AUGIWorld Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 16) Figure 5 When using several Element alternatives within one scheme, use your standard layer organization and layer snapshots to hide and display each option (Figure 5). Views, in AutoCAD Architecture, are used to create the conventional orthographic drawing types of floor plan, section, elevation, and ceiling plan. Each View drawing is a horizontal or vertical slice of the virtual model. We’ll also use View drawings to display how a design scheme and scheme alternative will look and print. To create views of each design scheme, left-click the Add View button located on the View Tab of the Project Navigator. Select the General View option. Follow the instructions for the “Add General View” dialog, left-clicking the next button after completing each dialog. First, name and describe the View drawing (see below for help with file naming). Next, check the appropriate Level and Division (i.e., design scheme). Finally, verify that all the Constructs for that scheme’s plan are selected (Figure 6). SCH-A-PLAN-01 WEST CORE SCH-A-PLAN-02 WEST CORE SCH-B-PLAN-01 SCH-B-PLAN-02 (The example above shows two design schemes. Scheme A uses a west core design alternative.) Open each View drawing that has multiple design alternatives and use your layers to hide or show the Element linked into the design scheme. 16 Use Views to Organize the Schemes and Scheme Alternatives Figure 6 Conclusion Modeling a virtual building that has any type of complexity requires strategic planning. Planning the organization of multiple schemes is no different. AutoCAD Architecture includes many built-in mechanisms that help guide the overall process. However, these same mechanisms sometimes cause disorientation and loss of control in a project’s development and organization. Efficiency in modeling practices, therefore, requires knowing not only the correct modeling strategy but also knowing the best method of organizing the model. Much of this comes from experience. Nevertheless, there are a few tips that will accelerate the learning curve. 1. Use the Project Navigator to organize your virtual model. The Project Navigator makes virtual model creation and organization much easier once you understand its logic. 2. Always take the time to set up a project properly. With the Project Tab current, set the building levels for the project. Establishing the number of levels (floor levels) and their floor-to-floor heights is one of the first steps toward setting up a project. In addition to the main floors, basements and roofs are also considered levels. Create all the Divisions (the number of design schemes you will have) next. 3. It is much more efficient to create all the Constructs and View drawings at once, immediately after project setup. 4. For large multi-level projects, always utilize the ability to place Constructs, Elements, and Views in sub-folders. If I have more than five Constructs per design scheme, I always put them in a subfolder. It becomes much easier to see and find them when needed. I also find that I might “explore” 10 design schemes but only develop three. Rather than delete the other seven schemes, I just collapse the folder. 5. The stairs, elevators, and double-height spaces that occur in multi-story buildings will always need to show up in two or more floor plans i.e., two or more View drawings. Because of this, stairs, elevators, and double-height spaces will need to be placed within their own distinct Constructs. 6. Split-level projects are best organized by creating separate Constructs for each level change. This allows cut planes to remain true to each individual floor level. Carolyn Gibbs is a licensed architect in California with more than 15 years of experience using, customizing, and teaching the various computer- aided design and visualization software. She has practiced architecture with several firms in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Sacramento, California areas for more than 10 years. Carolyn is currently an Associate Professor at Sacramento State University. Her ongoing research is devoted to technology and its relationship to the creative process. w w w. A U G I . c o m http://www.augi.com
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