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I wanted to know if with chief X1 once I draw the floor plans with light fixtures and plumbing that it will automatically do the plumbing and electrical details? This would be great for me if it does!!!
Please let me know, and if it does, how do I get the plumbing and electrical details.
Warm Regards,
Gayle:)
Well.....simple answer...NO. There is no software available, that I know of, that will do "details" for you...at least I hope not
What types of details are you looking for?
With Chief, you can easily do an electrical "plan". Use the "electrical set" layer set, and start adding fixtures, outlets, switches, and electrical connections.
I typicaly stay away from plumbing plans.
Will chief X1 draw the electrical drawings needed for blue prints?
Thanks,
Gayle
I agree, there isn't software that can "finish" the mechanical portions of a project. Most trades reroute or ignore what is drawn anyway(but that is not the answer for this query)!
This would be a godsend to an inexperienced designer, however, each person has to learn about the different facets of construction in order to complete it. In most cases, the mechanical/electrical/sprinkler contractors will do their own schematic drawing to determine their installation. There are many times where a designer desires to control what or who does anything in a particular area of a project, re: not allowing ductwork or piping to go thru an area where a dumbwaiter needs to have travel space from floor to floor.
Not doing a schematic of the plumbing, or ductwork, or connecting an electrical item with a located switch is not a crime; it depends on what the client paid for?, what they expect?, and what the designer can provide without using additional outside services, unless necessary.
If the client paid for such complete details, then that should have been included in the scope of work, and pricing included to cover such elements!
Hi Gayle,
If you look at the attached jpeg in my previous post, that is exactly what I have shown; electrical drawings needed for the construction of a house. Or were you asking about something a little different?
I see you are posting the same time as I.
No, Chief does not do the electrical or mechanical drawings. It can provide a modicum of typical things such as electrical outlets automatically placed in all rooms, however, it won't determine circuits, or switch locations, or a lot of other things, because it is not capable of determining those elements in a context which works for every drawing. Drawings from project to project are not the same, so Chief is limited as to what it can accurately do before it loses its ability to reference what we want as an average or normal placement.
Your questions indicate these are areas where additional learning is required, just remember, we all started learning or doing in the field each of these construction elements. That is how some of us can do schematics, whereas others cautiously limit themselves so they don't offer more than they can provide!
To this day, I don't do electrical wiring layouts, plumbing waste and vent, and very rarely ductwork and trunklines. Its many times more work to make it look pretty versus the actual in the field end result!
Chief can do electrical layouts, in the same sense that it can do floor plans. You must input the data as required. For electrical layouts, I place fixtures, outlets, switches, and electrical connections from switches to fixtures, but I don't show the home runs from cicuits to panel.
Allen: how do you get the thumbnails on your post in here? It would be better for people to see then the way I'm doing it on here.
Here's the electrical details I'm looking for. This is for putting on blue prints to pull the permits with:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/n...Electrical.jpg
Here's the plumbing details I'm looking for:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/n...ingdetails.jpg
Thanks everyone!!:D
Gayle, the electrical plan looks almost identical (in the level of detail) to what I posted above, so this is something that can easily be done with chief.
The plumbing perspective view diagram can be done using cad tools, but neither of them are completely atuomatic.
Does that help at all?
It would be nice to get the 3D pluming and heat to show up in the 3D framing overview..
That would help show what needs to be framed for..
Could be done with symbols.
Maybe once it starts snowing and I am stuck inside and bored..;)
Allen & Allen: I would like to try and do this in cad, but have never use this part of Chief X1. I think this must be where the draftsman we've used in the past has been drawing this from. I will give it a try. If anyone has instructions on how to do plumbing details in cad, please let me know.
And as always--A BIG THANK YOU! To everyone in here
:)
Gayle, I did this in about 10 minutes using dashed cad lines. Just make sure your lines are parallel.
We do the risers in 3D, change the layerset among the 3 riser types
Then click on the camera.
We have this as a template and then add/delete as needed for each project.
Lew
lbuttery:
Is there instructions on the internet anywhere or in chief talk that would teach me how to do the riser?
Allen: I would definately like to learn the dashes in CAD. Are there instructions anywhere to help me?
Thank you both!
:)
In the upper toolbar, Go to "CAD>Lines>Draw Lines" This will put you in "Draw Line Mode". Then use your mouse to draw the lines. After you have the lines drawn, hold your shift key down and draw a marquee around all the lines. These lines will now be selected. At the bottom left of your screen will be a temporary edit toolbar. There is a button that looks like an open door, click on it. This will bring up a dialog box. Go to the "Line Style" tab, go to the third item down on that tab which is "Line Style", and click the drop down arrow, and select a dashed line style. Now click OK and your lines will be dashed.
Gay:
My recommendation for you is to go to your local bookstore and get a couple of those fairly cheap "how-to-do" books on construction, electrical, plumbing etc. so that you can get a basic understanding of how the construction process works and how all the different systems are typically installed and function. Even after you do that, you will still need to make sure that anything you are putting on CD's (construction documents ... plans) will need to be compliant with your local building codes. If you don't know which electrical circuits are to be GFI protected or which plumbing drains are to be 2" vs. 1-1/2" etc., then what is the good in showing this type of information on the CD's?
In my area, many designers and architects don't do plumbing or mechanical designs or details in their CD's because the local codes don't require it, at least for residential work, which is all I do. Some do electrical designs like the one Allen Brown posted, but I frequently see those as more generic in nature and what actually gets installed can vary significantly depending on what customers decide when sitting down with their GC (General Contractor) and/or their Electrical Contractor and figuring out exactly what fixtures etc. they want to purchase and have installed in their new home. This often happens after the CD's are finished.
