Lighthouse

Joe, if they are individual CAD details, how are they linked to the sections? Are these "generic" details that you keep in a file for all projects, or are they specific to a project? I have found that it doesn't make sense to draw a detail independent of the section where it lives, because I want to make sure that the sections are identical to the details. If I develop a detail independent of the section, and then I change the section, I may forget to update the detail. How do you handle that? Also, I found that if the details live in the sections they are easier to find, as in CAD details I have to find them by name. If I have 40 or 50 details, it's hard to give them distinct names (I guess you could put a callout in the section and just give it the callout name).

Summary of question- What is the best way to send many CAD details to layout so that the layout page does not slow down and become difficult to navigate? I'm curious how other people hand this. I import sections into CAD details and then add details in CAD. I have a single CAD detail called "sections" that has all the building sections, so I can line them up, cut and paste similar components, etc. So this ends up being a pretty dense CAD detail because it has a lot of sections in it. I then send blow-ups of the sections to a detail page(s) on the layout. I do this by zooming into a part of the CAD detail and send current screen to layout at 1 1/2" scale. I then crop it on layout to the exact size using the layout border box. In this way I have a "live" view of the CAD detail, so if I make any changes in the CAD detail they will automatically update to the layout. The problem is my layout page is now very slow to navigate. I think this is because it has many views of the same, very large CAD detail on it. I've essentially created many little windows of the same large drawing on the layout. I know I could create each of the details in its own CAD detail, instead of one large one, but I like having them all on the same CAD detail page for reference. Is there a better way to do this? thanks!

I've created a deck that is -3" in the structure tab, but the decking appears at floor level, not three inches below. Is there any way to control the height of the decking other than the structure tab?

Brilliant! Most concise answer to any question I've ever asked, and a huge time saver. Thanks!

Is there a way to have the layout update automatically (or manually) to the newest version of a plan? I create plans with a lot of cad details that I send to layout. As I iterate on the plan, I save it as a new version. However, I end up with a layout that has details from the older version of the plan, which gets confusing. For example, I have Plan 1 with details 1a and 1b. Then I save Plan 1 as Plan 2 (a new iteration). Plan 2 is now my current plan, and the details have been saved with it, so now I have Plan 2 with details 2a and 2b. I would like to have my old Plan 1 on the layout update to Plan 2, along with the associated details. I currently have to resend the details every time I change the plan, which is a lot of work with 30-40 details. Am I missing something obvious? Thanks

I didn't see much online about how to create frosted glass doors so I played around for a bit and came up with something decent which I thought I would share. CA has lots of textured glass and patterned glass, but doesn't seem to have simple frosted glass. Here's how I did it (apologies if this is obvious) -found a google image of frosted glass that I liked -created a new library material called frosted glass -adjusted the color and translucence -checked "stretch to fit" -changed my cabinet door to flush, and chose my new frosted glass as the material

Well, that was a strange way to spend 6 hours. Now I just have to talk someone into wanting a Thai temple

Wow, thanks so much for posting- I'm going to play with the plan now. This is an image of what I just figured out, which I suppose is obvious, that you can rotate a curved roof to get some interesting shapes

It's a little hard to tell from the images, but I don't think it is quite right. Here's a video that shows how to do it in sketchup. I don't really want it made in SU, but it shows very clearly exactly what the shape is and how it is constructed geometrically. You can start at 1:20, where he actually does the work

here are some images that might make it clearer: http://bit.ly/2hxtJlH

I'm also working on this swayback ridge, which someone modeled here a while ago

wow, yusuf, that is very cool. It's not actually what I want, but it is harder than what I want, so you could probably easily do what I'm describing. As Richard said, in a hyperbolic paraboloid, all the lines are actually straight. It forms a saddle, which is actually a practical roof shape because it's pitched. Please see image

thanks, I used to make those as model tensile structures. Yes, I think that is the best way using straight members. I was thinking of a curved steel ridge beam with standard wood framing coming off it and screwing down plywood (maybe double layer). I guess there will be some plywood waste as it will go off layout as it curves. Maybe with a double layer I could just let the edges flop.

