New to CA, Just saying Hello

[RobertJ]

Just dove in and purchased CA Premier X7, I am watching videos and trying to get up to to speed. Yet another software in a long list of "gota have" stuff in my computer....LOL

 

Just wanted to drop in and say hello, I am sure I will have some questions, so sorry in advance. I used CAD a long time ago and not much. I have mostly been putting stuff together with 20-20 and a pencil for a year now and it is taking me too much time.

 

Hope this helps me make better presentations and boost my sales!

 

Robert

[Alaskan_Son]

I think you'll love it.  Welcome to the community Robert!

[Kbird1]

Yep welcome Aboard ...

 

A New User posted last week too, so this might help you too

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/6286-new-user-what-should-i-focus-on-first/

 

Great group here , but get the Reference Manual on the Help Menu and User Guide Tutorial (and Read it ) ,

 

make use of the Knowledgebase (KB) Tutorials ,

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/database.html

 

and the Getting started Page here

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/getting-started/

 

and feel free to ask questions here anytime... 

 

 

Mick.

[Rosco2017]

Hey Robert! Welcome to the forum! Where are you from? There might be a local user's group in your area you could join. I love Chief. It's a valuable tool.

[Dennis_Gavin]

Welcome Robert,

 

    One tip in advance.  If you are having difficulty with something you may get asked to post the plan (PTP) if we cannot figure out the problem based on your description.  To do that you have to have Chief closed and use the more reply options, browse for the plan and then click attach and then post.  I think you are good up to 25 mb. after that you have to zip it.

This is a great forum. Enjoy!

[ChiefArchitect]

Welcome Robert to Chief Architect.  If you are a kitchen & bath designer, this is a good overview video  Kitchen & Bath Introductory Best Practices   

[RobertJ]

Already running into a problem, I like to work in inches for my interiors. Every time I leave CA and return its back to feet and inches. I changed the Dimensions Default (white wrench and white wrench with red check) to inch then tried " and ok'd it and done. Leave comeback and its back to feet and inches? What am I missing? 

[RodCole]

Hi Robert

 

Sorry for already being a pain, but what I would suggest is to set up anno sets for use in your kitchen design work.  That way you can work with the settings you want now and can grow into other aspects of Chief's as well later on.

 

I know, I know, anno sets already, really.  There are a lot of advantages though, you might also want to consider creating anno sets for each large scale plan and elevation view that you like to work with as well.

 

Defaults, as you have found, are req'd learning, but to really make Chief work for you it is also important to learn about Layer Sets and Anno Sets as well.

 

If you post your plan others will be better able to help you with specifics.

[DavidJPotter]

Learn where and how to set all default settings, Dimension Defaults can be controlled in its Defaults Dialogs. Learning and mastering Default Settings takes awhile because there are so many such settings. Take the time to really study and practice controlling those settings and you will then be much more efficient thereby.

 

DJP

[RobertJ]

So if I understand this correctly, there are no defaults saved in the default setting? Seems odd to to have a box called "defaults" that are not a  default for everything you do. I started looking at "Anno Sets" and that seems to be a lot of work to just have the program display in inches only. It obviously has a setting to make it Imperial or Metric. So am I to believe that if you indicated metric in the default setting that it would also need to be set back to metric every time you open the program without making an "Anno Set"?

 

Now I am wondering what other stuff I set up as default is not being saved on exit. 

 

Almost done with the 4 hr video on Kitchen and baths and it keeps changing back to feet-inches, thought this was just an odd thing that was easy to fix. For now I will just change it to inches every time I open the program, to much basic stuff to learn before going into anything else.

[DavidJPotter]

Preferences control how the program acts whenever you open it.

 

Default Settings controls only the plan you are editing-creating.

 

Your "Profile.plan" is what is copied each time you order "New Plan", so if you want to change or edit the Default Settings of the "Profile.plan" (metric users would use "ProfileM.plan" these are to be found in C:/My Documents/Chief Architect X7/Templates").

 

So like a lot of things in LIfe you have to know how and where the things are that you want to control and then do so.

 

DJP

[lbuttery]

I recommend saving anno-sets for a later day

 

try using the anno-sets provided by CA and then slowly create more as needed

 

if you provide large con-docs then learning anno-sets may be something to learn right away

otherwise concentrate on the basics first

 

Lew

[Kbird1]

Already running into a problem, I like to work in inches for my interiors. Every time I leave CA and return its back to feet and inches. I changed the Dimensions Default (white wrench and white wrench with red check) to inch then tried " and ok'd it and done. Leave comeback and its back to feet and inches? What am I missing? 

