Chief X8 Sneak Preview


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I like the Curved Roof Beam under the curved roof section. Those who have X8 beta, can a curved roof beam be formed without a curved roof segment in a cross section? I ask because in the UK, a common design style of home is called the "Barn Style" with chunky timber pillars, rafters and beams and curved beams. If CA could be upgraded so that this style of home, would be very easy to create in CA, this could make CA a significant program of choice in the UK. Not only that but if It could also plug into ArchiCAD and Revit, CA could be the tool of choice for add on programs for producing this style of home as well as its power to create cabinets and the other areas that CA is powerful in. This could be a much better marketing coalition than the Better Homes and Gardens union. I know the users of these major commercial apps would love to have a program like CA in the app add ons folders and would easily pay the price for CA. Cooperation is the way forward in the CAD apps world. I know ArchiCAD are well known for this type of cooperation and would be only too happy to work with the Chiefers. All the best going forward.

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CA employees may be able to answer your question about X8 but anyone on the Beta team can not due to the NDA (non disclosure agreement).

When the NDA period is over would be fine, SSA will get Beta version soon too.

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I just watched the preview video, and found myself saying, "Wow, that's cool!" frequently!  The one that I found the most exciting is the new camera viewing with focus on an object.  I hear this all the time, "show me what it looks like from there", and then I show them cutoff walls and rooms! Lot's of cool features added for cabinets, and yes, Rosco2017, it looks like the stair tools have been worked on well, well!  I like it!

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Hi to all you faithful Chiefers, I have just watched X8 demo Vid 6066. I would just like to say well done to you guys who have tenaciouly persisted with CA and have become adept at using it with all the work around techniques. This particular video illustrates my frustration with the current program. I am no longer willing to fight and persist with these illogical sequences anymore. I appreciate all the new features in X8. Underpinning a broken foundation is not my way of doing things. The automated system driving CA with its interrelated parts like stairs and other building parts simply gets too complicated as the design becomes more complicated with different floor levels. I can do all your work arounds and get the model to look right just as most of you can but I don't want to waste my time doing this anymore with this program. I have done a similar design with V10 and got the model to look right after hours of work arounds granted I would have less work around time with X8 but still too much for me. All the best I am not renewing my SSA this time but may do so in the future if the area of the program I am not happy with gets fixed. Having said that, CAX8 has allot of good things going for it like Cabinets, fast building of terrain, framing, schedules and many other things too. If you want to refer to our disscusions on story poles or moving of platform's, this is the area I am awaiting for more work to be done, not just on SP dimensions. Thanks.

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Mthd:

 

sorry to see you go

 

that is the problem with workarounds

they are sweet and neat at first

some can be down right elegant

 

then in time they become annoying

knowing the software can do the task

but  having to deal with the "hassle" of doing

 

or not doing the task for awhile and then

forgetting those elegant steps and having to re-learn the workaround :(

 

Lew

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The majority of what people call workarounds here aren't so much workarounds as they are using the correct tools for the job. Granted Chief does require a handful of genuine "workarounds" in some areas, but not nearly as many as people make it sound. I think we've just become accustomed to throwing that word around and it's just kinda stuck.

Truth is that the vast majority of times people have a problem requiring a workaround they're simply doing it wrong or at the least...the hard way. I think people like to call anything that's not exactly as they think it should be or like another program does it a "workaround".

And regarding the idea of forgetting those complex workaround procedures and having to relearn them...I believe the truth is that most people simply don't put in the effort to actually learn how to do it right the first time (and I myself have been guilty of this as well). We come to the forum get a quick how-to answer, say thank you (maybe), fix our problem real quick and never take the time to grasp any of it.

If we don't take the time to truly understand things, of course we're gonna forget them.

My point...Take the time to learn and really understand how Chief works, why it does what it does, which tools to use and how and when to use them, and so on...and I think you will rarely need "workarounds" for any given task and you won't so often forget how to get it done.

