Chief Architect X3 Training Series. Layers and Layer Sets

Chief Architect X3 Training Series Layers and Layer Sets Save time while creating more detailed plans Why do you need Layers? Setting up Layer Lets Adding items to layers Layers and Layout Pages Layer Set Example As-Built versus New Other Layer Examples 12304 Junction Road Minnetonka, MN 55343 952-236-4427 www.chiefexperts.com Copyright 2009 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this tutorial may be reproduced in any form by any photographic, electronic, mechanical, or other means, or used in any information storage and retrieval system and may not be distributed in any manner without prior written permission from ChiefExperts.com, Inc.

Layers, Layer Sets, Elevations, CAD Details, Schedules What are layers and why do you need them in your plans Layers in Chief Architect and all CAD programs have one basic function. To turn things on and off in your plan as you need them and to end up with different views showing specific items that can be sent to the layout page. The reason you need to be able to do this is because you want to keep everything in one plan file. That way when you make changes to your plan you only have to do it in one plan. Here s an example of what not to do: You start a plan and get all of the design work finished, dimensioned, add notes and other items to a plan. Then you do a Save As and make a copy of the plan and delete some of the notes and add the electrical along with notes. Then you make another copy of the plan delete some items and add the plumbing and mechanical notes. Then you do the same thing for the cabinet plan, room finish plan and the framing plan. In this example you ll end up with 6 different plans. This technique would work fine if you never made another change to your plan. Since it s more likely than not that you will make changes you can look forward to making changes to all 6 plans. That means you ll be opening and changing 5 extra plans and that can take an enormous amount of time. The correct method of doing a plan: The main goal of working with a CAD program is to focus on completing the entire drawing in as few plan files as possible. In fact most of the time you ll do everything in 1 plan file. To do this you have to understand and use layers and layer sets. Start by doing a little pre-planning and determine what sort of views your final layout will have on it. Some of the views to prepare for might include: Layout Plan Type Description Layers Needed General Floorplan Display a basic plan with information needed for a basic layout of your floorplan CAD As-Build Lines CAD Square Foot Boxes Text General Notes Text Callouts Text Bearing Points Dimensions Final Text Window/Door Labels Walls Existing Walls New 3D Slabs (Add as Needed) Pictures JPG of Plan to Demo Plan and/or This plan would show the basic floorplan and have Trace CAD As-Built Lines Text Demo/As-Builtdim Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 2

As-Built Versus New Framing Plan Cabinet Plan Roof Layout Plan Plot Plan Plumbing and Mechanical Plan Electrical Plan Room Finish Plan Furniture Plan All Off/On Dotted lines that display items being removed and changed. A framing plan will show all of the framing items in your plan on each floor. The same set of layers is used for all floors in the same plan. Cabinet Plans will show items needed for the cabinet Layout. At a ½ scale you ll need smaller text and dimensions. With almost all layers shut off you can display just the roof lines and text associated with the roof. Add a Terrain Perimeter in Plan view and set it up to display as the final Plot Plan. Display notes and diagrams for HVAC and Pluming Layout Used to display the layout of electrical items in your plan. Show room finishes, special decorating notes, flooring selections, etc. Do Furniture Layouts you can turn on and off to show your client. This is a set of layers used to find lost items in your plan, turn things off to work on framing layout. This is not a set that you ll use on the layout. It s a production set. Notes Electrical As-Built Electrical CAD Framing Lines Text Framing Notes Dimensions Framing CAD Cabinet Lines Text Cabinet Notes Text Cabinet Callouts Dimensions Cabinets CAD Roof Lines Text Roof Notes Roof Planes (Solid Line) Dimensions Roof Layout CAD Plot Plan Lines Text Plot Plan Dimensions Plot Plan CAD Mechanical Lines Text Mechanical Notes Dimensions Mechanical CAD Electrical Text Electrical Notes Dimensions Electrical CAD Room Finish CAD Room Fill Boxes Text Room Finish Text Dimensions Room Finish CAD Furniture Lines Text Furniture Layout Dimensions Furniture No layers are added for this Planning the right layers to use Once you ve determined what views you re final working drawing will include you can start drawing keeping in mind what will display on each of the final views. As you add items to your plan make sure you put those items on the correct layer. One example might be if you add notes for the cabinets that will display on the cabinet plan be sure to put all of that text on the Text Cabinet Notes layer. If that layer is not present on the list go ahead and add it. You ll want to repeat this process for all of the different items in your plan. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 3

