Window & door sizes

I've been experimenting with the new feature in V6 that allows changing the background color for the program. I've decided that light gray is a bit easier on the eyes that stark white. However the default color for window and door sizes is difficult to see against this light gray background color, and I am stumped as to where to change this color. If I change the color in Options/select items/window and door sizes there is no change no matter what color I select.

One of the plans I created in V6 has a white fill box behind the window & door size text, which would work great if the text color cannot be changed, but I don't know why it appears on one plan and not on any others, or what I did to make this backgroung fill appear.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Dan Marrin
Lake Shore, MN

Dan,

You have to change the "room name" layer color to change this. At least I think that's the one... anyhow they are linked up kindof funny like that.

Dan,
I also changed my background color to light grey.
BUT, 2 problems.
If you don't want all you fixtures to show as white boxes, you need to change the color of each one to light grey as well - a real pain.
No matter what color you change the fixtures to, they print out as solid boxes (Canon 4550). The only way I could stop them printing as solid was to revert to a white background!!!!!

Guys,

I started out using the light grey background too, during Beta-Testing and switched back to white because I was working with an E-Mail house client and I would send him screen captures and HE complained about the grey background (I actually liked it myself). Perhaps, in later versions, this color thing and the opaque-ness of fixtures issue can be addressed less ackwardly and more automatically, eh ART?

David J. Potter

Like DJP I prefer the light gray background and in fact use it in all programs. But the hassles with it in Chief have me using white. If you try a black background you cannot see the 2D views in the library browser as it apparently changes the line color to white but not the background to black.

Tim O'D
O'Donnell Construction

Seems like the old DOS ACAD had the best gray background I've ever used. In Windoze I've had to go to black. I've tried the gray in CA but the item colors would have to be manually reconfigured somehow. Oh well, small price to pay. I definitely wouldn't want to go back to DOS!

Matt

Chief

Those weird little boxes around some text are annoying and the stairs not showing in open below is annoying. As you say, it only takes a second to set to white and verify everythings OK.

Matt

I figured out what causes the whit blocking around window & door sizes and sme other labels/text. If the walls that the windows/doors are in are not vertical or horzontal in plan these boxes appear

Dan

I've been useing the grey background in Chief since day two of beta testing. I've only gone back once in a while right before a plot from a layout page to check things. I'm not quite sure what you all are refering to as "hastles". I've found the background color to be fairly well done.

What is it your refering too.

Jacob,
Would it be possible to chnge the name of this thread to "background colors"? I think its an important topic, & not covered well in manual. I would like to setup a black background but have not wanted to spend a lot of time if ts going to mess up plotting. Has anyone had luck w/ a black background, if so what setting did you use?

thanks!
tim hanagan

Matt,

My stairs show up in "open to below" rooms just fine with a grey background (ecept that the stairs sometimse have their own background). I wonter what your doing differently? Aug 13th?

Tim,

yes I've had pretty good luck with a black background. I use this in conjunction with gray. I use the black for CAD work and the grey for plan view and everythign else. I use black exclusivly in autocad and find that chief works very very similary to acad with a black background. It works pretty well for CAD work. When you change to a white/black background white/black lines invert colors to match.

====================
Caleb Maclennan
Designer/Draftsman
The Design & Build Center www.3DBuildCenter.com

Caleb:

I'm using a black background instead of gray.
In response to earlier posts by several users regarding things printing as black boxes, this is one my primary peeves w/CA. I haven't tried printing from a black background yet, but maybe the black backgroud will correct the fact that all non orthogonal text (including door/window sizes) prints that way on my rig.

Dean:

Thanks for the tip - that's a new direction, one I haven't tried.
I've been using various fonts, all of which print fine from ACAD. I generally use 1/4" lettering for dimensioning and notes.
Do you have this occur printing only non ortho text or ortho as well?

Matt

Matt
I have also been using grey since getting 6.0 beta.I have had very little problems with it.Have never experience the disappearing stairs in open below. When I try to draw a wall layer with grey fill it sometimes shows black on the sceen but prints out fine.

Mac