autodesk® architectural desktop modeling tips and tricks ... · their floor plans serve a dual...

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin ResortOrlando, Florida

11/28/2005 - 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Room:S. Hemispheres (Salon II) (Dolphin)

Autodesk® Architectural Desktop Modeling Tips and Tricks - Thinking Outside the Box

Ever wonder how to model a standing seam roof? Ever get lost in a maze of confusion when designing window assemblies? Ever thought to yourself …"I know Autodesk Architectural Desktop (ADT) can do it in 3D, but I don't see a button for it and I can't imagine where to start … with a roof, a slab, who knows?". If this sounds familiar, then this class is for you! We'll take an in-depth look at some 3D modeling tips and tricks that will put your work ahead of the crowd. We'll take ADT design objects and explore how you can "think outside the box".

BD15-2

About the Speaker:

Mark Couture - Intellicon Solutions, Inc.

Mark is the professional services manager for Intellicon Solutions, Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida. He has 14 years of experience as an Architect, Autodesk applications engineer, and reseller AE. Mark's expertise in ADT, ABS, and VIZ has allowed him to consult, train, and implement for firms nationwide. He is a Certified Autodesk Instructor at the AUGI CAD Camps, at Florida College in Jacksonville, and developed computer-based training courseware for Building Systems. Mark helped organize and implement two AUGI CAD Camps in Jacksonville and Tampa, and the Gunslinger's CAD Manager tech group in Jacksonville. Mark practices architecture/rendering/animation and enjoys being a site moderator for the rendering community at [email protected]


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INTRODUCTION

Without a doubt, Architectural Desktop (ADT) has amazing 3D modeling tools. In fact, I would estimate that when modeling a scene to be taken into 3D Studio Viz (Viz), I model

95% of that scene in ADT. Viz has it’s strengths, but when you have both ADT and Viz, the combination is quite powerful.

I also want to mention that the methods and techniques we are discussing today are not

necessarily a good idea for construction documents (CD’s). ALL of my modeling is a separate drawing from the original set of CD’s. All to often I see folks who try to have

their floor plans serve a dual purpose as both CD set material and 3D modeling. For the same reason we don’t put our electrical and mechanical designs in the same drawing, you

shouldn’t use your floor plans as a 3D Model.

BLOCKS !

Wait.. I thought you said this was an ADT tips and tricks? Hold on cowboy, there’s lots of good stuff in AutoCAD that can be incorporated with your ADT objects!

BLOCKS: TIP #1: USE BLOCKS WHENEVER POSSIBLE!

Often, I will create a building component and copy that to

multiple locations throughout the model. Then, inevitably, the

client will change the design and I’ve got to erase all the

components and copy the new block all over the place. What a

pain. Instead, if the component

was a block, then I can edit the block in place, or create a new

component, and block it to the same name and automatically

update all the existing blocks.

BLOCKS: TIP #2: BLOCKS WITHIN AEC OBJECTS

Custom AutoCAD blocks can be incorporated into many AEC Objects, including, Windows,

Doors, Window Assemblies, Curtain Walls, and railings. We’ll cover each of these objects and adding custom blocks throughout the session. As a preview, blocks can be added to

an object by editing the style of the object. In the style editor, select the Display Properties tab, then modify the Model display and select the “Other” tab.


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MASS ELEMENTS

In my opinion, Mass Elements are the unsung heroes of

ADT. These guys can be used for just about anything! Also, Mass Elements blow 3D Solids out of the water!

Therefore, it is my un-humble opinion that you should NEVER USE SOLIDS IN ADT! Here are a number of tips

and reasons why Mass Elements rock:

MASS ELEMENTS: TIP #1: CONVERT FROM

PLINES

This feature replaces the need to Extrude solids. Drawing a CLOSED pline, select the pline, RT-Click and choose Convert

To, then choose Mass Element. You can choose Yes to erasing the existing linework unless you want to re-use the

pline for another command. Then, just give them a height value and you’re done.

Hint: You can select more than 1 pline at a time! If you have a bunch, do them all at once, especially if they are the same height.

MASS ELEMENTS: TIP #2: BOOLEAN BABY!

