Default Fill Style?

[HumbleChief]

I've wanted a default white fill style for more years than I can remember but the default has always been black. Click from No Pattern to Solid fill and the default fill is black. I've changed the fill to white literally thousands of times. Adds a lot of time to my work flow but have learned to live with it realizing it will not change. Or has it and I've missed it?

 

I was watching the video below and @ 3:11 Scott Harris changes the fill color from what looks like default blue to, of course white, to do what I want to do many, many times. What gives? Is there a way to change that default please? Does Scott's black look like blue in the video? How did he get blue and how do I get white as the default?

 

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/10263/kitchen-design-part-1-floor-plan-cabinet-layout.html?playlist=139

[HumbleChief]

Found this (X14) but doesn't affect polyline boxes?

[HumbleChief]

What objects does that default above affect?

[MarkMc]

You speed it up a littlet using the object painter.

X13 set as default will NOT change the default fill of Pline box, it Will change the fill of Pline solids.

X14 set as default is not available for pline boxes but is available for 3D solid which replaced pline solid.

 

Thing is that the object painter will paint the fill from a solid onto a pline box. So you can place a solid somewhere in template plan and use the object painter. IF that also works in elevations (as long as you can see the solid even though the solid still has the default concrete material in the view. Not what you want but might be helpful.

[Dermot]

In the video, the fill color is blue because it is set to "Use Layer Color" and the layer is blue.  If your background color is white, you could first click on "Use Background Color" and then click on "Custom Color" and it should keep the color.

 

The Material List Polyline defaults only affect material list polylines.  These can be used to create a material list for a particular area in a plan.

 

There are a number of other polyline based objects that also have defaults (some that are new in X14).  I suppose you could always draw one of these and then convert it into a plain polyline because *most* of them will keep the fill style.

 

There is also a Fill Style Painter tool.

 

[glennw]

Larry,

You are half way there.

Configure the Material List Polyline/Area with the fill and other defaults you want.

Use the Material List Polyline tool to draw your filled polyline.

Note that this doesn't create a ML until you select the polyline and click Build ML... on the Edit toolbar.

So you can either leave it at that or convert the ML Polyline to a plain polyline. 

You can also go the other way and draw a plain polyline and then convert it to a Materials List polyline which will display as per your ML polyline defaults.

[HumbleChief]

13 hours ago, Dermot said:

In the video, the fill color is blue because it is set to "Use Layer Color" and the layer is blue.  If your background color is white, you could first click on "Use Background Color" and then click on "Custom Color" and it should keep the color.

 

The Material List Polyline defaults only affect material list polylines.  These can be used to create a material list for a particular area in a plan.

 

There are a number of other polyline based objects that also have defaults (some that are new in X14).  I suppose you could always draw one of these and then convert it into a plain polyline because *most* of them will keep the fill style.

 

There is also a Fill Style Painter tool.

 

The above advice still requires multiple steps to create a simple white filled P-line box which I've used as a mask hundreds of times as Scott shows in the video. So after 20 years of using Chief there's still no way to set the default fill style/color of a P-line box? I've NEVER wanted a black filled box - ever and if I ever did I'd be happy to take a couple step to get there.

 

I've suggested this multiple times but apparently not enough interest to change. In the mean time I've added the Materials List Polyline tool to my tool bar, which incredibly enough DOES have a default fill color setting? The Materials List Polyline tool has a default fill style setting but the regular polyline box used every day by every user does not? Carry on.

[HumbleChief]

13 hours ago, glennw said:

Use the Material List Polyline tool to draw your filled polyline.

Thanks Glenn, did not know this tool existed. Seems odd that we can set a default fill style for a pretty obscure polyline tool but not for a regular polyline box. Apparently it's just me.

[robdyck]

12 minutes ago, HumbleChief said:

Thanks Glenn, did not know this tool existed. Seems odd that we can set a default fill style for a pretty obscure polyline tool but not for a regular polyline box. Apparently it's just me.

I usually just switch to the background color instead of white. It won't show up when printed so it works as a mask.

However if I wanted white, I'd probably add a polyline to my library called 'mask'. It would add as a molding profile so you'd actually need to use 'show in browser' then right clickt to place the profile. Or you could add it as a cad block, then explode it once placed in your plan.

Better yet, you could add several mask fill types to your library and then just type in mask and they'll be there at the top ready to click and fill. For Example,

Mask, Foundation

Mask, Elevation

Mask, Roof

 

[HumbleChief]

39 minutes ago, robdyck said:

I usually just switch to the background color instead of white. It won't show up when printed so it works as a mask.

However if I wanted white, I'd probably add a polyline to my library called 'mask'. It would add as a molding profile so you'd actually need to use 'show in browser' then right clickt to place the profile. Or you could add it as a cad block, then explode it once placed in your plan.

Better yet, you could add several mask fill types to your library and then just type in mask and they'll be there at the top ready to click and fill. For Example,

Mask, Foundation

Mask, Elevation

Mask, Roof

 

Yes, all good ideas, all require multiple steps. I'd like to simply draw a white filled p-line box as default. One step - draw box - done.

[HumbleChief]

As most know currently the default fill style is No Pattern. Steps to create white fill. 1. Open object, 2. click the drop down, 3 select solid, 4 click color chooser, 5 click white, 6 click OK, 7 click OK. Voila - White filled box. 7 steps to create a white filled box. Tried using Use Layer Color but then everything including lines come in as white.  Obviously not a problem for others users so thanks for the opportunity to rant a bit. 

[HumbleChief]

9 minutes ago, Dermot said:

Sorry if you did not find my answers helpful.  I assumed that they were actual questions and not just part of your rant.

 

I tried your suggestions and they were indeed, in this case, not helpful. ALWAYS appreciate your input but could not get your suggestions to work to shorten the process of creating a simple white filled box, which was the impetus for the OP. And as we know user error is always a possibility/probability so if I missed or misunderstood your suggestions I'll try again. 

[CharlesVolz]

3 hours ago, HumbleChief said:

Seems odd that we can set a default fill style for a pretty obscure polyline tool but not for a regular polyline box. Apparently it's just me.

Not just you.

 

Did put this in suggestions? If, not please do. I will also.

 

[rgardner]

3 hours ago, HumbleChief said:

The above advice still requires multiple steps to create a simple white filled P-line box which I've used as a mask hundreds of times as Scott shows in the video. So after 20 years of using Chief there's still no way to set the default fill style/color of a P-line box? I've NEVER wanted a black filled box - ever and if I ever did I'd be happy to take a couple step to get there.

 

I've suggested this multiple times but apparently not enough interest to change. In the mean time I've added the Materials List Polyline tool to my tool bar, which incredibly enough DOES have a default fill color setting? The Materials List Polyline tool has a default fill style setting but the regular polyline box used every day by every user does not? Carry on.

I use one with K&B work all the time that is a 10% transsparency and set to use background material box.  I have it saved in my user library and used a place library item button to put it on my K&B toolbar.