Chief Architect Black and White Line Drawings

Background Color

A Quick Question (I think)

I've been playing with setting a black background.

I noticed that black dimension lines show as white, but the dimension #'s themselves do not show. If I change the line color layer to "white", then the dim #'s show, but the dim lines are gone?

If I set the layer color to yellow, they both show.

Kind Regards,
Dave Pitman

Current Version: X5

System

Win-7 64 bit
Intel i7 930 (2.8 ghz x 4)
Nvidia gtx 260 (1 gb ram)
12 gb ddr3 ram

---

Dave:

That does seem to be quirky behavior. I would think that is a bug but maybe there is an explanation we haven't thought of. I think this has been discussed in prior threads. I would try doing a search and see what comes up.

Curt Johnson

X5

Puget Systems Custom Computer, Win 7 Pro 64-bit SP1, 3.3Ghz Intel Core i5 2500K Quad, 8 GB Kingston DDR3-1333 Ram, Intel X25-M 80 GB SSD App Drive, WD 500 GB Caviar Blue SATA 6 Gb/s Data Drive, EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1024MB VC, Antec 650W PS, Asus p8P67 Pro REV 3.0 Motherboard

---

Looks like Dai Vernon got the answer from CA but failed to tell us what the solution was, unless my speed reading bypassed the answer:

http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread....imension+lines

Curt Johnson

X5

Puget Systems Custom Computer, Win 7 Pro 64-bit SP1, 3.3Ghz Intel Core i5 2500K Quad, 8 GB Kingston DDR3-1333 Ram, Intel X25-M 80 GB SSD App Drive, WD 500 GB Caviar Blue SATA 6 Gb/s Data Drive, EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1024MB VC, Antec 650W PS, Asus p8P67 Pro REV 3.0 Motherboard

---

Curt, thanks for your reply (and search). It sounds like there must be something that can be tweeked to get the dims working. As you noted, the answer was not there. Dai Vernon said that someone at CA sent him a Profile Plan with the adjustment in it.

That thread also exposes some other hurdles for using black without any answers.

Originally Posted by Dan Park

Chief has a black background option. Yes black lines display as white. Try it - it's been around for many versions.

This quote from Dan in this thread (http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread....ack+background) is what got me to playing with the black background.

Kind Regards,
Dave Pitman

Current Version: X5

System

Win-7 64 bit
Intel i7 930 (2.8 ghz x 4)
Nvidia gtx 260 (1 gb ram)
12 gb ddr3 ram

---

Dave:

I remember where some of the chiefers are using a gray screen instead of a black screen.

I never used ACAD and when I see a black screen with all those colors I find I dislike it tremendously

Is the purpose of the black screen to save on the eyes ???

I do have trouble with my eyes having worked on screens since 1978

Lew

Lew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"

Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com

CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)

---

I've never used ACAD, and always wondered what all the excitement was about the black screen and colors , BUT...., since I've been using Jamie Young's "Simple Start Plan & Layout Templates", where he has everything in color on a black screen, it becomes easy to understand why the colors, because of how they relate to layers. For instance, in the Ceiling Framing Layer Set, the Ceiling Joists are dark yellow, the hangers are orange, and so that you can tell Regular Ceiling Joists from Cathedral Ceiling Joists, the Cathedral Ceiling Joists are in forest green, the rim joist is in purple, headers are blue, and beams are red. Text is green. And that's just the CEILING FRAMING layer - There's also the ELECTRICAL, ELEVATION, EXISTING FLOOR PLAN, FOUNDATION, NEW FLOOR PLAN, ROOF SECTIONS, SHEAR WALL, SITE, and STRUCTURAL DETAILS layers.

This sounds complicated, but when you're on a drawing, and all of these are in color, you can instantly recognize where you are in the plan. Big bonus is that the black screen is better on the eyes (at least for me). When you're in Layout, and the background is black, and you want to see how it's going to print, just hit alt-F2, to see the white background with black.

George VanDusen, CPBD, CKD, CID
Phoenix Construction
www.phoenixconstruction.com
Contr. Lic. #268157

HOUZZ link: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/s...cramento%2C-CA

- Certified Professional Building Designer
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Certified Interior Designer
-Engineering Contractor
-Building Contractor
-Plumbing Contractor
Since 1971

Chief X4, X5

MOBO ASUS Rampage III Black Ed.
PROC Intel Core i7-990X 4.22 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB Corsair
GRAPHICS ASUS GTX 590 3GB, Dual-GPU
MAIN DRIVE OCZ 480GB SSD.
STORAGE OCZ 960GB SSD.
OS Win7 Pro 64 bit.

---

George:

I suppose it's something that could grow on me, but not sure I would like it to grow on me

it just looks to garish and disjointing

Lew

Lew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"

Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com

CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)

---

That's what I've thought for 15 years Lew, Now I'm a bonafied convert.

George VanDusen, CPBD, CKD, CID
Phoenix Construction
www.phoenixconstruction.com
Contr. Lic. #268157

HOUZZ link: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/s...cramento%2C-CA

- Certified Professional Building Designer
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Certified Interior Designer
-Engineering Contractor
-Building Contractor
-Plumbing Contractor
Since 1971

Chief X4, X5

MOBO ASUS Rampage III Black Ed.
PROC Intel Core i7-990X 4.22 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB Corsair
GRAPHICS ASUS GTX 590 3GB, Dual-GPU
MAIN DRIVE OCZ 480GB SSD.
STORAGE OCZ 960GB SSD.
OS Win7 Pro 64 bit.

