Project houses with multiple story levels

[Masimo85]

Hi, 

So I would assume this is a commen question to be asked. 

But since English isn't my main language, my searches has come up with not the relevant guide nor explanation to how its done prober. 

I have to draw up 4 connected house, with each house following the terrain - and will be 500-1000mm below the last previous house.

My problem here is getting the plan view to show all the plans correctly for all 4 buildings at the same time. So when I do the drawings, the measurement are all aligned and measured between the buildings - like spaces and diagonals. 

What I did last time, was to have 2 different views for each house, and then put them together in the layouts - however, I felt like this was a way where there's a huge risk for mistakes. So I was hoping, that Archicad 26 has a better way of doing this - or someone out theres has trick for doing this better next time. 

Really hoping for a youtube film or a guide step-by-step 😉

[Rex Maximilian]

Just be careful when mining views to place on a layout from external Teamworked files. They always have trouble updating. Everything has to be perfect it seems... no unsent changes, all hotlinks updated, and the file should be closed. I'm not sure if I'm the only one experiencing this anomaly, but I publish PMKs whenever I need to place a drawing from an external TW file.

[Masimo85]

Hi everyone, 

Thank you for the solutions for this, I have been working a lot trying to make the models to try out the way you’re describing. Mind you the models are far from finished, but I wanted to find my problems while the topic was still "hot" 

However, I’m still struggling understanding the workflow when assembling the models into the master file. 

The model file looks something like this - the section view, and the foundation plan. 

I then made a copy of the model file, use hotlink to get in the models to the master file. 

But here I have a few questions. 

First off, I tried importing the models with all stories. 

- I made the same number of stories as in the model file, but I didn’t change the story heights. Since I assume that isn’t relevant, since I will be using the story heights of the model file. 

- In Place Hotlink window, I used the function for Keep Elevation as in Story Structure of Hotlink Source. / This might be wrong. 

Regardless, the import went fine - and the section view looks like this now. 

The house to right side is 350mm below the last one.

1. First off I’m a wondering how to go about putting the stories on what level - I assume I have to put the foundation walls in the same story height, to be able to define a cut view within that story level. 

 But as you move along, the first floor will go below a story - and you would have to define combination of showing the below story with a set cut plane - but you would then show information from the below story which is relevant for the plane. 

1. I understand, I must define a view for each house with different "Cut Plane" - which is what I did before - however, I don’t understand how you are to measure the totals of all the buildings, and doing diagonals between spots - when the plan view looks like this. 

    It doesn’t show the outline of the foundation walls on the house that aren’t in the "Cut Plane." 

    And what I end up with is still having to put together the views into the master layout.

[Barry Kelly]

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@Masimo85 wrote:

- In Place Hotlink window, I used the function for Keep Elevation as in Story Structure of Hotlink Source. / This might be wrong. 

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This is correct, keep the storey structure of the hotlink so it doesn't change.

You will end up with a correct 3D model, but as you have discovered, because the floor heights for each module are different, you may not be able to use the same FPCP height across the entire model.

This is when I would link the plan drawings in the layouts to the external hotlink file.

That way you will see the plan cut at the exact level you want (with out having to do anything extra).

Crop the placed drawings and join them together to form one large plan.

I have never used Teamwork, so am unaware of any problems arising from that, that have been mentioned in earlier posts.

You could use multiple plan views with FPCP at different heights all in the master file.

Similar thing, you would place the drawing for each plan view on a layout, crop to show the correct plan for that FPCP height and join them together.

But I think this might get a bit confusing having 4 or 5 views of each storey (if you have 4 or 5 modules).

Barry.

[Masimo85]

Thank you so much for the replies here Barry. 

A few follow questions, so I figured out the External Drawings thing, and I could import it to the layouts - that will work flawlessly. 

However how would you do the measuring between buildings - and that also be visible in the site plan for each floor? - Since you have no points to measure between.

What im also thinking about, is I could aslo make 6th modell - and hotlink all the models into that one, just in the same plane - and do the plan views in that modell - and use the 5th modell just for section and elevations. 

Just seems like such a waste of more models than I belive should be nessassary 

[jl_lt]

Thanks Rex. Will keep an eye (or two) on it

[Barry Kelly]

I may not be the best person to ask this as I rarely use modules at different levels on a site.

But if I was doing it, my site plan would be a 2D plan in its own layer (some people use an additional storey, I prefer layers).

I would also create a 3D site mesh if that is needed for sections/elevations and 3D views.

On that 2D site plan I would plot the extents of the buildings - just as a perimeter line or fill.

I wouldn't be showing details like foundation walls, but maybe that is just me.

Foundation walls would be documented (dimensioned) in each of the modules.

I would of course model up site details like paving extents, parking, retaining walls, planters, pergolas/gazebos, etc., in this site plan.

So I can dimension and annotate these additional features in relation to the overall footprint of each of the modules.

In the end I would have a fully dimensioned and annotated site plan, that shows just the extents of the main buildings.

Details of those buildings are all in the plans for each individual building.

I hope this helps.

Barry.

[Rex Maximilian]

Any time there is any level of detail to a site plan where I need to model it and elevate the terrain contours from a topo map. or revise from a landscaper. etc., or to align with an engineer's north or to be oriented on a sheet a certain way that may differ from the buildings, I always find having a separate file works best.

If it's a 120'x80' rectangular lot with little to no slope, then I usually keep it with the building.