Slab Construction

[Anonymous]

I have just started to use AC11 for my university work and need to complete a drawing of an existing building. The building has 3 floors and a basement/cellar. I started with ITG and tried to create a slab but it won't let me change the thickness which is set as a default and greyed out. How can i change this? Also the building is a rectangular shaped with reduced width for the rear section. What would be the best way to draw this? If i draw it as a rectangular shaped wall construction (a box) then how can i move the rear walls so that the width at this point is less than the front part of the building.
Thanks.

[David Maudlin]

AAJS wrote:
I started with ITG and tried to create a slab but it won't let me change the thickness which is set as a default and greyed out. How can i change this?

AAJS:

This is a common new user question. In the slab settings, under Floor Plan and Section > Structure, set the Cut Fill to a Vectorial option (the thickness is variable), not a Composite Structure (the thickness is set under Composites...).

AAJS wrote:
Also the building is a rectangular shaped with reduced width for the rear section. What would be the best way to draw this? If i draw it as a rectangular shaped wall construction (a box) then how can i move the rear walls so that the width at this point is less than the front part of the building.

One approach is to use the x and y inputs to key in the dimensions with the slab tool to accurately draw the footprint of the building, then you can magic wand the edge of the slab with the wall tool selected to add the exterior walls. If you already have the box then you can use the Marquee tool to stretch the rear corner of the building to its correct location.

These are basic questions, you should spend some time with the tutorials to get familiar with ArchiCAD's tools and methods.

HTH

David

[Anonymous]

Many thnaks David.
I've tried the coordinate method, but by putting in x,y coords i was expecting to see the slab being drawn but nothing appeared after i hit the return key. Although the Basic ITG i have says that is all i have to do!
I apprecite some of these are basic questions but i dont have any other manual than the Basic ITG and if that doesnt work then i am a little stuck..!!

[David Maudlin]

aajs:

You have some more resources:
ArchiCAD Help under the Help menu, I have found the Search function very useful.
The AC 11 Reference Guide (a pdf document that can use the Reader Search function).
Searching this forum, most questions from new users have been asked before.

You should see the slab as it is being drawn, so you will need to post more information (screen shot images are very helpful) to get help with that issue.

You should also add a signature to your profile with ArchiCAD version, computer platform and specs (see mine for an example), as some problems are version and platform specific.

Welcome to the Forum.

David