Need different floor heights for adjacent structures / addition.

[Builder921]

X16 on Win10 Pro, 3x monitor work station, 32Gbs

 

I've wasted hours trying to set the 2 floors at the correct heights.  Floor on right needs to be sunk to have the joist tops flush with the sill plates on the 8" CMU's.  Will be adding a beam hallway to join the 2 structures and there is a difference in t.o.w. based on the floor heights.  (Both 8' walls).  Included are the settings for floors.  Cannot show accurately how the house / hallway roof will tie in on top of / above the fascia line of the garage conversion without the difference in floor heights.   

 

Background and Rant:  Have been using CAD since I upgraded from Win3.11 to Win95 and installed "Data Cad".  Came on 30+ diskettes and ran in DOS.  Builder w/ 30yrs experience w/ everything from site survey to nailing on the ridge cap.  Have performed every trade required to build a house.  Left a position couple years ago as a truss designer / engineer running MiTek Structure, both 20/20 and SE.  Have spent at least 16 hours watching Chief training vids and for the most part they are not very useful.  Many of the menus & tools shown are different or missing options shown in the vids.  A lot of the vids are so old they show X9 across the top.  So far Chief feels like something I'd pickup at Best Buy for $99.95.  Far to many interconnected settings that should NOT be.  Unnecessary complications and un-explained features / settings.  Could have drawn this entire project, including rafter over-framing, in Structure in about 20 minutes.  Yes, I would not get the pretty colored elevations but I'd have a complete, workable, structural drawing.  Very Frustrated at this point.  Read a post as to how Chief is set to build from the top down....Really?  Was this code written by a troop of Monkeys on Crack??? 

 

Any guidance on what I'm missing or doing wrong will be appreciated!  Also any suggestions on tools, sources, etc to learn this software would also be appreciated.  The Chief site has a lot of out dated or inaccurate video's.

 

[SHCanada2]

you probably need to post the plan

[Michael_Gia]

3 hours ago, Builder921 said:

Have spent at least 16 hours watching Chief training vids

I think you need more videos. 
 

Not enough info but keep in mind that Chief has a very particular order with regards to which floor you change floor elevations from.
You’ve probably already experienced having momentarily gotten your floor heights just right and then you nudge a sofa 1/2” and suddenly the bathroom floor on the 3rd floor has dropped to the basement. 
 

Welcome to Chief where everything is connected.  It’s more origami than architecture. 
 

You’ll get used to it, and the more you do you’ll realize there’s no better software of this type to go from concept to construction documents all while being able to sit with your clients and design asyou draw. 
 

You’ll sign contracts and make money and then you’ll love Chief again. 

[JiAngelo]

Either, Left Room Floor = 0' & Right Room Floor = -10.5"

OR, Left Room Floor = 10.5" & Right Room Floor = 0'

 

Whichever side is divided into more rooms, then I'd make that side 0'  Every room on the side that is +/- 10.5" has to be set the same +/- 10.5".  Chief sees this as one building, floor = 0'  everything benchmarks off of that.  You don't get to build a second structure independent of the first it must bear some relation.  This is not much different than a front porch, which I generally set to -8" where house floor = 0',  Instead of a slab you want hung joists.  The entry may be 9', but the porch is 9' 8" (assuming ceiling height didn't change (like when I drop the porch roof a foot to make sure it's roof clears the bedroom windows above.  Then the porch room height is 8' 8". off the lower floor.

 

Here's one I did a while back.  Instead of "hung" we created a pony wall with the top 6" thick and the bottom 12" thick so that the joists would bear on the lower wall.  OSB was flush with the top of upper wall.  .

 

I remember it took me a day to figure out how to get it right.  This was on poured walls so I used different colored concrete to let me know where the floor trusses were bearing, but same concept.

 

Chief's original company name was Advanced Relational Technology.  All the rooms in a plan file are related, even if detached.  I don't know who told you top down.  It's first floor, then up for the upstairs and down for the downstairs.  Based on the plan you draw and how you told Chief you want to build, it will finish the roof and basement for you.  It will even draw the framing.  If you left all those settings on default, then it probably won't draw what you want.

