Roof Plans with layer combinations and display options

[Anonymous]

This may and probably has been answered in another post, but I've searched and can't find anything...

I am looking to do a roof plan for a simple rectangular building with parapets and a flat roof, sloped to the rear. There are several doors and windows on the exterior walls. I have been trying to figure out a way to get the doors and windows to turn off so that I have only solid wall showing, but can't seem to figure out a way.

Here are some ways I've thought of proceeding, but find them less than ideal.

If I place the roof on another story then the walls are ghosted out.

If I place the roof on the same story, the doors and windows can't be removed from the view.

I could have two sets of walls. One set being the floor plan walls and another being the parapet part along with the roof itself on another story. Again, seems like brain damage that display options should be able to convienently change.

I could use fills traced over the ghosted walls coupled with my roof on a separate story, but this seems like more work than I need to go through, especially if the building is more complex.

Anybody have a solution to this? Any input would be most appreciative. And by the way, I have been using Archicad since 8.1 was released (we now use ver 9) and find it to be an incredibly powerful program... I'm just now beginning to feel like I have a decent grasp of how to use it, so I'm sure this Site/Roof Plan issue is my own..

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would go with the roof and parapet walls on another storey.

Alternatively, set display options to show doors and windows for reflected ceiling, and fill in openings with fill to match walls (more work).

HTH

[Richard Morrison]

I would be in favor of a separate parapet story. You can "magic wand" a parapet wall around even a very complex exterior, even when this exterior is displayed as a ghost story. Takes a few seconds MAX. Less time than to write a post about it.

Unfortunately, Display Options won't get you there. (Close, though.)

[Anonymous]

thanks guys.. I'll try both methods. Looks like one for the wish list books!

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

The thing with parapets and partial height walls in general is that you need to make the hard choice between sending them to a 3D layer and drafting them 2D if you want to keep their composite, quantities, etc., or come up with a separate composite for partial height walls (one for each wall thickness, or one for every wall type/composite) if you want to have a single model element for that parapet wall.

So talking now in terms of wish list candidates: shouldn't the wall settings have a checkbox for 'partial height', (or 'parapet height'), where the walls are set to display the outline in a lighter pen (the top view)?

Or a 'floor plan section height' setting in Story Settings, where all walls lower than that get to display their top view would be even better.

[Erika Epstein]

Ignacio wrote:
So talking now in terms of wish list candidates: shouldn't the wall settings have a checkbox for 'partial height', (or 'parapet height'), where the walls are set to display the outline in a lighter pen (the top view)?

Or a 'floor plan section height' setting in Story Settings, where all walls lower than that get to display their top view would be even better.

This will be lovely. Similar to the marked distant section setting?
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