Quirky - that is what I am talking about

[johnnyprc]

OK, we all know 2D tools are the simplest part of the program. Why not have more and better tools for people like me? Make it so schooled architects/designers who have been taught to approach things a certain way, CAN with CA. I'd love to have the same 2D tools as Vectorworks and/or AutoCad.

Improve the UI (user interface). We need to feel that our tool is not a toy. More importantly, the flow of drawing should be greatly considered.

Personally, CA should change its name for the flagship full blow software. The problem is that Chief Architect is the name of the company, but everyone relates it to the name of the software. Due to that, the $20 Costco version makes laymen think they are buying Chief Architect.

My clients always ask what software I use. I sometimes export my CA model into 3D Studio Max - when i have a "live" meeting - just so it is in a framework of another app people respect (i am not joking).

CA is hurting themselves with the name recognition being with the "cheep" apps.

[sutcac]

Some say virtue IS a necessity.

This is saying something entirely different than trying to make necessity *into a virtue*.

I still think this line weight issue, and printing clarity, you stress can be handled in Chief just the way it is. This doesn't mean it can't be improved. I have spent a lot of time here on this forum pushing for improvements in other areas as well, I just don't place this one as very high on the list. Sometimes I think architects have a tendency to fall in love with their own drawings a bit too much and lose sight of the actual design service to the client and that it's what gets built that matters.

Just as a quick example of using Chief in a more "sketchy" way I am attaching another watercolor/sketch elevation I gave to a client a couple of years ago, and then floor plans of the Chief model it was based on, which you can see are very minimal other than the front. The resolution is, again, limited the 200KB limit on the forum.

And just one example of what Lew is talking about above, I can evaluate 10 different roof pitches and roof overhangs in literally a matter of seconds. I then look at the video you posted and cringe at the amount of time it would take to evaluate the different pitches by hand sketching.

[perryh]

I think people are forgetting that Chief was developed as a residential design software and some people have found a way to go commercial. It was never intended for large commercial projects in the first place.

[johnnyprc]

I think people are forgetting that Chief was developed as a residential design software and some people have found a way to go commercial. It was never intended for large commercial projects in the first place.

Yeah, but now it is so good if they came a bit forward I think they would be the best hands down - why not go for that?

[sutcac]

The few people I have admitted using Chief to at my AIA meetings, looked at me like I was from another planet. One said "you get that cheap software to work for you"? They have no idea. Chief is hurting themselves more than they know.

I have gotten exactly the same reaction. One of the many reasons I discontinued my membership with the AIA this year. There is one other architect in my (fairly small, rural) area that I know uses it just based on the images on his website.

Personally, CA should change its name for the flagship full blow software. The problem is that Chief Architect is the name of the company, but everyone relates it to the name of the software. Due to that, the $20 Costco version makes laymen think they are buying Chief Architect

I have said more or less the same thing on this forum many times. It is so ironic that a software called Chief Architect (which just sounds silly on the surface of it anyway), doesn't really market to architects at all and the architects on this forum are so often maligned just for being architects.

[johnnyprc]

I think architects have a tendency to fall in love with their own drawings a bit too much and lose sight of the actual design service to the client and that it's what gets built that matters

You being an architect should know and appreciate this more. The reason we are taught this in school is to make us care about everything we do. If we give great thought and care into how we draw and present something, the thought is that we will start to give more attention to the design.

Why does the Army/Navy/Marines spend so much time and effort teaching people to keep their personal spaces so clean? What does that matter to war? I was watching something on the French Foreign Legion and about how they get you thinking on small issues so the end result is the best in can be.

That is the same with architecture. The process works, and it is a way to keep sharp. Sharp in drawing and design. One last point is that most the people on this board probably work for themselves. If they ever had to go work for a large architectural company, what I am saying is SOOOOOO important…or you will not have a job. They don't care how good a designer you are, they care what the drawings look like - as normally someone above you is doing the "design" work.

[spencerdesign]

Thank you for posting the link to that video. I enjoyed watching it. I do work for an Architect and the workflow is exactly like that. His sketches are impeccable and he knows exactly what the model should look like in his head. After the owner signs off on the concept I get to build the model. Then the design is refined from there. It works very well.

[yusuf]

Creativity. i just start the particular assignment in mind. then on my way i get
some thing i did not have a thought. i believe,to me ca is like simply writing in the default font then editing! all of them starts from single point.

[johnnyprc]

sutcac - I went to your site - good work. That is exactly why CA is so good. All that would be very hard in other apps.

[johnnyprc]

yusuf - did you do that metal glass frame in CA? I have been wondering how to do that.

[Doug Park]

Thanks for the input on printing. To recap what I got out of this is that it isn't a printing issue at all, but an issue in how we convert a 3D model to lines. Is that correct?

Chief tries to create a faithful representation of the lines that one would get when converting a 3D model to lines. In some cases, as was pointed out, the desired result is more artistic and requires some manual work to get correct.

This can be done quite quickly using the tools in the program, but I would imagine that most would rather we did it for them automatically.

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to program artistic decisions as they are rarely consistent.

We could probably do a post process look at lines and try to make them heavier or remove them depending on the situation to get closer to the look you want.

Up to this point in time we have been mostly focused on making sure the lines are all there and accurate. Going the other direction of dropping lines that are really there based on the doubling up effect in certain cases is a good idea.

We do get requests a lot for making the outline of the building, windows and other items heavier. I'm not entirely sure we can do that automatically and get it right 100% of the time. I will give it some thought though.

Chief is not focused primarily on 2D drawing, although when it gets down to features when I have this discussion with people it usually boils down to not being aware of the full depth of features available to manipulate 2D in Chief. It is very rare that someone comes up with something that we can't do quickly in 2D.

Most of the time what it boils down to is that we do it differently than other CAD programs.

[yusuf]

continued
regarding ca 2d

[yusuf]

yusuf - did you do that metal glass frame in CA? I have been wondering how to do that.

yes jony.
thank u
i will send you as a custom library item or a plan that contains it

[johnnyprc]

Doug: Yes, it is not a printing issue as much a modeling issue. I hope the more I learn CA the more I know.

However, I would look at how Sketchup does lines in that they allow a profile to the model, but then also allow you to make certain lines invisible - even though they are still there. Its fast, and the view saves that way in "their" Layout (which CA is similar). Vectorworks allows you to completely customize the way something looks in 3D - so you can also do the same thing there with greater control than Sketchup...but less automation.

The problem with CA is sometimes 3 thin lines cause the appearance and print of a heavy profile line. Then, sometimes it is hard to draw profile lines if you have a jagged surface.

Doug, thanks for caring - that is cool you are commenting on this.

[perryh]

When sending anything to layout, there are tools in the send to layout DBX that allows you to merge lines and use thicker outline thickness etc. I use them every time, it helps.
what you see on some corners is lines for the window trim around the corner. Its not perfect but a lot better than it used to be.