LESSON 2 MODELING BASICS

LESSON 2 MODELING BASICS In this lesson we ll start to model a multi-story office building from scratch. We ll construct the base grid, create the two towers and place slabs between the stories. Also we ll get to know how ArchiCAD represents the 3D model on floor plans in conformity with architectural conventions. 2.1. THE EXAMPLE PROJECT Let s open the Curr_project.pla example file from the ArchiCAD Studio Lessons\Demo files\complete demo file folder. We are opening a so called Archive file again, that contains all external elements that we used to build this project. A dialog appears asking what to do with these elements. Choose Read elements directly from archive and click on the Open button. Using the Project Map of the Navigator, browse through the different stories, check out sections, elevations and explore the 3D model. During the next lessons we are going to reproduce this building, complete with 2D documentation, rendered perspective views, and schedules for different building elements. 28 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

For the time being, though, let s close this project and start working with a clean sheet. Select File/Close (Don't save), then File/New... from the menu. In the upcoming dialog box, choose again the Curr_project_template.tpl file. Click New. Working units in this template is set to feet and fractional inches. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 29

2.2. BUILDING THE MODEL SETTING UP STORIES First, let s select Design/Story Settings... from the menu. A dialog box comes up where we can define number, vertical position and height of the building floors. As a start we already have three stories defined. The ground floor will have a different height from all the others, so let s click to the Height to Next field of Story No. 1 and change the value to 18. You ll see that the Elevation values of the other stories change correspondingly. Then select Story No. 3 and click on the Insert Above button. Instantly a new story is created with the default height of 11. Keep clicking the Insert Above button until we have 22 stories. If you create too many stories, the surplus ones can be deleted with the Delete Story button. When finished, click OK. Let s take a look at the Navigator. We see that the project story structure is updated and shows the 22 stories we have just defined. Let s get down to the ground floor (Story No. 1), because this is where we are going to start. Double-click on 1.Story. 2.3. BUILDING THE MODEL CREATING THE GRID As a first step we will define the grid for the building. Let s select Design/Structural Grid... from the menu. A dialog box comes up where we can determine what the grid should look like. The Form and Size tab page deals with the basic geometry of the grid. The most interesting part is the Spacing section. Here we can add and remove horizontal and vertical grid lines specifying the distance between them (of course the distances don t have to be uniform, it is better to change the spacing of the grid before adding extra grid lines, since it 30 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

remembers the last value used). We ll have 7 horizontal axes and 12 vertical axes altogether. The axes will be 20 from each other. The Attributes and Elements tab page deals with how the grid should be presented on the floor plan and in sections. Here you can also define what other elements should be placed together with the grid. We will select the column to be placed to the grid intersections. Also it s nice to have the grid line dimensions placed automatically, so that we don t have to deal with them later. Both the columns and the dimensions will be placed according to the settings of the corresponding tool dialogs. For the time being we ll let the other parameters of the Attributes and Elements tab page remain as they are. Let s click OK. As you move the cursor around, a ghost of the grid system follows. Let s click on the project origin. The grid system is placed instantly. Let s take a look at it in 3D. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 31

Now we will remove the unnecessary columns from the grid. For this we temporary have to turn off the grouping of the grid elements with the Edit/Grouping/Suspend Groups command. Returning to the floor plan, let s select the Marquee tool in the Toolbox. Define an area around the left six columns of the top row, then click once on the Column tool and select the columns with Edit/Select All Columns in Marquee or the equivalent keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+A). Delete the selected elements with the Backspace key. Alternatively you can lock grid and dimension layers by selecting the element, then "Edit/Layer/Lock Layer". This way, you can select columns by normal selecting tool and delete. Right-click and select Remove Marquee from the context-sensitive menu, or hit the Escape key. Then do the same with the right six columns in the bottom row. If you choose the Lock Layer option for this procedure, don't forget to unlock the grid and dimension layers in the context menu after you have finished this operation. Now we are going to apply the same grid system to the next floor. Select all the elements (either select the Arrow tool and then Edit/Select All from the menu, or draw a selection rectangle around all the elements with the Arrow tool or the Marquee tool the result will be the same). 32 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

Select Edit/Copy from the menu. In the Navigator let s go the next floor 2.Story. Select Edit/Paste from the menu. The elements will appear on the next floor exactly above their original position. Let s check the result in 3D the columns are exactly on top of each other. (Well, not quite, since there is a gap for the slab between the two stories. We ll come to it soon.) We ll have to delete further unneeded columns. Let s delete the complete top and bottom rows (axes G and A). Then delete all the columns along the leftmost and the rightmost axes (axes 1 and 12). Then delete the left six columns in row F. Finally, delete the right six columns in row B. The result should look like this picture. Now we know that the typical story height is lower than the height of the ground floor, so the 18 column height will have to be lowered. Check that you are working on the 2.Story, then select the Column tool from the Toolbox. Select Edit/Select all columns from the menu. Double-click on the Column tool icon. The dialog box for the Column Settings appears. This dialog box shows the settings for our columns. In the upper right corner we see that we are going to edit the settings for the 38 selected columns. Let s change the Height value from 17 to 10. 2.4. BUILDING THE MODEL BUILDING A TOWER Now we are going to build the first of the two towers. Let s select the Wall tool from the Toolbox. In the Info box the most important settings for the Wall appear. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 33

