Overlapping zones on the same plan

[Lipi]

I know this topic has been written about before, but I have seen no solutions.

I am drawing an aparment building. I have a slight problem with zones.

There is a mix of placed automatic/manual ones for different rooms, halls, etc. I usually just give all the room zones the same number (apartment number) and then just set the zone list to sum them up by the zone number.
However, this particular file has been worked on by someone not new to AC, but has been using it on AutoCad level (simple 2d) for years, and has not grasped zones and the importance of using automatic zones with proper boundaries. So these are a proper mess.

I need to get the apartment areas for the investor by the end of the day.
No time to fix the "room" zones, and I have the manual apartment zones done.

Obvious solution is to trace apartments with a zone boundary line or polyline, make all walls to reduce zone area, and the zones automatic.
I have 3 buildings with 4-7 stories and app. 10 apartment s per story, and ony a few hours to do it. So it takes too much time.


Does anyone know of a way to get the net area (minus walls) out of the manual zone?

Any solutions?
Pretty desperate please?

[Barry Kelly]

I'm not quite sure what the problem is that you are encountering as a manually placed zone can calculate everything that an automatically placed zone can as far as I know.

However you can simply change a manually placed zone into an automatic zone by selecting it and changing the type in the info bar.
You can even select all zones and change them all with one mouse click.

If you need to change the zone numbers (either the zone ID or an parameter) you can select allthe zones in a particular apartment and set the same number to all of them at once.
This should take only 10 or 15 seconds per apartment (if that).

Or maybe I just don't understand what you are trying to do - ifso completely ignore me.

A couple of screen shots may help to explain your mess.

Barry.

[Lipi]

Thanks for the reply, Barry.
The problem was, my manually placed zones did not substract the construction area (walls, columns) at all, or did not do that correctly.

We did resolve the situation (at least enough to get the area we needed). We had to change all walls to Reduce zone area only.

We had some walls set to Zone boundaries, and some to Reduce zone volume. The manually placed zone ignored the boundaries walls, but the Reduce zone volume walls messed up the calculations totally, with no apparent pattern to it.
I am using the Zone_Stamp_02_11e.gsm, since it gives me lots of display options without having to mess with GDL, as I have not learnt it yet.

I do know about the manual/automatic zones and I use this option as well as zone parameter changes regularely. I think the zone update should be automatic. In the AC9 I think I had a zone tool that did that, but it's long lost due to a computer crash and then upgrade.