TECH-DBUG Digest Thursday, May 2 V2019 #005

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Evan Shu

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May 2, 2019, 12:39:04 PM5/2/19
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Date: Thur, 2 May 2019 12:00:00 -0400
From: DATACAD-TECH
Subject: TECH-DBUG Digest Thursday, May 2 V2019 #005

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datacad-dbug-digest Thursday, May 2 2019  Volume 2019:No 005

For DBUG Tech BulletinBd or to Join: http://www.tinyurl.com/DBUGTech

  DBUG> Reducing Layer Size
  DBUG> Ballon Frame Construction
  DBUG> Ballon Frame Construction
  DBUG: DataCAD Icon images Lost
  DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
  DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
  DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
  DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
  DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
  DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available
  DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available
  DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available
  DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available
  DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available
  DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
  DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
  DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
  DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
  DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
  DBUG> Aperture Visibility
  DBUG> Aperture Visibility
  DBUG> Aperture Visibility
  DBUG> Next DBUG Meeting at SeaGlass Architects in Peabody

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DBUG› Reducing Layer Size
From: Leon H. Miller
Date: Apr 20

I usually work in 3d mode and find that when I copy from one file layer to another
my 3d symbols seem to duplicate themselves. Is there some way to reduce the size of the layer by finding and erasing duplicate symbols.

Thanks
Leon Miller

-------------------------------------

From: Neil Blanchard
Date: Apr 20
DBUG> Re: Ballon Frame Construction


Hi Jerry, 

I live in a circa 1915 house that is balloon framed.  I have done a fair 
bit of work on it, so I can tell you what I have seen. Lumber is rough 
sawn, and not planed, so it is not very consistent.  It is typically 
close to the nominal thickness, and depth tends to be slightly under the 
nominal size; though not as much as is the standard today.  Saw marks 
and some bark and wane on the joists and rafters.  2x4 and 2x8 sizes, 
mostly. 

In my house, the second floor joists are supported on a let-in piece of 
strapping, and they is through-nailed into the studs. They used 20 penny 
spikes, and the wood is Douglas fir - so the nails hold very well.  I 
think the let-in ribbon strapping is not always used in balloon framing. 

I used a section of rock wool (semi-rigid) batt, cut to a snug friction 
fit at the floor joists for fire blocking. 
- hide quoted text -

On 4/11/2019 11:08 AM, 'Jerome M Headley' via DataCAD-DBUG wrote: 
> Does anyone have wall section and framing details for "Ballon Frame 
> Construction" who would be willing to share with me? 
> 
> I have a client who has a 3 unit apartment which is ballon frame 
> construction.  The structure (2-story) was being in 1933 and may have 
> been a single family residence originally but I'm haven't been able to 
> obtain the exact history of the structure.  I do know that when my 
> client purchased the structure in 1995, it was already 3 units.  When 
> the structure was built, it was at the time when lumbar milling 
> techniques were changing as I can see the saw marks on the original 
> wood framing. 
> 
> Having to do fire-stopping details for my state Fire Marshal Office 
> submittal. 
 
---------------------------------------

From: James Horecka
Date: Apr 20
DBUG> Re: Ballon Frame Construction


Not "ballon" frame: BALLOON frame. As in the floaty thingies.

Balloon framing was common way of quickly knocking-out multistory light-duty wood-framed structures a century or so ago, before it was pushed-out by Western Platform Framing, which is the norm today.

Balloon framing pushed out timber framing. Houses could be built with less skill, labor and time with balloon framing than timber framing.

For a two-story structure:

As I'm sure you know: In western platform framing, stud walls are built story by story. The second floor is built atop the first-story stud walls, sheathed, and then the second-story stud walls are built atop that deck and tilted up. Etc.

In balloon framing, the perimeter stud walls run the full height of both stories, sill to eaves.

Just below the bottom of the joists of the second story floor framing, "ribbands" are "let into" notches in the the studs. The floor joists are run long, outside of wall to outside of wall, get set bearing (sorta) on the ribband, and are face-nailed to each stud, which they each flank.

Here are some problems with this:

1. No perimeter chord at the floor diaphragms, on walls where the joists frame into the wall at right angles.

2. The stud bay spaces are open from the crawl space all the way up. Even at the plane(s) of the floor(s). These form potential chimneys. So if a fire were to start low down, the fire could zip into the stud bays, accelerate right up those flue spaces, into the joist bays, maybe even into the attic. Then POOF, the entire house is blown away in minutes. Yikes!!!!

Modern codes require fire stopping at such junctures, where that function is not already achieved by other means. In platform framing, the top plates already handle the job.

