Help Database

1. Select Tools> Display Options> Display Settings  to open the Layer Display Options dialog.    
   
   
   • Click the New button at the bottom left corner of the dialog.  
     
     
   • In the New Layer Name dialog, type the name for your new layer.  
     
     
   • When you click OK, you are returned to the Layer Display Options dialog and the new layer's name is highlighted.  
     
     
     
2. Under Properties for "MEP, HVAC" click on the Color box and select the color you want for these lines.  Then click on the drop down arrow for the Line Style and select the line style you want to use.  
   
   
   
3. Repeat this for each of the new layers you create and click OK to return to your plan.
   
   

1. Use the CAD Drawing tools to create CAD lines, arcs, polylines and/or splines as needed.  Once they are drawn, place them on the desired layer. 
   
   
   • Specify a selected object's layer on the Line Style tab of its specification dialog.
     
     
   • Use the Layer Painter  tool select a layer and then assign to objects.
     
     
     
2. Specify one of your new custom layers as the Current CAD Layer, and then use the CAD drawing tools to create lines, arcs, etc that are placed your custom layer and inherit its attributes.
   
   
   • Select CAD> Current CAD Layer  from the menu.
     
     
   • Select a layer from the Current CAD Layer drop-down list in the Layer Display Options dialog.
     
     
     
3. In Chief Architect X3 and later, the most efficient way for users who routinely need HVAC, plumbing, or other mechanical schematics is to create a custom Annotation Set for each type of drawing, and specify the appropriate Current CAD Layer for each.  To learn more, see Article #1167: How to set up a custom Annotation Set and import it into another file.
   
   
   

To draw using multiple line styles

Some drawing tasks require multiple line styles. For example, plumbing layouts typically distinguish between Cold Water, Hot Water and Waste Water lines. 

There are a number of ways to achieve this.

1. Create custom layers for each of the line styles that you will need, then either place CAD objects on the appropriate layers after they are drawn or change the Current CAD Layer as you work.
   
   
   
2. Use the CAD Drawing tools to create CAD lines, arcs, polylines and/or splines as needed.  Once they are drawn, change their line style on the Line Style tab of their specification dialog.
   
   
   
3. Open the Library Browser and expand the Line Styles folder so you can see its contents in the tree list.  When you need a particular line style, select it in the Library Browser, move your pointer into the drawing area, then click and drag to draw a CAD line using the selected line style.