Yet another reason to say goodbye to solids, Mass Elements can Boolean like the best of them! Often, you’ll need to create objects that just don’t appear

on the palettes of standard shapes. So, draw the pieces and parts and then use the Boolean tools found in the right click menu when a mass element is

selected.

Union will combine multiple Mass Elements.

Subtract will remove one element

from another.

Intersect will give you the results

of where the elements were

touching each other.


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MASS ELEMENTS: TIP #3: DOING THE SPLITS!

Unlike solids, once you draw a Mass Element, you

can modify them and cut them up into smaller pieces. Below is an exlaination of Split and Trim

options found on the Mass Element right-click menu. The following is the initial Mass Element cube used

for each example.

Split by Plane: You can split or cut your Mass Element into two pieces by selecting 2 points across any face of the

Mass Element.

Hints: You can draw a line to snap to as you select your two points. Also, if you want to split along any side faces,

simply Change your UCS to match that face.

Trim by Plane: This is the same as Split by Plane with one exception. It will trim or

remove one half of the mass element.

Split by Plane: This is a slick feature. You can split a face of your Mass Element and then modify that face separate from the rest of the

box. Here are some examples:

MASS ELEMENTS:


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MASS ELEMENTS TIP #4: REVOLUTIONS

This is a great tool for round Mass Elements and we’ll use a decorative column in this example. Here are the steps:

First draw the section view of your column. The trick here is to lay it on its

side, not standing upright.

Next, split the shape in half and make a CLOSED pline out if this.

TIP: Use the BPOLY (BOUNDARY) command. Pick inside a closed set of lines (like

you are hatching) and it will give you a closed Pline of that internal area. Great timesaver!!!

Now, select the close Pline, right click and select “convert to” and then choose “Profile Definition”. Profiles are just a shape that are assigned a name. We’ll discuss Profiles in

greater detail later in the session. For this example, give the profile a name that

represents the component, like “Entry Columns”.

Lastly, create a

Revolution Mass Element, and

specify your new

Entry Column profile shape on the

properties palette prior to placing the

Mass Element in your drawing.


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MASS ELEMENTS: TIP #5: USING DRAPE TO CREATE A TERRAIN

The Drape Mass Element is a great way to convert a group of open plines into a terrain. If you have contours from the Dirt Guys (civil engineers….) then you can create your Mass

Element Drape quite easily. If not, then we can draw them ourselves. Either way, here are the steps:

Contours from the Dirt Guys already have a Z

elevation to them. Therefore we need to simply cleanup the plines to get rid of the breaks caused

by the contour labels. Erase the labels and stretch the plines to meet each other. Then Pedit the

plines and join them together into 1 continuous

pline contour.

If you don’t have the contours, then draw your

own using plines. Move the plines in the Z direction to match the terrain slope.

Next, select the Drape tool on the Massing tool palette. Following the screen prompts,

select the lines that represent the contours. Erase the contours if you decide, then select if you want a rectangular mesh. Below is a drape using the same plines. On the left, I’ve

selected to NOT use a rectangular mesh, where the on the right I’ve selected to use the rectangular mesh.

Next, you’ll specify the outside corners of the drape (if you chose rectangular mesh). Draw the outside rectangle of your terrain footprint. Then from the next two prompts,

specify your mesh subdivision for X and Y directions. 30 is the default, however, if you want a more smooth and complex mesh, then you would raise this number. Lastly,

specify the depth of the base for the drape terrain. This is the depth from the lowest contour in your selection.


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MASS ELEMENTS EXAMPLES – Renderings in Viz, from ADT models using Mass

Elements


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PROFILES

We touched upon Profiles when discussing Mass Elements, so lets take this topic

much further. Profiles start off as CLOSED

plines. You can select the Pline, right click and convert them to a Profile Definition.

Profiles are shapes that can be used on a multitude of Objects including Walls, Windows Door, Window Assemblies, Curtain Walls, Railings, and Roof Edge Styles.

PROFILES TIP #1: CUSTOM DOOR AND WINDOW ELEVATIONS

You can create custom door and window elevation shapes using the same procedures. Here are the steps:

First, draw the elevation of your custom door or window using CLOSED plines. The

outside Pline represents the outside shape of the window or door. For doors, any interior glass should be a pline inide the overall door shape as shown in the example. Also, for

double doors, do not draw separate plines for

each door panel. ADT will apply the profile to

the entire door, both

door panels at the same time.