To open the Layer Display Options dialog click on the layer icon or push the Key next to the #1 on a standard keyboard. The Layer Display Options dialog is where you add layers and control all of the layer sets for the plan that you re working on. This is where you switch between the different layer sets. All Layer sets use the same list of names but different options for things that are turned on and off and how they display in your plan. Layer sets could be compared to a spreadsheet. Say you have 5 different sheets, each time you add or chance a name on one sheet all of them update automatically with the same information. Then on each sheet you have different information listed. All you have to do to view a different result is to switch between sheets. This allows you to select a list of items turned on and off that is close to what you want your new view to look like and make a copy of it. Then go to the new list, adjust what is displayed and your done. What you want to avoid when you working on a plan is the time wasting task of going into layers and turning things on and off all of the time. With Modify All Layer Sets checked in all of the changes you make to any item on your list (Except Names) will be changed in all Layer Sets. When you close the layer display this will default to unchecked This is the name for each layer. Notice that the list sorts alphabetically, Be sure to name Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 4

your layers so that you can easily find them when you need to. All text items should start with the word Text all CAD items with the word CAD and so forth. You can also click on the title bar above each column to sort the list. If there is a red Plus sign in this column that means that there is something in your plan somewhere using this layer. Turn items On and Off to display in this layer set. This will only change on the current layer set you have opened unless you have the Modify All Layer Sets option checked. This option lets you choose if you want to display the items on this layer on the material list or not. (Note: you can t control if rooms are on layers, only objects) The Lock column is used to lock items in your plan so they don t get moved or deleted. A good use for this would be to lock an As-Built CAD plan in place or Lock the Roof Planes while editing roof framing so the roof plane doesn t accidently get deleted. Set the Color and Style for each layer. These can display differently in the various Layer Sets if you like. IE: The green dotted roof lines in the General Plan Set can display as a solid black line in the Roof Layout Set. The weight of a line refers to its thickness on the printed page and is described in absolute terms as a fraction of a unit, often 1/100th of a millimeter or 1/1000 of an inch. A great way to see how the lines will print is to draw a bunch of line and assign a heavier weight to each line. Use these check boxes to turn on and off individual and groups of items on the list. You can select groups of items by holding the CTRL or Shift key down while selecting things. Then turn them on and off as a group. If the check box is a solid green that means that a variety of different items are checked or unchecked. The Current CAD Layer is useful for drawing items that will be on the same layer. To set it click on the layer you want to use IE: CAD As-Built Lines, then check in the box next to the Current CAD Layer The name of the layer will display in the box. Now when you use any of the 2D CAD tools, everything you draw will be on that layer. It will remain that way until you change it or close the program. When the program is closed and reopened it will automatically reset to the Default CAD Layer listed at the top of the Layer Display Options list. You can also use the CAD icon to set the current layer The Select All button is used to select all of the layers at once. A good use for this button is to adjust all of the line weights at once. Another use for it is to switch your Layer Set to All On/Off and then Select All Turn on all of the layers to find something in your plan that you forgot the layer it was on. You can also turn all the layers off and then turn on the selected layers you want to work on a clean screen. IE: Turn off all the layers, turn on the Roof Plane layer and the Wall and Window layer and you ll be able to edit roof planes without all the clutter on your screen. Use this to Add a new layer to the list. As long as Modify Name in All Layer Sets is checked in the new layer will appear on all layer sets. You can Copy any layer in the list by selecting it and hitting the copy button. You can choose lines from the line library. Create your own lines by selecting CAD Lines Create Line Style You can Delete unused layers from the list. The Reset Names button will change any of the original Default layers that Chief came set up with back to their original name. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 5

Adding Items to Specific Layers Adding Text to a Plan The right way to add TEXT to you plan is to set the Text Default before you add text. Then as you add text it will be on the correct layer. Start by double clicking on the Text icon on the main toolbar. This will open the Text Default window. Be sure NOT to add any text in this window. Go to the Line Style tab to select the layer to use. After you ve changed the Default Text size and layer you can double click on the Arrow icon to open the Arrow Defaults dialog and choose the arrow you want. Make the size a bit smaller than the text size for nice results. Now when you add text and arrows they will be what you want and on the layer you want without having to change them each time. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 6