Modern codes also usually dictate fire stopping in wood-framed walls at maximum 10' intervals, both directions. I hope everyone is detailing/noting this on their plans and details. Because if missed, it can amount to unhappy change orders if an inspector catches the lack thereof and orders it done after the framing is complete. Soffits and bump-outs, too.

In balloon framing:

If the place is as-built, then you likely have open stud bays, from bottom to top.

You can fire-stop the connections at the floor plane. You must fire-stop both the vertical runs (stud bays), and the transitions to any horizontal spaces (joist bays).

Some jurisdictions may allow you to deal with the chimney effect by using solely insulation. Something to look into, maybe. Some won't allow fiberglass insulation for this purpose, only rock wool. I've used both for this purpose, AHJ-approved.

If you're tearing the plaster off, you have lots of options, right?

If you're not touching anything: "Existing/Non-conforming." It's up to your client and his asset insurer.

James Horecka, AIA

--------------------------------------

DBUG: DataCAD Icon images Lost
From: Gary W. Smith
Date: Apr 20


Hello Forum:

I have been running DataCAD 16 on my Windows 7 office laptop since 2013.  I upgraded to the free Window 10 when it came out years ago just fine. When Windows 10 (Redstone 1) came out it clashed with the HP Drive Encryption software and refused to install unless it was removed.  I discovered it was impossible to uninstall without reformatting so I reverted to Windows 7 rather than have Windows 10 installation constantly nag me to get rid of something I could not.

For the past six months my laptop has progressively become unstable and slow.  Last week I bought a new hard drive swapped it with the old one and did a fresh installation of Windows 7 and then an upgrade to Windows 10 (Redstone 5) on top of that.  I brought all of my old files back from the old hard drive and then proceeded to reinstall my applications to work with the new OS.

The DataCAD installation software that I have been keeping on the old hard disk for just such a time failed to work since it is apparently just a link to installation software on their website. (a significant hole in my disaster preparedness strategy I did not know about)

Fortunately, I could make a new shortcut of the DCADWIN.EXE file and was able to reregister my software seat with DataCAD LLC.  Everything works fine so far except that the Icons for all the different DataCAD file types are all white which makes it hard to tell backup files from AEC files.  (I am surprised how accustomed I am to look at the icon patterns to know which file to pick)

Does anyone know of a way to easily get the correct icon images reassigned to DataCAD file extensions?

Thanks!

Gary

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
From: David Sargert
Date: Apr 20

Curious if there are any gamers in our group? 
All five of my grandsons are Fortenight Wizzes on "Switches" and my wife thought it would be a good idea to get the 13 year old a nice refurbished desktop for school and games.   It's great for anything but Fortenight. I updated all the drivers when I was there at Christmas but he is still  having issues. I am NOT a gamer so I'm at a loss. In that the box is x2+ what my laptop is running, perhaps I'm just envious. 

Optiplex 790 
Win 10 Pro. (I've read they have issues with this) 
500GB Hard drive 
8GB RAM 
Intel Quad i5-2400 @3.10GH 
NVidia GTX 1050 
Thanks in advance. 
David 

David K. Sargert, LEED AP 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
From: JAID
Date: Apr 21

I am not David (though I have played a couple games of Civ6. Excellent but can take a long time.) My 11 year old is and has played a lot of Fortnite. He played it on PC, Ipad and PS4+.Since his Ipad Pro is probably somewhat less powerful than your machine it suggests there is something odd going on. His PS4 performs well but is not as powerful as his PC. So you would expect the PC you got to perform pretty well. High performing graphics cards seem to the key to best games performance. DirectX 12 if you can get it with a processor that pumps and fast DDR RAM. I suppose the rest of the PC is important and perhaps the number of pipelines the processor has but while Kiran's computer here is an i7 it is a long time since it was top of the line. 

All that is just guessing,  while that graphics card in your setup was once an average gamers delight that was a while ago but it should be good enough to deliver good graphics and the system should be so it sounds like something else. People even play Fortnite on smart phones. How does it go playing games off-line? If it is not some obscure driver connection speed could be involved. 

Ian 


-------------------------------------

DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
From: David Sargert
Date: Apr 21


Thanks Ian! 

Yes, is seems that there is some kind of gremlin conflict in the system somewhere. 
I may need to snag the machine and bring is back for a diagnostic here with someone who is more familiar with these issues. 

David K. Sargert, LEED AP 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
From: Wayne Allen
Date: Apr 22

DON'T go there David. 

