Material Lists - Schedules - Questions?

**Dan Park** · 08-01-2007, 01:21 PM

I am looking for some questions people have about material lists and schedules for a presentation.

Also I would be interested to find out unique ways people are using the material list that may not be commonly known.

**WendyWelton** · 08-02-2007, 01:55 PM

Are there plans for a Room Finish Schedule?

Are there plans to bring Door and Windows Schedules up to speed so that they can programmed by the user to conform to industry standards?

Are there plans to allow user control over the numbering of all the schedules? (as opposed to numbering being strictly automatic, by the order entered)

Are there plans to allow doors and windows that are mulled to get the correct exterior trim appearance to each appear on their separate schedules?

Are there plans to allow user programming of automatic "Size" code so that it conforms to the window brand's method (ie 6830 vs 8036 vs 3068 vs 3680 for a 6'-8" x 3'-0" door) - which would be a real time saver.

Are there any plans for the labels for doors, windows, cabinets, etc to automatically appear on elevation views?

Are there plans to allow a both a Cabinet Schedule and a Fixture Schedule - with separate labels on the plans?

Are there plans for separate Appliance and Plumbing Fixture Schedules? And to have the Plumbing Fixture Schedule reflect the components that are typically called out and purchased separately? (sinks separate from faucets, shower heads separate from the controls & trim...)

**Dan Park** · 08-02-2007, 02:14 PM

Yes,

All of these items are things we need to do and we 'plan' to do them someday.

I was actually putting together a material list presentation for the user meeting to show what can be done with the existing material lists and schedules.

I know there is a lot lacking in this part of the program but there is also much that can be done with it that many users are not aware of.

It should be a good - I'm still looking for some body armor for the Q/A session but... I think I have a couple of things that could help people.

**WendyWelton** · 08-02-2007, 02:38 PM

Aha!

I didn't understand what kind of questions you were looking for. I thought you were presenting in-house.

Here's some things I'd like to learn about materials lists:

Are there ways to use it to extract accurate area data?

Best way to get areas & volumes for energy calcs?

Is there a good way to get trim quantities when molding polylines have been used?

Is there a way to use the materials list to accomplish my first list's stuff with fixtures?

How to change the 2D graphics for things like lights and generate a schedule more typical of industry standards.

**Dan Park** · 08-02-2007, 02:45 PM

And all that in 45 minutes!

I am intrigued by some of your questions. I am thinking some of what you ask could be accomplished. I know some cannot.

I'm sure I already have enough material to do a full day on this but I need to boil it down to a 45 minute presentation and hope to have information that can be useful to everyone.

Any other ideas?

**lbuttery** · 08-02-2007, 02:57 PM

Dan:

Any possibilty of CA working with or buying CAD Estimator ?

I see CAD Estimator as a very good companion to Chief and to have the two integrated would be very nice.

Lew

**WendyWelton** · 08-02-2007, 05:02 PM

Not so much an idea as a question - materials lists is the one great frontier in Chief that I have yet to explore, and I suspect that I'm not alone.

There's a master list somewhere? And the number listed for a door is always different than the number in the schedule? And some things seem to have parts filled in that I didn't fill in, like a manufacturer name from 3 jobs ago? Huh?

I brief primer on how this works at all would be very cool. It's hard to steal a car when you can't locate the gas pedal and break pedal.

"Brief primer" she says - and Dan's thinking, "oh crap..."

**DesigNet** · 08-02-2007, 06:36 PM

Dan, Look at the lumber yard's estimate. It is broken down logically in first (slab and first floor framing), second (second floor framing) and third (roof and finish out. At least it is here. Compare to the unusable list Chief produces. Someday, Chief should produce something that counts 2 x4's and doesn't specify 3" headers. We can always add the things we need and we can even estimate materials fairly quickly...buy why...when the lumber yard will do it for us and put prices to it.

Norm

**Dan Park** · 08-03-2007, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by DesigNet

Dan, Look at the lumber yard's estimate. It is broken down logically in first (slab and first floor framing), second (second floor framing) and third (roof and finish out. At least it is here. Compare to the unusable list Chief produces. Someday, Chief should produce something that counts 2 x4's and doesn't specify 3" headers. We can always add the things we need and we can even estimate materials fairly quickly...buy why...when the lumber yard will do it for us and put prices to it.

