Making a slab?

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to make a slab on grade in 3D and in sections. Typical slab on grades have a footing at the perimeter which is a different thickness than the center. Going through all the tools, I can't find any thing that would make it in one piece.

[Anonymous]

There are 2 ways I usually do it. If the geometry of the footing is simple I use the magic wand to trace the perimeter of the slab with the slab tool set with the proper settings for a footing ( top & bottom elev. ect.). Then with the footing slab selected, magic wand another footing slab over the first footing slab with the single offset constraint selected, set the radius of the offset to the desired width of your footing. This will remove the center of the first footing slab leaving a perimeter footing. Might sound complicated but it's not once you get it. The second method is to use the wall tool which offers better linear control. The only drawback to this method is that the wall tool dosen't allow you to show different line types in section and plan views. I usually want my footing to be dashed in plan and solid in section. This means I usually draw my footings on a seperate "model footing" layer which I hide in plan view and show in 3D and section views. I then draw my footings again in plan view with 2D dashed lines for proper representation. The slab tool allows different line types in plan and section so it saves you this step. This is on the wish list for AC 9.0. If you need more help let me know.

[Anonymous]

Is is possible to make it one piece? Like a one pore and not a two pore? I add an attachment on what I'm getting at.

[Anonymous]

It is not necessary to make it in one piece. As long as the section fills are the same they will clean up in section and 3D.

[Steve Jepson]

You have lots of choices as to how you want to make a Slab-on-grade. How you make it depends on where you need it to look the way you want it, and if you need it to be in your material list.

The Solid Element Oporations tool (SEO) is my favorite. I use it for everything. It's fun!

For Slab-on-grade I usualy make a slab of the total thickness and use the SEO to trim it up from underneath with a roof or something. You can set the object fill for cross section to concrete and it will look good in section without any additonal work.

[Anonymous]

simpler method (IMHO) to get the canted inner edge to the edge thickening

follow the original method exactly but do the lower element as a roof (0 degrees pitch) instead of a slab

the inner edge (hole) can then be given a custom angle using the pet pallette

as said, either way your pores will clean up

bill

[Anonymous]

I agree with Bill on this one. If you're going to use two elements anyway, why hide one of them? And why use SEOs unnecessarily?

BTW Steve, nice concrete texture.

[Steve Jepson]

You make me laugh at my self. I am so fanatical about SEO I will go to great lenghts to find an excuse to use it. It is my answer to everythig.