Let s select here the Chained Placement method. The Reference Line should be on the right side of the wall. Double click on the Wall tool from the Toolbox, make sure that composite wall Block+Ins.+Al.sheet is selected from Floor plan and Section section. Let s start to draw the wall at the lower left corner of the lower left column, where the cursor changes to a black pencil. Draw it to the right lower corner of the last column in the bottom row, then click. Draw the next wall perpendicular to the upper right corner of the last column along the axis. The next wall should be perpendicular again, to the last column along the axis, then go back to the starting point. Finally a rectangle of four walls is created. Select all the walls (by Shift-clicking on them). Switch ON the Suspend Groups icon in the Toolbar. Currently the edges of the walls are in line with the sides of the column. But we ll want the insulation and the aluminum cladding layers to go around the column and have the edge of the core concrete block layer lined up with the column side. To do this, we ll have to offset the walls by 4 (the thickness of the covering composite layers). With the Wall tool active, click on the corner node. Since we have created the four walls as a single polygon, they will behave like a polygon and the Pet Palette appears. We can select the offset function. While drawing the offset, enter a distance of 4 in the Tracker. Press Enter. 34 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

Lesson 2 Modeling Basics The walls will now be offset 4 from their original position. The walls are currently 10 high. While they remain selected, let s change their height in the Info box. The wall height should be 110. The bottom position of 18 is OK; the top should be at 18 +110, that is, at 128. Fill in the new value and press Enter. Look at the result in 3D. This is going to be the lower portion of the tower. Now we ll insert the curtain wall elements. Let s double-click on the Window tool in the Toolbox. The Window Settings dialog box comes up. In the left section, browse for 08 Doors-Windows/Building Structures/ Curtain Walls 11. Select the only W CW Straight 11 object. In the Parameters section, let s set the Width to 26, the Height to 110 10 (since the wall will be slanted, the window has to be somewhat higher). The Sill Height will be 0.00 to the wall base. Set the Frame Depth to 8 (Wall Thickness Off). In the Panels section, check Panel Distribution is set to By number of Panels, set No. of vertical panels to 6 and the No. of horizontal panes to 10. (You can change that according to preference.) Click OK. Hover with the cursor over the lower wall until the Special Snap Point appears in the middle. Click there and insert the Window. Then click toward the outside of the building to show the exterior side. Do the same with the upper wall. Check the result in 3D. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 35

Select the lower wall and open the Wall Settings dialog (double-click on the Wall tool). In the Geometry and Positioning panel, select the Slanted Wall geometry and set the wall inclination to 97. Click OK. Do the same with the opposite wall, this time setting the inclination to 83. Deselect the wall. The axonometric view shows the changes instantly. While still in the 3D Window, open the Wall Settings dialog. Set the height of the default wall to 110 and the vertical position of its bottom to 128. Click OK. Find one of the upper outside corners of the walls with the cursor, performing zoom in and out to find the right contour (and wait until it changes to a check-mark). Start to draw the next set of walls counter-clockwise (because the Reference Line of the Wall is currently on the right otherwise we d have to do it clockwise) going from corner to corner. Finish at the starting point. Select the nearest upper wall and make it slanted like before its inclination should be 83. Then do the same with the opposite wall; here the inclination should be 97. 36 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

Select the Window tool. Move the cursor to the base of the nearest upper wall (until it changes to a Mercedes shape) and wait for the Special Snap Point to appear. Insert the Window there, then click toward the outside. The curtain wall object is inserted. It follows the wall inclination automatically. Orbit around to the other side of the building. Insert a curtain wall to the opposite upper wall as well. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 37

Let s get back to the floor plan by double-clicking on 2. Story in the Navigator. Check out the other stories as well and note how the cut line of the walls changes across the stories according to the wall inclination. On the 2.Story, select the bottom four columns and delete them. Because of the wall inclination, these would stick out of the building envelope. Since the two towers will be centrally symmetrical, do the same with the upper four columns on the opposite side. Now 3x10 columns remain in the center. This will be our grid for a typical story. Let s look at our tower on different floors. Note how the cut lines of the walls vary according to the level of the different stories cutting planes. To better visualize the concept, let s select all four walls and open the Wall Settings dialog. In the Floor Plan and Section part, instead of Cut Only let s select Projected. We can do the same with the two windows as well. Select them, and in the Window Settings dialog, select Projected instead of Symbolic. Let s browse now through all the floors. The elements are represented differently on different stories depending on how high the current cut plane is. For our purposes, though, let s switch Wall and Window 2D representation back to Cut Only and Symbolic, respectively. 38 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

