DEMAND better door and window schedules

[CARMELHILL]

I am begging everyone to request the programmers straighten out the window and door schedules in Chief. We need more control of how the schedule acts, without having to explode it and convert it to text which then loses all the automatic updating of the info. If that's what is required for more control, than why bother with a schedule when you could do the same thing in MS Excel.

I understand that Chief defaults it's schedules the way it does because it's easier for Material and Quantity take offs to show 20 to 30 doors and windows as a single line item, but I can't possibly do a commercial renovation and have 20 doors with the same number. I also can't have doors directly adjacent to each other, but with crazy numbers (one door is #27 and the very next door is #38). That's just aweful for commercial projects. It's so bad, that it makes me seriously consider maintaining my Vectorworks subscription just for my commercial work.

Please ask them to work on this and find a better solution. We really need:

1. Window and door schedules that still have the automatic/live update feature.
2. More control of the placing and numbering of the doors/windows.
3. Option for single line item reporting of individual doors/windows.

We really shouldn't need to:
1. We should never have to explode the schedule and convert to text, or do it in MS Excel.
2. We should NEVER have to use the Renumber Schedule command. This creates a HUGE headache for re-issued drawings. Every single door and window renumbered. That confuses everyone, and I have revision clouds everywhere.
3. We should never have to do our own custom labeling of doors and maniupulate the schedules to match.

Please voice your need for this change also. I know many people here still use the old way of having the window code on the plan like and Andersen 3046 or TW3046, etc., but this doesn't work on projects that get progressivle more complicated. We need more options. Can you imagine doing a 5 story medical office and having one door on the first floor numbered #2 and another door on the fifth floor that is number #3? The contractor would kill me. Add the owner would never hire me again.

[sutcac]

I am definitely with you on this. I think (not sure) there are options available now via the Components dialogue to finagle way to do single line item reporting for doors and windows. At least there is a way to do this with the Fixture Schedule which has definitely improved with X4 but still needs work. You can create custom columns in the schedule, enter component information for that column that then forces the schedule to report it separately even though all other features of the fixture are the same, and then simply not check that column to appear in the schedule if you don't want to.

Ideal? No, but better than exploding to text. I was tearing my hair out on my last commercial kitchen so feel your pain and embarrassment. Pretty much the same issues as doors/windows.

[marty]

I just want to put in a plug for GRAPHIC window and door schedules. Chief already creates an image of every window and door so why cant they be combined into a cad detail like roof trusses. On commercial projects graphic schedules are essential and they are a PITA to produce and even worse to modify when there are changes

[Joe Carrick]

User defined Custom Schedules should be made possible. It's really just a "Custom Report Generator".

Chief is way behind on this capability. If they would create a user interface to design the reports then any and all needed schedules could be easily created and modified.

They could provide some starter report definitions to match the current schedules and the users could copy those to create the custom report definitions. This really isn't difficult to program.

[sutcac]

Ditto on the graphic schedule. That would be really nice. And schedule symbols auto-generated in vector views too please!

[sdsinc]

The graphic schedule would be great but the original post is a necessity. It should have been done already. Please CA, figure this out. I do not use any of CA's schedule tools because they are so rudimentary.

[nicholasnz]

Here here - Five years and still waiting - been moaning about this to tech support for an age - a critical part of architecture and building design so why don't they provide it - getting a bit tired of all the work arounds especially this one

[moak]

Yes Please.
I have two questions - How much ? and Give it to me ! (H. Simpson)

I'd like to see (or have an option) to number windows counterclockwise starting at the front.
It would be great to be able to have the live schedule sortable by the custom label column.

[Doug Park]

First, I agree that there are many improvements that can be made to schedules.

Schedule line item collection is based on the line item being unique in every column.

This means that if you can somehow make the labels of the many doors that you want be separate and you include the label in the schedule then they will collect separately.

Ruby can be used to provide some automatic control of labels. Or you can simply make sure the doors have a different label by specifying it manually. This will force a different callout number as well.

Ruby can also be used to get the labeling that you want for your manufacturer specific items. We have done this with some library items.

[gteacher]

Ruby can also be used to get the labeling that you want for your manufacturer specific items. We have done this with some library items.

SAY WHAT????

As far as I'm aware, The only Manufacture specific information for any item, is contained or available only in the component DBX, which I believe NO Manufacture has taken advantage of yet. IAE, no info in the components DBX is available to Ruby other then the "components code" which is always erased if a size change is made to the item , making it worthless. Ruby can only read some LIMITED DBX attributes, and Ruby cannot be used to write to any Chief attribute. Vendor specific anything in Chief isn't available other than MANUAL input.

BTW, Edward was asking for control over the callout numbering not the label. IAE, Labels are not a practical solution since they are limited to a single line of text only.

The real problem with schedules is just that they are grossly outdated.

AND ---- I need more caffeine!!!

[Doug Park]

The ability generate manufacturer specific labels is one of the uses we have used Ruby for. It isn't trivial, but isn't all that hard either.

The need to cause things to split out in the schedule so that two otherwise identical doors can be controlled by leveraging labels.

Drop 2 identical doors. Give one the label A and the other the label B. Generate a schedule including the label and they will have two separate callout numbers and line items in the schedule. Remove the label and they will show up on the same line item with the same callout number.

[CARMELHILL]

Doug,

Your explanation still doesn't solve thetwo biggest problems. The numbering of the doors and windows are scattered all over the plan. You have to set it up so we can "cannect the dots" with numbering.

And also, when you do a revision and remove a door, or make a change or remove a column of information, the schedule will completely renumber every door. Anyone who has been working with the schedule in the field will be mystified why I went and renumbered and changed every single door number. That's just nuts.

I love this program, but this is something basic that needs some work.

[moak]

And also, when you do a revision and remove a door, or make a change or remove a column of information, the schedule will completely renumber every door. Anyone who has been working with the schedule in the field will be mystified why I went and renumbered and changed every single door number. That's just nuts.

This one drives me nuts - happens with windows too.

I love this program, but this is something basic that needs some work.

And yea, I agree with this too.

[thorn]

Just my opinion, but I think this relates to the folks at CA devoting much more time & effort to the "rendering" aspect of the program instead of the "construction document" aspect.
Hopefully more emphasis will be put on the "construction document' side in the future.

[Curtis Johnson]

I don't do materials lists but I do create windows, doors, cabinets and fixtures schedules. I would love to have a column in the schedules that shows a thumbnail image of the item. In the case of windows, doors and cabinets, I want the image to be an elevation image. For fixtures, I would like a plan view image.