Dept of Sneaky Tricks

[WendyWelton]

Rod,

I know I need this - when my head is less tired, I'm definately going to try it. And - Thanks. I know this kind of blow by blow takes a fair amount of time and thought.

[dhowardaia]

Rod-

Great tip and thanks for explaining EXACTLY how to do it.

[dhowardaia]

This is a tip about tips. I've learned lots of useful things from this thread and many others on Chieftalk. However, I often found myself confronted trying to do something in Chief and KNOWING that I saw a thread that would help me, but not being able to find it using Chief's (IMO lame) search tool.

So, when I see a tip that I think is worth future reference, I simply highlight the post and copy it into a
Word.doc and save it, with an explanatory file name, to a folder of 'CA Tips' on my computer. this saves a lot of frustrating 'searching' in Chieftalk.

[Allen42acj]

To cut out a section of a cad detail or cut framing to add a beam.
Place a cad box around what you want to cut away.
Select the box, and then the cut/trim tool.
Then the fence tool and draw a line inside the box.
That cuts away what is inside the box.

[DougM]

Hi Allen, would be nice if we could creat a macro that will also add break lines.

[Allen42acj]

Hi Doug
With the box, it leaves a place to add a beam.
Example I showed was to lengthen the studs.My detail was made for 92 5/8 pre cuts.
Addition has the 9' studs.

No sure how the macro would work, maybe place it in suggestions.

[ebdesign]

Getting auto dimensions to not locate interior walls.

Ron Ravenscroft convinced me that it's better to not locate interior walls w/ the auto/exterior dimensions.
So I came up w/ this. I put all the interior walls on a layer, "Walls, Interior". I created an "Auto Dimensioning" layer set w/ just Exterior Walls, Dimensions, Automatic, etc displayed. When I need to auto dimension the plan (which I do often), I just get in that layer set & do it.
Hopefully, the next release will make this "workaround" unnecessary.
Jim

[dhowardaia]

Jim-

Just curious- why is it better not to dimension int
erior walls using Auto-dim?

Thx, D

[ebdesign]

Dorothy,
I don't know the answer to that. For me, it's just what I've come to prefer at the moment. I think it gives a cleaner plan & also not dimensioning walls twice. Every interior wall is already located w/ interior dimensions.

I've never been able to come up w/ a CAD "standard" for this. (Haven't looked for one lately.) I have several Architectural drafting textbooks here, numerous sets of Construction Documents from all sorts of architectural firms across the country, etc. Some of 'em do, some of 'em don't.
It seems to be something a lot of Chief-users do/want.
What's your opinion?
Is there a "standard" that you know of?
Jim

[sherpa_jones]

Here is a way to show live window labels in layout elevations that update with changes to the plan.

1. Make a new layer set, call it something like "window labels only."

2. Next, turn off all layers except windows, window labels, and walls (the ones that contain windows). In order to display window labels, their window must be displayed. In order to display a window, it's wall must be displayed.

3. Now, set the line style for all displayed layers (except window labels) to blank. You now have a plan set that only shows window labels. Send it to layout at the same scale as your elevation and align the labels over your windows. This may require more than one send for each elevation if your building has many offsets.

These labels will update just like the ones in your plan, because they are a different view of the same object.

This was done in X2, but it should work in earlier versions.

Edit May 1, 2010

Make sure in the window and door schedule that you select "don't rotate with plan" in the label tab. This allows you to rotate your labes and keep them upright.

[Allen42acj]

Hi Rod
Can you post pictures or a sample plan and layout?
Not sure I'm getting it..

[sherpa_jones]

Hi Rod
Can you post pictures or a sample plan and layout?
Not sure I'm getting it..

Here you go . .

[Allen42acj]

Thanks Rod
Got it now..

[Adrean]

Clever work-around... I like it!

[WendyWelton]

Stair headroom check - temporarily set your stair railings to 80" plus the lower floor thickness, plus any add for ceiling drywall. Then, in section or 3D, they either touch the ceiling or they don't!