Troubleshooting Spikes in Camera Views


Reference Number: KB-02971
Last Modified: September 16, 2021

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



QUESTION

I am observing an aberrant shooting spike in my 3D camera views.  What is causing this undesirable behavior, and how can I correct it?

ANSWER

Observing irregular spikes, shooters, or other odd extensions in 3D camera views typically indicates an alignment issue with objects in the plan.

Some of the most common reasons for experiencing this behavior include off-angled or overlapping objects such as:

  • Walls
  • Roof Planes
  • Stair Railings
  • Framing
  • Moldings
  • Polyline Solids




To troubleshoot spikes

In some cases, it may be obvious based on the material of the spike what type of object it is related to, and if so, either correcting the problematic object, or simply deleting it and replacing it may be the easiest way to correct the issue.

If you are having trouble with drawing straight walls, lines, stairs, framing and other elements that are resulting in spikes, then it is likely that you have turned off Angle Snaps. Select Edit> Snap Settings> Angle Snaps to turn this feature back on, if you have toggled it off.


If it is not obvious where the extension is emanating from, attempt to select the object in the 3D view. If it is related to a roof plane, for example, you should see Roof Plane listed in the Status Bar, and the roof plane highlighted in the 3D view.

  • If the object is a Wall or Railing, use the Open Object edit tool to display its Specification dialog.



    On the General panel, check the Wall Angle. Most often, shooters are created by a bad wall connection caused by a slightly off angle wall.

    To learn more about correcting off angle walls, please see Related Articles section below.

  • If the object is a Roof Plane, use the Open Object edit tool to display its Specification dialog.


     
    On the Selected Line panel, check the Angle.

    Typically undesired extensions of roof planes are caused by a slightly off angle side of the roof plane where it doesn't actually join the roof plane edge it is connected to. Correct the angles of both roof planes, then use the Join Roof Planes   edit tool to join them together to correct the shooter if this is the cause.

  • If the object is framing, use the Open Object  edit tool to display the Framing Specification dialog.



    On the General panel, check the Angle, and correct it if needed.  Repeat this process for any other manually drawn framing elements that may be off-angle.

  • If the object is a stair, or more specifically, the railing associated with a stair, it may not be as easy to tell if it is slightly off-angle using the Specification dialog, so your best way to try to correct it will be to verify a standard angle wall that should be parallel or perpendicular to the stair, then use the Make Parallel/Perpendicular  edit tool to straighten out the staircase, if the railing transitions are resulting in spikes.

  • If the object is a custom countertop, molding polyline or polyline solid, then you should have received a warning that the object overlaps itself, which can result in shooters in a 3D camera view. If so, a grey circle displays around the area locating this object, and correcting the shape so that it doesn't overlap should fix the shooter.

    In the case of Polyline Solids, keep in mind that if you drew it in a Cross Section/Elevation view, the overlap will not be visible when the object is selected in the 2D floor plan view.  It will have to be corrected in the type of view it was drawn in.

  • If the object doesn't select in the 3D view, or you are not certain specifically based on what the Status Bar indicates is selected, switch to the Glass House  rendering technique to see if you can trace the shooter back to its origin and correct the relevant object(s).


Finally, if you are still unable to determine the cause of the shooter and correct the relevant items, please submit the plan file to Technical Support using the Technical Support Center. More information on the Technical Support Center can be found in the Related Articles section below.