For the double door, select the outside Pline

first, then right click,

choose convert to, then Profile definition.

Here is the tricky part…. Before selecting an insertion point, we’ll need to add the inside plines to be used as glass in the door. Therefore, instead of selecting insertion point,

choose to “Add Ring”. Then select one of the inside plines, then once again choose “Add

Ring” instead of an insertion point. Lastly, select the second pline. For the insertion point, choose the middle of the bottom Pline. Then choose “New” to create a new Profile, and

proceed to give it a name. Name this so it is the same name as the door or window style.

For the window profile, simply convert it to a profile definition, no need to “add ring”.


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To assign your new profile shape to a door or window you need to edit the style of the

object. Select the Design Rules tab. In the Shapes section on the left, check the radial button for Use Profile, then select your profile name from the drop down list. You can also

select the type of door or window this style will be assigned.

For the door, you’ll notice the internal plines were filled with a glass component

automatically by ADT. The window is a single hung window with the same shape as our profile.

NOTE: For windows and doors, the profile does not define the size of the object. As you

resize the object and the profile shape will distort if you are not keeping the same ration as the original Pline.

PROFILES TIP #2: CUSTOM WALL SWEEPS

This feature is priceless when modeling walls that have complex

shapes. Whether it’s a curved base, as in the caption on the right, or a highly complex wallshape, the procedure is the same.

Lets take a look at how we can assign a custom shape to our walls

using Profiles.


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First, draw the shape of the wall as you would see it in a section view. If your wall contains multiple components, then draw a separate closed Pline for each

component. On the right, the caption shows 3 individual plines.

As we’ve done previously, select the pline, right click and convert to a profile definition. For the insertion point, choose the point on the pline that matches

the justification of the wall. Provide a name that represents the wall shape.

Next, we’ll apply the profile to each component of the wall.

Select the wall, right click and choose Sweeps, then Add..

Now, select the first wall

component, and assign the correct wall sweep.

TIP: You can select as many walls you want, as long as they are the same style.

If you have selected more than 1 wall, then you

can choose to Miter Selected Walls in the dialog box. This will provide a nice mitered corner

where your walls meet. See the caption on the top of the next page for an example.

If you already applied a sweep without mitering,

no worries, you can see the right click menu above has a miter option as well. You can miter

the walls after you’ve applied the sweep.

TIP: You can create a wall with a 0” width component, say for a base, crown or chair rail moldings. The component will never show in the wall until you apply profile to that

component. Also, this method allows you to apply any molding shape to any wall in the building as you choose.

Do you ever draw parking lots with curbing? Profiles along a wall work great for this as

well!


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EVEN BIGGER TIP!!!: “ADD SELECTED” If you’ve customized

your walls, added all the sweeps, and then need to add more walls with all the same customizations, don’t think you have to go

through this process again. Once your wall has been customized, you can select the wall, right click then choose “Add Selected”.

Then you’ll notice the wall you are drawing has all the customizations. Nice time saver!! Or even better.. you can’t

remember for the life you of how you created the custom wall, so this is a life saver!!

Also… this works on ANY AEC Object, therefore select an object,

right click, add selected and you’re on your way.

PROFILES TIP #3: WINDOW ASSEMBLY / CURTAIN WALL CUSTOM FRAME

SHAPES

We’ll cover this topic in greater detail

later in the session when we focus on

Window Assemblies (WA) and Curtain

Walls (CW). However, to give

you a preview, you can edit the WA /

CW style and select the Design Rules

tab. Under the Frames and Mullions

section, you can

select a profile to be used as the shape.


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PROFILES TIP #3: EDITING YOUR PROFILES

Profiles are similar to a block or an AEC Object style. Once the parent changes, the

drawing is then updated automatically. All objects using the profile will update… nice!

There are two ways you can update a profile. First, you can insert your profile back into your drawing as a pline. From the Format pull down, choose Profiles, then Insert Profile

as Polyline. You could also redraw plines from scratch. Then, modify as needed and follow the same steps to create a profile from the modified plines. This time, don’t specify

it as a new pline, specify that it is an existing pline. Select the pline from the list and you’ve successfully updated your drawing.

