electrical plan


winterdd
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first and foremost let it be known i think chief is the best residential software i have ever used for my business. i do want to throw out there to see if this happens to anyone else. my electrical plans are always a nightmare in chief. switches missing, wiring missing, porch lights missing etc. when i reopen the file the following day. at first i was like "it must be me, when i make changes i forget to add them  back" so i did a test. i added all the electrical components back in and immediately saved the file and closed out. porch lights were there, outlets were there and everything was complete again. i will be damn if i open the plan file the next day and they are missing, not all but some. does this happen with anyone? it's always the electrical that does this and quite frankly is embarrassing when the client calls me and tells me they are missing. they aren't pissed or anything but it makes me look inferior.

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44 minutes ago, ChiefUserBigRob said:

they aren't pissed or anything but it makes me look inferior.

Well, you must be. After all, you don't know what's going on there, do ya?! Maybe not inferior, but definitely incompetent! (totally kidding)

Just had something similar happen with piles under a grade beam...somewhere between completing the foundation plan, and a section view, some of them moved. Yup, it doesn't feel good.

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It's not something simple like more than one file of the same name? You've got a really logical filing system? And I assume you re-open the files using the 'open recent files' option?

Post your plan and I'll poke around as well to see if I can replicate it.

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8 minutes ago, parkwest said:

With all layers on, the electrical is missing???

My first thought. That's usually the first thing I do...go to my All Layers On layerset, make sure all layers are actually on in the ALDO, and then check if they are on a different layer for some reason. It happens sometimes; don't know why.

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Just now, Ridge_Runner said:

My first thought. That's usually the first thing I do...go to my All Layers On layerset, make sure all layers are actually on in the ALDO, and then check if they are on a different layer for some reason. It happens sometimes; don't know why.

Good Point. If layers get adjusted while working, one needs to remember to 'save' the newly adjusted 'saved plan view'.

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14 minutes ago, robdyck said:

It's not something simple like more than one file of the same name? You've got a really logical filing system? And I assume you re-open the files using the 'open recent files' option?

Post your plan and I'll poke around as well to see if I can replicate it.

i never have more than one file per job. one plan and one layout.

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1 minute ago, ChiefUserBigRob said:

i never have more than one file per job. one plan and one layout.

Not even different versions during the design phase? How do you keep up with design variations?

 

When you say "one file per job," are you referring to project file, or Chief file? That would be make a big difference to my workflow and my understanding of your dilemma!

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8 minutes ago, Ridge_Runner said:

Not even different versions during the design phase? How do you keep up with design variations?

 

When you say "one file per job," are you referring to project file, or Chief file? That would be make a big difference to my workflow and my understanding of your dilemma!

you are scaring me lol.

different version?? no, i should be?

i have had X11 since it was released. once i begin a project, i start a new plan file and save the plan file before exiting. i open the plan file the next day and continue with my design.

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Please excuse my wording; I don't mean to confuse you. Lord knows I stay confused enough without dragging you into my confusion. :) I'm not talking about a different version of CA. I mean when you develop a preliminary design and forward to the client, do you do a save-as to a slightly different filename to use for the next phase of changes, leaving you last design intact in case the client comes back, having changed his mind, and wants the old design or something from it in the new design? That's my workflow so I can always go back to a previous point in the design. But that means I have multiple files, with slightly different names (my scheme) for each project in the same project folder. I have to make sure I am always working on the current file. If not, I may accidentally be working on an older file that doesn't have the current changes. I think that's what Rob may have been referring to in his comment above about "And I assume you re-open the files using the 'open recent files' option?"

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23 minutes ago, Ridge_Runner said:

Please excuse my wording; I don't mean to confuse you. Lord knows I stay confused enough without dragging you into my confusion. :) I'm not talking about a different version of CA. I mean when you develop a preliminary design and forward to the client, do you do a save-as to a slightly different filename to use for the next phase of changes, leaving you last design intact in case the client comes back, having changed his mind, and wants the old design or something from it in the new design? That's my workflow so I can always go back to a previous point in the design. But that means I have multiple files, with slightly different names (my scheme) for each project in the same project folder. I have to make sure I am always working on the current file. If not, I may accidentally be working on an older file that doesn't have the current changes. I think that's what Rob may have been referring to in his comment above about "And I assume you re-open the files using the 'open recent files' option?"

gotcha, perfectly clear now. i only "save as" a new file if they say "let's look at this option and make these changes to see we like it better than the first design".

 

i open my recent files like in the attachment.

 

Capture2.JPG

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11 minutes ago, ChiefUserBigRob said:

 

i open my recent files like in the attachment.

I have a system that is similar to many other users out there.

Active jobs/Job Name/CAD/DATE AND PHASE IN FOLDER NAME/.plan and .template files

such that I have a folder named 200203-DRVA meaning that I am in the design review phase on design iteration "A" dated today's date.

Tomorrow I will copy and paste that entire folder and rename it to 200204-DRVA.

That was I can reference old designs, revert back to them if needed, also keep historical data or previous textures, elements etc. AND have an active backup vs automatic which can possibly be corrupted.

These all live on a cloud service.

You now have the added benefit of showing previous design iterations in your active plan with referenced files.

 

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I'm an Electrical Contractor.  I use CA to design the electrical system, lighting, communications and audio.

I import the Architect's .PDF and start from there.  I do the electrical last.

I meet with the homeowner and they watch a 40" TV that mirrors my computer.  I add all of their furniture, cabinets, etc

I've never experienced a problem like the OP.  

 

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20 minutes ago, Gawdzira said:

I opened it and saw the electrical. I saved it closed and reopened it and still see the electrical.

No clue then, i saved it saturday night. Opened sunday afternoon and things were missing. This happens alot with me. And i never mentioned that the floorplan always stays up to date. Its only the electrical that has this issue.

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It is possible that you are doing something wrong or just different from what other people are doing.  A couple of things that may be worth noting are that if you delete either a wall or cabinet that has an electrical object connected to it, the program will automatically remove the electrical object.  If you delete an electrical object that has a wiring connection, the program will automatically remove the connection.  There may be other things that can cause electrical objects or connections to get removed automatically but these are probably far less common. 

 

It is also possible that either a wall or cabinet mounted electrical is getting moved so that it is located on top of another one making it difficult to see that you have more than one object.  Wall and cabinet mounted electrical objects also have an annoying habit of jumping to the nearest wall when they become unattached and they might be quite a distance away from the original location.  I could not find any duplicate objects on top of each other in your plan posted above but it is still something to look out for.

 

Although it is unlikely that a program bug is causing either the electrical objects or their connections to get removed, it is possible.  In order to determine that this is being caused by a bug, we will need steps to reproduce the problem.  This will mean that you need to pay very close attention to what you are doing before you find something missing and then see if you can duplicate what caused it. 

 

One thing that might help you is to create a special layer set that just has all of the electrical displayed.  You can then quickly switch to this layer set and use Ctrl-A to select all of the objects.  If you look in the status bar, you will see a count showing you how many objects are selected.  This can help you to quickly tell if something is missing.

 

If you are able to determine that a program bug is causing this problem, please report this directly to our technical support team.

 

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