Any Chief Users in NW Chicago Suburbs?

[Nickc]

Hi, Barry
I guess I am at about the same level as you. I bought V10 but never used it much, primarily because of its cumbersome interface and differences from autocad. When I up'ed to X1, the first thing I noticed was the mouse panning, which has been a staple of autocad for many years. My goal is to become more proficient in Chief than autocad (I have been with acad since 2.1, but quit at 2004 because of the upgrade cost/value.) Object-based design is the way to go, and X1 is a true powerhouse. I have seen the light, and am completely devoted to mastering it. I bought into Dan Bauman's training for one year ($595 - the best deal around, IMHO) and can't wait. So if you are an attorney, what do you do with home design? I have a small design-build firm, and work very closely with a small group of clients.
Nick

[barryandersen]

Nick, One of my clients is a developer that uses autoclaved aerated concrete for housing and commercial developments in combination with steel sandwiched foam insulated roofing. I set up some LLCs for them. Because of my construction background, I did the preliminary drawings in CAD and setup their Power Point presentations using Chief renderings. See http://www.aerconfl.com, http://www.safecrete.com/and http://www.metlspan.com for description of materials. I had used Home Architect 3,4,and 5 and new it was good for quick client presentations. The problem I run into is that Chief is really a residential program and we do no framing. Is is essentially slab construction. Chief is great for exporting 3d objects into my autocad.

Barry Andersen
1901 Union Ave
Belvidere,IL 61008
barryandersen@yahoo.com