For people prone to  "addiction" it should not be encouraged. 
Like other busy absentee fathers I didnt have much time for my kids, even 
though I worked from home. 

After innocently putting Jazz Jackrabbit on our only computer back in 96 my 
7 year old daughter got hooked quickly followed by my 3 year old son 
My father then bought my kids a PS1 . Then my other daughter joined in. 
It was the end of my son. A myriad of games were gradually acquired. Crash 
Bandicoot  is a memorable one. 

Next mistake was upgrading it in 2002 to PS2 or was it PS3  and they made 
the leap to on-line gaming. 

That proved way too addictive.  The prospect of playing a game with one 
other person or a group of people or as part of a team was incredibly 
alluring. 

He would play all night and if I pulled the plugs he became very aggressive 
and wake up the entire family. 

On weekends he would typically play all night and get up at noon, do 2 hours 
of schoolwork and then say he needed a break.  The break was then another 10 
hr gaming session. 

It was so addictive for one of his schoolfriends that he ended up being so 
good at it that he ended up playing in overseas tournaments with a gaming 
company flying him to LA at age 19 to join a major team. 

He's sanding plasterboard for a living now. 

In my son's case it held him back at high school, gaming taking priority; 
did not even study for his exams but somehow scraped into Mech Eng at Sydney 
uni where he failed and repeated key subjects. 

He graduated but with lots of passes, 3 F's and only a couple of credits and 
just one distinction all employers overlook his resume. 

Which is a real shame because he is a lovely guy and a has the makings of a 
capable mechanical engineer if he could find a company that could steer him 
in the right direction 

The gaming addiction introduced him to lots car racing games and grand 
turismo.  So any job he applies for has to have cars somehow involved. 
Living in a country which with market forces aside has seen fit to 
disassemble its once active but heavily subsidised car manufacturing 
industry with players like GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and Mitsubishi all 
pulling the plug there is no realistic prospect of such employment. 
So at age 26 he is still playing games, forgoing sleep and working with the 
australian distributor for a major Sports car manufacturer as a junior 
racing engineer , not even earning the minimum wage designing after market 
sports car parts while his other non game playing mate from school is now a 
medical doctor while another guy who he thrashed in maths is in 
international finance earning a mozza and another cohort now a medical 
researcher/scientist  who has just bought herself a house. 
Gaming gives many people a sense of achievement that displaces achievement 
in real life pursuits. 

Some people can manage it, come cannot, 
Dont risk it David.  It's a pathway to loser-dom. 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Off topic - Gamers in the group?
From: Neil Blanchard
Date: Apr 23

I am forward this thread to the DBUG forum, as it could help someone, if 
they have had similar issues. 

On 4/21/2019 10:46 PM, Nicolas Angelini wrote: 
> On March 1st, Microsoft pushed an update to patch the Spectre 2 
> vulnerability in Intel CPUs, with the working name of "Retpoline fix." 
> Retpoline caused major performance issues in everything from desktop 
> use to gaming. About a week and a half later, another update fixed the 
> issue. Is Windows up to date on the computer, Luke? 
 

> On 4/21/2019 10:31 PM, David K. Sargert wrote: 
>> Thank you very much Neil! 
>> Nick, My grandson Luke (13) is cc'd on this as it's his machine and I 
>> don't want to mis translate his issues. My understanding as of this 
>> evening is that he seems to have resolved the continued crashing with 
>> Fortenite via driver updates but now is only able to run the game at 
>> 60fps which seems nuts  given his hardware config. 
>> 
>> Luke, please explain more to Nick if I did convey the issues properly. 
>> Thanks you both for the help! 
>> David 
>> 
>> David K. Sargert, LEED AP 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available in the existing Dcad 12 manuals
From: Dennis Orr
Date: Apr 26

I want to start sending dwgs. To clients, for review only, and do not know how to copy and paste from Dcad to Word or to somehow create a drawing attachment to an email.

Is there a tutorial available that could enlighten me?  I have the Smith and Morse manual but it is not addressed I a place where I can find it.

Thanks;

D. G. Orr

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available in the existing Dcad 12 manuals
From: Neil Blanchard
Date: Apr 30

Hi Dennis,

You should make the drawing sheets into PDF's, using the Save As button in the plot Preview window.?? Then you can attach those PDF's to an email(s), to send to your clients.?? To attach the PDF's, there should be a button in an email compose window that says Attach; or you probably can also drag them and drop into your email.
On 4/25/2019 2:14 PM, Dennis Orr wrote:
I want to start sending dwgs. To clients, for review only, and do not know how to copy and paste from Dcad to Word or to somehow create a drawing attachment to an email.

