Interior posts with base molding - best way to create?

[Christina_Girerd]

I'm doing a rough 3D of an existing building with posts defining different ceiling height sections of a large space.  I can't figure the best way to make the posts that have the same wall finish and molding as the rest of the room.  I looked at Framing/Posts but they only offer end profiles, not moldings.  I ended up using invisible walls and room dividers to break up an actual wall to make the short wall bits appear as columns (I made a wider wall than normal), but then the base molding is messed up on some of the posts.

 

See attached plan and 3D view with problem base moldings circled, and photo of actual space.  I tried adjusting the wall options such as No Locate, No Room Def, etc, to see if there was any difference, but nothing seemed to put the moldings around all the column bases.  In addition, it was a real pain to break the wall up and try to size the real wall & invisible wall sections without them trying to merge. 

 

I can’t remember ever having to do something like this before, so I assume I’m missing something as I wouldn’t expect adding some columns to be this complicated.  I know I could make a 3D symbol if I have to, but I’d assume there’s a better way.  Any suggestions?

2024 02 ST Column Problem.plan

[SusanC]

I like to use a tall cabinet, take off the doors, remove the toe kick, then add base molding.  You can easily adjust the size, the material, the color, the moldings.  They move as a fixed unit if you need to slide them.  Very easy to control and very stable.  Hope this helps.     

[rgardner]

Looking at that I would probably use full walls and place doorways in those spaces that look like doorways.  Base trim should be automatic as well.

[GeneDavis]

Are you looking to model the arrangement exactly as the photo depicts, with the beams atop the columns having a width narrower than the width/depth of the jacketed columns?

[VHampton]

Everybody's got their something.

 

3D solid for the columns, w/ a molding for the bases. 

 

All of the above work.  

 

The cabinet idea was clever. Soffits as well. 

 

[DeLayDesign]

I would assume this is a wall and probably draw it that way, however you could do it in a number of ways.  One I didn't see yet was using poly molding for the entire post.  You can build it all together similar to what @VHamptondescribed but taking it a little further with the molding and eliminating the poly solid.

[Nate_M]

I second Susan's suggestion of using a tall cabinet. I've come across scenarios similar to what you are trying to accomplish a few times and have found using a tall cabinet to be the most flexible solution. Trying to use walls as posts will confuse Chief. For the horizontal beams soffits work great.

[Christina_Girerd]

Thanks for all the options.  I tried Ryan's suggestions of door openings first as that sounded easiest, and it worked well.  It had the advantages of including the base molding and keeping the room definitions.  I just removed the door opening casing and jamb and made it taller than the wall then copied it. 

 

I did later try the tall cabinet idea - that worked well too, and as you pointed out, could easily be moved around as a unit.  I'll save that one for when I need a column that is inside a room. 

 

I used ceiling beams for the horizontal beams, those worked easily. 

 

 

[VHampton]

23 hours ago, DeLayDesign said:

I would assume this is a wall and probably draw it that way, however you could do it in a number of ways.  One I didn't see yet was using poly molding for the entire post.  You can build it all together similar to what @VHamptondescribed but taking it a little further with the molding and eliminating the poly solid.

 

 

This is really clever Adam. Meaning the use of moldings. 

 

Within 2 minutes I've got a viable column which is extremely easy to resize in plan view. 

 

Better yet, it can made into a symbol for future reference as an "adjustable" column.

 

Thank you!  

 

 

[Christina_Girerd]

That moldings-built column looks good too!  All these different ideas to make columns are useful but not necessarily immediately intuitive to a newer user. 

 

This make me think Chief should have a basic Column option - maybe under one of the Build menus, which is where I first looked. The user would choose round or square/rectangular, have options to choose moldings for base and top, and the column would resize while keeping the moldings the right size, and default height might be to the ceiling so if it is moved to different height rooms it would adjust automatically unless the user changed the default height.  And the user could set a column style as a plan default.  Something that newer users could easily find and use.  I will put in a suggestion for this.