Help Database

---

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Follows are the update notes for 9.52 and 9.53. These update notes are provided as a service to help you identify if you need a specific update. An average user may or may not have experienced the problems listed in this update. If you have experienced one of these problems we recommend obtaining and installing the update.

Program functionality resolutions:

Sometimes we run into instances where we discover that something that is designed to do a certain thing in the program is not functioning correctly. While we endeavor to thoroughly test the program before each release it is not possible to test every conceivable combination. As these problems are identified we work toward resolving them with program updates. Below is a list of problems that have been identified and resolved in the 9.5 – 9.53 update. We have classified them by several categories to allow you more quickly determine if you may be experiencing the problem. Keep in mind that many of these only existed in a very specific set of circumstances and may not affect the way the program works for the average user.

While we endeavor to document all solutions there may be problems that have been resolved that are not on this list. Also if you are using a version of Chief Architect other than the Full version there may be items that are listed here that do not affect your version.

Stairs and Railings:

• Checking the Winders option on a down direction staircase causes the staircase to disappear.
  


• Resolved a problem where you cannot set the baluster and newel center distances.
  


• Resolved a problem where in certain plans solid rails do not connect properly in curved stairs.
  


• Removed handrail defaults from Default Railing dialog since new railings were not using the defaults.
  


• Resolved a problem where auto generated stairway openings was created too wide. Chief will now retain any edits to the rail opening unless the stairway is modified.
  


• Resolved a problem where deleting a landing doesn’t delete all the surfaces in a 3D view.

Materials Textures and Patterns:

• Resolved a problem where patterns did not display correctly in camera views in the Client Viewer.
  


• Replaced the Client Viewer Delete Surface toolbar button to allow a user to remove a surface when viewing a model in 3D or render.

File management:

• Added functionality to allow a period in a plan name followed by more than 32 characters.
  


• Resolved a filter problem in the File> Save As dialog box that allowed a user to see all files in a directory when saving. Choosing to save over the wrong type of file could in specific circumstances cause the plan to become corrupt or unusable.
  


• Re-enabled the File> Export entire plan function when trying to export from a layout.

Printing and Plotting, Layouts:

• Resolved an issue where in certain cases in large layouts specific printer drivers would cause a problem where the layout would print at a much smaller scale.
  


• Resolved a problem where there is no fill color for layout borders.
  


• Resolved a problem with legacy layouts from version 8 and earlier where elevation data would be missing when the elevation was updated.

Plan reversal:

• Implemented automatically rebuilding fascia/gutters when reversing a plan.
  


• Resolved an issue where moldings were made inside out when the plan was reversed.

CAD:

• Extended the limit on CAD details of in a single plan to 490.
  


• Added functionality to DXF export to allow quote marks in material names. This resolves an issue in AutoCAD where you get an “Invalid symbol table record name:” error message when a quote mark (‘) was in the name of a material.
  


• Resolved a problem where polyline solids will accept negative numbers.
  


• Resolved a problem where you could not create CAD blocks on page 8 of a layout.
  


• Fixed a problem where delete of multiple CAD objects failed when more than 32K CAD objects existed in a selected area.
  


• Fixed a problem where Show arc centers was not working in cross section views.
  


• Fixed a problem in a rotated plan where selecting multiple CAD blocks caused a display problem.
  


• Fixed a problem where concentric jump did not work properly when trying to jump in ½” increments.
  


• Fixed a problem where a floor 0 plan footprint is not visible in a CAD detail after saving and reloading a plan.
  


• Fixed a problem where CAD objects on multiple layers were getting reset to layer 0 after group selecting and editing.
  


• Added the Trim and Extend Item buttons back to the Edit Toolbar for CAD boxes.
  


• Fixed a problem where converting an arc line segment in to a Road Polyline resulted in a straight road.

Specific User Plans:

• Fixed several problems that were specific to individual user plans.

Materials List:

• Resolved several problems in materials lists where items were not calculated or displayed correctly or displayed in the wrong category.

General Functionality:

• Status bar hints were added for Schedule parent and Schedule to Text tools.
  


• Changed terrain calculations to speed up certain specific types of terrain calculations
  


• Resolved a problem where using the minus key (-) to zoom out overview caused the arrow keys to stop functioning in certain cases.
  


• Resolved some situations where sinks would not create holes in custom counter tops.
  


• Removed the label tab on items that don’t allow labels like soffits, partitions, and shelves.
  


• Removed the open button on several items where this functionality was not available.
  


• Added functionality lost from version 8 where you can open objects in CAD Details with “Ctrl + E” .
  


• Resolved a problem where line style control of a single layer in elevation view affected more than one layer.
  


• Resolved some walkthrough playback problems specific to Client Viewer.

2D and 3D Display:

• Corrected several display anomalies that affected various 2D or 3D views.
  


• Resolved a problem in render view where you could not select resize handles in some cases.

Edit, Copy Paste Delete:

• Added functionality to allow items inside a cross section slider to be edited.
  


