Dept of Sneaky Tricks

[Allen42acj]

From this thread.
http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread.php?t=42002

I use MW Snap software.
http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html

Open the Roof plane DBX and snap a picture of the box.
Under the edit tap it Snap program,select copy.
Then you can just paste it in Chief.

Having a roof plane name would help keep track of what one it was..

[WendyWelton]

Send colored elevation to layout (with or without artistic treatment, with or without shadows - Standard, Watercolor, whatever you want)

Change to Vector View. Be sure to keep toolbar layout exactly the same.

Send Vector View to layout.

Open vector layout box - note width, or put width on windows clipboard.

Open colored view layout box - match width of vector layout box.

You now have your colored view at exactly the same scale as the vector layout. It's quick, painless and accurate.

[pintodesign]

nice one Wendy! will have to give that a try when I get a minute....thanks!

[Allen42acj]

Using the delete surface tool works on elevations the first time it is sent to layout.
Doesn't work if the view is updated.
This is good to delete the terrain skirt with the dashed line fill trick..

[Allen42acj]

I wanted to place a garage in my plan near the house and was thinking we should have a tool to just drop one in.

The "polygon shaped room"tool works great for this.
Just select 4 sided and the length of the walls=24'

Still would be nice to have a building tool for garages or sheds..

[sherpa_jones]

Here is how you can make a wide footing section under a foundation wall.

Let's say the engineer wants a 3' section of the 20" strip footing widened to 30" for special loading. To do this you need to break the foundation wall into a 3' segment and widen the footing. You will find that the segment will want to merge back with the other walls, so you can do one of the following to keep it separate:

Designate the roof over that wall as gable
Move the wall segment to a new layer
Select 'retain wall framing' (probably the simplest way)

You can also edit the depth of this footing in section view.

[Edit - Response to Post #37]

If ANY setting changes between the two wall sections chief can't join them together.

Perhaps this is improved with X2, but I am certain that in X1 some settings will not 'stick' with regards to this trick. Does changing the footing width qualify as changin a setting?

[lbuttery]

What I do is copy the wall type and make it an 1/8" thicker

Rod:

You didn't mention about changing the wall thickness by copying then changing the wall definition


In versions, prior to X2 I think you can go as low as 1/16 with X2 you can probably go as thin as 1/128

If ANY setting changes between the two wall sections chief can't join them together.


Lew

[builderlfd]

Lew and Rod,

I've never tried this prior to X2, so I'm not sure about the discussion of any need to change anything else for merging. In X2, I break the wall as Rod said, then open the dbx and change the footing size for that portion, both width and height as necessary, and then it is all done. No need to do anything else.

[dshall]

Since there are so many symbols in the libraries I found it very useful to open a new plan and save it as bedroom furniture and then build a big warehouse (60'x30' and put all of my different bedroom furniture in there. Then when I need a bed for particular plan I can open up that "warehouse" and look at all the beds with an overview, and select the one I want.

I also created different warehouses for my dining room furniture, pendant lights, cabinet styles, fabrics, window treatment etc.

It not only helps in selecting a particular symbol but it was a great way to discover all the different symbols that CA has made available.

[sherpa_jones]

X2 brought us the new use of point to point dimensions as a measuring tool. I found that quite handy for a single use, but for multiple uses it does not work. Here is something that works in X1, and probably many prior versions.

To make a handy little measuring tool, draw a cad line, and in the DBX, designate "show length," and if you wish "show angle." Designate arrows on both ends, and change the color, line style, arrow style, and arrow fill to suit your fancy. Now you have a tool that measures anything between two points and is very reusible.

[edit]
Lew, I meant to mention that it can be done in X1 and prior, thanks.

[lbuttery]

Rod:

this has been available for many versions

Lew

[ebdesign]

If you remove the (D) from the landing hgt, you should be able to control the railings individually on each stair section. Each stair section will have it's own dbx, rather than the entire stairway in one dbx.
Jim

[dshall]

Okay, here is a good one, and has probably already been discussed but it might be a good reminder.

After manually editing a floor joist and turning it into a flush beam, block this member with another, so if you need to rebuild the floor system again , this flush beam will remain.

Of course it would be nice to have an option in the dbx for this joist to be retained (if CA has not already thought of it) but until then.....

[HumbleChief]

I like it. Could have used that trick on my last deck build.

[ebdesign]

Another option is to use a beam instead of a joist. Chief retains beams when rebuilding framing.
Jim