Section at rafter and top plate of a wall composite

[Anonymous]

in section the veneer runs to the top of the plate of a wall composite, which means in section it is graphically wrong because it runs up to the birds mouth. especially so with masonry.

Is there a way I can step down the veneer to resemble how it would actually be built, or will this just need to be an additional detail that is drawn 2d and not actually modeled?

sort of related to this issue, in the roof settings, or elsewhere, is there a tool that creates a soffit? or would this just need to be drawn?

as always, thanks a million.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Sounds like you're using Composites. To get a different veneer height, you'll want to take a look at complex profiles (CP) and this article:

http://www.archicadwiki.com/CompositeWallsWithVaryingSkinHeights

You'll find that you can model the actual plate and much more. The down side is that if you upgrade to 16 (you don't have a signature nor say what version you are using) ... profiles walls are not handled particularly well by the new energy modeler, which prefers composites.

CP beams can be useful for modeling soffits (and fascia, gutters, etc). In 16, the Morph tool is useful for this as well.

Consider clicking the text "Profile" link near the top right of this page to add a signature with your version and OS info.

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Thanks Karl. man, your always a huge help! -profile updated.


If I start using CP verses composites, will it be an easy transition? I have 33 floor plans that are currently using composites.

thanks again.

[Karl Ottenstein]

knosaj wrote:
If I start using CP verses composites, will it be an easy transition? I have 33 floor plans that are currently using composites.

You're welcome.

Easy: yes and no. Wish it were 100% easy.

The easy: Create your initial CP for each composite by using the Capture Profile of Selection command. (This can also capture several walls at once as a single profile.)

The harder: the captured profile will be the same as your original wall - but you probably want it to be stretchy, at least vertically. You need to read in the Help and learn about setting the vertical stretch lines in the Profile Editor - only the part of the wall between the lines will stretch - so for example your plates should NOT be within this region or they will deform. Also, profiles can be made taller, but not shorter, so you need to reduce the height of the initial capture to be the height of the shortest wall. I usually make mine 2' tall or so even though I probably won't have anything that short.

Note that the Origin in the Profile Editor is both the fixed location of the reference line for the CP wall (beam/col anchor), and the position of the base of the wall. (So, if you have siding that hangs over the framing below, the wall fills should be aligned at the origin, and the siding extend below that.)

Life is "almost" as simple as selecting an old wall, changing to CP type, and selecting your meaningfully-named profile ... except that the height will instantly change to the default height of the profile. So, I usually either (a) make a note of the original height first, or (b) do my work in 3D cna change all but one of the original wall types (selecting via Find and Select) and then stretch them up to visually snap to the height of a remaining wall or other element, then go to the next set of walls, etc.

I've found that overthinking CP elements can make modeling harder rather than easier. For example, I included an external belly band on some walls, and trim on some interior walls - and then began to have way more profiles than was easily manageable as profiles got modified for unique conditions. Got out of control and clean-up was a mess, too. So, start out simple.

Eric Bobrow gives some ideas / tips for CP elements in this article:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/ComplexProfileTips

Cheers,
Karl