 

Since your building experience is the same as mine, then surely you've built at least two houses in the same subdivision.  Every plot plan in that subdivision has FFE, FGE, TOW and TOF reference points that are measured off the same baseline above sea level.  Every house may have 9' basements, 2x10 joists, 9' first floors, etc... but their FFE, FGE, TOW and TOF's all vary - unless you live in Kansas.  It's all relational and Chief looks at the overall plan in much the same way.   I agree there are many unnecessary complications - to me.  But they do mean something to others.  And many times after I've figured something out, re-reading the instructions shows I just didn't understand what they were trying to say.  Active views still drive me nuts on occasion.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[GeneDavis]

 

[PitMan71]

18 hours ago, Michael_Gia said:

I think you need more videos. 
 

Not enough info but keep in mind that Chief has a very particular order with regards to which floor you change floor elevations from.
You’ve probably already experienced having momentarily gotten your floor heights just right and then you nudge a sofa 1/2” and suddenly the bathroom floor on the 3rd floor has dropped to the basement. 
 

Welcome to Chief where everything is connected.  It’s more origami than architecture. 
 

You’ll get used to it, and the more you do you’ll realize there’s no better software of this type to go from concept to construction documents all while being able to sit with your clients and design asyou draw. 
 

You’ll sign contracts and make money and then you’ll love Chief again. 

Well said.

[Builder921]

Appears the only way to respond is using the "quote" button???  Don't want to include the entire post.....just respond to specifics. 

[DBCooper]

When you quote someone, you should be able to manually edit it to remove parts you don't care about.  Not sure if it still sends them the notification though.

 

You can also tag someone using this format: @Builder921 if you want them to respond.

 

[SHCanada2]

 

1 hour ago, Builder921 said:

Appears the only way to respond is using the "quote" button??? 

you can also highlight what you want to quote and wait half a second and a little bubble should pop up "quote selection

[Builder921]

9 hours ago, DBCooper said:

When you quote someone, you should be able to manually edit it to remove parts you don't care about.  Not sure if it still sends them the notification though.

 

You can also tag someone using this format: @Builder921 if you want them to respond.

 

Thanks.  Not my first forum but 1st time I haven't seen a simple "reply" or similar.  Feels like a Dumb questions but how do you respond without using the quote button???? 

[SHCanada2]

just start typing at the bottom of the page where it says "reply to this topic"

[Builder921]

On 4/25/2025 at 6:53 AM, JiAngelo said:

Either, Left Room Floor = 0' & Right Room Floor = -10.5"

OR, Left Room Floor = 10.5" & Right Room Floor = 0'

 

Whichever side is divided into more rooms, then I'd make that side 0'  Every room on the side that is +/- 10.5" has to be set the same +/- 10.5".  Chief sees this as one building, floor = 0'  everything benchmarks off of that.  You don't get to build a second structure independent of the first it must bear some relation.  This is not much different than a front porch, which I generally set to -8" where house floor = 0',  Instead of a slab you want hung joists.  The entry may be 9', but the porch is 9' 8" (assuming ceiling height didn't change (like when I drop the porch roof a foot to make sure it's roof clears the bedroom windows above.  Then the porch room height is 8' 8". off the lower floor.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the insight.  Keeping in mind the relationship between structures all from a central date point does help.  One mistake I was making (of several) was treating the floors as separate systems / objects. 

[Builder921]

On 4/27/2025 at 11:24 PM, SHCanada2 said:

just start typing at the bottom of the page where it says "reply to this topic"

Thanks.....Other forums I've used had a reply link in each members post that did not include "quoting" there text.  Getting the hang of this one.

