Complex Profiles and Magic Wand

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to become more effective in drawing 3d models of my interiors. I've been wasting a lot of time lately in putting on beams close to the floor and close to the ceiling. The beams use a complex profile.

Then I suddenly got this idea to draw a slab in every room, select a beam and use the magic wand. The problem is that the profile of the beams are put the wrong way. The profile points out of the room, so I get the back of the beams into the room. Is there some way to solve this problem?

[Erika Epstein]

Add to your Info box for the column the "show project to" command. This will allow you to set the beam's correct elevation height without having to open up the settings box (cmd/ctrl+T).

If the CP beam is facing the wrong side, mirror the fill in the CP window around the origin.

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much, Erika. You have made me much more effective

[Link]

From memory, the direction in which the slab is drawn affects how your beams are referenced to it. You may try modeling if different directions to test the outcome.

I haven't tried this for a long time though so it may no longer be valid.

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Beams are a little quirky when it comes to direction. (Not as much as in Revit though.)

I think the profiles are drawn counterclockwise by default around the contour and will face in or out depending on the way they are drawn in the editor. If they are consistently going the wrong way just flip them in the editor and that should fix it. It should also fix the existing instances.

I have used this method quite a bit. Ceilings and finished floors (modeled room by room) serve nicely for quick installations of trims and track. Profiled walls also work well for trims, especially since they can follow curves. Just be sure to set the intersection priorities so they don't get messed up with the actual walls of the rooms.