If you ve already added some text to your plan and you need to put it on a layer you can select the text one item at a time or you can Marquee select a bunch of text by highlighting the appropriate icon you need, hold the Shift key down and drawing a box around the items you want. You can then open the dialog for the entire group and change the attributes including the layer for the entire group at once. You can also Delete, Copy and Paste or Move the entire selected group. A great use for this is to open a cross section from the CAD Blocks library, placing it in a plan, Explode the block, select the Test icon and marquee select the test and move it or paste it into the plan you re working on. Select the following Icons to do a Marquee selection: Group select just the Text and nothing else Group Select the Text and Arrows and nothing else Group Select just the Arrows and nothing else Group Select just the Callouts and nothing else Group Select the Markers and nothing else Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 7

Drawing CAD Items on Specific Layers When you need to do some 2D CAD detailing on your floorplan you can set the Default Layer so that as you draw, all items will be on the layer that you want. To do this open the Layer Display Options dialog. select the layer to be Current. While in 2D CAD mode you can click on the Current CAD Layer icon which will open the Layer Display Dialog and you can then Putting Dimensions on Specific Layers When you add dimensions to a plan you may want to have specific dimensions display on different plans. IE: Dimensions for Recessed lights for the electrician, cabinet dimensions on the cabinet plan, Dimensions for framing items, etc. Since Automatic dimensions will always be on the Default Dimensions, Automatic layer you will have to manually change them to different layers yourself. You can do this by selecting a dimension line, opening it s dialog, selecting the Layer tab and picking or defining a new layer. You can also do this to a group of dimensions at once by Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 8

selecting the Dimension Tools icon, holding down your Shift key and drawing a marquee around the group of dimensions you want to select. Then open the dialog and specify a new layer. One use for this technique is to finalize all of the dimensions in a plan. In the final phases of the drawing it s a good idea to check all of the dimensions to make sure they are correct. Once you re done checking a group of dimensions, select them and put them on a layer called Dimensions Final. Make sure the layer is a different color so you can instantly see what dimension have been checked. If you are drawing manual dimensions in a plan you can put them on a specific layer as you add them. To do this start by Double Clicking on the Dimension Tools icon. This will open the dimension dialog. Go to the Font tab. Set the layer you want to be the new default. From this point forward all manually added dimensions will end up on that layer. When you exit Chief this will be reset to Dimensions, Manual automatically. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 9

Adding Walls to Layers Depending on what kind of plan you re working on you may want to add walls to specific layers. This is especially true if you want to view the framing of a room addition in the same plan as the rest of the house. When you set up walls in the Wall Tools dialog there is no place to specify a layer for the walls you create. The only way to add walls to specific layers in to do it after the walls are drawn in your plan. There are 2 ways to do this. Select the Wall or Walls you want to put on layers, open their dialog and go to the Layer tab. Select the layer you want the walls to be on. To select more than one wall at the same time you have to highlight the first wall (Use the Right Mouse Button) then hold the CTRL key down and click on more walls using the Left mouse button. Once you have all of the walls you want selected open the dialog, go to the Layer tab and put your selection on the layer you want. In a remodeling situation this may be a layer names Walls Existing. This will allow you to turn OFF the 3D Walls, Normal layer, turn ON the 3D Framing Walls layer and turn ON the 3D Walls Existing layer. The results are in the picture below. Another way to add walls to specific layers in 2D or 3D is to go to Tools Layer Painter. When you click on this the Layer Display Options will open. Select the layer that you want to add wall to, click OK and click on each wall using the Paint tool. TIP: Before selecting OK from the Layer Display Options, turn OFF the 2D or 3D layer button and then start selecting the wall. As you click on each wall it will disappear and you ll know that you ve got it on the right layer. To view the framing and existing walls open the Layer Display Options turn OFF the Walls, Normal in 3D and turn ON the Walls Existing layer. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 10

