Simpson strap details

[perryh]

I downloaded a perspective detail (.dwg). It opens fine with Other CAD, but not so much with Chief.

I tried a few different settings at import, with the same result.

What is the secret with these?

Did you use the import tool to bring them into Chief?

[Dave Pitman]

Did you use the import tool to bring them into Chief?

Yes; Is there any other way?

[Joe Carrick]

With X5 we'll be able to import PDF's. That should be much easier for that kind of details. Almost every mfr has PDF's.

[CARMELHILL]

I guess what I'm also trying to do is give my clients more "perceived bang for the buck". If I could put together 3 or 4 generic isometrics in addition to my individual details, then it would look better. I'd have one full house frame iso for a crawlspace, a slab house, a cellar house, and different ones for gables, gambrels, and hips.

As far as the individual Simpson details forthe towns.......when we first switched to the 110/120 MPH code for the WFCM and International Code, my local official was the toughest plans examiner around (Islip Town in NY, Long Island). He has since left, but I worked with him for a few months perfecting details. A few of which became standards for the Town. They are MORE detailed than those from Simpson, showing dimensioned lengths that the straps have to extend down the face of studs, or around cantilevered floor joists, etc... So those are what my contractors follow. Again, the isometric is just eye candy for the clients.

This eye candy idea is what made moriginally turn from Vectorworks to Chief. Cheif gives much better prelimianry design line elevations with all the roofing and siding hatches without ANY extra work. I also THOUGHT I could add basic quantity and budget take offs to every job for the client until I learned that Chief's estimating portion is severely lacking and appears the programmers haven't worked on it for years and years. Very sad.

[HumbleChief]

With X5 we'll be able to import PDF's. That should be much easier for that kind of details. Almost every mfr has PDF's.

VERY nice new feature in X5. Will use that a lot!

[CARMELHILL]

I'm saw something like this, but with the strap drawn in, and called out by stock number. I'll work on it.

[perryh]

Yes; Is there any other way?

I don't know but I am not having a problem like you are, maybe its a setting in the import.

[Dave Pitman]

I don't know but I am not having a problem like you are, maybe its a setting in the import.

I figured it out. I have "show arc centers" on, and there seem to be hundreds of them on that detail. The drawing is there, but buried.

[rcole]

In addition to what Joe mentioned about X5 being able to import manufacturers PDF's. I have been working on ways to create PDF drawings of a model that can convey a much greater level of detail than is possible, or at least practical currently.

Sometimes I do small projects that are more detail oriented outside Chief entirely. Other times I will take advantage of the more powerful solid modeling features in another application, and import specialized symbols into Chief.

The attached pic was done outside Chief and printed as a PDF. This model was only completed in order to calculate a BOM and get the owners approval. I just threw the dimensions in to test out printing to a PDF.

What this illustrates is that Chief will have the ability to import PDF drawings that inclued such features as hidden line renderings with dimensions and potentially even hidden lines as dashed, however I have not tested that yet.
The dimensions shown are actually oriented on a 3D workplane, not just text on the layout sheet.

This may be getting off topic a bit, but it seems like a topic worth looking into. If anyone can point me in the direction of where to get better educated on the use of PDF's I would appreciate it.

I am curious as to whether there should be another thread started on PDF's, or is this still on topic? What brought this to mind was seeing the pics that were attached to Ed's post.

Note: The pic is a JPG, just to make it easier to view, and I could not find the original PDF. The original PDF is very clean. Chief should get a gold star for this one.

Edit: How I would see using this is to export the elements that were automatically generated in Chief, such as framing objects, out as a 3DS file. From this point it would be possible to add the detailing in an application that may be better suited to certain tasks, and then print those details to a PDF file and place it in Chief.

[HumbleChief]

Rod,

I think the ability to import PDF's will open a lot of creative doorways as most any software will print to PDF. I think Chief's X5 real world ability to import PDF's and any limitations CA X5 imposes (if any) will be the limiting factor.

I'm really looking forward to the added feature because so many graphical and image type operations are so much easier (for me) to do outside of CA. Having the ability to work in software designed for certain tasks CA is not, then being able to import that effort into CA should be a real boon. Makes CA that much better IMO.