2.5. BUILDING THE MODEL CREATING SLABS Now it s time to place the slabs between the floors. To be able to place the slab between the ground floor and the 2.Story, however, we should be able to see the elements of the ground floor while remaining on the currently active 2.Story. We can use ArchiCAD s Trace Reference feature to do this. Any floor plan can be presented as a Ghost Story. It is distinguished by a different color. Elements on the Ghost Story cannot be modified, but they can be selected and their settings and attributes transferred to other elements. Most important, the cursor can snap to them, enabling precise placement and editing of elements on the current story. In the Navigator, right-click on 1.Story and select Show as Trace Reference from the upcoming context-sensitive menu. On the floor plan, we ll see the columns of the ground floor shown with a distinct yellow color. The cursor recognizes them, but when we try to select them, we ll get a This element is inactive in this view message. Select the Slab tool in the Toolbox and the Polygon Placement method in the Info box. Go with the polygon around the ground floor columns. Zoom in and out if necessary. Select the Slab tool in the Toolbox and the Polygon Placement method in the Info box. Use the setting shown on the left. Go with the polygon around the ground floor columns. Zoom in and out if necessary. We d like to extend the slab over the columns, so let s select the slab and click to one of the corners. From the Pet Palette select the Offset icon and extend the slab edges by 3. Deselect the slab. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 39

Right-click and switch off Trace. Ground floor elements disappear. Go up to the 3.Story. To place the intermediate slabs in the Tower, we are going to use the Magic Wand tool of ArchiCAD. The Magic Wand automatically detects outlines of surrounding elements and can be used for the creation of all polygonal objects (wall, beam, slab, roof, line, fill, etc.) The Magic Wand can be activated with the spacebar. On the 3.Story with the Slab tool active, keep the spacebar pressed. The cursor changes to a Magic Wand. Let s click inside the four walls (be careful to avoid the grid lines). The slab is created instantly and stretches automatically to the cut lines of the walls. Go and place a slab with the same method on all the floors (up to the 21.Story). Look at the result in 3D. We are going to place the last slab on top of the walls. In the Info box let s set the top and bottom elevations of the slab to 239 and 238 respectively. Use the same setting as the intermediate slabs. Finally set 22. story as the home story for the slab. Let s construct the slab by clicking to the top corners of the top four walls. Let s check out the 22.Story. The slab outline appears on the correct floor plan although we have placed it in 3D. 40 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

2.6. BUILDING THE MODEL MULTIPLYING ELEMENTS ACROSS STORIES Our tower is all but ready we still need to add the columns to all the stories. We have already seen one method for copying multiple elements from one story to the other by Copy-Pasting them using the Edit menu. Now we ll try another way. Select Design/Story Settings... In the dialog box select 2.Floor. In the bottom left section deselect All types and select the Column elements only. Click to Copy All. Once you select the 3.Floor, the Paste Selected Types button becomes active. Click on it. Then select the next floor and click Paste Selected Types again. Repeat it up to the 21.Floor. Look at the result in 3D. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 41

2.7. BUILDING THE MODEL SECTIONS, ELEVATIONS Select the Section tool in the Toolbox. Draw a section line across the tower. After the second click, the cursor changes to a little eye. Now click toward the side of the project where the section should face. In the Navigator, a new view is added instantly in the Sections part. Let s double-click on it to see the new section view. Let s create an elevation view as well.give a name to the new Elevation line in the Info box. The ID should be E-01, the elevation name is West Elevation. Then click to the left of the tower, outside the building envelope, to create the elevation line. When the cursor changes to a little eye, click toward the building. 42 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons

In the Navigator the new view is created instantly. Double-click on it to see the new elevation view. 2.8. BUILDING THE MODEL CREATING THE OTHER TOWER The first tower is basically ready. All we have to do is create a copy of it that is centrally symmetrical. We already have the columns in place, so all we have to duplicate is the walls and the slabs. In order to be sure, though, that columns won t be duplicated by mistake, we ll have to lock the layer they are placed on, so they won t be selected. Going back to the 2.Floor, right-click on any of the columns. From the context-sensitive menu select Layers/Lock Layer. Do the same with the Grid mark ers as well. Draw a rectangle around the first tower with the Marquee tool using the All Floors option (bold marquee). This will select all the elements within the marquee area on all the stories. Select Edit/Move/Rotate a Copy from the menu. The center of the rotation will be the mid-point of axis D. Find the grid line with the cursor and wait for the Special Snap Point to appear. Click to the mid-point. We can start the rotation angle, but it will be easier to start on the grid line. As you move the cursor, an outline of the marquee shows where the elements are going to be placed. BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons 43

We can either click to the grid line opposite to the starting point, or enter an Angle value of 180 in the Tracker (press A, then enter 180). The elements will be duplicated and rotated. Check out the result in 3D. 44 BIM Curriculum ArchiCAD Studio Lessons