantage to be able to lock the starting base height of walls (relative Z height of the lowest starting point of a wall) and lock the room height of wall (Z height of top of studs plates etc.) or allow both to recaluclate given one is fixed or neither defaulting to the default information. Another fix would be to allow a tree of the DBX items with relative information to x,y,z..... (probably never going to happen)

Until Chief is willing to try and adhere / follow the International Building Code with regards to framing a little more closely.... and allow access to a complete dbx.........it is a mute point. For instance...... Garage Door Headers and required nailing as an example...... Energy Code Complance with Rafters on top of Ceiling Joist ..... and the list goes on.... kevin

If we are going to do any kind of detailed span/sizing information etc. ourselves, we usually use this program if it's outside of the tables available in the code. http://www.strucalc.com/ Blessings, kevin

Not entirely true...... you can convert a file that was an original DWG file that was converted to a PDF back to a DWG file with programs like PDF2Cad and others. ( It can't be a scanned set of plans for and example from PDF back to a DWG..... only works if the file is saved as a PDF from a CAD DWG file. There are also programs like Simlabs Composer that can convert 3D PDF's into many formats as well....... but Chief hasn't gotten here yet....... but there is hope with Autodesk as the new owner.) From here you'd have to import into Chief as a DWG file and convert to walls........ Perry's suggestion is the fasts way for Chief. I mention this because we often need to convert parts or pieces of Engineering drawings...plot survey's etc that are PDF back to DWG so we can work on various pieces. ...... if you have a lot of detail it's eaiser to convert. One example might be a detaill cross section that you need to make modification to or add information. We usually don't go back into Chief for this kind of work but another cad program but a very handy tool in your arsenal. Blessings, Kevin

I'm talking about where you have a front facade that might be brick and you need an arc radius to the ground or a gable roof system that has an arc radius toward the cornice end maybe on a small protruding wall section. Looking at it in simple form..... it's as shown..... Blessings, Kevin

Is there a way in Chief to do a radius in a wall that is vertical or a Tail End Roof with a radius? (Normally we would do this with FormZ 8 or Rhinoceros with VisualARQ...... Draw wall then draw nurbs curve of the radius that we need on wall or roof.... extrude curve split/trim wall/roof ...and place whatever facad necessary.... Trying to hire some help and trying to deterimine if we want to teach Chief to the help.) Blessings, Kevin

David, Thank you, I'd already found those...... we are in the heart of brick country......the more realestic I can make the brick the better. Our things are all inhouse design build but what you see is what you get is always better. We use a lot of other programs but it's sometimes easier to remain in one program. Blessings, Kevin

Hoping someone has added a more complete Brick Library for the materials list that they would be willing to share ....... (we have downloaded the Boral Brick but it will take a while to enter all items with the names etc......) The Boral library listed through the Chief web site does not include the brick...... General Shale would also be another company who has a lot of brick patterns and colors..... Any help would be appreciated. Blessings, Kevin

Lew, Example: Simple question...... can you export a 3D PDF from Chief? Been using 3D PDF from other programs since 2006........ Many of the things Chief has added in 10 years are basic things that many Cad packages have done out of the box ..... We only use Chief about 30% of the time now for our design build...... so your correct in the fact that in many ways the program no longer fits our needs. Blessings, Kevin

Perry, My point wasn't musical instruments........ my point was I have a good background to make a fairly reasonable assesment of what Chief will and want do, not sure you had experise in other 3D programs. By the way programs like Rhinoceros plus the Architectural add-in Visualarq as well as Form z8 are competive with Chief in price. Your post indicate that you only use and like Chief only........ no offense intended....... though I could offer a broader and less biased prospective. Blessings, Kevin

