Adding Basic Building Elements: Editing Floors

02.12.10 10:45-11:05am

Adding Basic Building Elements: Editing Floors

Training Files = Imperial\RAC_BBE_02_Edit_Floor_i.rvt

In this exercise, you modify the floor for the second level. The design calls for a balcony from the second level of the main building looking into the pavilion. You created the floor object in the massing exercises and the shape of the massing determines the element shape. You edit the existing floor to change the shape as required.

Edit the floor

1. In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 02 -Floor.
2. Position the cursor over the floor edge, press Tab until the Status Bar indicates that the floor object is highlighted, and click to select it.
3. Click Modify Floors tabEdit panelEdit Boundary.

   You modify the shape that defines the floor extents.

Draw lines for new floor shape

4. Click Modify Floors > Edit Boundary tabDraw panelBoundary Line.
   
   
5. On the Draw panel, click (Line).
   
   
6. On the Options Bar, select Chain.
   
   
7. Click at the intersection of grid line F.1 and the right vertical floor line.
   
   
8. Move the cursor 3' to the right, and click.
   
   
9. On the Draw panel, click (Arc passing through three points).
   
   
10. Move the cursor down to the intersection of grid line G, and click to define the endpoint of the arc.
    
    
11. Click to define the third point of the arc, as shown. (You adjust the radius in a later step.)
    
    
12. Click Edit Boundary tabDraw panel (Line).
    
    
13. Move the cursor to the left, and click the intersection of grid line G and the existing floor line.
    
    
14. Click Modify.
    
    
15. Select the curved boundary line for the balcony, click the dimension, type 10', and press Enter.
    
    
16. Press Esc.

    With the shape complete, you modify the existing lines in order to form a closed loop for the boundary. Boundary shapes must be closed loops in order to create the object from the boundary.

Create a closed loop boundary

17. Click Modify Floors > Edit Boundary tabEdit panelSplit.
    
    
18. Click near the midpoint of the vertical floor within the balcony shape, as shown.
    
    
19. Click Modify Floors > Edit Boundary tabEdit panelTrim.
    
    
20. Trim the lines to form a closed boundary incorporating the new balcony floor shape, as shown.
    
    
21. Click Edit Boundary tabFloor panelFinish Floor.

    The shape of the floor is modified to represent the new design.

22. In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click {3D}.
    
    
23. Use the ViewCube to orient the view to the pavilion, where you can see the new balcony.
    
    
24. Close the file with or without saving it.

Adding Basic Building Elements: Adding Columns

2.12.10 10:25-10:40am

Adding Basic Building Elements: Adding Columns

Training File = Imperial\RAC_BBE_01_Add_Columns_i.rvt

In this exercise, you place structural columns in the model. When placing the columns, you use the grids placed during previous exercises as a layout tool. You alter the columns to meet design requirements, and place them on multiple levels of the building model.

Load a column family

1. In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 01 - Entry Level.
   
   
2. Click Home tabBuild panelColumn drop-downStructural Column.

   The design calls for a round concrete column.

3. Click Place Structural Column tabElement panelType Selector drop-down, and notice that the round column required is not available in the project.

   Load the column family from an external library.

4. Click Place Structural Column tabDetail panelLoad Family.
   
   
5. In the left pane of the Load Family dialog, click Training Files and open Imperial\Families\Concrete-Round-Column.rfa.

Add columns

6. Click Place Structural Column tabMultiple panelOn Grids.

   This option allows you to quickly select all of the grid intersections where columns can be placed.

7. Starting in the lower left corner and ending in the upper right corner, draw a selection window around the entire floor plan.

   All model elements except grids are filtered out of the selection set.

8. On the Multiple Selection panel, click Finish Selection.

   The columns are placed at the intersections of all selected grids.

9. Click Modify.

   Columns placed at grid intersections C4-C6 and H4-H10 are outside of the curtain wall that creates the skin of the building in the courtyard. You need to delete these columns from the project.

10. Draw a selection box around the columns placed at grid intersections C4-C6, and press Delete.
    
    
11. Using the same method, delete columns placed at grid intersections H4-H10.

Modify column height

12. Using a selection box, select the entire floor plan.
    
    
13. Click Multi-Select tabFilter panelFilter.

    You filter the selection set to include only the structural columns.

14. In the Filter dialog:
    • Click Check None.
    • Under Category, select Structural Columns.
    • Click OK.
15. Click Multi-Select tabElement panelElement Properties drop-downInstance Properties.

    You modify the properties and apply an offset to the top of the columns to accommodate the thickness of the floor above.

16. In the Instance Properties dialog, for Top Offset, type -1' 0'', and click OK.

Paste columns to upper levels

17. While the columns are still selected, clickMulti-Select tabClipboard panel,Copy.
    
    
18. On the Clipboard panel, click Paste Aligned drop-downSelect Levels.
    
    
19. In the Select Levels dialog, while pressing Ctrl, select 02 - Floor and 03 - Floor.
    
    
20. Click OK.
    
    
21. Open the {3D} view.

    In a 3D view, the columns added to all 3 levels are displayed.

Delete extra columns in the pavilion

22. Use the ViewCube to orient the view to the pavilion.

23. Zoom in to the columns in the pavilion.

    Even though the walls of the pavilion extend up 2 levels, it only has one floor level, so you can delete the columns on the second and third levels.

24. Select the columns in the second and third levels of the pavilion (2 columns on each level).
    
    
25. Press Delete.
    
    
26. Close the file with or without saving it.

Summary To Date / Adding Basic Building Elements

Summary To Date

The lessons so far have been slow going but easy to follow. It's a new endeavor getting used to a "drafting" software with limited keyboard shortcuts. I am getting more and more comfortable with the command input and expect things to go along smoother and faster.