Norm

Arggghh! - This was marked as fixed in X1 but apparently only for schedules. It's still broke for material lists. I have reopened the bug! Now it's probably too late to get into .3.

**Gunzzz** · 08-03-2007, 08:09 AM

I think a proper sophisticated material list function would bring a whole new group of customers to CA. I use it reasonably well but it could easily be so much more.....and all the info if there in the plan already!! Just dig it out and organize it!! It's that easy

Paul

**Dan Park** · 08-03-2007, 04:25 PM

It's just that easy!

You've been watching the X1 videos.

**tlsapp** · 08-05-2007, 04:56 AM

I think a proper sophisticated material list function would bring a whole new group of customers to CA.

Every contractor in the U.S.A- if not the world.

I would like to know how to get CA to tell the stock sizes of lumber in the quantities I need. In other words, instead of telling me I need 4 each 35 1/2" studs, tell me I need 1 each 2" x 4" x 12'. Or, instead of telling me I need 64 ft of top plate, tell me I need 4 each 2"x4"x16'.

Dan, anytime I have a material list question, I go to Cliff- imho, he has the best working knowledge of the material list on this forum.

**Jim Rogers** · 08-06-2007, 07:41 AM

What Leslie is talking about is the option know as optimization.
In another drawing program I use we can generate detailed stock list of timbers/lumber based on actual lengths and the number of joints cut into each timber.
The program can (I believe) ignore the joints and give us a list of timbers, by the actual lengths.
In the past I would by hand, combine these shorter pieces into longer ones and then reduce the quantities correct to show the combined pieces.
Recently the district distributer of the program showed me an optimization option that will allow the program to do this for me.
There was one option to do this by size and/or, I believe, by price.
I haven't explored this option enough to totally understand it and use it to it's fullest, but this is something that CA should move towards allowing the user to do.
Once a set of frequently used lengths is established, such as plates purchased in 16' lengths, then the program's material list can/could provide an optimized list.
I hope to explore this option further in the future for my other cad program and I hope CA will work toward this also.

**arketype** · 04-03-2008, 07:35 AM

Looks like there's been no action on this problem in months -- or even grousing about the sad state of existing schedules. Too bad.

I have several mulled units in the design I'm on today. I use a Marvin window, copy it, mull it, create a block, and then copy the block. Each new copy of the mulled unit creates a new schedule number for an identical unit, same floor, same room.

I'm giving up on trying to fix it; no time; will have to edit manually. But c'mon CA guys, can't we do better? Wendy Welton's post from a couple of years ago (different thread) just about covered it all. I would only add, I want the schedule to show header height off the subfloor, which I add in manually now.

--Scott Campbell

**Dan Park** · 04-03-2008, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by arketype

Looks like there's been no action on this problem in months -- or even grousing about the sad state of existing schedules. Too bad.

I have several mulled units in the design I'm on today. I use a Marvin window, copy it, mull it, create a block, and then copy the block. Each new copy of the mulled unit creates a new schedule number for an identical unit, same floor, same room.

I'm giving up on trying to fix it; no time; will have to edit manually. But c'mon CA guys, can't we do better? Wendy Welton's post from a couple of years ago (different thread) just about covered it all. I would only add, I want the schedule to show header height off the subfloor, which I add in manually now.

--Scott Campbell

I tried exactly what you describe here. I placed a Marvin window. Copied it. Mulled it and blocked it. Copied the block and placed the block. I don't get extra numbers here. There must be a step I'm missing and it's not a "known issue" so it's doubtful we are even working on fixing it.

To add header height to the schedule simply create a new sub category called Header Height then add a component to the window that specifes the header height. If you do this then windows that have been specified with different header heights will be displayed on separate lines in the schedule. Windows that are the same and have the same header height will be combined. See attached images.

I would be interested in finding out what issue has not been addressed. Many of the items that were on Wendy's list I demonstrated in my presentation at the user group. In fact I think I tried to cover most of the ones in this list. I was able to demonstrate many of the items but we only had an hour.

A few, like room finish, are not all that easy to setup and are a bit obscure but can be done.

Finally, all development takes time. Most of the feature requests for a product cannot be fulfilled until a new version is released. I would ask you to wait until version 12 is released before you make the assesment that we have not acted on these requests.