Layer sets in Layout ???

[deaconjj]

I haven't found much in searching for this one. I'm new to the concept of Layer Sets and find it to be a tremendous tool. In plans, it is great to turn on or off groups of layers to suit what you are working on.

However, another potential benefit of layer sets would be in layouts (especially with all the work-arounds required to get grayscale prints). When I send my plan to layout, though, and I click on "layout box layers", there is no ability to change layer sets. When I double click the plan view (to open the plan), I can change the layer set there, but when I close it, no change. I suppose I can resend it to the layout, but that means relocating, realigning, and cropping the new layout box.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[jschniepp]

John - I don't see the need to change layer sets in layout. As for grayscale, I don't see the need for work arounds, either. You just set up your printer to print black and white and tell Chief your printing in color. More info about what you want to do might help.

John

[deaconjj]

Thanks John,

Ordinarily, what you describe is fine. However, there are times I want some color on my prints (for example, cover sheet showing rendered model, colored rendered cross-sections on same sheet as cross section details...). At the moment, I'm trying to get some preliminary plans out for an addition. On the same sheets as the plans & elevations (must be b/w/gray), I also have a photo of the existing house, with renderings of the proposed addition. Printing Chief to color, and telling the printer b/w, doesn't work in this instance.

Maybe I'm picky, but printing Chief to color, and setting the printer b/w isn't acceptable for a program of this caliber.

With the Layout Sets, I created a new layout set in a plan, and exported it, but when I import that file into new plans, the one set I created doesn't show up. So I find myself making a new set, going layer by layer changing all the colors and lineweights. Then, if I send to layout with the wrong layer set on, there I go again. Either the whole layout set thing is very unstable/unpredictable, or I'm doing something wrong. I think/hope I'm doing something wrong!

I suppose I could set up a default layout file with all the layers set up as I need? Not sure.

The good part of all this is (hopefully) I'm learning how Chief really can speed up my production.

Thanks again, John

[Dan Park]

The layout keeps a copy of the layerset that you sent to the layout. This means that this layerset is statically held in the layout. When you double click a layout view and open the plan you will see a layout layerset that is temporarily placed in the plan.

It is definitly a good suggestion to be able to choose a different layerset from the plan while you are in layout. This is something we are looking into for a future version but it also requires a fundamental change in the way the layout layersets work.

If we made this change and you changed a layerset in a plan it would then update the layout layerset. Currently this does not happen. Changing this will affect the way you work - this is probably a good thing in this case since it would give you more control.

As far as having a grayscale print option. This is also a good suggestion. This is currently in our database of suggestions.

[deaconjj]

Dan,

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining how the program works with layersets between layouts and plans!!!

It started with me wanting to change some colors to grayscale in a Layout. I doubleclicked the view, and edited the layersets in the plan. It was then that I exported the layersets.

Knowing now that it was "temporary" explains why when I imported my "export", the work I did wasn't there. Your explanation is extremely helpful - now I can do it "the right way".

Thanks so much.

[ebdesign]

John,
Before opening Chief, set the preferences for your printer to "print color as grayscale". Then open Chief layout, & print in color. If you do the 'pdf' thing, still, create the pdf in color.
Jim

[Dan Park]

You can set PDF 995 to print in black and white by

1) selecting File>Print>Page Setup.

3) Select the printer button.

3) Select the Properties button

4) then on the Paper/Quality tab place a dot in the Black & White option.

5) Then print in color from Chief and you will get a gray scale printout in PDF.

[GeorgeGtech]

I'm having problems with this as well. When I try to create a layout with different sets showing; i.e. electrical plan, plumbing plan. If I turn off everything but the electrical in the plan and send it to layout it's fine, but if I want to send a plumbing view and I turn off the electrical, then the electrical page of the layout looks the same as the plumbing. Seems like there has to be a way to show different layers on different pages without changing all the pages. Any suggestions?

[Ash]

Copy one of the layer sets and rename it for Plumbing for example, send this new one to layout. you need a separate layer set for each plan sent to layout but not for different floors.