Having started with Autocad in the early 80's and later on with Chief when it first began..... I like all above have an opinion. We are a design build firm who have been building and designing since 1969 till present with over 2000+ houses, commercial buildings, and apartments..... when the depression hit in 2006 decided to try something totally different (not completely leaving the building business but stepping back in a large way)....... We went into the Musical Instrument business and purchased CNC, Lasers, and several other high tech computer assisted machinery. We were forced to learn many new software packages that drew in 3D for the purpose of producing parts that our machinery could use to make our new products. Programs such as Catia, Solidworks, Rhinoceros, FormZ, Rhinocam, Madcam, Enroute, Artcam and several more. Say all this to establish that we do have a fairly extensive background into the world of drawing/designing. With this said I like to express what we have observed. Chief, in many ways has not changed in 10 years...... few more bells and whistles but very little actual improvements in the base software. It will produce a fairly clean set of plans in a reasonable time frame and yes, they are in 3D but in todays standards of 3D fairly crude. You can use many of the base tools to produce various 3D parts and pieces but it is extremely slow and crude in the way that you have to accomplish simple 3D task or for that matter basic 2D task. Import feature of 3D files is another instance of poor options... only 3D files permitted are basically mesh style files...... nurb files and several other formats are not recognized with out conversion. 3D mouse is one of the tools that we use extensively....... and Chief ....... has not embraced the technology. The 2012 Building Codes have been ignored for all practical purposes...... in offering real world tools that assist and make life easier to comply with the codes. Producing any kind of plan that has large amounts of free form curves is un-heard of. True multi-file use could be a major draw back for your firm. We could go on but I've think my point was that Chief has many draw backs....... you will have to determine where you need to be. We do have the latest and greatest Chief program so we have remained current. Blessings, Kevin

We've found an example of some of things that next versions of Chief must have..... The needed tools come from Revit MEP. The program has a demo file showing 3D duct work and light cover boxes etc...... MEP by the way stands for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing......most all the tools offered in MEP are not available to us as Chief users...... many of these things are now required to meet the 2012 Codes......if your not doing the drafting/design someone has to provide this in area's that the require the information for permits under the 2012 and above code....... this is not going to go away! Andy, we as design / builders and try and use the material list.... if you only note the items on a schedule they want show up in the material list. Same thing goes for drip-dege on roofs if it's not there in the drawing it for sure want show-up on the material list as well as other required items. We probably will move programs if things that we need are not offered. Blessings, Kevin

I wasn't saying that Chief needed to automatically make the changes..... my contention is that we don't have adequate tools to easily do what needs to be done to comply with current codes and the software is following further and further behind in offering tools for real world situations. With the 2012/2015 energy code requirements we don't have many of the drawing tools needed to draw quickly the code required parts, pieces, items, etc! Another example of hardware/software.... following behind.......3D mouse ... http://www.3dconnexion.com/ if you haven't used one you really don't know what your missing......... it's an incredible drawing aid. If you guys in other area's aren't having to follow the energy code/ Green thing you will soon..... your codes departments just haven't caught up or your mortgage companies and your utility companies haven't started, or requested that you comply.......... but it's coming..... don't bury your head in the sand. As bad as all of this is and with the additional cost associated with the changes there is substantial gains to be had with the energy savings. We as designers, builders, Architects need to promote the energy savings as a benefit and use it as a sells tool........ Yes, Sprinklers for residential are required for various cities and counties in our area.... some adopt all the codes as is and some only adopt parts and pieces of the code. You want to see the changes required by 2012...... http://shop.iccsafe.org/significant-changes-to-the-international-building-code-2012-edition.html Leave you with one final thought..... with all the natural disasters happening you can bet that seismic/wind/mud-slide code rule changes aren't going to be far behind. Don't you want a software that is trying to offer tools that make your life a little easier........ Let's beg, plead, prod that our favorite software becomes current with real world demands. Blessings, Kevin

Is it just me are others finding Chief is falling behind in being able to draw things (easily) that are required for the 2012 code? (The 2015 code is now in process) Not trying to stir up problems but many of the new changes that are needed for plan or plans code submittal just aren't included in Chief. Examples: 3D/2D duct design..... 3D/2D Sprinkler.....volume of rooms etc for Manual J's.........3D/2D Confined air space better than the soffit...........spring closures on house/gargae door.......( Would hope that Chief would know to do this automatically light GFI in the electrical and not have to manually do it) 3D/2D light enclosures (blower door test) BIM.......... Drip edge on Roofing automatically placed..... and the list goes on. Not saying that some of this can't be done in Chief but it's like using a pocket knife in comparison to other software available being able to use a laser. (other examples.........we personally think that 3D printers will play a major role in construction in the next 15 years........ Like to think that we can ride some of the technology with companies that we have been using for years.) Personal thoughts......As a design build firm....... in our opinion the software looks more and more like what a home owner would use not a professional. We already have a large arsenal of other software such as FormZ, Turbocad, Revit and others that offer a lot of the necessary power. As professionals lets urge the makers of Chief to regain it's place in the industry and stay ahead of our code requirements. Much of this is my opinions and I'm not trying to be contentious. I'd like to see changes to new versions more in line with real world needs not just catching up with other software. Blessings, . Kevin

FormZ ......has this kind of capablilty. Blessings, Kevin