I will do generic electrical plans for my customers if they request me to ... otherwise I don't. On one project where the customer wanted their specific electrical plan included in the CD's, I provided them with a full scale (1/4" = 1') set of plans on which they penciled in all the switches, outlets, lights, fans, phone taps, tv taps etc. and then I put all that on the electrical plan for their project's CD's. My suggestion is to only do that which is required for your building department. Leave the electrical, plumbing and mechanical designs to the professionals who will be doing the work.
Lastly, if you don't have them, I recommend you get the training videos and go through them several times and practice as you learn. I still frequently go back and watch some of those as a refresher on how many of the tools function etc. Another good place to learn is from Chief Architect's Help Database Articles, which you can access from the home page of this forum. Don't forget that clicking F1 will get you into the manual where you can quickly look things up as needed.
Lots of luck to you as you learn and grow with CA.
Is there instructions on the internet anywhere or in chief talk that would teach me how to do the riser?
Which style of riser ???
The method I posted was created by my partner and enhanced by me and is fairly straightforward in creating the various risers (see the layersets).
I'm sure there is a standard method based on the way risers have been done for "eons" but even then, there is variety.
I don't like the traditional risers and prefer a 3D method like the one I posted.
There have been prior threads on this topic, try searchs on "riser" or 'DWV" or "sewer"
Lew
Hello Gayle; for the electrical I suggest you check out the codes required in your area; maybe the IRC code and place the electrical (outlets, lights, tv, phone jacks etc.) on the electrical plan. For the plumbing just locating the fixtures in the plan is what I do. The plumbers can locate the pipes / drains from the floorplan' some show the plumbing fixtures / elec through slab, down draft vents on the slab on grade foundation drawings. Good Luck Don
If this was easy to do,it would make framing easier to do right..:)
It was not easy,but might have been if I looked for pipes instead of using molding lines.:rolleyes:
Allen:
I have used geometric cylinders before and they work fairly well but not when they need to be slanted.
I suppose I could export to Sketckup and then slant and then import but that's way too much hassle.
I'm hoping that someday we can plump as house "generically" like we can do now with the Electrical tools.
We don't need be "exact" in the entire run to the basement but it would be nice to get the major "transition" points modeled in 3D
If we could draw the "basics" as in pic1 and then have chief generate the drops to the basement as in pic2, that would be nice
These pics were for my own bath remodeling project and my first attemps at illustrating the plumbing this way.
We have since abandoned this approach for now as too time-consuming and use the generic riser diagrams as posted earlier in this thread.
Lew
Hi Lew
I am more interested in how it affects the framing.
Putting it in the plan would show what has to get boxed out.
It is to time consuming now.
I wanted to make a plumbing bay detail,and drawing the model seemed like the best way..
Do it once and use it over again..
Lew , nice idea......hope you don't mind if I use it as a design tool to do my own.
Doug
I am more interested in how it affects the framing.
Putting it in the plan would show what has to get boxed out.
Allen:
That's what I'm suggesting, that chief have plumbing tools that we can use per pic1 and then chief will create the plumbing where placed and do the framing etc and show it in 3D.
Doug:
Your welcome, please use and then post your results and improvements to the concept.
Lew
I certainly will Lew...thank you....
Doug
I agree with all that mechanicals can affect framing, but isn't this more about how far a designer can conceivably go to accurately portray ALL of the possible information necessary to "assemble or construct" something?
There may be items of concern for say plumbing which can be notated in order to make sure the conflicts are apparent, but I can't imagine worrying about drawing a sloped pipe within a plumbing diagram(sorry Lew!) BUT at the same time I can imagine commenting on how long sloped runs can impact framing, and require that any cutting or drilling be controlled by the GC or at a min the owner! This then requires someone to actually think about pipe placement and how to get from point A to B without damaging items in between!
I think we all know that a sloped run can exceed the capabilites to remain within safe areas of where it crosses thru a lot of framing, but by the same token, if say the basement(future finished space) is required to have ALL piping either above the framing or is allowed below the framing ONLY in specific areas, then the framing issue is moot.
I will specify that all electrical for example HAS to be within the framing, NOT run either along the bottom of a framing member or on a runner board....I plan for this to be installed where it will not affect later work. I don't think I have to draw it for Sparky to know what is expected, just as I rarely do it for the plumber.
Now to be fair, ductwork usually requires some extra thought, but the details do not have to be extensive but in many, most, cases the main truck has to be below the fraing. Its ok as long as its placed where you want it.
Just for the record, I'm also against allowing a plumber or duct guy to own a sawzall........ok, only because of a few idiots in the past :-)
Hi Jim
I do more work with framing and drawing that than the design.And after having to go back and fix what the plumber and heating crews cut out to run their stuff,it is on my mind from the start.
Electrical,is mostly small wires.
For me,it would be nice to have tools that made it easier.
isn't this more about how far a designer can conceivably go to accurately portray ALL of the possible information necessary to "assemble or construct" something?
Jim:
For most residential I think you are correct, but for larger projects, say apartment buildings etc then the BIM principles start to kick in and it becomes important for all the trades to know where everything is being run to avoid conflicts etc.
Archicad and Intilcadd and other software that have true BIM do deal with these issues.
Lew
Just start drawing some cad lines, you will figure it out.
The best way to learn is by doing!
Lew
I agree!
Its also relative to how much the end user is paying!
Hey everyone: Thanks for all this help. I havent had time lately to practice it yet, but will hopefully next week. I might tried and buy some used videos for learning more. If anyone is selling used ones, please let me know
Thanks, Again,
Gayle
Hi Gayle
You would be better of getting the SSA that is getting talked about.
Get to see the videos now and XII when it comes out..