• Added functionality to allow accurate move to work with edit area.
  


• Added new functionality to allow snapping of cabinets to walls when architectural blocks are exploded.
  


• Resolved several copy paste problems where unexpected or inaccurate results were obtained when doing a copy and paste operation.
  


• Resolved a problem where walls would get corrupted in plan view after using the wall definition dialog when certain steps were taken to change materials.
  


• Resolved a problem where deleting Architectural Blocks using the Delete Objects dialog also deleted furniture.
  


• Resolved a problem where replicate object about current point was disabled in elevation and cross section views.
  


• Resolved a problem with edit area where you are able to paste walls into a layout.
  


• Resolved a problem where the select box was not moved when using reflect about line.
  


• Resolved a problem where the cursor was not resetting after doing a copy of a CAD item then hitting escape. Also, modified program so that a right button click will cancel copy mode.

Dimensions:

• Resolved several specific display issues where dimensions do not refresh properly.
  


• Fixed a problem where accurate move settings in dimension defaults would turn off after the first move in a CAD detail.
  


• Fixed a problem in dimensions where in certain cases they did not pick up certain wall corners on a plan.
  


• Fixed a problem where fill window does not work correctly when using end-to-end dimensions.
  


• Fixed a problem in Schedules where dimensions were being rounded to the nearest inch for cabinets and other objects.

Roofs and Ceilings:

• Added functionality to reset the origin of a plan that is out of bounds and to allow automatic roofs to be built when more than 200 feet from the origin.
  


• Resolved some problems with roof holes and roof patterns.

Rooms:

• Resolved a problem where room names were not being refreshed properly.
  


• Resolved a problem where creating a room molding polyline does not cut out for windows and door openings.

Walls:

• Resolved some problems with default settings for walls and platforms.
  


• Resolved a problem where if you use the same wall type setting you cannot change angles in the set dimension dialog for angular dimensions.
  


• Resolved some problems with attic walls.

Client Viewer:

• Fixed a problem in client viewer where you could not rotate a camera using the arrow keys or toolbar buttons.
  


• Fixed a problem where you cannot change the layer number for text in Client Viewer.

Crashes or Assertions

Assertions are placed in the program to flag unexpected events. If these situations do occur they indicate the program is in a potentially bad state. If you get an assertion you should always write down the .cpp file and the line number and report it to Chief Architect as soon as possible. Asserts are very specific and if encountered allow the programming staff to identify the exact place in the code where the problem is occurring. Along with this information we may request a plan that exhibits the problem or specific set of steps that exhibit the problem. If you discover an assertion and uncover the steps to reproduce the problem reporting the problem will help make the program better for both you and other users.

Crashes are different than assertions. Hardware failures, driver issues, viruses, anti-virus programs, as well as programming problems, are a few of the reasons that crashes can occur. When we find a reproducible crash that is the result of problem with Chief we rank it as the highest priority. From time to time you may experience a seemingly random crash. If you do experience a crash, try to remember what you were doing prior to the crash. If you can reproduce the crash then report it as soon as possible to the Chief Architect Support Staff so we can determine if the problem is something that can be resolved. Crashes manifest themselves in a variety of ways such as computer shut down, program shutdown, error messages, etc. A specific error message may allow us to determine the exact cause of the crash. Writing down the verbatim message allows us to resolve the problem in a timely manner.

Assertions:

The following assertions were specifically resolved in this update. Others may have been resolved but may not have been documented. The fact that we resolved an issue on these particular line numbers may or may not indicate we have resolved all issues related that specific assertion. If you receive one of these assertions please obtain the latest update and if it continues please contact Chief Architect support so we can work on resolving the issue:

• lists.cpp, line 952 and line 953
  


• polyline.cpp, line 174 and line 1434
  


• schedule.cpp, line 1142
  


• layout.cpp, line 2021
  


• RoadPolyLine.cpp, Line: 616
  


• figure.cpp, line 198
  


• Fixed a problem where reading certain JPG files in a 32bit format would result in an assertion failure.

Crashes:

Below we list many of the crashes we have resolved. Remember that these resolve specific crashes, which you may or may not experience when using the program.

• Resolved a crash when taking a 3D, Cross section, or Render view of plans with specific platform configurations.
  


• Resolved a problem where the program would crash selecting a particular set of cabinets.
  


• Resolved a problem selecting multiple windows with specific settings.
  


• Resolved a problem when using Undo after opening several windows from layout.
  


• Resolved a problem where converting a polyline to a roof hole.
  


• Resolved several crashes involving editing CAD items or CAD details.
  


• Fixed a crash that occurred when you move a window over a door in cross section.
  


• Fixed a crash when trying to select and delete a roof baseline that was corrupted when reversing a plan.
  


• Fixed a crash doing a shift select copy/paste operation when going into a new plan.
  


• Fixed a crash when exploding a block in 3D while it was selected in a plan view.
  


• Fixed a crash importing a DWG with 3D data in 2D.
  


• Resolved several crashes related to specific customer plans.