javatom

Set your floor to SWT (stem wall top) to zero.

If you have already built the foundation and you are trying to adjust it, you can still accomplish what you are looking for. Set the floor level of the garage and the stem wall top to the same level. See attached pic.

It is nice for a quick reference. It is not very accurate. I just checked it on a lot I know to be perfectly flat and it showed varied elevations of 7'. I checked another one with a lot of slope that had a professional topo survey done. The elevation was roughly accurate but the lines were way off. I would be cautious of planing a stepped foundation based on this data. It is fun to play with though.

Look at it in elevation and click on the footings (not the wall). Once you have it highlighted, grab the handle of the vert. footing and drag it over to the end of the other one and it will disappear.

Making the frame inset a negative number appears to push the window outside the wall.

I believe he wants 2x10 walls. I'm pretty sure that Erics system will work if it is a 2x4 wall with other layers that pad it out to 10" thick.

Mull them together and change the mulled depth. See attached picture.

Side note - I would be careful with that sideway stud idea on the dormers. That may not have enough R-value to get through an inspection.

Open view and hit F6 key. It should fill your screen with the captured view.

I can generate views without problems on my system. I think Chopsaw is on to something with the video card idea.

You could also use 1/4" scale, use break lines and show different parts of the house on additional pages.

Click on any area just outside an exterior wall. You may have to tab in a couple of times but it will eventually highlight the building and deck perimeter. You can then click on "make living area polyline". This will show a crosshatched box of what you are looking for.

Place a doorway (not a door) at the top of the step.

Save a back up under a different name so you can get back to it if you need to.

The other thing to keep in mind, some items follow terrain and some do not. You can always place a polyline solid over a terrain and define the elevation as "absolute". It will not react to the terrain at all.

Try opening your terrain DBX and setting the smoothing and triangle count to "low".

You can use the tool "Edit wall layer intersections" in plan view to fix that.

You can draw a line on plan view or elevation and convert it to a molding. You will have more control with it that way.

It looks like you have used material painter at some point to change the ext. material. This is not the preferred way to do it. Open the wall DBX, click on materials-exterior wall surface, select material. Then click on "use default". Your wall will then show the new wall type properly.

I'm able to change it on my system so it is not a problem with the plan. Make sure you are following the proper procedure to create a new wall type and set the materials.

I would make one minor suggestion. Since you are not doing any interiors. Set your 3D views to have opague windows.

So your previous experience to architectural cad work is inventor of vegan egg substitutes? What could possibly go wrong?

You will go broke at that rate.

If it is a material you can see on your screen, you could use the material painter tools. Click on the one you want to capture and then click on the item you want to paint. It is a great tool but don't use it to change siding types (do that under wall definitions).

You may have your wall definition siding thicker than the window trim.