Adding Other Items to Layers You do have complete control over everything in your plan. The Layer that you want to add things to can be set as part of the Default setup or it can be done on an individual basis. Here are the guidelines for many items. Click this button to open the Layer Display Options dialog. You can also select the Key next to the #1 on a standard keyboard. Walls can only be added to layers only after they have been added to your plan. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Doors can be put on Layers in their Default dialog or on an individual basis. Use the Layer tab in the dialog to do this. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Windows can be put on Layers in their Default dialog or on an individual basis. Use the Layer tab in the dialog to do this. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Cabinets can be put on Layers in their Default dialog or on an individual basis. Use the Layer tab in the dialog to do this. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Electrical items can only be put on layers by selecting each object one at a time, opening the dialog and selecting the Layer tab. You can also use the Layer Painter tool to add electrical to layers. Stairs can be put on different layers by selecting them, open the dialog, go to the Line Style tab and changing the layer. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Framing can be put on different layers by selecting them, open the dialog, go to the Line Style tab and changing the layer. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Manual Dimensions can be put on Layers in their Default dialog under the Font tab or on an individual or group basis. Use the Layer tab in the dialog to do this. You can also use the Layer Painter tool. Automatic Dimensions can only be put on layers after they have been added to your plan. Do this by selecting each object one at a time or as a group, opening the dialog and selecting the Layer tab. You can also use the Layer Painter tool to add Auto Dimensions to layers. Text and Arrows can be added to layers by Double Clicking on the Text Default icon and specifying the layer under Line Style. This also changes the Arrows. You can also add text and arrows to different layers Individually or as a group or use the Layer Painter tool. All CAD items and Slabs can be added to layers by opening the Layer Display Options, selecting the layer you want to use and Check In the Current CAD Layer option. As you draw with the CAD tools these items will be on that layer. You can also add CAD and Slabs to different layers Individually or as a group by opening the Dialog and selecting the Line Style tab or use the Layer Painter tool. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 11

Using the Layer Painter tool One way to put a bunch of items on a specific layer is to use the Layer Painter tool. Start by going to the Tools menu and selecting Layer Painter. This will open the Layer Display Option dialog. Then select the layer you want to put your items on. If you don t have a layer on the list click the Add button and create a new layer. Click OK and go to your 2D or 3D view and click on the items you want to put on the layer that you ve selected. TIP Make sure the layer you re using is a different color than the existing items so you can see the change take effect. Another option is to turn off the 2D display for the layer so when items are added to that layer they will disappear as you click on them. When you re done turn the layer back on. Putting Electrical Items on Layers Putting all of the existing electrical items on a layer to distinguish between existing and new. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 12

Create a Plan with Future Walls, Doors and Other Items Set up a layer and call it Walls Future with dotted lines. Use the layer painting tool to add all of the walls, doors, windows, cabinets, etc in a basement on a layer that can be turned off in 3D but still display on the floor plan. TIP: You can use the Layer Painter tool in 2D and in the 3D views. You can also open room dialog boxes in a 3D view by selecting the Select All icon or pushing the Spacebar on your keyboard and double clicking on the floor or ceiling for the room you want to access. Setting up layers for better plan results Setting up layers is very simple once you understand how they work in your plan. Remember that the goal is to do all of you drawing in one plan file using layers to display only the items you need for each view. As your producing your plan be sure to put items on layers that relate to the final views that you need for the working drawings. You ll then use layer sets to quickly toggle between the different views. What are Layer Sets, how to set them up and use them With an understanding of how to put things on layers the next step is to work with Layer Sets To create a Layer Set do the following: Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 13

