all floors missing - monolithic slab foundation in all rooms

[mpolka]

See my plan and a capture of the nice golf course appearing in all floors of my whole house. It's a monolithic slab house. Of course, the garage and lanai are not visible either and they are 6" below the main house level. Pls. help. Here's the dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hh1rh2v3xb...all%20gone.zip

thanks in advance
Chief X5

[perryh]

I just re-built the slab and it showed up good. You might have other problems with sections. "0" location was good. Not sure what's going on with your section view. I also turned on auto roof, walls, floor ceiling framing. Still no show sections. Maybe someone else has time to look at it, but it fixes the slab

[mpolka]

I just re-built the slab and it showed up good. You might have other problems with sections. "0" location was good. Not sure what's going on with your section view. I also turned on auto roof, walls, floor ceiling framing. Still no show sections. Maybe someone else has time to look at it, but it fixes the slab

thanks so much, Perry. what do you mean, "rebuilt?"

[perryh]

Build foundation tool, just build a new one

[mpolka]

Build foundation tool, just build a new one

Thanks. Tried it and lost my whole model. What's up?

[lbuttery]

you will need to post the plan here

you should also send ti to tech support - hrs 6 AM - % PM Pacific - closed on weekends

Lew

[perryh]

Lew, he did post the plan.

After looking at your plan it seems you do everything in a cad block except your floor plan. You really need to learn how Chief works to your benefit, even your sections are in a cad block. Everything is live in my plans, that how Chief was designed to work. The idea is to make a change here and it automatically changes everything else. Something is definitely wrong with your model. I don't get anything when I cut a section line. Rendering view works ok though. did you bring this plan from a previous version of Chief?

[mpolka]

Lew, he did post the plan.

After looking at your plan it seems you do everything in a cad block except your floor plan. You really need to learn how Chief works to your benefit, even your sections are in a cad block. Everything is live in my plans, that how Chief was designed to work. The idea is to make a change here and it automatically changes everything else. Something is definitely wrong with your model. I don't get anything when I cut a section line. Rendering view works ok though. did you bring this plan from a previous version of Chief?

Thanks Perry. I drew the whole floor plan in AutoCAD and brought it in and drew Chief walls, etc. on top of it. I started it in X5 but I did use another chief plan when I started drawing and then deleted the old building. I have not even tried any sections yet. I know, I agree about the advantages with Chief live changes. Some things just don't work yet and not enough options with sliding doors, window walls, and the like. I really don't understand the floors not showing up. How did you do it and not have everything disappear? It does that for me each time I do rebuild. do you do "build new floors," "build foundation," or "rebuild walls, floors, and ceilings?" Thanks so much for your help. I am really starting to think Chief hates monolithic slab buildings.

[Joe Carrick]

I looked at it and came to the same conclusion that Perry did.

Bringing it in from AutoCAD just isn't a good idea. However, if you must do that you should first start with a "New Plan" and only import the Wall Layers from AutoCAD. Then Draw Chief Walls over the AutoCAD Lines and insert Doors, Windows, etc. When you've got to a reasonable level with that delete all the AutoCAD stuff.

You need to first learn to use Chief before going thru this AutoCAD import.

The Layersets were all messed up and there were other buildings, schedules, railing walls and who knows what else scattered way out from the center of the model.

You should have very little 2D CAD (if any) in your model (PLAN). That sort of thing should be relegated to the LAYOUT Sheets.

[Bradley Boltz]

What's wrong with using 2d cad in your plan (other than the fact that you can't edit it in layout)? I use 2d cad when I need to make a wall intersection look better by using some lines and "electronic whiteout" when Chief leaves me with funky wall intersections? I also use it a lot when I can't get Chief to dimension to a wall layer because of the "main layer" and "dimension to" idiosyncrasies.

But to the main question of the missing floor, Is the foundation floor room underneath named "open to below"? If so then rename it "slab" and your floor will show in 3d and sections.

As far as drawing a floor plan in AutoCAD first, Chief is much easier and faster to draw a plan with (except for stubborn wall intersections). Of course if you're used to the autocad drafting interface, it will take you awhile to realize how much more intuitive wall drawing is in Chief.-Brad

[mpolka]

What's wrong with using 2d cad in your plan (other than the fact that you can't edit it in layout)? I use 2d cad when I need to make a wall intersection look better by using some lines and "electronic whiteout" when Chief leaves me with funky wall intersections? I also use it a lot when I can't get Chief to dimension to a wall layer because of the "main layer" and "dimension to" idiosyncrasies.

But to the main question of the missing floor, Is the foundation floor room underneath named "open to below"? If so then rename it "slab" and your floor will show in 3d and sections.

As far as drawing a floor plan in AutoCAD first, Chief is much easier and faster to draw a plan with (except for stubborn wall intersections). Of course if you're used to the autocad drafting interface, it will take you awhile to realize how much more intuitive wall drawing is in Chief.-Brad

Thank you so very much Joe C. and Bradley B.: I appreciate your help. I found out that I had the room default set to "floor supplied by the foundation room below." I changed in defaults and ALL FIXED!!!. By the way, I used an existing Chief file for this house because I did an entire house on Chief with a million different wall types and other moldings, electrical symbols and such and did not want to waste the or have to redo them by starting new. Also, the new house is a remodel/addition and there many different non-standard wall thicknesses so I needed to draw them in AutoCAD first. Though with all the problems I am having, I can see your issue with needing to start with a new plan and will do so next time.
Again, thank you for your help, and that goes for Perry H. as well.

[Joe Carrick]

If you want to save all those extra wall types, etc - you can save the old plan (after deleting everything from the Plan) - as a Template.

I have a lot of special wall types in my template as well as layers. That way I don't have to recreate them every time I need them.

[mpolka]

If you want to save all those extra wall types, etc - you can save the old plan (after deleting everything from the Plan) - as a Template.

I have a lot of special wall types in my template as well as layers. That way I don't have to recreate them every time I need them.

So if I make the template, does that get rid of the problems I had when I just save-as my existing house file?

[Joe Carrick]

I'm not sure what you are asking in terms of problems. If you get everything set in your template as you want for your Plan Defaults, as well as Wall Types, etc then when you start a new Plan using that template then all of that will be in effect. IOW, the Template is already set up to use those things.

Scott uses the SAM (Save as Method) but he leaves some things in his Plan - which could be done with a Template just as easily - because he prefers to have those things in the Plan already instead of retrieving them from the Library. I prefer to just use a Template.