 

It sounds like you are Opening a New Plan each time you open CA ?  then yes you have lost your new Default Inch Dims, as Defaults are Plan specific and as mentioned above if you use the New Plan Button , it will open the Default Plan in CA called Profile.Plan  and revert you to CA's OOB (Out Of the Box) Settings. 

 

So you can either Save the plan you are working in after changing the Dim Setting to inches and open it, not a New Plan next time in CA  , or Open Profile.Plan and Change it there , so each time you hit the New Plan button it will be Inches by default already.

 

All of Us who have used CA a While have a "Template Plan" with all our favourite settings in it already and we set it up to open from the New Button instead of the Default Profile Plan CA provides ,which you can do too, like this.....

 

Open a new plan , change the Dim Setting to Inches ( and any other default you want and then do a Save as Template , and it will ask if you want the new plan as your default Template for imperials plans from now on (yes) , so that when you use the New button from now on it will always be setup how you want.

[RobertJ]

You hit it Kbird, got on with tech yesterday and just needed to save my settings as a template. Little different then what I am used to but I see the value in having multiple ways to open the program and have different parameters to work under.

[RobertJ]

Oh, found out there is an updated X7 book out on amazon next week from a guy that was recommended on another topic. I will have the ordered the day its available. I like a book that I can add tabs to for stuff I struggle with.

[dshall]

You do not have to wait for book. There is help embedded in program. Hit the F1 key.

[Jen197]

Hello,

 

I am also new to Chief Arch and already have an issue that I would like to solve. I purchased my computer in Canada so when I downloaded the program it is showing all dimensions in metric. How do I change my preference to inches. I also travel to and from Canada and don't want to have to change settings each time. 

 

the videos are helpful but I would like some advice from seasoned users. 

 

thanks 

Jen

[glennw]

Preferences...General...New Plans...Imperial Units.

[MarkMc]

Dimension format carries with the plan. So you can use a template specific to either imperial or metric. Chief supplies templates for both.

Set whatever format you prefer for your default plan template.

OR use "file, template, new plan from template" and pick what you need. (I almost always create new plans this way)

 

You can also create annotation sets that use one or the other. That would allow you to switch between the imperial and metric as you draw within the same plan. (annoset- "framing" with dim default 'framing imperial'; annoset "cabinet" with dim default "Cab_metric")

Whichever was used to draw a dimension is what they will be until you change them.

 

Changing existing dimensions from one system to the other-

To change an entire plan have all dimension visible and unlocked, group select, open the DBX and change the primary format.

 

To change one specific set of dimensions (this is particular good if you are using annotation sets) -

-Change the primary format for any named dimension default (i.e Framing dimensions) You can access this in the overall default DBX or by way of the annoset panel. This is fast and easy but leaves you open to mucking up your annosets. (and you need to learn annosets which is a good idea)

NOTE that changing one named dimension default (framing dims) in an annoset to a different named dimension default (framing dims M)for that set will NOT change already drawn dimensions since they will still be inheriting the properties from the original named default. Only changing the primary format of the original default (framing dims) to the other system will change already drawn dimensions.

 

 

OR you can have both.

 

In the dimension default DBX, secondary format, uncheck "use default format" check off "include secondary format" and make the secondary format whichever is not the defaults - that allows both metric and imperial to be shown at the same time.

For instance I have an annoset I use that shows both formats in it's dimension default that I use when I am creating certain symbols where the dimensions I receive are metric but I need to know or show the imperial.

There is no way to swap secondary for primary but you can always turn off the display of the secondary once drawn by opening the default again. There is no way to turn off the default format.

Play with it to decide what works best for your needs.

[ComputerMaster86]

Hi Robert,

 

I just made the jump of purchasing CA about four months ago.  So I am new to CA as well.

 

Preferences control the program, they have an effect on all the files you open with the software.  Once you get to know how all these settings effect the program, you can set all those settings up to your liking.  Once all those settings are set to your liking, they will not change unless you change them again.  For preferences, you don't have to worry about creating a template file.

 

Default Settings only affect the current drawing you have open.  If you want those settings to have an affect on future drawings, you have to create a template and use that template to create new drawings.  Once you get know the different default settings and what they control, as well as, what settings you typically like to use, you can create a template file that has all those settings saved in it.  I even have a template file that I started the week of new years.  As I learn more about these default settings and what they control, I will often go in and tweak and update my template file.  The idea behind default settings is to change all settings to values that are going to be common to your drawing.  For example, you might have an interior door style you want to use on all or most of your interior doors.  If you was to set up that door style under the default settings, you would not have to change that every time you place an interior door.  Another example would be wall types.  You may have a wall type you like to use for exterior walls and a wall type you want to use for interior walls.  You could set your default wall settings so that every time you click on the exterior wall tool, it defaults to the exterior wall type you like to use.  That also works for the interior wall tool and many many other tools.