The second method is called “Edit in Place”. This method allows you to modify the profile

directly on an object that is using it. In the case of our custom window we created, here are the steps and how the interface looks.

First, select the window in a model view. From the right click menu, choose “Edit Profile

in Place”.

This will activate a number of grips in which you can drag and stretch. Also, if you right click when in the Edit in Place

mode, then you’ll have options to add and remove points, or a vertex.


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WALLS

Next to Mass Elements, walls are the most dynamic feature of ADT regarding 3D

modeling. In this next series of tips I want cover using basic wall editing tools with a spin on using them for 3D modeling.

WALL TIP #1: CLEANUP GROUPS

Cleanup groups allow you to control if walls cleanup up with each other. Typically, wall cleanup groups are used for purposes like keeping walls from different

construction phases from cleanup up with each other. Demo walls, and

new construction walls are a common use for this application.

However, when it comes to 3D

modeling, I’ll use cleanup groups called “Trim” or “Molding”, “Banding”,

“Soffit”, etc.. By using cleanup groups, I can model like crazy using

walls, and avoid the problems of walls overlapping each other and trying to

cleanup.

For example, in these captions, you

can see examples of window trim, and other accents pieces that were created using walls. To keep them behaving

properly, I used cleanup groups based upon the component they were representing in the field (trim vs. banding.. etc.)


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WALL TIP #2: TURN OFF AUTOMATIC CLEANUP

In some situations, you simply don’t want your walls to cleanup at all! In this

case, you have the option in the properties palette to disable wall

cleanups. This comes in handy when

you have a wall modeled for some component as a stand-alone piece.

WALL TIP # 3: CONVERT MASS

ELEMENTS TO WALLS

That’s right! Create a complex mass element and you can convert that mass

element to a wall. So, if you just can’t get the profile sweep to do the trick and need to model a custom shape, why not use mass elements and just convert to a

wall.

Convert mass elements to

walls by selecting the mass element, then right click,

choose convert to, then

wall.

WALL TIP #4: AUTO PROJECT – TOPS AND BOTTOMS OF WALLS

This tool is used to extend the top or bottom of your wall to another object.

For example, you’ve got a gable end and you want the wall to go clear up to

the peak of the roof. Or you’ve got a wall and you want the wall base to project down

to your terrain (mass element drape object). Here are the steps.

Select the wall(s), right click, and choose Modify roof, or floor line. Then select the

object you want the wall to project to. This tool will only work if your wall would actually

hit the object. If the object is off to the side,

the wall will not project properly.

This features works great for projecting a wall

to the roof object, a terrain object, or any other object like the bottom of a stair.


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WALL TIP #5: CONVERT PLINE TO WALL MODIFIER

If you have a crazy shape that you need to incorporate

into your wall, then simply draw the shape as an open

pline up against wall. Then, select the wall, right click and choose Plan Modifier, then Convert Polyline to wall

Modifier.

Select the open pline to

convert, then supply it with a name. Next, you

can specify the wall

component that will receive the modifier. For

the elevation offsets, you can specify the height, in

3D, of the bottom and top of the resulting shape.

If you want to change or remove the wall modifier, you can modify the properties of

the wall, and select the option to the right of Plan Modifiers found at the bottom of the

properties palette.


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WALL TIP #6: INTERFERENCE CONDITIONS

Normally, only certain objects can cleanup with walls. Doors, windows, window assemblies are the typical, but with Interference Conditions, you can allow for any

object to interfere with a wall and cleanup with the wall. You can both add or remove objects from a wall.

Select a wall, right click and choose Interference Conditions. Select the component you want to interfere with the wall. Then choose additive or subtract.

Additive adds the component to the wall’s outer shrink wrap, where subtract will remove it from the shrink wrap as shown below.

This is a true 3D change. If you go into a 3D view, you’ll see the components being added or subtracted from the wall. Also, as you move the interference

objects, the interfence itself goes with it!

Note, this also works great on

Curtain Walls!


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ROOF

In this lesson we’ll demystify the question of just how much can be done with a roof

before I have to switch a roof slab. Well, let’s take a look!

