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Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

Structural Plans and Wall Visibility

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hello Archibots,
What is the best way to setup structural framing plans? I want to do floor framing plans with the floor below shown dashed. This works fine while drafting and using the ghost story shown below but getting it to plot right is another matter.
Right now I'm using RCP plan for showing walls on the current story and coping the walls up from below and changing the cut wall line type to dashed. is there a better way?

Thanks
20 REPLIES 20
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
s2art wrote:
And Karl, since when was Yoda an autobot?
He's my archibot. How do you think I figure all of this stuff out? 😉

K
AC 28 USA and earlier   •   macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
Link
Graphisoft Partner
Graphisoft Partner
s2art wrote:
Link

I think Chris is saying "view the floor below (in RCP mode) and show the floor framing overlaid on it" still looking down, as your framing sits on the walls below. That's the way we do it here, seems to work o.k. for us.
By RCP mode are you referring to setting the Story Viewpont Type to Ceiling Plan in the Model View Options, to change the appearance of your GDL Objects?

Cheers,
Link.
Anonymous
Not applicable
Link wrote:
s2art wrote:
Link

I think Chris is saying "view the floor below (in RCP mode) and show the floor framing overlaid on it" still looking down, as your framing sits on the walls below. That's the way we do it here, seems to work o.k. for us.
By RCP mode are you referring to setting the Story Viewpont Type to Ceiling Plan in the Model View Options, to change the appearance of your GDL Objects?

Cheers,
Link.
Yes, MVO's but not necessarily relating to GDL objects, just to show walls as continuous over openings "Show opening only, with contours"
Link
Graphisoft Partner
Graphisoft Partner
s2art wrote:
Yes, MVO's but not necessarily relating to GDL objects, just to show walls as continuous over openings "Show opening only, with contours"
Oh right. Well that's what I do too.

I just read his post as that he expected the RCP to look up and see the floor framing above.

Nevertheless, I think it's clear now!

Cheers,
Link.
Anonymous
Not applicable
s2art wrote:
Link

I think Chris is saying "view the floor below (in RCP mode) and show the floor framing overlaid on it" still looking down, as your framing sits on the walls below. ......
exactly!!
Jefferson
Participant
If I understand info. correctly he's asking for something I have been doing for quite a while..........ghosting separate floors, above and below, in my layout. My Archibot finally gave in and built it into my template for for me and it works wonderfully. It doesn't really take long to set up and tweaking is easy. Well worth the time. Now this is all in ver. 10, in 11, you should be able to do this straight away, or was that the one thing Graphisoft couldn't understand and give in on? I can't recall anything except screaming during the demo "How can you give us ghost stories and not let us print them!!", but I digress........

If you can print in color it gets much more manageable. Gray scale can sometimes just add to confusion instead of alleviating it. In the attached screen shot you'll see I include a "pen legend". [This does require you to set up different pen sets in your layout options but once done it pays off triple with clearly defined ghost stories.] Also you can see the "stack of stories in my second floor framing demo. With color you can show more than one relative story at a time, should you want-need to, just taking care to set display prefs for visibality. This helps with the builder but become an invaulable benifit with my engineer!
framing w-ghosts.gif
jeff white
w3d design


AC 23 Solo US / current build & library
Windoze 10 Pro 64
HP ZBook 17 G4
Intel Zeon 3.0
Twin 2GB SSD
32 GB memory

http://w3d-design.com
Anonymous
Not applicable
Jefferson wrote:
..........ghosting separate floors, above and below......
It is a very nice approach but I do not understand why the following single approach is not taken:
1. All framing members of the 2nd floor to be placed in 1st story (on structural layers)
2. RCP view be set
3. A desired pen set for supporting walls to be set up once (thin lines/Gray Scale/Color...)
4. Element (walls columns/Objects) from story (or stories) above to be shown on this plan, to be set in Settings window of appropriate elements.

Am I missing your point?
Thanks,
Joseph
Anonymous
Not applicable
Joseph wrote:
Jefferson wrote:
..........ghosting separate floors, above and below......
It is a very nice approach but I do not understand why the following single approach is not taken:
1. All framing members of the 2nd floor to be placed in 1st story (on structural layers)
2. RCP view be set
3. A desired pen set for supporting walls to be set up once (thin lines/Gray Scale/Color...)
4. Element (walls columns/Objects) from story (or stories) above to be shown on this plan, to be set in Settings window of appropriate elements.

Am I missing your point?
Thanks,
Joseph
That's the approach I take as well, but for step #4 - wouldn't that mean that those upper level elements would then show up on all other plans in addition to the framing plans?
Anonymous
Not applicable
Chris wrote:
Joseph wrote:
Jefferson wrote:
..........ghosting separate floors, above and below......
It is a very nice approach but I do not understand why the following single approach is not taken:
1. All framing members of the 2nd floor to be placed in 1st story (on structural layers)
2. RCP view be set
3. A desired pen set for supporting walls to be set up once (thin lines/Gray Scale/Color...)
4. Element (walls columns/Objects) from story (or stories) above to be shown on this plan, to be set in Settings window of appropriate elements.

Am I missing your point?
Thanks,
Joseph

That's the approach I take as well, but for step #4 - wouldn't that mean that those upper level elements would then show up on all other plans in addition to the framing plans?
True, yet I have Structural (core of) & Architectural column layers (skin & finish) which I turn on/off appropriately. Often when a beam is carrying a column from above is shown on this supporting beam with structural considerations attached to it.
Joseph
Jefferson
Participant
Well Joseph, it's just how it works for me. I tend to use RCPs for trim-beam-detail work and lighting. And setting my stories at top plate to top plate heights, I prefer to keep the floor framing with the associated story.

The flexibility is what drove this setup for me. It allows me to set up my layer combinations in more "predictable" groupings and still allows me the output with ghosts. [For me trying to include/exclude pertinent framing to display became overly complex.] And, my work is all residential SFR, so simplistic is the rule if possible, which in effect is the part I think I like best With the ghost views saved in my layout book I can copy and paste them as needed, in any combination, any time, [multiple stories], with any desired layout.

Just another way to go..........
jeff white
w3d design


AC 23 Solo US / current build & library
Windoze 10 Pro 64
HP ZBook 17 G4
Intel Zeon 3.0
Twin 2GB SSD
32 GB memory

http://w3d-design.com