Chief Architect is great to have in the arsenal of tools you use to make money in your business. But in my 16+ years of using and teaching Chief, I keep seeing people make the same mistakes over and over.

The word "mistake" might not necessarily be the right term here. It could be problems, difficulties, misunderstandings or any other number of words you might use to describe why it's not always easy to get the results you want when working on a plan.

I know many of you may be using Chief Architect for your design and building plans so I want to share with you some of my observations about the common mistakes I see people making over and over again.

Here's my Top 10 List of Mistakes people Make with Chief

1. Believing that Chief is magical.
It seemed great at first, then you realize that there's more to the program than meets the eye and it doesn't always do what you want.

2. Chief will make you an expert designer.
Chief is a tool to help you design buildings. You still need to know what goes into a good design and there are resources available that can help.

3. Having a plan of action before starting a plan.
There is a process that if followed will make completing a plan much easier.

4. Setting Preferences and Defaults.
Understanding and changing some simple setting at the beginning of your project can save a lot of time.

5. Being careful when laying out a plan.
In the early stages of a plan, it's easy to create a mess. There are ways to avoid this.

6. The "Right Way" to add levels and platforms.
Next to roofs, this is the #1 issue in creating an accurate model. There is a process that when followed actually works.

7. How the Roof Tools really work.
The automatic roof tools are great at what they do. Understanding what that is will save a lot of frustration.

8. Understand and use layers correctly.
Your entire project should be drawn in one plan file. Using layers allows this to be done.

9.  "Slabs" and "Molding Polylines" are huge time savers.
It's easy to create items in your plan using these tools.

10. Different methods to create the details in your plan.
The CAD tools in Chief are outstanding. Even knowing a few things about these tools can really save time while you create more accurate plans.

So that's my list. Drop me a line at dan@chiefexperts.com and let me know what's on yours.

I'm going to reveal some important tips and techniques that will save you time and frustration on each and every plan that you produce. Properly applied, the strategies revealed during this event will allow you to experience time saving solutions that you can use over and over on each and every plan that you produce. I'll show you things you never dreamed were possible!

Downloads and Links

Quick Quote Spreadsheet that was discussed in the webinar (right click and "Save As")
Great way to view images online CoolIris
Powerpoint Handouts: 2 slides per page  3 slides per page (right click and "Save As")
"All New" Chief Architect X2 15 part recorded webinar Series - Details Here - Enroll and Get Access Here

Webinar Recording from September 29, 2009
Use the controls in the bottom right corner to navigate the webinar topics