ROOF TIP #1: MULTIPLE PLATE HEIGHTS & SLOPES IN A SINGLE ROOF

First, draw your roof using the most common plate height. To

change the plate heights of individual sections of your roof, you select the roof, right click and select “edit Edges/Faces”

Next, select the edges of the roof you wish to modify and hit

enter.

From this dialog box, you can modify each roof face you selected and assign a new plate

height or slope.


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ROOF TIP #2: REALISTIC LOOKING FASCIAS AND DRIP EDGE

Roofs don’t have the option to assign a Roof Edge Style to them. Therefore, you are on

your own to figure out how to create realistic fascia. Besides, even if you could, the Roof Edge Styles have quite a few limitations. Here is a great work-around for realistic roof

edges.

First, draw your roof and give it a thickness equal to the lower part of your fascia trim dimension.

Usually, this would be 6-8”.

Next, copy the roof on top of itself. Modify the top roof to be 2” thick, or the thickness of the top trim

piece of your fascia. Also, give this roof some extra overhang by adding 1-2” to the existing overhang

dimension.

Lastly, copy the top roof component on top of itself and make it 1/8” thick. Place the new top roof

component on a different layer, like A-Roof-Rfng (roofing). I usually make sure this is a different color

for clarity. The reason for placing this on a different layer is to make it easier when applying a material to

it in Viz.

Drip edge: Often, I’ll create one more component in between the 2” thick roof and the fascia to

replicate a dripedge. I’ll also make the roof edge shape square, instead of plumb as shown above.

Now that you have a dripedge roof component, you can apply a different material to it in Viz.


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ROOF TIP #3: SOFFITS

Walls are a great way of creating quick and easy soffits. Draw your walls using the edge of the roof as your base point. Make the wall width the same as your overhang. The

height of the wall doesn’t really matter, but you don’t want it thicker than the roof itself. Usually, I make them 1”.

If there is some additional banding

below the soffit, you can create a wall profile to accommodate both

the soffit and banding.

ROOF TIP #4: CONVERT YOUR WALLS TO A ROOF!

You can easily convert your walls to a roof by using the tool palettes. Right click on the

roof tool, then choose Apply Tool Properties to, then choose Linework and Walls.

This is a great timesaver for sure!


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ROOF SLABS

So, you’ve gone as far as you can with a roof, now its time to convert to roof slabs and start customizing to suit your design.

ROOF SLAB TIP #1: CONVERT TO ROOF SLABS.. BUT KEEP THE ROOF!

Whenever I convert to a roof slab, I usually keep the original roof, just in case! Sometimes I’ll screw up a roof slab so bad that I wish I had the original roof back

so I can start over again.

Therefore, after converting to a roof slab, I will

keep the original roof objects, and move them off to the side by a known distance, like 100’ or so.

This way, if I need them again, I just copy them

back 100’ to their original location.

Convert to Roof Slabs is found in the Roof object’s right-click menu. To keep your roof object, simply

make sure the erase layout geometry slab is not selected.

ROOF SLAB TIP #2: ROOF SLABS: SLICE’EM, DICE’EM, JULIENNE THEM!

Roof slabs were meant to be sliced and diced. Lets discuss a few of these features

that come in hand when modeling a roof.

ADD & REMOVE A VERTEX

Grips come in handy when editing a roof slab. However, sometimes you just want

more grips to pull the roof edges in the direction you want. With ADD VERTEX on the roof slab right-click menu, you can add any vertex or grip you want to the

roof.

.


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REMOVE VERTEX allows you the same type of control, this time, getting rid of a

vertex to adjust the geometry

TRIM AND CUT

PLINES are a great tool to slice and dice your roof slabs. If you have a pline drawn in plan view, you can utilize that line to trim and cut your slab. The only

difference between trim and cut is this; Trim will remove the piece of slab on one side of your pline trim object. Cut will simply cut the roof slab into two pieces.

Now lets take a look at using Trim and Cut to create a standing seam roof and all

the trim components.