??

Is there a tutorial available that could enlighten me??? I have the Smith and Morse manual but it is not addressed I a place where I can find it.

??

Thanks;

??

D. G. Orr

-- 
Sincerely, Neil

 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available in the existing Dcad 12 manuals
From: David Sargert
Date: Apr 30

You will want to save/send these as PDFs via your Print Menu
The process will probably be under printing in the index 

David K. Sargert, LEED AP 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available in the existing Dcad 12 manuals
Date: Apr 30

Hi,
I do this all the time.  Set up your drawing (quick layout or multi layout as you wish), make certain that preview (S5) is on and hit print (F1).  Then click 'Save As" and you will create a .pdf.  Attach the .pdf to your drawing and - as they say - 'Bob's your uncle'.  I never knew why they say that, but they do.

The only problem you might run into, is when you set up your drawing to fit a large piece of paper, and the client tries to print it on 8 1/2 X 11.  It becomes almost impossible to read.

Good luck!

Joseph A. Krawiec, AIA, LLC
409 Pierce St
South Plainfield, NJ 07080

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Clipboard Tutorial expanding on what is available in the existing Dcad 12 manuals
From: James Horecka
Date: Apr 30


Um, just plot PDF files. Then, if you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, create binders of the PDFs, in the correct order for a set of drawings. Then email the binder. Happiness follows.

As far as sending DWG files: I would never do that, except to a consulting engineer who uses UdderCAD only (not DataCAD).

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
From: Nick Pyner
Date: Apr 20

I had always hoped that I would die before my original Intellimouse 
Explorer did, but that has alas proved not to be the case, as the scroll 
wheel has transformed into a sticky goo.  Its replacement, a Logitech 
M705, has been DRIVING ME NUTS and, now that I am using DataCad a bit 
more, that has made a bad situation worse.  I suspect it doesn't snap as 
well as the old Intellimouse but the real problem is the wheel. 

It now appears that the problem is the smooth/bumpy button. I had it on 
smooth but changing to bumpy makes things more manageable. So I would 
suggest that, if anybody else is having grief and the wheel is on 
smooth,  try living with bumpy, as it could revolutionise the way you work. 

There is some irony in that I had butchered the innards of the 
Intellimouse so that the wheel runs smooth, and that worked perfectly. 
Also, one reason why I bought the M705 was that I recently got a cheapo  
M171 in New Zealand in an emergency and it actually works fine. My only 
complaint was the bumpy wheel. I'm glad I never got round to fiddling 
with it. 

I came very close to ditching the M705 and putting the M171 into the 
front line. 

Nick Pyner 

Dee Why Beach   NSW 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
From: Neil Blanchard
Apr 20

Hi Nick, 

The other aspect of the wheels on many mice, that affects snapping, is 
they tilt to pan sideways.  The detents are needed, though there are 
some Logitech mice that have detents when you move the wheel slowly, but 
they go smooth when you spin them faster.  The M705's wheel tilts, and 
it has the detent/smooth feature.  Maybe, it is the tilting that is 
causing the issue? 

I would recommend the G603, which has a non-tilting wheel, high quality 
buttons, and long lasting batteries.  It is closer in size to the old 
Intellimouse. 

Sincerely, Neil 


 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
From: Neil Blanchard
Apr 23


Hi Skipp,

You bought EIGHT track marbles at once?  Now THAT'S commitment!  They probably cost more than DataCAD 5?

What connector do they have - USB?

On 4/22/2019 11:46 AM, Albert Jackman wrote:
I use a Logitech track marble and have since I started in V5 - at the time I started I bought 8 of them - I felt they would be like pencil lead and wear out. You can still get them - more money that when I got them - 


You're fortunate you didn't get a PS2 version.  ;-)  DataCAD 5 was $150, if I remember correctly.


On 4/22/2019 4:13 PM, Albert Jackman wrote:
USB
They did cost more than the cad program - at that time my program was $99 - I bought the trackman wheels within the 1st year just to make sure I had spares - Like getting new batteries for my watches BEFORE they run down.
Trackman Wheel   T - 8818


SKIPP

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
From: Neil Blanchard
Apr 24

Hi Nick, 

Maybe you can find another Intellimouse?  Even if it was broken, you 
could take its wheel and use that? 

Every mouse that I have used that has a tilting wheel, I have trouble 
snapping with.  Unless, you can set the tilt to be a Middle click; this 
will be a problem. 

I specifically buy only mice that do not have tilt, and that have robust 
button switches.  That means, for all intents and purposes - I buy a 
gaming mouse, or a top of the line mouse. 

