Troubleshooting Wall Framing Issues


Reference Number: KB-00335
Last Modified: April 14, 2023

The information in this article applies to:

Premier



QUESTION

Wall framing isn't generating correctly in my plan. What might be the cause?  


ANSWER

A number of factors will cause a wall not to produce wall framing. Below are some of the most common causes, and how to correct them so that framing will generate in all of the walls of your plan.


To build wall framing

  1. From the menu, select Build> Framing> Build Framing .


  2. Once the Build Framing dialog displays, select the Wall panel and place a check in the box that says Build Wall Framing.

    Check the Build Wall Framing box on the Wall panel of the Build Framing dialog


  3. Select the Automatically Build Wall Framing checkbox to regenerate wall framing whenever changes are made to the model.

    Note: It is necessary to turn this feature off later on if you want to make manual adjustments to the wall framing.

  4. Once you press the OK button, wall framing should generate throughout your plan.  

    If it does not, or if wall framing will not generate for one or more walls in the plan, use the following steps to troubleshoot these additional problem walls.


To check for Retain Wall Framing

If the option for Retain Wall framing is enabled, framing will not generate.

  1. Use the Select Objects  tool to select a wall that is not framing correctly, then click on the Open Object  edit tool. 


  2. On the Structure panel of the Wall Specification dialog, if there is a check next to Retain Wall Framing at the bottom of the panel, remove it, then click OK.  

    Turn off Retain Wall Framing in the Wall Specification dialog


  3. Finally, if you did not select Automatically Build Wall Framing earlier, then you will need to go back into the Build Framing dialog and rebuild the wall framing to see this change take effect.

If framing still will not generate, or if Retain Wall Framing wasn't selected in the earlier steps above, it may be that the Main Layer for this wall type is set incorrectly


To verify the Main Layer and its material

  1. Use the Select Objects  tool to select the wall in question, then click on the Open Object  edit tool. 


  2. Select the Wall Types panel in the Wall Specification dialog that displays, then click the Define button next to the Wall Type drop-down.  

    Click Define to check your wall type layers


  3. In the Wall Type Definitions dialog, which appears next:

    Wall Type Definitions dialog

    • Make sure that the Main Layer, which should typically have a framing material applied, has the Framing box checked within the Material Properties tab or Material Layer section.

      In X12 and prior versions, this area was not available. Instead, verify that the Main Layer has a framing material applied, such as Fir Stud 24" OC.

    • If the framing layer is not in the Main Layers section, click on the framing layer to select it, then use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to place it into the appropriate section.

    • If multiple layers are designated as Main Layers, one of these layers must have the Framing box checked, or have a framing material applied.

    • In X14 and newer versions, make sure the other framing options, such as Stud Spacing and Stud Width, are setup properly for your framing layer(s).


  4. Once you have completed this procedure, click OK, then rebuild the wall framing in your plan.


ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING

If wall framing still fails to build after following all of the steps above, then please contact Chief Architect Technical Support using the Technical Support Center.

  1. If the issue only seems to occur in one particular file, use the Backup Entire Plan/Layout tool to create a folder with a copy of the problem file, along with all referenced files.

    See Knowledge Base article: Using the Backup Entire Plan/Layout Tool.


  2. Sign in to the Technical Support Center and create a new support case to send to Technical Support.

    See Knowledge Base article: Using the Technical Support Center.


  3. Give the case a short but descriptive title.

    In the text of the case, type a detailed description of the problem. The more detailed you are, the more likely we will be to reproduce the issue and identify the problem.

    Click the Browse button and attach the Backup to your case, then Submit it.