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ROOF TIP #3: MODELING A STANDING SEAM ROOF

Standing seam roofs can easily be modeled in ADT using a combination of roof slabs and walls. Here are the steps for

creating a standing seam roof:

1. First, draw the roof to your liking. In my case, this

means drawing the roof with a fascia, trim piece and

top roofing component as described in Roof Tip #3 on page 14 of this handout. The roof can be any

combination of roof or roof slabs.

2. Copy the top roof components that make up the

roofing, to the right a nominal known distance, like 100’ or so

3. Convert everything too roof slabs and don’t keep the layout geometry since

this is already a copy of the roof off to our side. Make the roof slabs 2” thick. This is going to be used to simulate the ridge caps.

4. Draw plines along the ridge of your roof components. Offset the plines 6” to both sides to represent the width of the ridge caps

5. Using the Trim feature found in the roof slab right click menu, trim the roof components to keep the ridge caps


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6. Move the ridge caps back to the main roof, in our case I’ll move it back 100’

to the side I copied them from.

7. Next, switch to a 3D view, and

select a roof component. Both

roof and roof slabs will have the slope angle of the roof in the

properties palette. Verify the slope angle of your roof.

8. Next, rotate your UCS icon to the angle of the roof. Using the command sequence as follows:

UCS

X

45 (this is the slope of my roof as shown in the above caption)

9. Now your UCS drawing plane should be equal to the roof angle. Next we’ll draw a wall segment to represent a standing seam. The wall should be

about 1.5” high, by ½” thick. Draw the first wall centered on the roof and bring it up as high as possible. Don’t worry about being exact, we will

extend and trim the seam walls segments later


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10. Array them across the roof plane, 16” o.c.

11. Next we’ll draw a pline in plan view, along the ridge. We will use the pline

to trim and extend the wall segments

12. Perform the AutoCAD extend and trim command to shape the standing seam wall components. Then repeat the process for the remaining roof

slabs. Note, once you do one roof, you can copy or mirror a lot of these components throughout the other parts of the roof to save time.


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EXTRA TIP: SPANISH TILE ROOF

We’ve learned that you can trim roofs with a pline, well you can also trim mass elements the say way. If you had created 1 roof tile out of mass elements,

rotate it in 3D to match the angle of the roof, then array them across the face of the roof. Trim them like we trimmed the wall segments at the ridge. Create

a ridge tile and copy that up the ridge. Works like a charm! Be careful, this method of Spanish tile creates a lot of geometry and may hurt your

performance.


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RAILINGS

Railings are a dynamic tool that can be used to a number of “out-of-the-box” applications. Here are a few

RAILING TIP #1: MOLDINGS

You can adjust the shape of any component in a railing object. If you

turn off all components except a handrail, then you can assign a profile

to that handrail shape on the components tab of the railing style

editor. Draw your railings this way and

you’ve got instant moldings! Don’t forget, you can trim a railing object

with linework in the drawing.

RAILING TIP #2: CUSTOM BLOCKS

The sky is the limit on this tip. You can create your own custom blocks to be used

in your railing style. They can add to the railing geometry, or replace existing geometry. Edit the railing style’s display properties for Model and you’ll see the

“Other” tab. On this tab you can add a custom block.


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Create your own block to represent a picket fence, a custom baluster or post. The

block insertion point should strategically located to ensure you can properly line up the custom block with the railing component it will add to or replace. Here are

some examples of using a custom blocks in a railing:


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WINDOW ASSEMBLIES

If you can draw the single line sketch elevations, then you can create a custom window assembly.

WINDOW ASSEMBLIES TIP #1: CREATE FROM ELEVATION SKETCHES

For this tip, draw a single line elevation of your window

assembly, in any shape you desire. Note, these should be

single lines, not two lines for each

side of the frames.

The outer lines of the sketch will

be the outside edge of the frame. The inner lines of the sketch will

be the center lines of the mullions. Once you’ve got your

elevation sketch drawn, right

click on the door/window

assembly tool from the Design tool palette, and

select Apply tool properties to, then elevation sketch.

Select all your lines. When

prompted for a base point, select the bottom sketch

line.

Next, we’ll save our new window assembly to a

style. Select the new window assembly

object that was created, right click and

choose to Design Rules, then save to style.