1. Open the Layer Display Options dialog click on or push the key next to the #1 on a standard keyboard. Elsewhere on a laptop. 2. Select a Layer Set that is similar to what you want to create. Don t worry if you re not sure because you ll be going through the list of options anyway. 3. Select the Copy Set button to make a duplicate of the Layer Set that you have specified. At this point you ll be given the option to name you re new Layer Set. (Name your set carefully because you will not be able to rename it later. It s a good idea to type the name in all caps so you will easily be able to recognize from the list of Layer Sets the ones that you ve created.) Select OK. 4. You ve now got a screen that has the identical list of layers names that all the other Layer Sets have. As long as you keep Modify Name In All Layer Sets checked in each time you add or change the name of a layer, it will change on all of the Layer Sets. What will not change in all of the other Layer Sets is the 2D, 3D, Mat, Ref, Lock, Color, Style or Size of each item. These will only change on the Layer Set that is listed at the top of the screen. If you want to change these options on all of the other Layer Sets check in Modify All Layer Sets. With this checked in all of the changes you make to any item on your list (Except Names) will be changed in all Layer Sets. When you use this function BE SURE TO UNCHECK IT AS SOON AS YOU VE MADE YOU RE CHANGES. If you don t, the next time you adjust any layer you will be changing all layer sets. 5. Now go down the list and add any new layers you need, uncheck or check in all of the options that you want to display for this view. You can also change the line Color, Style and Weight and it will only be affected on this Layer Set. 6. Now anytime you want to see how this view will look all you have to do is change to the Layer Set. You won t have to go through the list and turn items on and off all of the time How layers work in conjunction with the layout pages Once you have your layers and layer sets set up and you ve completed your plan you are now ready to start sending views to Layer Pages. Here are a few things to keep in mind when sending your views to the Layout Pages: 1. When you switch to a Layer Set and then send that view to the Layout page you will have the option to send a copy of this layer set to the layout or keep the layout view interactive with the plan view. It s recommended to Uncheck the option that says - :Make Copy of Active Layer Set 2. Any changes you make to the layers and Layer Sets in your plan will now affect the plan view and layout view. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 14

Layer Set Example The following partial plan example has 30 11 x17 pages using 10 different Layer Sets. This is what the Layer set list looks like for this plan: Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 15

Layering Techniques to use in your plan that save time Finding missing items in your plan. Sometimes you need to find something in your plan that s on a layer that is turned off but you don t remember what layer it was on. Here s a simple solution. 1. Click on to open the Layer Display Options 2. Click the Copy Set button next to the Layer Set drop down list at the upper left corner of the dialog. 3. Name the new Layer Set All Off/On 4. Click the Select All button in the bottom left corner of the screen. 5. Click the Display checkbox until is is a check mark. This will trun on all of the 2D layers in your plan. 6. Go to your plan and find the item you were looking for. Open it s dialog and determine what layer it is on. 7. Click the Define button next to the Layer list and open the Layer Display Option 8. Switch back to the Layer Set you were working with and leave the layer turned on for the item you want to work with. Simplify Roof or Floor Framing for a Room Addition A simple way to make it easy to complete your framing plans is to turn off as many layers as possible so it s easier to work on your plan. You could create a new Layer Set just for this purpose of use the All Off/On Layer Set 1. Double Click the Framing icon and build your roof or floor framing. 2. Click on to open the Layer Display Options 3. Switch to or create the All On/Off Layer Set. 4. Click on the Select All button in the bottom left corner. 5. Clear the Check Box from the Display box. 6. For Roofs go to the Roof Planes layer and turn it back on. Be sure to Lock the layer so you won t accidentally delete any roof plane lines. 7. Turn on the Roof Framing layer and any other layers that are relative to what you are working on. If you re doing floor framing you would want only walls and floor framing turned on 8. Edit your roof framing until you have it the way you want. 9. Go back into Layer Display Options and switch to another Layer Set. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 19

Showing the As-Built versus New or Demo Items in your plan There a few ways to show the As-Build versus New in a plan. What you don t want to do is use invisible walls. These will act as 3D objects in your plan even though you can t see them in 3D. For Simple Demo Plans Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 21

Detailed As-Built Versus New Plan Dotted Lines If the plan you are working on requires a very detailed As-Built Demo plan you may want to consider doing a 2D CAD dotted line layover of the original As-Built Plan. This will allow you to make extensive changes to a plan and with the click of a button you ll be able to see every change that s been made. Here s an example of what it will look like: Here s the steps to follow: ( Helpful pictures follow the directions) Complete the As-Built Drawing as much as possible. Set the Defaults, add new wall types, materials and other items that will be in the new plan. Open the Layer Display Options and click on Copy Set in the upper left corner of the dialog to create a new Layer Set. Name it AS-BUILT SET. The goal is to get the view on the screen as clean and simple as possible. To do this turn off the layers that you don t want to be part of the 2D CAD dotted lines. Turn off items such as Labels, Dimensions, Electrical (Leave Electrical on if you want it in the As- Built), Framing, Room Names, Terrain, Text, Wall Layers,. Click OK. Finish cleaning up the floorplan. Click on the CAD Detail From View button. This will create a 2D CAD line drawing of the view on the screen and place it in a CAD Detail window. Click on the CAD Detail Management icon and select the Detail Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 22

