rfcomm2k

Never mind all, I answered my own question. I can just change the material from a fir stud to a steel stud.

I have designed a Tiny house for my daughter. I used HDPRO to layout first floor using normal ceiling heights, then added second floor areas using shorter ceilings. No problems whatsoever with the design. I then created the framing for it and started looking at the elevations of the framing. The program did exactly what it was required to do and made the framing as the floorplan existed. However, I need to optimize the framing, mostly for the sake of saving weight. I am trying to remove the top plates of the lower walls and the bottom plates of the upper walls in order to create a balloon frame structure. To help identify what frame members are not needed, and to place others where they ARE needed, I want to change the color of framing members, just to identify them in a 3D view. However, even though I can open the DBX for any given framing member in the elevation view, and I can change the material lines and fill, when I go back to the elevation view the color has not been changed. Same applies to the 3D view if I select a frame member from that window. Is there some other way in which I can select a frame member and change the appearance, even if temporary?

I need to place the plumbing pipes (sewer) in my floorplan and be able to see them in 2D and 3D views. Will HDpro 14 do this, or do I need CA?

Thank you David. I did talk to Tech Support and was told that the MFR libraries cannot be edited and that I should be satisfied with adding new objects to the User library and leave it at that. However, in my opinion that is not a satisfactory answer, because it then requires me to search two different particular case I am trying to update the Behr paint selections. The existing Behr library is outdated, and I have already added the new colors to my user library, but in my opinion these new colors should be in the MFR library under the Behr products. I have started tinkering with the databases and have discovered that they are SQLite files. I was able so far to open the User library and have explored it. I am going to go look at the Behr.calib file next. (first you need to extract it from the Behr.calibz file). I am sure there are people out there who think what I may be attempting will void warranties, etc, and IF my product was covered still I would certainly try to avoid it. But I do not understand why CA needs to keet the MFR files so tightly controlled when they are free to begin with. Are you listening CA? Give us access to the MFR files so we can keep them up to date and keep our software organized. Let us move objects from the User library to the appropriate MFR library.

I have found several items in my Library that are duplicates. IDK how they got there. Maybe I installed a calibz file twice, or maybe they existed in different files to begin with. Whatever the cause, I want to clean up the library and delete the duplicates. Furthermore, I have added several paint colors that did not exist in the Behr manufacturer catalog I downloaded from the CA site. These are official Behr colors obtained from their color samples. These colors currently reside in the User catalog, but I really want them in the Behr catalog. How do I put them where they belong?

How do I model the dormer seen in the attached? I started by cutting the outside wall and used invisible walls to create the room, but I am stumped about how to have the two different height walls. Notice that the dormer wall on the right (that aligns with the right gable) is a full height wall, but the far left dormer wall appears to be a half height wall. Will this involve manually drawn roof planes? dormer view.pdf

If all you have so far is two rectangles, add the second floor by clicking Build New Floor, then select Derive new x Floor plan from the y Floor plan. Then click OK Now, press F9 to show the reference floor and move up to the floor level you just created. Now, click and drag the wall you want to move so it aligns with the correct wall below.

WOW! I stumped EVERYONE with this one!

Perhaps, instead of ending the walls to create the openings, you continue the wall and then insert a door opening of the appropriate height to provide these soffits. Example, if the room height is 96" and you want a 9" soffit, insert a door opening and change the height to 87" instead of the standard 80"

I have a particular piece of land I have purchased and received the surveyor plot for it. On the Warranty Deed it describes the location using map coordinates (N0d08'00"W, etc). and the length of the property line originating and ending on the specified points. How can I create a terrain plot using this info?

I think there should be a VERY big disclaimer when picking the tape measure tool that informs the user of this inaccuracy. On a hunch, after reading your comment about the tape measure tool, I applied a point to point dimension to the elevation. I got the same result, 7' 7 7/8". Your drawing is not the measurement I was trying to confirm. Place the cross hairs on point A. Click and drag diagonally to point B, which is where the bottom rear corner of the tread meets the ledger board. THAT is the measurement that using the software shows 91 7/8", but simple geometry shows it is just over 88 3/4".

I used the program to design stair I needed to replace going from ground level up to a porch. From the top of the footing to the BOTTOM of the top most tread is 50 1/8". Treads are 1" thick. The length from the face of the ledger board to the front face of the stringer is 77 1/16. After the design was complete I laid out the treads and risers on a 2x12 and cut the first stringer. I set it into place and discovered it was short. I soon discovered this was because I made the tread cuts 10" instead of 11". I KNEW they were supposed to be 11", but I then decided to deduct 1" for the overhang of the tread, not paying attention to the fact that the treads themselves were 12". So I again laid them out, this time being careful to mark the treads exactly 11" and risers exactly 6 5/16". I verified these dimensions in the software by using the tape measure tool. It still looked short, so I did not cut it yet. Referencing the attached file, the elevation detail, I measured using the tape measure tool from point A, which is the bottom front corner of the stringer, to point B, which is the top rear corner of the stringer. In the software, this measurement is 7' 7 7/8". I then measured from the same two points on the actual stringer. I got 7' 4 1/2". So then I did some geometry. A squared + B squared = C squared. The square root of 6 5/16* 6 5/16 +11*11 =.12.68257, almost 12 11/16. There are 7 treads. 7 * 12.68257 = 88.77801, just over 88 3/4. Which happens to be 7' 4 3/4", and is over 3" less than the same measurement made inside of the software. A 3" discrepancy over less than 8 feet is significant. Any comments? porch steps.plan

The foundation is 46' left to right x 35. front to back. There are two concrete walls approx.15' from either side to form a partial basement in the middle of the structure. So WHY did HD Pro decide to place long I-Joists front to back instead of spanning the 4 walls left to right, where the max span is about 15' instead of 35'? Is there a place I can tell the software which direction to place these joists? I am unable to post a file or pict at this time as the CAD PC is not on a network, just in case anyone thinks to ask.

