covering up lines on elevations

[Anonymous]

Is there a way of covering up some lines that are showing on my elevations and sections?

These lines are from certain walls not intersecting, I don't want them to intersect on the plan to represent different wall types, however on the elevation everthing will be covered with stucco, so there will be no line between them.

(I kind of remember being able to cover them up with an empty fill or a white line at some version back but can't seem to do that any more)

AC9, Win XP

[Anonymous]

Hassanen, I agree with you that trying to get the plan walls to intersect a particular way and not having lines show up on the elevations is an issue with Archicad.

As an example, having a concrete wall intersect correctly with a stud wall requires the two walls not to intersect at the 45 ° angle as two similar walls would intersect. One of the walls must be dominant to be built correctly in the field. ( Never seen a concrete wall cut at a 45° angle to a stud wall)

Of course, you don't want the lines to show up on the elevation since it would not look this way when built.

For me, I have the client approve the elevations from 3D elevation and overview images. Once approved by the client, I then create a patch of the elevation and put all patch lines on one layer(Lines Elevations). I put text, etc on a different layer.

I then turn off all other layers and only use the patch for generating the elevations for construction docs, deleting unwanted lines, etc. I have found for me at least that deleting unwanted lines is the fastest way to clean up elevations rather than trying to mask the lines. Also, in very complex elevations, ones that take more than a couple of minutes to generate, the elevation created from the patch(2d lines) generates much faster versus an elevation created from the model. This can be a big time savings if you are opening the elevation on multiple occasions.

Keep in mind the model is still intact, I have only created a patch from the model.

If the client makes changes to the elevations after I have created the patch, I simply re-do the patch and clean it up. Usually an elevation done properly in Archicad is fairly clean, but there are times when some minor cleanup is necessary. Cleanup typically for each elevations takes less than a few minutes.

IMHO, the patch tool is very useful.

Hope this helps.


Grant

[Anonymous]

NOELDESIGNS wrote:
I then create a patch of the elevation and put all patch lines on one layer(Lines Elevations). I put text, etc on a different layer.

this seems to work fine, the only set back I see to this is that I can't snap to the patch elevation, so if I want to add extra dimension or measure distances I have to always go to the original elevation. of course the other option within this method of work-arounds is also to just copy and paste the elevation to the floor plan thus converting it to lines and doing the cleanups there. obviously I would only do this as a final resort and only if I'm pretty sure there are no more changes to the design..

[Anonymous]

When I create the patch, I drag it 200' south on the page so I don't accidentally do anything with the model, such as deleting lines, etc.

With the patch dragged away from the model, I then explode the patch. Make sure you have grouping turned off. You can then dimension to the lines in the patch.

I usually dimension only after I am fairly sure I won't be making any other changes to the model. Same for adding text and detail tags. I always put diimension, detail tags, text on separate layers so that if I have to re-do the patch for the elevations, the other information will not be lost.

Also, once the dimensions are done and you have to redo the patch, you can always make the dimensions static and they will be get deleted when the patch is redone.

Grant

[Karl Ottenstein]

NOELDESIGNS wrote:
When I create the patch, I drag it 200' south on the page so I don't accidentally do anything with the model, such as deleting lines, etc.

With the patch dragged away from the model, I then explode the patch. Make sure you have grouping turned off. You can then dimension to the lines in the patch.

Another (easier?) method is to insert hotspots into your patch. You have to open the patch object anyway to fix the linework. As long as you're there, use the hotspot tool to snap hotspots at key positions. These will be snappable hotspots in your elevation window after you save changes to the patch, so you can then dimension to them.

Some other benefits to hotspots in patches (for all drawings, not just elevations):

Sometimes, a single patch fits several places in a view. Suppose we're talking about a corner where two walls join. By placing a hotspot in the patch symbol window at the wall corner, you can then use that hotspot to snap (rotated) copies of the patch onto other similar corners. (You can turn off the four bounding hotspots, too, so that they don't get in your way.)

Adding hotspots also provides an easy way to create 2D symbols using any of ArchiCAD's tools. Draw the symbol, marquee it, make patch, remove or edit the background fill, add hotspots. Of course, you can just explode/copy/paste a symbol into a fresh GDL object's symbol window, too. (Or just draw it there if you only need to use 2D tools. But, using a patch - or explode/copy/paste - lets you use the wall tool to quickly draw parallel lines, including multiple parallel lines and/or fills via composites.)

I almost never use 2D symbols these days (except for 2D people, trees, etc to embellish elevations) ... but such 2D symbols could be useful for commonly used elements in 2D details...

Karl

[Djordje]

Aussie wrote:

Djordje wrote:
I would advise you to rethink your strategy; you will save time by cleaning the intersections and having clear and correct elevations and 3D, and plan too, than patching up. One always forgets to update ...

I agree Djorde but have you never had a line you cant get rid of?

Of course I did ...

In the case like Hasannen's, you have to add a bit of the concrete wall that is perpendicular to the main wall and joins with the brick wall. Ref lines on the outside.

Play with small bits of the wall; wreaks havoc in quantities, though, but that one can always be IDd differently and rid of.

[Anonymous]

I then explode the patch. Make sure you have grouping turned off. You can then dimension to the lines in the patch.

I usually dimension only after I am fairly sure I won't be making any other changes to the model. Same for adding text and detail tags. I always put diimension, detail tags, text on separate layers so that if I have to re-do the patch for the elevations, the other information will not be lost.

Also, once the dimensions are done and you have to redo the patch, you can always make the dimensions static and they will be get deleted when the patch is redone.

Grant[/quote wrote:


I am not familiar with the patch tool, and I may be wrong, but isn't just like copy/paste the elevation in the 2d window and then cleaning the lines I don't want and slower since I have to create a patch, than explode, etc. Unless there are other utilities that I missed?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why don't you change the Elevations from models to drawings and then cleanup the unwanted lines.
This is what i always do.I create an Elevation ,check it first as a model ,turn it to Drawing and then clean up.
If you still want to have the Elevations as models then Create 2 identical Elevation ,one as a model and one as Drawing.
You can also keep the model Elevations in a separate layer and set it to Hidden.

[Djordje]

miker wrote:
I don't understand why don't you change the Elevations from models to drawings and then cleanup the unwanted lines.

Because you then lose all the advantage of working on a Virtual Building. You might as well draft it all be hand.

Fastidious modeling, although it does seem to take a bit more time in the beginning, saves you loads of time at every change.

[Anonymous]

Connect wall as usual. Then fix it on plan with little line and bordels raster.

[Anonymous]

Ok but it won't be necessary to also change any kind of object you add in order to cover something.
Let's say that you but a fill to cover some lines of a wall.What is going to happen if you move the wall or if you delete it,The fill it will be useless then or it might hide some details from you.And you are probably going to forget where are all the fill you add for clean up.
Correct me if i am wrong
Thanx for your patient