Can you change how Chief calls the swing of a door?


Mark_Peterson
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Here in the SF Bay Area doors are called out differently than in other areas of the country. Here, if you are on the hinge side of a door and the hinges are on the left, it is a left hand door. In Chief and in apparently other areas of the country it is the opposite. 

My question is, can that reference be changed so it can be reflected in the door schedule?

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Mark,

 

The only way to do that would be to edit the Code or Comments Field in the Components dbx.  Essentially just adding a note that would be totally manual for each door.  I know that SF is weird but I'm shocked to hear that doors also swing the wrong way ;)

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In my experience, its just as much supplier as it is region, so I refuse to discuss or describe doors other than graphically. I'd draw a little picture of the door that illustrates your handing scheme. If you accept the CA default (which conforms to the this Bay Area carpenter was trained BTW) then life will be simple. I was trained, both in the JAT in Ohio as well as in the field in the Bay Area to discuss doors "butt to butt", which sort of dates me lol, butt hinges and 7-11 hinging, sort of a thing of the past.

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Here's how I was taught. Standing in the opening with your back to the hinges which way does the door open...if it opens to the left it's a LH. If it opens to the right...you guessed it...RH.

 

Michael

That is how I was taught and I guess gives rise to the term butt hinges.  :P

Alan

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x3 Same way we identify the door swings.

 

I'm surprised CA  don't have that option to specify RH or LH door swing.

 

I see kitchen cabinets have %door_swing% option but when you select that macro nothing shows up. I wonder if this a bug or what. You have the option to select but nothing happens.

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Yep...no macro for door swing.  That does seem odd.  Here's a list of all that seems to be available for doors...

 

arch_height...................................... 0.0

arch_is_reflected_vertically................... false

arch_type_name......................................

arched_shutters................................ false

automatic_label................................. 3068

bottom_elevation................................. 0.0

component_code......................................

door_frame_bottom_width.......................... 8.0

door_frame_width................................. 4.0

elevation_reference....................... from_floor

exterior_casing_width............................ 3.5

exterior_casing_width_is_default................ true

exterior_lintel_extension........................ 0.0

exterior_lintel_width........................... 3.25

exterior_lintel_width_is_default................ true

exterior_reveal................................. 0.25

exterior_reveal_is_default...................... true

fit_jamb_to_wall................................ true

handle_distance_from_bottom..................... 36.0

handle_distance_from_bottom_is_default.......... true

handle_distance_from_edge........................ 2.0

handle_distance_from_edge_is_default............ true

has_exterior_casing............................. true

has_exterior_lintel............................ false

has_interior_casing............................. true

has_interior_lintel............................ false

has_jamb........................................ true

has_label....................................... true

header_count....................................... 2

header_count_is_default......................... true

header_depth..................................... 5.5

header_depth_calc_from_width.................... true

header_depth_is_default......................... true

header_elevation............................... 81.25

header_thickness................................. 1.5

header_thickness_is_default..................... true

header_type................................... Lumber

header_type_is_default.......................... true

height.......................................... 80.0

hinge_distance_from_bottom....................... 7.0

hinge_distance_from_bottom_is_default........... true

include_header.................................. true

include_header_is_default....................... true

interior_casing_width........................... 3.25

interior_casing_width_is_default................ true

interior_lintel_extension........................ 0.0

interior_lintel_width........................... 3.25

interior_lintel_width_is_default................ true

interior_reveal................................. 0.25

interior_reveal_is_default...................... true

is_double_door................................. false

is_drawn_closed_in_3d........................... true

is_mulled_unit................................. false

is_on_exterior_wall............................. true

is_recessed..................................... true

is_recessed_to_sheathing_layer.................. true

is_tempered.................................... false

jamb_depth.................................... 4.4375

jamb_depth_is_default........................... true

jamb_inset................................... -0.4375

jamb_inset_is_default........................... true

jamb_side_width................................. 0.75

jamb_side_width_is_default...................... true

layer.......................................... doors

lites_type_name............................... Normal

lock_distance_from_bottom....................... 40.0

lock_distance_from_bottom_is_default............ true

louver_size...................................... 1.0

mulled_unit_cuts_one_hole...................... false

mulled_unit_has_single_label................... false

muntin_width................................... 0.875

muntin_width_is_default......................... true

num_garage_door_panels............................. 0

num_lite_rays...................................... 0

num_lites_horizontal............................... 0

num_lites_vertical................................. 0

reversed_shutters.............................. false

rough_opening_bottom............................ 1.75

rough_opening_bottom_is_default................. true

rough_opening_side............................... 1.0

rough_opening_side_garage_curb_add............... 0.0

rough_opening_side_garage_curb_add_is_default... true

rough_opening_side_is_default................... true

rough_opening_top............................... 1.25

rough_opening_top_is_default.................... true

schedule_number.....................................

