Chief Architect Help Database - Article Number: 92
How to Have Auto Exterior Dimensions Locate Deck Railings
The information in this article applies to:- Chief Architect X5
- Chief Architect X4
- Chief Architect X3
- Chief Architect X2
When I use Auto Exterior Dimensions on my plans, it doesn't locate the railings for my deck or porch. Why is this, and how can I change the settings so that my railings are included when this feature is used?
By default in Chief Architect, Railings and Deck Railings have "No Locate" checked.
You can either change this on an individual railing by railing basis so that only some railings or included, or you can change your Default Settings so that this option is no longer selected, and any future railings you draw in your plan will be located by dimensions.
Changing individual railings to be able to be located
- In your floor plan, use the Select Objects
tool to select one of the railings which is not being dimensioned.
- Click on the Open Object
edit button to display the Railing or Deck Railing Specification dialog.
- On the General tab, remove the checkmark next to No Locate, and click OK.
- Repeat this procedure for any other exterior railings you want to be able to be located.
- Finally, select CAD> Dimensions> Auto Exterior Dimension
to regenerate your automatic exterior dimensions based on these changes, and your railings will now be included.
If you know you always want Deck Railings or normal Railings to be dimensioned to, you can change this in your Default Settings so that any future railings you draw will not have this option checked.
Changing your Railing Defaults
- From the menu, select Edit> Default Settings
.
- Click on the plus + sign next to Walls to expand out this category, then select Deck Railing and click on the Edit button.
- In the Deck Railing Defaults, remove the checkmark next to No Locate and click OK.
Repeat this process, if desired, for normal Railings as well. - Any exterior railings in this plan you create from this point forward will be dimensioned to using the Auto Exterior Dimensions
tool.
Since this is a plan specific setting, if you want all files to have this changed, you will need to create a custom template. To learn more about creating custom templates, see
Article Number 463: How to create and use a plan style template
Article Number 737: How to create and use a layout template
Last updated on: Mar 28, 2013
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