(OPEN) item. Click Rename and name the detail As-Built Lines 1st Floor or whatever the view represents. With the CAD Detail open on the screen press the Space Bar on your keyboard or the Select CAD Objects icon. Press and hold the Shift key and draw a Marquee around the entire 2D CAD drawing. Release the Shift key and select the Layer Display Options and select or create the layer named 2D CAD - As-built Lines. This will put all of the lines on a layer that can be turned on and off at any time. Back in the CAD Detail View make sure all of the lines are selected. Open the Dialog for the lines and in the Line Style tab select Back Group This will keep all of the lines behind everything else in your plan. Select OK. In Plan view Select all of the lines then push the Copy icon or CTRL+C. Switch to your floorplan and select Edit Paste Paste Hold Position. This will place a copy of the lines in your plan. Open the Layer Display and lock the 2D CAD As-Build Lines layer. Adding Bearing Point Notations in your plan In any given plan it s important to locate and notate the Bearing points and show them in your plan from floor to floor. Here is a simple technique for doing this. The goal is to add 2D CAD items and Text in the plan that notate where the Bearing Points are and then line them up from floor to floor. Open the Layer Display Options and click the Add button. Name the new Layer CAD-Bearing Lines and Text. In the Ref column put an R next to this new layer. (This will allow you to Reference the 2D CAD items your draw from one floor to the next) Click on the Checkbox for Current CAD Layer so all 2D CAD items will be on that Layer as you draw them. Select OK. Double click on the Text icon. Select the Line Style tab and change the layer to CAD-Bearing Lines and Text. Set the Line Style to Blue. As you add Text and Arrows to the plan it will be on that layer. Select OK. Go to your floorplan and press F2 or the CAD Mode On icon. Select the Circle icon. Go the floorplan and draw a Circle where a Bearing Point is located. Click on the circle, open its dialog and go to the Fill Style tab. Set the Circle to Solid Fill and color it blue to match the layer. Click on the Text tool and type in Bearing Point. Select the Arrow tool and draw an Arrow from the Text to the CAD circle. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 23

Highlight the CAD circle, press and hold the Shift Key and group select the Bearing Point Text and Arrow. Click the Copy icon. Paste more Bearing Point locators elsewhere on the same floor plan or press F2 to exit the CAD tools and switch to the next floor where you want to locate a Bearing Point. Press F9 or the Reference Display icon. You will now be able to see the Bearing Points on the floor above or below you. Click CTRL-V or Edit-Paste and click on the floorplan where you want to paste the copy of the Bearing Point and Text that you group selected. Hold the CTRL key down, grab the center handle of the group and locate it on top of the Bearing Point from the other floors. Repeat this for all of the bearing points you need in you plan. To switch the Current Floor and Reference Floor click on the Floor Number between the Floor Up and Down arrows. You can even display the Bearing Points on the 2 nd Floor with the Foundation. In the Layer Display Options you can now turn the CAD-Bearing Lines and Text layer on and off. You can also set it up so that is remains on in the General Plan and Framing Plan Layer Sets. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 24

Showing Walls Above or Below on Your Plan. Chief allows you to use the Reference Display to view the walls above or below the current floor. Sometimes you need to show on your plans where those walls are. This simple technique allows you to do that. The goal is to add 2D CAD items and Text in the plan that notate where the Walls, Railings or other items are on the floor above and below the current floor. Open the Layer Display Options and click the Add button. Name the new Layer CAD-Lines Above and Below. Click on the Checkbox for Current CAD Layer so all 2D CAD items will be on that Layer as you draw them. Select OK. Double click on the Text icon. Select the Line Style tab and change the layer to CAD-Bearing Lines and Text. Set the Line Style to Blue. As you add Text and Arrows to the plan it will be on that layer. Select OK. Go to your floorplan and press F2 or the CAD Mode On icon. Select the Circle icon. Go the floorplan and draw a Circle where a Bearing Point is located. Click on the circle, open its dialog and go to the Fill Style tab. Set the Circle to Solid Fill and color it blue to match the layer. Click on the Text tool and type in Bearing Point. Select the Arrow tool and draw an Arrow from the Text to the CAD circle. Copyright 2011 ChiefExperts.com, Inc. www.chiefexperts.com Page 25