shgc............................................. 0.3

shgc_is_default................................. true

shutter_bottom_offset............................ 0.0

shutter_height.................................. 80.0

shutter_position....................................

shutter_side_offset.............................. 1.0

shutter_sides.......................................

shutter_style.......................................

shutter_width................................... 18.0

shutters_match_height........................... true

shutters_match_width............................ true

sill_framing_count................................. 1

sill_framing_count_is_default................... true

sill_framing_depth............................... 1.5

sill_framing_depth_is_default................... true

style_name................................... Library

tempered_name.......................................

thickness....................................... 1.75

top_elevation................................... 80.0

trimmer_count...................................... 1

trimmer_count_is_default........................ true

type_name..................................... Hinged

u_factor......................................... 0.3

u_factor_is_default............................. true

width........................................... 36.0

 

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This is way too simplistic. The butt-to-butt idea works okay on most interior doors, but falls apart when you're dealing with mortised locksets (usually at exterior doors) or other non-reversible hardware. Calling a door a "left hand door" when it's really a "right hand reverse" door could get you the wrong hardware. The CORRECT way to determine the hand of a door is to stand outside of the door - on the exterior side, the hall side, or the main room to subsidiary room (like bedroom going into bathroom)-- and see which side the hinges are on. If on the right, and the door swings away from you as you are entering, it is a right hand door. If it swings toward you, it is right hand reverse, not left hand. This is probably "old school" with cheapo locksets that are reversible now, but I don't see how this could be a regional thing.

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Is it included in the X9 version in your signature? I was trying to figure that one out today.

No, I just wrote my own version of the "object_properties" macro so it would work the way it should.  It's a very valuable tool to help create much more comprehensive user macros than CA has provided.

 

It's unfortunate that a lot of the attributes CA provides are basically worthless while other data which could be isn't available.  If they would open up the data access it would be possible to automate virtually all the annotation of ConDocs.  Then if they would take their Ruby implementation a couple of steps further we could write macros to modify the properties of existing model objects and maybe even construct at the very least 2D CAD.

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No, I just wrote my own version of the "object_properties" macro so it would work the way it should.  It's a very valuable tool to help create much more comprehensive user macros than CA has provided.

 

It's unfortunate that a lot of the attributes CA provides are basically worthless while other data which could be isn't available.  If they would open up the data access it would be possible to automate virtually all the annotation of ConDocs.  Then if they would take their Ruby implementation a couple of steps further we could write macros to modify the properties of existing model objects and maybe even construct at the very least 2D CAD.

 

I have to say Joe,  you have been very dodgy with questions regarding the X9 in your signature.  If you told us would you have to kill us...errrr?

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I think the  point of this thread is to be able to describe how a door swings.  In this  post there have been some professionals who have described how a door swing should be described.  I am not sure if the professionals agree on the proper nomenclature.  I am still confused as to how a door swings.  If I did understand,  I wonder if anybody else would understand it how I understand it.

 

The point is,  it seems like whoever is ordering the door should look at the plans and take responsibility for the direction of door swing.  This is one of the reasons I give a unique door label to each door.  I let the door orderers figure out what door to order by referring to the plans.

 

IOW,  I believe in the the Alan Lehman Method,  a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

My 2 cents.

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I agree, and i was disappointed that the new graphic object in the door schedule doesn't offer a plan view of the door swing.

Wouldn't it be great to generate a schedule that door orderers could use? And that door buyers could also use, to back check the accuracy of the door order?

I don't care if the door guy has to absorb the cost of reordering a door - my crew are still shut down, my client is still perturbed and my progress draw is still delayed....

A picture is absolutely worth a thousand words....

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Scott, you're right that is how it should work when professionals are on the job. LOL and the door swing on the plan should be a suggestion only because doors always move if changes in the field take place, the swing has to change if electrician put his switch on the other side for whatever reason because it couldn't go where it should, etc....and you get an idiot who does the door and trim  take-off from the plan will order the door with the wrong swing, some even being in the field don't know the difference between LH and RH swing, not to mention another moron will install it.

 

You be surprised how many home or townhouse models I go through, just to see things, get some ideas, etc and you would have switches hidden behind the doors, especially in the basements and bathrooms, etc.

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CA does it right.  It's pretty simple and universal for several decades now.  I would be a little cautious of changing the schedule to accommodate a builder that doesn't know the nomenclature.  I would be really surprised if the entire bay area has it backwards.

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CA does it right.  It's pretty simple and universal for several decades now.  I would be a little cautious of changing the schedule to accommodate a builder that doesn't know the nomenclature.  I would be really surprised if the entire bay area has it backwards.

I agree. I think the nomenclature is pretty universal. If somebody somewhere decided to veer from the industry standard I think the last thing we should be doing is encouraging that to continue and spread elsewhere. We have enough communication problems as it is without changing definitions.

If you need to change the definition for your area, so be it, but to make it too easy I think could have some pretty negative consequences.

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