Creating masonry details in a wall (courses, dentils) ?

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

I'm working on a building that is to be constructed of Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs). My design is calling for some variation in the way the blocks are set in the wall. Some are set at an angle to the wall to generate some texture on the building face. I include a rendering of a test model which I built in 3DStudio MAX to see if I liked the texture.

Is there a way to model this in ArchiCAD? I'd really like to have this effect as part of the building model, mainly for the graphic renderings I can generate.

The biggest issue here is that I'd really like to sprinkle this texture around on the building in a somewhat random pattern.

If I can't, I'll probably just define the areas on the elevations with fills and link them to plan/section details that I'll draft in an independent worksheet.

Thanks!

[Dwight]

That is fairly easy to do, but in Archicad, you'll need to make real 3D.

Study Solid Element Operation
and
Complex Profile

I'm having a hard time understanding how you'd make that exact panel with plain blocks [and not be beaten to death by masons when you ask for tilted mortar across the section to twist the blocks into conformance].

1: You can use plain blocks in an empty door opening. Throw in a fake thin panel to show as mortar. Basic Cube 13 can be sized and tilted to be a concrete block.


2: Staggered CMU can be made with the Complex Profile. You would orient and stagger an array of these upward to completely cover the opening - use the BEAM tool to apply the complex profile - we will trim it down later.


Do a Solid Element Operation [SUBTRACT] using a SLAB to create the wall opening.
Place the assembled, staggered complex profiles into the opening.

Do another SEO with the SLAB as operator and the complex profiles as target [intersection]. This trims the profiles to size.

[Erika Epstein]

you could build a sample, like what you show, of blocks set at the angle and
save as a library part,
or
as a custom curtain wall panel.

[Anonymous]

I think the SEO is probably the best way to get the openings in the wall and then using the standard cube shape for the CMUs. I get that.

I'll look into the complex profile as well, but at the moment the concept is like a square peg trying to fit into the round hole in my head.

As far as being beaten by masons, I've seen them set blocks skewed in a wall "on accident". Here, I'm just asking them to do it on purpose! The blocks are level, they are just set in the wall a little bit twisted compared to the rest of the wall (5 degrees in the 3d model). Heck, the guys could set the block perfectly straight and aligned, then just knock one end out a half inch or so.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

StaceyS wrote:
I think the SEO is probably the best way to get the openings in the wall and then using the standard cube shape for the CMUs. I get that.

Be aware that SEO's don't display in plan if you turn the Operators' layer off, which in this case might be exactly what you want.

[Erika Epstein]

Use an empty door or window to place the hole the angled CMUs will sit in.

[Anonymous]

As a variation on Erika's suggestion of creating panel as library part, why not create it as a window (or door object) which would then create its own wall hole (do a search for creating custom windows, from memory, there are a few posts that explain how).

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your great suggestions and comments! Its been great being able to rely on the forum community to help solve these design problems!

I have tried a couple of things and have ended up deciding to just do the simplest thing: sticking a basic cube in the wall where I want the blocks to be twisted. I did try building a window, and I got the hole in the wall of the proper size, but the block itself wasn't visible. Manipulating the window was also a bit tricky, and I'm going to end up with some floor plan issues where the "window" cuts through both my exterior block wall and my interior framing. Simply throwing in the cubes is pretty easy; they show up in the elevations, and the 3D fine. I can put them on their own layer and turn them off on the floor plans so they don't add a bunch of extra lines.

Thanks again!