Top Tips for X1

[WendyWelton]

I'm stealing this from my own thread - thought it would be most useful with it's own place.

Louis, Gary, Dan, Dermot, Tim, Cliff, anybody - jump in, add to... if it works, let's hear about it.

This is the speed and aggravation avoidance list.

Preferences - Edit - Snap Properties - the entire upper right section

Preferences - Edit - Marquee Select - I change this constantly depending on my need.

Alt-Q - always go here before redefining a wall type, moving a wall, etc.

Preferences - Architectural - Select Room Before Wall in 3D - individual preference, I turn it off - drives me nuts.

Preferences - Appearance - Vector Views - Enhanced Line Draw - most of use are turning off for better speed

Preferences - Appearance - Double Buffer Drawings - most of us are unchecking all to get better speed.

Default Settings - Layer Sets - you can define the default layersets for the different camera views. I'm creating some that are stripped down to just the essentials to speed up vector views.

3D Setting - Options - try checking Start in Low Detail - also check out the various Auto Rebuild options (haven't played with them, love to have someone who has chime in.

[WendyWelton]

try to keep additions short, sweet and organized - please and thanks.

[WendyWelton]

1 - Avoid adding layers that you will have to delete. To avoid, bring dwg into a temporary Chief plan first, do any editing, layer display changes etc, then Copy & Paste into target plan. (In Chief 10 - use Edit Area)

(Both 10 & X1 can have layer weirdness from deletions (long story, short thread, just trust me...).

2 - Make sure your X and Y coordinates of 0,0 aren't too horribly far from your plan. To make sure of this - bring into blank plan first, then copy and paste, but do not use Hold Position - but just paste by eye, which will put it close enough to 0,0.

(Some surveyors plans are small pieces of large wholes, and your property might be way off in left field. If things look warped on your house, this is likely the problem.)

[WendyWelton]

The following will free you from having to use the Edit Layout (little pencil) tool on each and every elevation or vector view that you send to layout. Even when we send the final to cad for perfection, we use this for all intermediate work, so it looks fairly sexy with almost no work:

Send to Layout - Vector View Options - uncheck "Use Edge Line Defaults" - this will make all edge lines use the lineweight assigned to the layer. You'll need to monkey around a bit to get settings the way you like them. I use 25 for walls, roofs, major elements, and 10 for doors, windows, secondary elements.

Send to Layout - Vector View Options - uncheck "Use Pattern Line Defaults" - this will make all pattern lines use the lineweight assigned to the material. To make this setting most useful edit your material definitions:

Define Material (select object, Materials tab, Plan Material - select the correct one, Edit) - General - Pattern Line Color (on the left - I like a medium grey) and also Line Weight (lower right, I like 5).

On whatever vector view is in question - you can add cad lines, text, etc and it will appear on your layouts - without you saying "yes" to "update to layout" - so you can save any Little Pencil edits and still continue to develop the drawings.

If you uncheck both these boxes, the Little Pencil will continue to work for line moves, deletions etc. Unchecking these boxes only shifts line weight and color defaults from change by the Little Pencil to the layer of the object.

[WendyWelton]

can y'all tell - I have a toothache and REALLY don't feel like doing my "REAL" work.

[WendyWelton]

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/pdf/Sh...s_X1_icons.pdf

[dgavin]

Wendy,

How do you like talking to yourself? First 6 posts are all you!

Actually I would prefer doing my regular work to what you are doing, cause then I'd have a headach AND a toothach!!

Did you used to work for a detective agency? (investigating all this stuff)
Good work.

[Ron Ravenscroft]

I would suggest that anyone having trouble with new features go to Dan Bauman's website. For us old times Dan did some great tutorial CD's before Chief Architect, Inc. started doing their own. Below is the website for his " Whats new in X1" It is execellant.


http://www.chiefexperts.com/public/225.cfm[/U][/COLOR]

[WendyWelton]

Dennis,

Thanks,

4 tylenol & 4 advil - starting to work - time for a nap...

Ron,

Great link - thanks.

[Ron Ravenscroft]

Dennis,

Thanks,

4 tylenol & 4 advil - starting to work - time for a nap...

Ron,

Great link - thanks.

A good pull of Scotch works for me. Then you will not remember the fact that you have work to do.

Ron

[George Godwin]

I would suggest that anyone having trouble with new features go to Dan Bauman's website.

In his Webinar, Dan Baumann spoke of X1 as a "great upgrade" and he "highly recommended" it. These are direct quotes. I am sure that he is as concerned about any glitches in the processing of the new features as anyone else but his overall opinion has to be given a lot of weight. Few people on the planet have as good a grasp of Chief as Dan Baumann does. His Premier membership which is on special to June 30th may be a very good learning alternative to other options for getting on top of the X1 features.

[WendyWelton]

George,

I also feel this is a great upgrade. It still needs some tweaking, but I chose to use it over 10 with every new project. I was a bit concerned that my other thread be construed otherwise, when that was not my intent, hence this new thread.

Ron,

I tried the Scotch approach once a very long time ago. Little did I know but alcohol actually increases tooth pain. Yikes! I ended up in the emergency room at 4 am, sleep deprived, out of my skin in pain, swollen faced and totally plastered. I was so drunk my roommate had to hold me up and do the 'splainin'. That was 30 years ago.

I guess I've been lucky - that was my first ever toothache, and this is the second. Nevertheless, 5 days now, 2 dentist visits, penicillin, painkillers, can't eat for crap, way way way too much Judge Judy. I now know all about the perils of getting cell phones for relatives, buying used cars, verbal agreements for childcare, dog bites and landlord disputes. If I ever find myself young, stupid and pregnant, driving a 1987 Chevy, with a dog clamped to my ass on my way home to a trailer with no heat, I'll know exactly what not to do.

[George Godwin]

If I ever find myself young, stupid and pregnant, driving a 1987 Chevy, with a dog clamped to my ass on my way home to a trailer with no heat, I'll know exactly what not to do.

Wendy, - You really have a career option in comedy. But we hope that grinding out plans and software improvements win out in the end. And I am glad the your overall view of X1 is that it is a "great upgrade". As a jack of many trades, I rely on gurus like yourself for well-considered opinions as I do not use Chief every day. But I do read the forum daily and need to know as much about Chief as I can for the times when I do need to use it.

[pintodesign]

Wendy
Hope they'll fix that tooth ASAP!! There is nothing worse than tooth pain....
unless it's Judge Judy....
Barb

[JJohnson]

Wendy,

Could you explain this again, I have tried to find 0,0 and no success so far....

Thanks,