jorgearaya Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Looking for anyone willing to shed light on this issue CAD Details in Chief Architect if used as presented can lead to loss of work and the details themselves. We don't use this feature at all, however, I have seen others use it and would like some input from those who are actively using it. The current set up is: Open a new plan, go to project browser, Cad Details, right click and create a new CAD Detail. The new window comes up and you have a new worksheet to do your details. Save your plan. If by some reason one or more of these CAD Details are deleted from the project browser, there is no current way to "recover" the deleted CAD Detail AutoCAD users work directly in CAD Detail mode, so the plan file is the CAD Detail, if the file is deleted, there is a back up of it and you can always go to the Recycle Bin and retrieve it from there. Currently we create all details in AutoCAD LT and then use .plan files to store CAD Details that we will use in chief "for the obvious reason" If we need a Detail, we open the plan file, and either "save as" or just copy what is needed from it and it is pasted over to the current working plan needing the detail (CAD Detail section). If that detail gets deleted, no panic, we just go back to the .plan file hosting all the details and we copy/paste a new one. We also print the CAD Details directly from AutoCAD LT and insert the sheets in the plans. If you wonder why not just import directly from AutoCAD, well, if you've been using both programs long enough you know there are several differences in the "translation process" pen weights, text fonts, layer and layer colors to work when sending and receiving .dwg files. (setting up both sides for that purpose makes life easier). We think it is a huge risk relying in the current CAD Detail configuration of Chief Architect, if one were to lose "months of work" it is a very serious thing. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 We use Chief Detail system with every plan, and now completed 1200+ permit sets in the last 2 1/2 years and no issues with losing them. Our templates contain our "typical" or "standard" details so we can call them up as needed, or draw or own. Its actually one of the strong points I like about Chief....though I think it would be WAY better if there was a 3D environment in each detail as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 10 hours ago, jorgearaya said: If by some reason one or more of these CAD Details are deleted from the project browser, there is no current way to "recover" the deleted CAD Detail AutoCAD users work directly in CAD Detail mode, so the plan file is the CAD Detail, if the file is deleted, there is a back up of it and you can always go to the Recycle Bin and retrieve it from there. Currently we create all details in AutoCAD LT and then use .plan files to store CAD Details that we will use in chief "for the obvious reason" If we need a Detail, we open the plan file, and either "save as" or just copy what is needed from it and it is pasted over to the current working plan needing the detail (CAD Detail section). If that detail gets deleted, no panic, we just go back to the .plan file hosting all the details and we copy/paste a new one. We also print the CAD Details directly from AutoCAD LT and insert the sheets in the plans. If you wonder why not just import directly from AutoCAD, well, if you've been using both programs long enough you know there are several differences in the "translation process" pen weights, text fonts, layer and layer colors to work when sending and receiving .dwg files. (setting up both sides for that purpose makes life easier). We think it is a huge risk relying in the current CAD Detail configuration of Chief Architect, if one were to lose "months of work" it is a very serious thing. Thank you. Seems to me there's only a huge risk "if by some reason one or more of the CAD details are deleted." Isn't there a way to learn, discipline or teach your staff to not delete CAD details? You can also create a .plan file with your Chief CAD details in it if you want, use it as a template, and add to it as your CAD detail collection grows. Just make sure "if by some reason" someone doesn't delete your template files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorgearaya Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 Thank you for the responses, I am just "testing" and I will be for a while to find the "best practices". I was asked why I don't use the CAD Detail section more. Larry, That is the point, if details are deleted, may that be by user or computer, there is no way to get them back. And the reason why AutoCAD is a good thing to have for detailing, and yes, .plan file is the way to best save them Johnny, As mentioned, every plan has details and saved in the CAD Detail section (Except we only use one sheet for all details and come from AutoCAD LT). The sheet contains the details formatted to fit the respective detail layout sheets. The view is already sitting active in Layout, so, the instant we drop the details they show up on the layout sheets, no need to be sending and adjusting to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_Morrison Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 9 hours ago, johnny said: We use Chief Detail system with every plan, and now completed 1200+ permit sets in the last 2 1/2 years and no issues with losing them. Whoa.... That's almost 500 sets per year! 10/week or 2/day. I don't know of any other firm that cranks out two permit sets per day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 58 minutes ago, jorgearaya said: That is the point, if details are deleted, may that be by user or computer, there is no way to get them back. ...and that is my point - just don't delete them - "by user or computer." Just a bit confused how a computer could delete anything without a user's help but perhaps your computers act on their own sometimes? Again, if you can't learn or teach your staff to simply not delete CAD details you could save all your CAD details in a .plan file and use that as an evolving template - unless someone (or your computer) deletes it of course.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_Morrison Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 10 hours ago, jorgearaya said: That is the point, if details are deleted, may that be by user or computer, there is no way to get them back. I'm not sure what you mean by "get them back." You should have the normal archived versions of the plan set to copy the details from. You should have detail files already in your template, where you could copy them from. And you might also have gotten in the habit of saving an additional copy of each detail to the library to copy from. This does not even get into your daily backup routines, where you also should have copies. I'm not clear where this one-way ticket to oblivion is coming from. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorgex8 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Richard, It is a worst case scenario perhaps, just looking into it from a general perspective, professional practices do have backups, servers, and yes, chief stores archives, there are "autosave" versions, local back ups, and there's that bad habit of mine to make an extra back up on USB's because you never know (It was funny to read from Larry when he said that computers can not delete things on their own... I have seen strange things happen when computers decide to give up) The recovery process can set you back some and then some. Not worried here about losing my plans or details, it is merely a research subject, and just like I did with the Trusses, it is good to learn what others are doing, and most importantly, is why they use certain tools in Chief that I don't have use for at the moment, or I am not taking advantage of and I probably should. Same goes for ArchiCAD, I haven't been using it as long as you but, I have owned and actively use it for oh a long time, Eric Bobrow was still the sales rep back then when we got it... and I use tools in it that are not made for the intended purpose, but, I take advantage of every resource I can. CAD Details in Chief, haven't had much use for the feature, but, trying to see what is capable of. Do I draw CAD details in Chief? Absolutely, I am actually pretty good at it, have my own keyboard shortcuts of course, in fact, some details are born in Chief and then sent to AutoCAD for finishing, some come in from ArchiCAD because it is faster to draw cad there than it is in Chief, at least for me. Thanks again for replying and wondering about it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorgearaya Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 I signed in with my other profile by mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 17 hours ago, Richard_Morrison said: Whoa.... That's almost 500 sets per year! 10/week or 2/day. I don't know of any other firm that cranks out two permit sets per day. Yep - a lot of the plans start with a "base plan" as in a pre-designed plan but the changes and locations vary and plans range from a few changes to full customs. 6 Drafters, 2 architects and 2 structural engineers keeping that pipe-line going. This is a "starting" point plan example below...and then changes from there. Madrona-Sales-Sheet.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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