How To Build A Fireplace Floor To Ceiling

[80238dmcm]

I am not sure were to begin to build a floor to ceiling fire place with stone facade.

Can someone direct me to the tools or tutorial?

thanks..

donna

[chief58]

Donna I use walls with stone on them usually 2X4 then put a fireplace behind there and place a doorway to see the fireplace at that point I raise the fireplace and doorway to where I want if it has a raised hearth, I make my hearth and mantle using the slab tool hearth with stone on it, if I want to do a bumpout I use exterior walls and where I want the stone on the inside I break the walls to where I want to stone the stone inside and change that wall to a stone wall, if you don't want it to go to the ceiling then use a pony wall with the different types

[joey_martin]

Model it in Chief just like you would build it in the field, for inserts...masonry fireplaces are a different story, but similar. Create a wall type with the correct layers and materials, and model it. Ray is correct about the doorway as well. Just turn the casing off once you place the doorway so that it is just a cutout and the stone will return back to the face of the fireplace.

[Larry_Sweeney]

Walls work most of the time, but if you go with sloped sides you may have to use p-solids. There are manys ways to accomplish fireplaces. It depends on the look you are after, how you want it to look in plan view and how it is actually going to be built. This is an area that needs improvement in CA. As you gain experience in this program items like fireplaces are fairly easy to figure out. It's just that the "experience part" can be very frustrating at times. There are many threads on this forum about this subject in the "new" and "old" ChiefTalk. Try doing some searches to learn more on the subject if needed and how others accomplish fireplace problems.

[CJSpud]

Donna:

 

I more or less build fireplaces (usually insert type fireplaces) the way Ray and Joey have described.  Attached is a plan with the process mapped out in steps ... some of the steps, particularly the last step, involve more than one simple procedure.  Nevertheless, if you click on the walls and objects and analyze what happened in the succeeding steps, you should be able to figure out what happened.  Of course, I am assuming you've done some homework in learning some of the basics for using Chief.  I am also assuming that you are using X7 Premier which is what I created this plan with.  If not, you will have to work on the process by trial and error until you get it.  If you have access to Chief's videos and Knowledge Database, check them out as there's tons of information to help you better understand how to do things.

 

FireplaceBuildProcess.zip

 

Here's what the plan looks like if you aren't using X7:

 

 

And a cross-section of the fireplace build process:

 

 

And here's a ray trace (10 passes) of the final fireplace design:

 

 

In the final two steps, I used polyline solids for the raised hearth, for the wood mantel, and for the added section on the right for the wood storage.  To create the opening for the firewood, just draw a smaller polyline over the larger one and then select it and check it to be a polyline hole ... this cuts a hole in the larger PL which I used to insert the firewood symbol into.  I also drew in another PL (in elev. view) inside the hole, made it exactly the same size as the hole, set its thickness to 2" which is what I used for the stone thickness, and then used the material eye dropper to make the PL insert into the same stone material I used.

 

I did create a room molding polyline, assigned a new baseboard molding from the library, and then clicked on the wall segments (those using stone for the fireplace room) that I didn't want baseboard on and told Chief not to display the BB on those segments.

 

I could have used have walls to create that section where the firewood is stored and then covered that "room" with a PL solid as I did with the method I used with all PL's.  Dressed it up with some nautical stuff from the library and it looks decent. 

 

Hope that helps.  If you run into some hiccups, hit F1 and look up whatever is giving you problems in the manual.  I use it all the time and find it very quick and helpful.

[CJSpud]

PS:

 

Anyone needing a small stack of logs to use in their designs can retrieve it from the plan I posted (if you're using X7).  Otherwise you need to use Chief's wood stack symbol and in a 3D view delete a bunch of surfaces to get it where you want it.

[MickeyToo]

A very clear-cut explanation of how to get the job done. Thanks for the example (and the logs).

[Cheryl_C_Crane]

Thanks, Curt, I have your log stack in my library now!

[Kbird1]

There is also a tutorial in the KB ( taking nothing away from Curt's lesson) that may help with some of the "steps" needed.

 

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00058/

 

there is also one for a masonry fireplace and how to use the fireplace tool

 

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00331/40/Chief-Architect/Custom-Objects/Using-the-Fireplace-Tool.html

[4hotshoez]

When I first started in Chief, I used Sketchup to model a complex fireplace. It is nice that Chief will import Sketchup models. My most recent complex FP was done using a combination of a low wall with an arched window and several cabinets (base, wall) to step back with panels. However the plan graphic looks like a mess since it was for 3D designing. Sorry, no picture to post from this computer.

[evergreen]

Nicely done Curt, thank you for that!

[JMarkey]

Curt, Very nice looking fireplace and thanks for the great explanation and the logs!

[jcaffee]

Good tutorial Curt!  Now if CA would cut the framing for masonry fireplaces, I'd be all set. 

 

jon