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Michael, did SH on video 6066 do thing's the required way in building his crawl space and garage?...Does the program know the difference between a room definition of Garage and Basement Garage or Crawl Space...What about building the Basement Garage stairs and the problems encountered along the way?...There is no way of learning that as a method is there?...I hope we don't have to enlist a garage dump dig to find an antique version of CA in 50 years time to play with, like they did with the ET version of the Atari game?

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I would love to see the ability to spec types of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings. Being able to edit insulation hatching to match roof lines would be great too! :)

Perhaps the "Living Area" text could br turned off or at least stay where we put it?

Thanks for taking the time to read my comment!

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I would love to see the ability to spec types of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings. Being able to edit insulation hatching to match roof lines would be great too! :)

Perhaps the "Living Area" text could br turned off or at least stay where we put it?

Thanks for taking the time to read my comment!

Turn off Chief's "Living Area" by dbl. clicking the select tool. Use a living area macro instead. It will then stay where you want it or put it.

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The majority of what people call workarounds here aren't so much workarounds as they are using the correct tools for the job. Granted Chief does require a handful of genuine "workarounds" in some areas, but not nearly as many as people make it sound. I think we've just become accustomed to throwing that word around and it's just kinda stuck.

Truth is that the vast majority of times people have a problem requiring a workaround they're simply doing it wrong or at the least...the hard way. I think people like to call anything that's not exactly as they think it should be or like another program does it a "workaround".

And regarding the idea of forgetting those complex workaround procedures and having to relearn them...I believe the truth is that most people simply don't put in the effort to actually learn how to do it right the first time (and I myself have been guilty of this as well). We come to the forum get a quick how-to answer, say thank you (maybe), fix our problem real quick and never take the time to grasp any of it.

If we don't take the time to truly understand things, of course we're gonna forget them.

My point...Take the time to learn and really understand how Chief works, why it does what it does, which tools to use and how and when to use them, and so on...and I think you will rarely need "workarounds" for any given task and you won't so often forget how to get it done.

 

Well said !!!

 

I have been using Chief for about 12 years and have never encountered a situation where I could not accomplish something. Yes there are times when what I require is not attainable through some automated function, that's when you have to dig a little deeper and do it manually. I really do not see the latter as being a "work around". This combination of automated and manual function is prevalent in all major productivity software. Just take a look at Excel, it's been evolving for over 30 years and even with all the expertise at Microsoft you really can't do much with it unless you are willing to dig in deep.

 

Considering the cost of Chief and the annual support fee I believe you would not find a better valued package out there. For those not paying the support fee consider this; how do you think Chief funds development to improve it's products?

 

Graham

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Turn off Chief's "Living Area" by dbl. clicking the select tool. Use a living area macro instead. It will then stay where you want it or put it.

 

 

Sure would be nice if it would work correctly

we shouldn't have to mess with macros

 

this PITA has been around since I started in 2005 :(

 

 

Lew

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Well said !!!

 

I have been using Chief for about 12 years and have never encountered a situation where I could not accomplish something. Yes there are times when what I require is not attainable through some automated function, that's when you have to dig a little deeper and do it manually. I really do not see the latter as being a "work around". This combination of automated and manual function is prevalent in all major productivity software. Just take a look at Excel, it's been evolving for over 30 years and even with all the expertise at Microsoft you really can't do much with it unless you are willing to dig in deep.

 

Considering the cost of Chief and the annual support fee I believe you would not find a better valued package out there. For those not paying the support fee consider this; how do you think Chief funds development to improve it's products?

 

Graham

True Graham, we choose and change software according to our needs and some do a better job than others with automation. The corner wall joint clean ups in the video 6066 should not slow us down in our work and the one SH fixed up was not the only one needing attention. With proper room definitions this flaw can be fixed easily I believe by the programmers?

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I have seen some of the improvements on the stair module however;

I cannot comprehend from the examples if a stair with a middle stringer only an be used (Generally referred to a a middle beam stair)

Does anybody know if it is possible?

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Thanks Glenn

I asked the question badly

What I meant was - Single stringer so that it does not have bits cut out to fit the treads.

The example would be a steel box beam with steel plates to take the treads welded to the beam

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