floor plane cut settings

[Tom Krowka]

This is making me nuts. It has always worked before: I must have screwed up a setting I can't find.
Am setting up a view to show the lower level of a residence; a split level. Each level is a separate story, about 6 ft. difference. The first floor, main level, is project zero, story 1. Lower level is garage level, -60" story setting.
Can't get anything to show up in the view for the first story, main level.
Have set floor plane setting in the model view to show one story above, 36" offset, (which I would think could be anything above floor level, even one inch)
Cut plane to current story is 48". Walls are set to symbolic cut, current story only. I tried various settings of walls, but still nothing shows up.

Would appreciate any help.

[Nando Mogollon]

Hi Tom,
I would do it this way: on Main Story set the view to "Shown down to:______" and then you will see the garage level.

Then on the Garage Story set the view to "Show up to:______" But the elements on Main story must be set to Absolute display limit.

I haven't checked this lately but I think still works...
I'm not sure this solves your problem.

Regards

[Link]

Tom wrote:
Cut plane to current story is 48". Walls are set to symbolic cut, current story only.

And therein lies your problem. Symbolic Cut completely ignores the cut plane.

I'm not sure why you'd make it so difficult on yourself even using the cut plane? Either put all walls on each story and publish them individually or put them all one one story and elevate them. Wouldn't that work?

I think people instantly think cut planes as soon as they hear 'split level'. IME only a few rare cases really call for cut planes and they typically include slanted or complex profile walls spanning multiple stories.

Cheers,
Link.

[NCornia]

I'm not sure why you'd make it so difficult on yourself even using the cut plane? Either put all walls on each story and publish them individually or put them all one one story and elevate them. Wouldn't that work?

I think people instantly think cut planes as soon as they hear 'split level'.

Link, while your methodology may be sound, it does not seem intuitive and perhaps you could illustrate to clarify.

I think most people consider the cut plane method because its name follows the most logical thought process: " I have a building model; I want to cut through it here and view the slice."

While not fully understanding your method, it sounds like a work around to me. Again, maybe you could clarify, or better yet, illustrate your process.

[Link]

NCornia wrote:
While not fully understanding your method, it sounds like a work around to me. Again, maybe you could clarify, or better yet, illustrate your process.

On the contrary, cut planes are typically more of a workaround. (To quote ML ), I don't have time to commit to an illustration at the moment, but I will attempt to explain. And it may help some to know a bit of history.

Prior to ArchiCAD 10 we had no cut planes. All we had were stories, where a story was a 'container' of information. For example, whatever we included on a story, is what we would put on a layout and print. In the case of a split level, we would either put one level on one story and the other level on another story and print them individually. Or we would put both levels on the same story and elevate one of the split levels within that story (+/-60" in Tom's case), then print them as one. This was the intuitive way!

ArchiCAD 10 saw the introduction of complex profiles, slanted elements, and by necessity, the floor plan cut plane and all it's associated settings, such as projections, home stories, etc. How else were we to show plan views of our amazing profiled or slanted elements without the use of a floor plan cut plane?

But if you're not using complex profiles or slanted walls, especially ones spanning multiple stories, then why not just stick to the traditional method of using stories? Turn all walls, windows, doors, et al to Symbolic. That way they all show symbolically and you don't have to bother about where the cut plane is and what effect it has on elements at different heights. Everything just shows like it used to.

I don't even touch cut planes when I teach new users, as it confuses the hell out of them, especially Revit users who rely heavily on them. I consider their use a rare exception to simply using stories.

Hope that is clearer. Gotta run...

Cheers,
Link.

[NCornia]

Hope that is clearer.

Much clearer, thank you. Looks like I may have a bit of re-wiring to do in the way I do my floor plans now. Thanks Link!

[Tom Krowka]

Thats the way I used to do it too.....I thought I might explore some other features and ways to do it but got bogged down.

TK.