Help Database

To turn on the display of posts and beams

1. First, launch Chief Architect and choose to Open  the plan in which you would like to see your posts and beams displayed.
   
   
   
   For the purposes of this example, we just have a very basic square four-walled structure with posts and their footings, as in the image above.
   
   
   
2. To figure out what layer the posts are on, we will zoom in on one of these, using the Select Objects  tool, we will click on a Post and click on the Open Object  edit button.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Next, select the Line Style tab, make a note of what Layer the Post is on.
   
   
   
   In this example, the default layer of Floor, Framing is selected.
   
   
   
4. Click Cancel to close the dialog without making any changes.
   
   
   
   

To determine what Layer the post's footing is on

1. Using the Select Objects tool, select the post footing, and click on the Open Object  edit button to display the Slab Specification dialog.
   
   
   
2. Select the Line Style tab, and make a note of what Layer this object is on.
   
   
   
   In this example, the default layer of Footings, Post is selected.
   
   
3. Click Cancel to close the dialog without making any changes.
   
   
   
   

To turn on their display in the appropriate layerset

1. Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Full Camera  or 3D> Create Orthographic View> Cross Section/Elevation  and then click and drag your mouse cursor toward the post and its footing.
   
   
   
2. Once the view has been created, select Tools> Display Settings> Display Options  to display this dialog for the currently active layerset.
   
   
   
   
   By default, for a Perspective Full Camera view, this will be the Camera View Set, for a Cross Section/Elevation view, it will be the Section View Set.
   
   

   Note: For more information on Layer Set Defaults, review your software's documentation and see Article Number 799 in this free online Help Database How to use Layer Set Defaults

   
   
   
3. In the Layer Display Options dialog, navigate down to each of the layers for which you want to turn on their display and place a check mark in the Disp column.
   
   
   
   Recall that for the purposes of our example, we will place a check mark in the Disp column for these two layers: Footings, Post and Floor, Framing.
   
   
   
4. Click OK to apply this change, and your posts and their footings will now be displayed any time you use that layerset for this plan until you choose to turn them back off.
   
   

 Helpful Hint: If you do not want to turn on the display of all floor framing in your plan just to see the posts, consider creating a new, custom defined user layer, place all of your Posts on that layer, and then turn on just the display of this layer for your camera views.