[Builder921]

Never did figure out what was turned on, turned off, or broken with the first drawing model.  No matter what I did could not get the relationship between the buildings correct.....started over with a better understanding of the floor elevation dynamic and eventually have a model / drawing that works.  Beamed breezeway was part of the issue in needing the foundation heights accurate but most of it came into play with the rafter systems and over framing.  What the inspector wanted to see for permitting and the framers needed to know for bidding and doing the project.  Breezeway roof has to be framed first with most of it on house walls and one hip.  Then over frame the rest of the house roof plains to complete the hips. 

 

Was a little challenging to get CA to leave the existing rafters and show 2 sets of over framing.  Still not 100% as it's missing some 2x10 plates and has a couple of artifacts I can't seem to remove.  But it'll work for now.  

[Builder921]

@DBCooper

 

Thanks!

[Builder921]

@GeneDavis

 

Thanks.  I did watch that one BEFORE trying to drop the floor....but watched again anyway.

[Builder921]

On 4/24/2025 at 11:06 PM, Michael_Gia said:

I think you need more videos. 
 

Not enough info but keep in mind that Chief has a very particular order with regards to which floor you change floor elevations from.
You’ve probably already experienced having momentarily gotten your floor heights just right and then you nudge a sofa 1/2” and suddenly the bathroom floor on the 3rd floor has dropped to the basement. 
 

Welcome to Chief where everything is connected.  It’s more origami than architecture. 
 

You’ll get used to it, and the more you do you’ll realize there’s no better software of this type to go from concept to construction documents all while being able to sit with your clients and design asyou draw. 
 

You’ll sign contracts and make money and then you’ll love Chief again. 

Thanks!  

 

Have watched more since initial post and will be watching them all over time. 

[Builder921]

Part of the issue I'm having with CA is a level of precision and context built into the program.  I'm expecting something that's not there and probably not needed.  Using Mitek Structure my designs once completed, went into the production department where they feed lumber into one end of the saws and truss parts come out the other......so attention to detail and exacting tolerances were required.  CA is more of a concept / design program with matching tools. 

 

The instructional videos are Lacking a lot of info and context!  MiTek's library is well over 2,000 training vids.  You can watch them 8 hours a day for a month and not make it through the library.  Also have both email and phone tech support....that appears an extra cost with CA.  So I've found the vids put out by users / on YouTube mostly of better quality and relevance then what's on CA's site. 

 

Thanks to all who responded and tried to point me in the right direction.....sure I'll be back with other questions and someday can be as helpful to new users as you've been to me.

[jtcapa1]

5 hours ago, Builder921 said:

MiTek's library is well over 2,000 training vids.

I'm wondering if you can help educate us and improve CA over time?

btw, welcome to the forum Builder921.

I've been pushing CA truss framing program to its limits on recent projects. Many parts of the county are requiring us designer to provide truss drawings at the permit stage, which is both good and bad.

Bad, in that was rarely required of us, when we drew our single line truss drawing layouts. As we left that to the GC to sub out to guys like you.

No doubt you have many horror stories about those 2d, dumb, line drawings as near impossible to make work.

CA, bless their 3d hearts, has been improving and adding onto our parametric truss layout dialogs, but they are still very primitive compared to the MiTek Sofware.

 

The good, is this is forcing us Designers, to think hard about how this will be built and installed. So many things to actually consider that we kindof ignored in the past.

 

Now, CA will auto generate these nice looking layouts, but both the roof and floor trusses are still not detailed enough.

 

For example, I'm now using floor trusses more often in many of my projects where I've got the height to allow 16"+ member depths.  BUT something I never had to think about before was running ductwork inside the truss system Perpendicular.  How the heck does that poor HVAC guy get his ducts in the remaining voids, and rigid ducts longer than 2' cannot be wrangled into place!

There are many, many rules that you and MiTek abide by when converting our drawings to production shop drawings, and we would all benefit knowing more about those rules.

Like top chord or bottom cord bearing, flat cords, edge cords, how much usable space is there really with different designs. What are the rules surrounding manufactured gaps for HVAC?

 

I would certainly like to know more, as I try and force CA's 3d modeling features beyond its design limits.

Cheers,

-=JT=-

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