I have been impressed with how much the modeling software does for you, like setting datum points in elevation enabling you to extract floor areas from a mass. I do expect things to get more complicated though since the complication seems to lie in modeling real world projects and the effort involved in creating everything correctly.

Adding Basic Building Elements

Below is a snapshot of the lessons to follow.

In this lesson, you add basic building elements to the model. You learn to:

• Place structural columns, using the grid as a layout tool.
• Use drawing tools to edit the floor shape to accommodate a second floor balcony.
• Modify the roof slab shape and structure to provide roof drain conditions.
• Create a butterfly-shaped roof over the pavilion, using the walls as a footprint.
• Add an interior wall layout to the entry level, and modify the exterior wall to create an entry.
• Place windows and doors in the entry level layout.
• Use 2 methods to add ceilings to the layout: placing by automatically detecting room boundaries and placing by drawing a boundary.

Using Massing: Using Building Maker Tools

2.10.10 7:00-7:50pm

Using Building Maker Tools

Training File = Imperial\RAC_UM_03_Building_Maker_i.rvt

In this exercise, you use the building massing established in earlier exercises to create the exterior shell of the building. You adjust the size of the massing and remake the walls to accommodate the massing changes.

After the shell is complete, you create a camera view for a 3D perspective of the courtyard of the building.

Create floors by selecting faces

1. In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click {3D}.
2. Click Massing & Site tabConceptual Mass panelShow Mass.
3. Zoom in to the building area.
4. Click Massing & Site tabConceptual Mass panelModel by Face drop-downFloor.

   Use the Floor by Face command before adding walls. Adding the walls first makes it difficult to select the floor faces in the mass.

5. Select the 2nd floor in the main building.
   NoteYou begin on the second floor because in previous steps a pad object was placed on the ground. This pad is acting as the floor for the entry level.
6. Click Place Floor by Face tabMultiple Selection panelCreate Floor.
7. Using the previous method, create a floor for the 3rd level.
8. Click Modify.

   Create walls by selecting faces

   9. Click Massing & Site tabConceptual Mass panelModel by Face drop-downWall.
   10. On the Options Bar, for Location Line, select Finish Face: Interior.

       Specify that the location line of the wall is the interior face of the wall.

   11. Select the outside faces of the building. Do not select the pavilion or the main building faces toward the courtyard.
       
       
   12. After the outside walls are placed, use the ViewCube to turn the model to the right back side so the courtyard and pavilion walls can be placed.

       These walls will use a curtain wall family.

   13. Click Place Wall tabElement panelType Selector (Change Element Type) drop-down, and select Curtain Wall 1.
       
       
   14. Select the courtyard faces of the main building and the pavilion faces.
       
       
   15. Click Modify.

Adjust the mass object height

16. Select the main building mass and use the controls to drag the height of the mass up. (The exact height is not important.)

    Changing the height allows you to more easily align the mass object with the correct level in an elevation view.
    
    

17. In the Project Browser, under Elevations (Building Elevation), double-click South.
    
    
18. Zoom in to the building.
    
    
19. Click Modify tabEdit panelAlign.

    In an elevation view, use the Align tool to align the top of the mass with the parapet level of the building.

20. Select the Parapet level.
    
    
21. Select the top of the Main Building mass.
22. Press Esc to end the Align command.
23. In the Project Browser, under 3D Views, double-click {3D}.

    In a 3D view, you can see that the walls no longer line up with the massing used to create them. The Remake tool allows you to recreate the walls if the massing changes.

24. Place the cursor over a basic wall, and press Tab until Chain of walls or lines displays in the Status Bar.
    
    
25. Click to select the walls.

    The entire selection set can be remade at one time to make editing quicker.

26. Click Modify Walls tabModel by Face panelUpdate to Face.

27. Using the previous method, update the curtain walls along the courtyard.
    NoteWhile pressing Ctrl, click to add each curtain wall to the selection set to adjust all of the walls at one time.
    
    
28. Click Modify.




Add a roof

29. Click Massing & Site tabConceptual Mass panelModel by Face drop-downRoof.

    Add a roof to the building to finish the exterior skin of the building.

30. Select the top face of the main building.
    
    
31. Click Place Roof by Face tabMultiple Selection panelCreate Roof.
    
    
32. Click Modify.
    
    
33. Select the roof, and click Modify Roofs tabElement panelElement Properties drop-downInstance Properties.

    Adjust the roof properties so it is offset from the face of the massing by the height of the parapet.

34. In the Instance Properties dialog, for Level Offset, type -1'-6'', and click OK.
    
    
35. Press Esc.
    
    Create a perspective view
    
    
    36. In the Project Browser, under Floor Plans, double-click 01 - Entry Level.
    37. Click View tabCreate panel3D View drop-downCamera.
        • Click outside of the building in the upper-right corner to place the eye position of the camera.
        • Click below the lower-left corner of the building to place the view target.

36. Use the controls of the crop boundary to adjust the view as required.

37. NoteThe view can also be adjusted using the SteeringWheels tools in the perspective view.

38. Use the controls of the crop boundary to adjust the view as required.
    NoteThe view can also be adjusted using the SteeringWheels tools in the perspective view.

39. On the View Control Bar, click Model Graphics StyleShading with Edges.

40. Click Massing & Site tabConceptual Mass panelShow Mass to hide the massing.
    
    

    Rename the view

    41. In the Project Browser, right-click 3D View 1, and click Rename.
        
        
    42. In the Rename View dialog, type Building Courtyard, and click OK.
        
        
    43. Close the file with or without saving it.