For a real project. Yes, tough to build but cool-looking IMHO

Alan, thanks for the suggestion. You can't turn a roof plane into a solid (it already is a solid, apparently). If I were to import it as a solid, what would be the benefit- that the underside would be visible? I think what would be ideal would be the ability to make any PS a "roof", wherein the walls would automatically snap to the underside.

I'm still trying to figure out how to do this with some clever hack. I want to make a parabolic roof, and it appears the only way to create a parabola is with the terrain tools. I created a parabolic terrain and changed the materials to look like a roof, and stuck it above the building. Then I pulled the walls up manually to meet the roof. So that all works, more or less. The problem is I can't find any way to create the parabolic ceiling on the inside, which is really the point of this roof. It appears that terrains don't have a bottom surface so they just appear white (invisible) in camera views. Anyone have any creative work-arounds for this? parabola house.plan

It appears that the issue is not related to the roof, just the ceiling plane. If I take a blank plan, drawing a ceiling plane, and place a hole it it, the ceiling plane hole has a shaft around it equal to the thickness of the ceiling structure (which makes sense). However, if you attempt to change the thickness of the ceiling structure (in order to reduce the shaft), it's starts to get weird. It seems like once I reset the ceiling structure to anything below 9" the problems begin. Maybe it is just a software glitch.

I took your plan and attempting to modify it to my specs and ran into similar problems. I'm actually trying to create a 4' deep roof that tapers from 9" to 5" over 4'. I want openings in the roof (but not actual skylights, they would be flush with the roof frame). When I changed your skylight to just an opening, the skylight shaft stuck out above the roof surface. I have tried numerous experiments with varying the thickness of the roof structure and ceiling structure, but they either result in the skylight shaft penetrating the upper roof surface, or the icicles coming off the corners of the ceiling surface below. I'm getting obsessed! I've attached your plan with the skylight changed to an opening, but you can just do the same on your plan to see the result. test 1.plan

On second look, I think you have the same problem in the sample you attached. If you look carefully at the corners of the ceiling plane at the skylight cutout, you will see the "icicles" I referred to

William, you're a genius! I was making it more complicated by trying to manually create the ceiling hole separately from the skylight. I didn't realize that a manually created ceiling would understand that it had a roof above with a skylight in it and create the hole automatically. Thanks much!

I'm trying to design a roof that is flat on top and sloped on bottom, so that it tapers towards the fascia. Then I want to put skylights in it. Since there is no way to create a tapered roof that I'm aware of, I did it with a PS drawn in elevation to create the taper. However, when I put the holes for the skylights in plan (holes in the PS), it doesn't work because the PS was drawn in elevation (to get the taper), and not drawn in plan. So then I tried creating a flat roof on top with an angled ceiling plane below, with skylights on top and holes in the ceiling plane that align with the skylights. This worked, but the ceiling holes have weird icicles hanging down at the corners which I can't get rid of. To simplify it, I created a new test plan that just has an angled ceiling plane with a hole in it. I get the same icicles in the corners. Does anyone know what causes this? Here's a pic, test plan is attached. thanks hole in ceiling.plan

Thanks much for the tip, I will give it a try tomorrow!

I ordered the HP T520 from Amazon today for $1200. It was a tough decision, as craig's list had a lot of used high-end plotters for half the price. I decided to go new because I have reached my threshold for time-wasting printer problems. We shall see..... Thanks to all who made recommendations.

My standard drawing sheet (layout) is 24x36, and I make drawing scale and text size appropriate to that size sheet. However, zoning and conservation review boards typically require 11x17 drawings, so they can fold them and mail them out to members. If I simply reduce my "D" drawings to that size, the text becomes unreadable (too small). I end up having to manually resize the text, which wastes a lot of time. I sort of understand that annotation sets would address this, but wouldn't I still be creating two completely independent sets of drawings (large and small)? Has anyone else had this issue and figured out a clever solution? thanks!