My work mouse is a Logitech G403, and my home mouse is a Razer 
Ouroboros.  Both have no tilt, and have detented scrolling, and have 
switches that are good for at least 10-20 Million clicks. They also both 
have rechargeable batteries, that don't last all that long - the G403 
started at about 32 hours of battery life, but is down to about 22.  The 
Ouroboros only had about 12 hours, and I have had to replace the battery 
twice now. 

The G403 battery is NOT replaceable.  That is why I recommended the G603 
- it has two AA batteries that are replaceable, and when you use 
Alkaline batteries, you should get 500+ hours.  Good rechargeable 
batteries should last 200-300 hours at least, so that is the best you 
are going to get.  The sensor is state-of-the-art, and the switches are 
the best available, as well. 

On 4/23/2019 9:16 AM, Nick Pyner wrote: 
> I was not aware the M705 had tilt, although I was aware that it felt 
> like it did. I don't think that is the cause of the problem. Using the 
> bumpy mode helps a lot but there is still a bit of flywheel movement.  
> At least it seems not to have such a mind of its own. I think the real 
> solution is to try and 3D print a new wheel for the Intellimouse 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Observation on mice - Logitech M705
From: Nick Pyner
Date: Apr 30

Thanks for your comment. I have tried to get an Intellimouse Explorer 
before, but to no avail. They must be well over twenty years old. What's 
more, they might all suffer the same problem that kills them - chemical 
breakdown of the tyre on the wheel, hence my comment about 3D printing a 
spare. I had two once, and throwing one out was a serious mistake. It 
was probably just a bad cable, and I have fixed that on the keeper OK. 

I think I passed up the G603 because they couldn't make up their mind 
about the system requirements. 

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Aperture Visibility
Date: Apr 30

Hi,

I use a Kensington mouse and have programmed a button to the ‘=’ sign to move between walls and lines.  If I go to the utility menu, objsnap, and click on aperture (S9), the aperture shows.  If I change from line to walls using the icon in the draw tool bar, the icon appears for walls and does not appear for lines.  I REALLY like this.  Is there anyway that I can have the same thing happen by changing the programing for the mouse?

Thanks,
Joe

Joseph A. Krawiec, AIA, LLC
409 Pierce St
South Plainfield, NJ 07080
Click here to Reply

---------------------------------

DBUG> Aperture Visibility
From: Neil Blanchard
Date: May 2

Hi Joe,

There is a toolbar that does this - it is called Draw.?? When you click on the Draw walls icon, it toggles on the Aperture, and when you click on the Draw lines icon, the Aperture toggles off, as well.

I use a Kensington mouse and have programmed a button to the ???=??? sign to move between walls and lines.?? If I go to the utility menu, objsnap, and click on aperture (S9), the aperture shows.?? If I change from line to walls using the icon in the draw tool bar, the icon appears for walls and does not appear for lines.?? I REALLY like this.?? Is there anyway that I can have the same thing happen by changing the programing for the mouse?

Thanks,
Joe
 -- 
Sincerely, Neil


-------------------------------------

DBUG> Aperature visibility
May 2 2019

Hi Neil,

Thanks - I do know about the draw icon and it works exactly as you say.  I have programmed my mouse to move between lines and walls by mapping one of the buttons to the "=" sign.  What I would like to do is adjust the command in the mouse so it would provide the aperature only when drawing walls - as the icon does.  I don't know if that is possible.
Joe

Joseph A. Krawiec, AIA, LLC
409 Pierce St
South Plainfield, NJ 07080

-------------------------------------

DBUG> Next DBUG meeting on May 15th at SeaGlass Architects in Peabody
From: EVAN SHU
Date: May 2 2019 12:00 PM


Please join us at our newest meeting site, SeaGlass Architects in Peabody, for our next DBUG meeting on Wednesday, May 15th at 6 pm.

Eric Gjerde has a great program planned for us that will include demonstrations on using the Hover App to create a 3D model from photographs that can be exported as a 3D model into SketchUp, DataCAD, or other CAD program. The program will include making model animations, complete with entourage from the SketchUp 3D Warehouse. As a timely bonus in the wake of the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral, he will give us a virtual model tour of the building as well.

A more detailed agenda and detailed directions will come out in a few days, but please reserve this date on your calendar and make every effort to attend. It promises to be a great meeting!

Evan Shu

RSVP to
S E A G L A S S   A R C H I T E C T S,  LLC

-------------------------------------

End of datacad-dbug-digest V2019 #005

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