---

That's what I've thought for 15 years Lew, Now I'm a bonafied convert.

Hmmm, maybe I'll have to join the "dark side"

Lew

Lew Buttery
Castle Golden Design - "We make dreams visible"

Lockport, NY
716-434-5051
www.castlegoldendesign.com
lbuttery at castlegoldendesign.com

CHIEF X5 (started with v9.5)

---

I'm not trying to convert you Lew, each to his own, but I'm really excited about being a convert myself . Look at the attached jpg - before, I could not tell new from exist, or what was going to be removed (unless noted), now, while I'm drawing, I can tell that the doors and windows that are in orange, and the dimensions that are in orange, are going to be filled, changed, or removed. All of the pink dimensions are going to stay the same. When you do remodels as we do, this makes navigating through a plan SOOOO much easier. Also, I'm on my "EXISTING FLOOR PLAN" layer here - When I get on the "NEW FLOOR PLAN" layer, all of the orange stuff will be turned off (their respective layers), and my fill layers turned on.

By the way, was "DARK SIDE" a play on words?

Last edited by PhoenixConstruction; 06-09-2009 at 08:03 PM.

George VanDusen, CPBD, CKD, CID
Phoenix Construction
www.phoenixconstruction.com
Contr. Lic. #268157

HOUZZ link: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/s...cramento%2C-CA

- Certified Professional Building Designer
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Certified Interior Designer
-Engineering Contractor
-Building Contractor
-Plumbing Contractor
Since 1971

Chief X4, X5

MOBO ASUS Rampage III Black Ed.
PROC Intel Core i7-990X 4.22 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB Corsair
GRAPHICS ASUS GTX 590 3GB, Dual-GPU
MAIN DRIVE OCZ 480GB SSD.
STORAGE OCZ 960GB SSD.
OS Win7 Pro 64 bit.

---

Try using a light grey background it helps with the eye strain but is not too far off the default white. It would be useful if the model and layouts could have different colour backgrounds, used to use acad with black for model space and off white for paper space. This meant I new what space i was in without any thinking.

Graeme Taylor

currently loaded X3.1 & X4.2-64 bit & X5 64 bit
also used v7 to x12
AMD Phenom 2 black 980 3.7 GHz quad core
8GB DDR3-1333 RAM
NVIDIA GEForce GTX560 1024Mb graphics
win 7 -64 bit
2 x 24 inch monitors

---

George, as to my original question...do Jamie's templates simply avoid black (white) dimensions?

Also, sectioned framing members (end cut) seem difficult to display.

BTW, I'm not advocating or putting down using a black background, just trying to make it work.

Last edited by Dave Pitman; 06-09-2009 at 08:31 PM.

Kind Regards,
Dave Pitman

Current Version: X5

System

Win-7 64 bit
Intel i7 930 (2.8 ghz x 4)
Nvidia gtx 260 (1 gb ram)
12 gb ddr3 ram

---

Dave;

Yes, the dimensions are all "pink", but they can be any color you want to assign them. You do this by going into your Layer Display Options, and clicking on "Dimensions, Manual", and down at the bottom where the color is, click and choose whatever color you want from the color chooser. I use the pink, but then for dimensions that are going to change because of a remodel, I change those to Orange, and make a new layer for them ("Dimension, Exist" and "Dimension, New").

Last edited by PhoenixConstruction; 06-09-2009 at 08:55 PM.

George VanDusen, CPBD, CKD, CID
Phoenix Construction
www.phoenixconstruction.com
Contr. Lic. #268157

HOUZZ link: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/s...cramento%2C-CA

- Certified Professional Building Designer
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Certified Interior Designer
-Engineering Contractor
-Building Contractor
-Plumbing Contractor
Since 1971

Chief X4, X5

MOBO ASUS Rampage III Black Ed.
PROC Intel Core i7-990X 4.22 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB Corsair
GRAPHICS ASUS GTX 590 3GB, Dual-GPU
MAIN DRIVE OCZ 480GB SSD.
STORAGE OCZ 960GB SSD.
OS Win7 Pro 64 bit.

---

Yes, colors work well, black or white, not so much.

Can you post a pic of an elevation, and maybe a section through framing, if you get a chance?

Thanks George!

Kind Regards,
Dave Pitman

Current Version: X5

System

Win-7 64 bit
Intel i7 930 (2.8 ghz x 4)
Nvidia gtx 260 (1 gb ram)
12 gb ddr3 ram

---

Dave;
I only work in colors with the black background in my Plan file, in the Layout, I always work with black on whitc (alt+F2), because that's how it's going to print. Here are a few shots of a Layout.

George VanDusen, CPBD, CKD, CID
Phoenix Construction
www.phoenixconstruction.com
Contr. Lic. #268157

HOUZZ link: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/s...cramento%2C-CA

- Certified Professional Building Designer
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Certified Interior Designer
-Engineering Contractor
-Building Contractor
-Plumbing Contractor
Since 1971

Chief X4, X5

MOBO ASUS Rampage III Black Ed.
PROC Intel Core i7-990X 4.22 GHz
MEMORY 12 GB Corsair
GRAPHICS ASUS GTX 590 3GB, Dual-GPU
MAIN DRIVE OCZ 480GB SSD.
STORAGE OCZ 960GB SSD.
OS Win7 Pro 64 bit.

---

Chief Architect Black and White Line Drawings

Source: http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread.php?43323-Background-Color

Share this post