Eric, I did not bother to post a plan because I adequately described the problem and saw no need to post one. David, I borrowed a sample of Pantone cards from a friend in the printing business and adjusted my monitor to match several colors as closely as possible. I acknowledge that there is a degree of error in what I perceive with my eyesight. After completing this adjustment I still have trouble with the HD software rendering accurate colors. This is why I asked if there is a means to adjust the HD software to color match accurately.

Is it possible I have posed a question that nobody has an answer to? or is it such a dumb question that nobody cares to comment?

Does a PC require some kind of color calibration prior to rendering with HD pro 2014? I know that some graphics software requires you to carefully match a manufacturer provided palette to what is seen on the screen by carefully adjusting the RGB parameters so that the on screen rendering is as close to the actual color as possible (graphic artists do this to match Pantone ink samples to what is seen on the screen). For example, I chose polished brass hardware for doors and a polished brass kitchen faucet. After final render with shadows, the door hardware still looks black, and the faucet is a chocolate brown color. Neither of these look like the same color as seen in the color palette when picking the material (which appears much more yellow).

The edit defaults dbx for both floors looked proper. But, on David's advice I went to each room on the second floor and checked the box for default ceiling below. That cured my problem. Thank you guys. I assumed that when I changed the first floor ceilings to a height other than the default that this box should not be checked.

I was just starting to place windows on the first floor of the attached building when I noted the ceiling height seemed off. So I opened a room spec dbx and saw the rough ceiling was 84 1/2. Now, I KNOW I started with a default height of 109 1/8, and I verified that by checking the default floor setting. But I also remember having a problem with not enough room for stairs between first and second floors, so I changed the first floor room height to 97 1/8. I then built the stairs, then the second floor rooms, etc. Then I moved down to the first floor and was starting the windows when I saw the trouble. So, I opened a room dbx and changed the rough ceiling height to 97 1/8 and clocked OK. When I opened another room dbx, I saw a message "ceiling values may not be changed as the floor above this room has varying heights". So, I went to the second floor and checked the room heights for every room. I found some rooms (above the first floor room I changed) did indeed have different heights. So I suppose I need to be able to select ALL first floor rooms and change the rough ceiling for all. But how? When I try this the values are grayed out. alaska home 1.plan

I have read the reference manual about custom materials, and have created a couple for practice. However, what I am trying to do is just change the color of an existing material. I have applied Green2 Siding from the Lap siding group to my structure, but the color is not what we want, and none of the colors match what we are looking for. But whenever I try to apply the color choice we want, I end up with a flat wall with no texture, just painted. What am I missing here?

@ Kat, I actually tried to post it in Q&A, not sure how it ended where it is.

Cabinet set on a 45 degree angle to form an angled breakfast bar. Other cabinets on either side of it, I can make this happen, but there is a lot of wasted space between the angled cabinet and the cabinets on either side of it. Would like to grab an edit handle to make the back corners of the angled cabinet meet the side cabinets. Is this possible?

Got it Eric. This was a great deal of help.

Eric, I tried this and it looked promising. I broke the front and rear walls in 2 places each 15' 3" in from the ends. I selected the middle section of each wall and checked the box for Full Gable. I then built the roof at 12/12 pitch. That looked good except that the 2nd floor wall continued thru the first floor roof at the eave, and the 1 1/2" walls of the second floor poked thru the roof. But I continued and drew in the second floor walls, paying attention to the orientation of the wall layers. I then selected each room and specified the room type and the ceiling rough height. Attached is what I ended up with, and it is not what I am looking for. The 2nd floor walls are exactly where I want them, and the roof pitch is correct for the main roof. I will probably need to change the pitch for the "dormer" roofs so that the ridges all line up, but I first need to get that wall correct. I wish I could just edit the wall shapes to the way I want them and then have the roof auto build. My first post shows a pict of what I am striving for. dormer test 1.plan

Good tutorial David, but I am having trouble relating it to the drawing I attached. Yours works on the premise that I am changing the end walls to dutch gable, but I am looking to do this on the front and back walls. End walls remain as a normal gable.

Two questions related to the attached sketch. First, how do I model the dormer as seen? The red dotted lines represent the interior walls. So far I tried by drawing first floor, then added second floor with 0" walls, then drew the interior second floor walls and changed the room heights to 97 1/8. Then changed the end wall of the dormer to a full gable wall. I ended up with a fairly normal looking dormer roof, but the 0" high wall was seen across the entire roof of the first floor. I grabbed the edit points on this 0" wall and dropped it to below the first floor roof, but I am not sure this is the correct way to do it. And is there a proper way to make the roof planes stretch across like they do, or is this another "grab the edit point and drag" answer? Second question, how do I model that window? I have tried changing the window shape, but then lose the dividers.