topic Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost" in Modeling

Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost" image?

rob2218 — Wed, 24 May 2023 10:42:55 GMT

See attached but basically here's what we are trying to accomplish:
1. we have a "Slab plan" which shows the foundation walls and the slab.
2. then we need to show the story above which is called the "Main floor Plan" as a "background" (ghosted-grey) image so we can see the openings.

How can this best be accomplished?
Layer Combos? Penset for two different viewmaps on the same sheet?
Transparent viewmap properties?

Any help would be appreciated.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 01:01:00 GMT

Easiest way by far Rob is the old 2 drawings overlaid on each other in the layout book.
Just make sure you create an additional penset to so you fade your secondary
plan info.
One tip with this one if your printing black and white docs, have a play around
with the grey tones (background info) to suit your printer.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 01:34:30 GMT

THANKS.....thought that's what had to be done but wanted to make sure there wasn't another way.

I'll try that.
thanks for your tip on the printing.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:04:16 GMT

This has been an issue for me since switching to ArchiCAD (@ V6.5) from DataCAD. I've never been totally happy with my options, but try one of these and see if they work for you. My current firm does not show walls on the slab edge plan so my 2nd suggestion is based on how I do electrical layouts with the plan "ghosted" in the background.

Now if Graphisoft cloud allow Trace Layers to print, all would be solved. Case closed.

1. Create a layer set for this plan.
2. Make a Gray Scale Pen Set for the walls, etc. Make sure that there is at least one pen that is not gray scale. I duplicate the existing pen set for the plan and turn all pens to an acceptable thin line. I make sure I have a non-used pen from the first set to use as the slab pens to draw and model with.
3. Use the non gray scale pen and just draw a line or polyline as an outline to represent the slab edge. Its not 3D and all, but it will do the job. You still have your 3D slab for 3D.

or … This is how I do electrical plans with a ghosted background

1. Create a layer set for this plan.
2. You still need the gray scale pen set.
3. Model the slab on the same story as the walls and make sure the slab has no cover fill so you have transparency. You should see the walls, etc. in a light line and have a thick slab edge of the 3D slab in theory.
3. Make sure the slab is viewable on the home story you drew it on.

I just tested this out and it looks get. It's a live model and the slab line really stand out if you choose the right pens for the grayscale and a good thick pen for the slab.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:18:18 GMT

you can print a "trace reference"....or am I mistaken?

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:21:15 GMT

Here's what a "Trace Reference" radio button toggle to the "on" position looks like.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:44:45 GMT

My print window (MAC) does not look like that. Using V18. I jumped from v11 as a freelancer to v18 @ a firm, and I have not heard of being able to print a Trace.

If you can print a Trace, I'd think you could just turn on a Trace in your View Map Slab drawing and save to a Sheet and print and it would solve your question unless I am missing something.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:47:06 GMT

You should be able to print the 'trace reference" by toggling that button. Perhaps on a MAC the button is located somewhere else?
But I know I've printed trace references like this before.

I make sure I send the "trace to top" using the Trace Reference dialogue box, then click "Print" then that dialogue box comes up and I just check the radio button that says "print trace reference" and be done with it.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 21:43:11 GMT

I found the way to print the Trace on the Mac. This is new to me and good news. It would be easier if a Trace from a View Map would carry forward to the Layout Book, but I could easily make this work I think.

The Trace must be added at the Layout Book as far as I can tell. Once on a layout a new button showed up in the print dialogue box called "Print Reference".

This seems like a good way to get the ghosted image you wanted, correct?

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 21:48:54 GMT

yes...you'd think so......I'll have to experiment with the "trace" as a "ghosted plan" image vs. using the 2 viewmap layout technique with different pensets and layer combos.....

WEDway wrote:
I found the way to print the Trace on the Mac. This is new to me and good news. It would be easier if a Trace from a View Map would carry forward to the Layout Book, but I could easily make this work I think.

The Trace must be added at the Layout Book as far as I can tell. Once on a layout a new button showed up in the print dialogue box called "Print Reference".

This seems like a good way to get the ghosted image you wanted, correct?

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 21:56:44 GMT

You can do it with one view map easily. It's not as "ghosted", just really thin lines control with line weights, but works ok.

In DataCAD we just assigned a certain color line to a "screen pen" in our plotter and it was done.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 21:59:55 GMT

We'll have to chat more on this matter.
Got your PM.
expect a call from me (cell has FL number - I've it for over 18 years) in the next few days or so.

thanks,

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

Steve Jepson — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:01:03 GMT

You will probably end up using the two drawings in a Layout method. Because printing a Trace Reverence will always print out a full intensity no matter how you have it set.

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

rob2218 — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:04:39 GMT

hummm....thought that if you controlled the "trace intensity" you could get away with a very light background image....oh well.
Maybe in AC19

Re: Slab plan with story above showing as a "ghost"

sinceV6 — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 14:56:35 GMT

Hello.

Another way to have a ghosted view as simple as possible if you don't want to fiddle with pen sets:
(you will need to make the main view transparent using model view options, so that no fills hide the ghosted plan)

Place both views in a layout. Main in foreground, ghosted in background.
Place a 75% solid fill (white foreground, transparent background) with no borders in between (using "bring forward" or "send backward")

Need a different level of opacity or "ghost effect"? Just change to a different % fill (50%, 90%)

It's quite a simple solution, but if you want/need certain colors, you'll need a pen set.

Best regards.