Call Outs, Dimensions, Text

[AlexAncon]

When your plans become very cluttered with all the elevation / section call outs, text, markers and dimensions, do you ever create a layer set that has just the plan and the call outs as a key to the elevation pages?  There is so much detail on the house I'm working on that it gets very hard to read easily.  I have generally just created a basic plan that shows the callouts but wondered if anyone had way of doing it.  I have considered deleting the callouts (turning off) and just indicating north, south, etc on the elevations along with the room label.  Thoughts?

[DavidJPotter]

The entire point of Layers, layer sets and annotation sets is to provide one the ability to organize one's data and break that data down into various groups of displays that communicate the plan. Even for a single story home, I might have several different displays of that floor plan that communicate different groups of information (Plan View Structural, Plan View Electric, Plan View HVAC layout, and on and on, as many individual displays that together communicate all necessary data. Chief provides plenty of opportunities to do this in whatever style you might choose.

 

DJP

[AlexAncon]

Thanks David.  I understand that part (I think) but my question is more about how other folks may be dividing up the information.  I seem to have many more pages and dimensions than I see on most the plans that are shared and wondered if maybe there was a better way to communicate the information I am providing without overloading the person reading the plans.  It doesn't seem to be too difficult for me to end up with 40 pages for a single 6k sq ft house.

[rlackore]

Yes. I often create a not-to-scale schematic and stick it in a corner of the plan sheet. Things I've used it for:

 

Indicating match-lines.

Braced wall lines.

Location of the plan display in relation to the building footprint.

etc.

 

I don't see any reason you couldn't use this method as your propose.

[DRAWZILLA]

I use 5 or 6 different layers for callouts , section, and camera views, then you can turn on a off as you want. The use of anno-sets also helps to get the view you want ,quickly, once set up. The use of plan notes has also helped with all the clutter in a plan. The plan notes schedule is a custom schedule but once set up you don't need to worry about it again.

[builtright3]

I agree with Perry. His style is very similar to mine.

 

But you could also check all your font and callout sizes. For example chief out of the box it set up for 6" text for a 1/4" scale and 12" text for 1/8" scale. I reduced mine to 5" for 1/4", 10" for 1/8" and 2.5" for 1/2" for sections and details. Also you can reduce your labels such as window, door, roof..... Also layout plan notes can be 1/8"

 

This has really helped me a lot.

[rlackore]

Here are three examples of cartoon schematics from a recent job - stuck in the corner of the page with specific information that is easy to read and reduces clutter on the main plan.

 

[DRAWZILLA]

I agree with Perry. His style is very similar to mine.

 

But you could also check all your font and callout sizes. For example chief out of the box it set up for 6" text for a 1/4" scale and 12" text for 1/8" scale. I reduced mine to 5" for 1/4", 10" for 1/8" and 2.5" for 1/2" for sections and details. Also you can reduce your labels such as window, door, roof..... Also layout plan notes can be 1/8"

 

This has really helped me a lot.

I actually use 4" for 1/4" text and 3 1/2 for labels, tell them to get glasses.

[Ridge_Runner]

Interesting concept, Robert. I know you show "No Scale" on the schematic but what scale do you usually send these to layout and at what text size that makes them readable?

[rlackore]

Interesting concept, Robert. I know you show "No Scale" on the schematic but what scale do you usually send these to layout and at what text size that makes them readable?

 

Scaled according to what space I have available on the drawing sheet.

[builtright3]

I actually use 4" for 1/4" text and 3 1/2 for labels, tell them to get glasses.

What are you doing for call outs?

[DRAWZILLA]

it depends on the callout, section cuts are usually 6" but interior cameras are still at 4" b/c it get too big for other info to fit.

[ebdesign]

A single layer can have different assigned text styles in different layer sets. So the same callout can be a different size, etc. depending on the current layer set.

[builtright3]

it depends on the callout, section cuts are usually 6" but interior cameras are still at 4" b/c it get too big for other info to fit.

I have been putting in my double call outs for sections and not using the camera call outs because I don't know how to make the camera with double call outs. Just haven't tried yet. Haven't learned enough about using the camera call outs. But I will

[DRAWZILLA]

Section views are camera's also. I put them on separate layers depending on what they show. open the DBX it's all there.

[AlexAncon]

Thanks to you all!  The combination of those suggestions is exactly what I need.  The size of many of my projects means that I have to go 1/8" or end up on 36x48 sheets which are really tough to wrangle.  These suggestions will certainly help!

[joey_martin]

Also remember rules of dimensioning. Don't dimension interior walls that are attached to and dimensioned in an exterior string. I see many plans sent to me for clean-up that have dozens of repeated dimensions all over the page. I also use 4" for general text, 5/6 for callouts, 7 bold for room labels.

[builtright3]

Also remember rules of dimensioning. Don't dimension interior walls that are attached to and dimensioned in an exterior string. I see many plans sent to me for clean-up that have dozens of repeated dimensions all over the page. I also use 4" for general text, 5/6 for callouts, 7 bold for room labels.

So in the drawing that you sent it looks like the callouts, general text and dimension numbers are all the same size. Are they all 4" in this drawing? Because that looks good. Not too hard to read.

[joey_martin]

All 4", maybe some 5" in there somewhere but I keep everything pretty uniform.

[country]

I notice in your drawing that the pantry doesn't have a dimension. I prefer not having room dimensions in powder rooms and other small spaces. Is that possible or do I have to turn off the label and add text?

[joey_martin]

My room dims are macros and not auto generated. I use macros for greater control over when and where they show. I also don't generally show dims in small rooms either.

[country]

Thanks. I'll start using macros for them too. I was wondering how they were different from the room name and that explains it.

[CJSpud]

I use an Anno set specifically for showing how all the walls are dimensioned.  I have floor materials patterns, cabinets, fixtures, etc. displayed with a medium to light gray color so the dimensions stand out better yet the other information is still there.  Because most of the new home plans I do are using ICF construction, my dimension plans aren't conventional.  By that I mean that in addition to the typical "exterior" dimension strings locating framed partition walls connecting to the exterior ICF walls, I also show those same walls' locations dimensioned with interior dimension strings.  The reason for this is the ICF walls almost always go to the roof and it isn't possible to locate interior partition walls by measuring to the outside edge of the ICF walls.  Those measurements are taken from the interior side of the ICF forms.  I use 4.5" number and arrow height for my 1/4" dimension strings.

[country]

This is something I should think of for my ICF and SIP houses. I am still struggling with the concepts of anno sets combined with layer sets and all the various styles that people seem to use. Establishing something that will work for me isn't what I would call easy

[MickeyToo]

Curt, is there any chance you could post a pic of one of your (floor) plans? I would love to see your ideas implemented.

 

Thanks