Material Lists - Schedules - Questions?

[eblcody]

Dan
As a working builder, I do not bother with X1's material list with my projects, as I just do not have the time to mess with the complications. I get confused on all the repeated multiple lists, 2x4’s for example can show up a number of times, and on my last project my 10” siding was listed 11 times in various quantities , I know that I can turn items off but why bother, It is faster for me to do the list my self or send a plan to the lumberyard.
Sorry, but the material list for me is just not helpful, it is in fact very bad and I just do not trust it for accuracy.
A cut list would great, and a total sq ft calculation of siding including gables, roofing etc, without the multiple listings.


I hate to admit it but X1 is just a bit too much for this working builder.
As I get in to more about X1 and realize how much there is to learn and the cost of the education, time and money. I think a lighter professional version simplified for Contractor Dummies, with a bit more Vector but less or no Rendering capabilities, for example would be better. Leaving the more advanced design features for the Architect and Designers if the client wants more detail.

In short I miss the simplicity of 3D Home Architect, if it just had had Layout pages and cross section cameras etc. Even the BH&G Pro versions have too many bells and whistles, more to impress the Client than just getting Construction Documents, in my opinion.

Thanks

[lbuttery]

consider using CAD Estimator. see the videos on www.cadest.com

A nice companion to chief.


Eldon:

Dan or Doug recently posted the point that Chief is parametric
3D software with the goal of creating the 2D from the 3D

If all you need is 2D then Chief may not be the right program ???


Basically, there is no way to trim Chief down to a 2D only component. It's just not programmed that way.

Lew

[eblcody]

If all you need is 2D then Chief may not be the right program ???

Yea, I am seriously beginning to wonder.
User error is a killer for me; it has been a year now with this complicated program I still do not have a handle on many of its features including Material lists and Schedule tools.
One confusing thing about window schedules in Dan’s posted example we see WO1 and W02 in the schedule but how do you get WO1 and W02 placed respectively on the floor plan automatically?
Again I have to ask, why do I have some 11, 10” siding entries with that Material list?
Wait, I know, its user error again!

[Allen42acj]

Eldon
Don't try and learn every thing at once.
Pick one thing and learn that.
Then another..
I wouldn't start with material list though..
That has not been improved in a few versions,maybe the next one..
I was going to look into it a bit more,that's why I want to learn Excel better..

[JoAnne04330]

Personally, I would love to see the material estimating part of Chief working properly. This would be a great tool for us here, and would be big help to our estimating and sales staff. It would be even better if there were more manufactures catalogs available and if we could set up a direct link with our sales screen. What a wonderful way to streamline our services on the projects we start in house. It would be so nice if this was a usable feature, right now, really it a button I scan over to get to another button I really need. I'll make a mental note to play with it some more, and review it with a material list done by our estimator. That should help shed some light on the differences.

[Allen42acj]

Must be spring time in Maine..
Internet is not snowed in any more..

Hello JoAnne

[JoAnne04330]

Hey Allen~
We got about 9' of snow here, so it has taken the hamsters who run our phone lines a bit to dig out. Only worried I'm going to lose them in the mud now. Wicked glad I'm not up in the county with their 191" worth of record breaking snow. YUCK!!!! So free mud pies with whipped snow topping for anyone coming up to the area....lol.

[Allen42acj]

I have Robins in my yard already..
Think I'll hang down here for a bit longer..

This is New England folks....Better than Tornadoes I guess..
A tornado that would get rid of snow?That might work..

[JoAnne04330]

I've seen some robins :P
Think I'll pass on the twister. Yes that may get rid of the snow, and a house or two may need some new roofing which would generate sales and jobs. But I think we'd all prefer to wait it all out, than to have that kind of destruction come our way.

[Allen42acj]

All right then.. No twisters in Maine..
Hope your Robins flew back down this way..
Have a good weekend JoAnne..

[JoAnne04330]

If they do I'm sending them with the snow/rain currently falling outside the window! You too Allen!!!!

[arketype]

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.

Dan,
Thanks for the reply. I have not checked back on this forum for a bit.

I don't know what's up with my schedule numbers. After my post I noticed that even copying a single window (again a Marvin unit) triggered a new schedule number -- sometimes, but not every time (to make it more puzzling). Chief-generated windows in the same drawing aren't behaving this way; same window is same schedule number. Sigh.

The other suggestions of Wendy Welton's I was talking about have to do with controlling the schedules better: renumbering in a logical fashion, say clockwise around the building; being able to lock a schedule so that further changes don't change the old numbers (maybe this is functional in X1, haven't got there yet); and having the numbers appear on elevations. And header heights -- thanks for the workaround (which I'll use), but this should be an available automatic function; the data is there. Also she or someone else mentioned being able to generate wall, roof, floor, window and door square footages -- yeah! that would make energy modeling a relative snap.

I realize changes take time. Still....

Thanks,
--Scott

[WendyWelton]

Scott,

There's a bug right now where copied windows take on a different material. Could that be triggering your new number? Check their materials to see.

In X1, Door & Window schedule numbers no longer change if you remove one in the middle. You can manually trigger a renumber, but if you take out W05, W06 and later are now unchanged. We don't yet have control over the numbers, but at least they stay stable.

I think there's currently much more energy calc capabilities via the materials list than is immediately apparent. I have yet to dive into that in enough depth to take full advantage.

[louis]

I think there's currently much more energy calc capabilities via the materials list than is immediately apparent.

Yes there is.

Look at heated glass area.

[arketype]

Wendy,
I looked through the materials and the components carefully and all seem to be duplicated. Thanks for the thought. Evidently there is a bug of some sort. Happy to notice the orphaned schedule numbers when a unit is deleted.

I confess I haven't looked much at the materials list yet. I just found the "heated area" figures Louis points out. That's helpful. However, I don't know what that includes -- a heated room over a garage? finished cellar? Also, I really need to distinguish between wall (or window, floor, ceiling, door) types: if they are different construction, they are likely different R-values.

What we really need is a place to enter an R-value in an existing dialog: probably wall, window (U-factor, SHGC), door, someplace for floor and ceiling, and some way to account for lower delta T across below-grade surfaces. I'm throwing around lingo, but it wouldn't be hard to add, I don't think, and in view of the current, er, climate, seems like a capability that will be in demand. Are you listening Dan Park?

Thanks for your help all.