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WINDOW ASSEMBLIES TIP #2: CUSTOMIZE YOUR INFILLS

Now let create a number of options that we can use to assign to the infills of our window assemblies. Select the window assembly, right click and edit the window

assembly style. Go to the design rules tab. Select infills in the list, and choose the Add New Infill button as shown by the cursor in the caption. For the infil type,

choose Style. To the right the style option will appear, and you can select what type of object you want to be available for this infill. We’ll name the infill door,

and choose a door type from the list.

Note, this is just a default door that can be placed as an infill. Once the door is in

the window assembly in the drawing, you can select it independently and modify

the door to be a different style.

Save your way back to the

drawing. Add the window assembly to a wall, or select

the window assembly already on the screen, and right click.

Select Infills, and then Show Markers.


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Markers will appear on the window assembly. Next, select the widow assembly,

right click, then choose Infill again, this time choose Override Assignment. Select an infill you want to override by selecting it’s marker.

In the Infill Assignment Override Box, select the Door Infill from the drop down, then

choose to remove the bottom door frame.

WINDOW ASSEMBLIES TIP #3: JOINING TWO INFILLS TOGETHER

To join two infills together, make sure the markers are still being displayed, if not

turn them on as we did in Tip #2.

Select the window assembly, right click and select Infills, then select Merge. Simply select the two infills you want to join and your finished!

WINDOW ASSEMBLIES TIP #4: SAVING THE WINDOW ASSEMBLY TO A

NEW STYLE

With all this customization, you may want to

save it back to the style as the default options, or you can save it to a new style. Either way,

the process is the same.

Select the window assembly, right click and

choose Design Rules, then Transfer to Object. This will place our overrides to the Window

Assembly so that we can save them a new or existing style. Go back to the same right click

menu, this time choose Save to Style. Make

sure you check to transfer the overrides. If you want to create a new style based upon your

modifications, click on New, then give it a name.


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RANDOM TIPS AND TRICKS

I could fill another 26 pages with more tips and tricks that don’t necessarily fall into a

specific object category. Here are a few more that will keep you going until AU 2006!

RANDOM TIP #1: AECFACETDEV

If you want your object curves in walls, mass elements, windows, etc., to be very

smooth, then you will need to increase your AECFACETDEV settings. The default is ½” which is very angular, not so smooth.

At the command prompt, type AECFACETDEV, and set it to 1/32 or higher. You’ll notice your objects get much more rounded and smooth. Note, this comes at a

price. Your file size and memory requirements to work the drawing have increased. If you are a far distance away from the model when you render it,

don’t worry about making things too smooth. Find the right balance.

RANDOM TIP #2: LAYERING

I always preach the AIA layering standards as the golden rule. However, when it

comes to modeling, we have some flexibility to modify this. For example, I always separate my objects into their own layers, like A-Wall, or A-Glaze, etc.. However,

for modeling purposes, I add one more component to the layer name for the

material of those objects. For example: A-Wall-Brick, A-Wall-Stucco. When I model, I place my objects on the layer based upon materials. This way, when I

get to Viz, I work with 1 layer at a time and apply a material to all objects on that layer.

RANDOM TIP #3: HIDDEN LINE PROJECTIONS AND NAPKIN SKETCH

Sometimes, clients don’t want a photo-realistic rendering. So, ADT can create 2D line drawing from any perspective. Adjust your view to the correct perspective

through the use of a camera object (in the massing tool palette) or using the Orbit command.

From the document pulldown menu choose Hidden Line Projection. If you don’t see this, go to the window pulldown menu, choose pulldowns, then check Design

and then go back and check Document. Next, type ALL for the selection set (instead of selecting everything manually). For the insertion point, I use 0,0 as a

default. Then select yes, to insert in plan view.

Go back to a top view, and move your new 2D perspective line drawing to the side for the napkin sketch utility.


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Next, we’ll go back to the Document pulldown menu, select Napkin Sketch this

time. Specify the line format and plot scale. I also like to keep the box checked for extend

lines at corners.

Since the sketch lines are still AutoCAD

linework, you can hatch solid colors for presentation elevations.


33

RESOURCES

WWW.VIZDEPOT.COM

ONLINE FORUMS FOR ADT, VIZ AND MAX

MEET ME THERE!

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