Terrain And Building (Several Questions)

[4hotshoez]

I have watch the training videos. Since I have never developed a terrain model, I have been experimenting separate from my designed house. The question is, can I join the two plan models (terrain and building) into one? I used Sketchup and Google earth to get the topo data, then to determine the optimal building orientation after it was designed. I have not found any videos that tells me how to do this in Chief. Now I want to merge the to files. I am not rotating the building orientation. I am rotating the terrain model. Which should go into to which? Should I insert the terrain into the building model? Or the other way around? Is there an easy way to maneuver the building orientation on a site within Chief? Will merging the two mess up things in my building (windows, trim, elevation of other items)?

 

I don't feel that the terrain model in Chief is any good for developing a cut and fill plan as Chief tends to automatically modify terrain for added roads, walks, drives and retaining walls without my input. So it makes changes that my or may not be possible and gives me no way of knowing what has changed from the existing terrain. If the terrain model in Chief was only visual in its function, then it works, but it seems very close to useful for documentation and calculations for cut and fill.

 

BTW, WISH: it would be nice to have a direct import feature from Sketchup/google earth for developing a terrain model in Chief. Mac has no connection and Windows could be better. Better: drag and drop a sketchup model that can be edited in Chief as 3D geometry.

[mydog8it]

I've had good luck importing X Y Z terrain data. I'm assuming you can export in that format from sketchup? I don't use it much...

 

I've had the best results importing terrain into a new file, then making all of the new terrain lines a CAD block and pasting that into the plan file with the home. I've found it's easier to re-position the terrain than the building. Once you have the terrain in the correct position, you can unblock it to edit as needed.

 

You can add your own terrain lines to override CA's auto re-grading.

[4hotshoez]

I was able to make progress in importing my terrain data. It did not seem to work at first because it would not import a perimeter terrain, but just a closed polygon. So I converted the closed polygon back to a perimeter terrain and all the data was there.

 

Now I would like to establish a relationship with the first floor elevation and the terrain, which is loaded with contours. I would like to set the first floor at 100 ft, and establish one of the contour lines at 100 ft with all of the other contours to adjust with it, but how is that done?

 

[mydog8it]

I would open the line that is your '100ft' line and verify what elevation CA has that line set at. Then open your terrain perimeter and uncheck the 'automatic' box under 'building pad > subfloor height above terrain' and match the building pad to the elevation of your 100ft line. If your 100ft line is set at elevation 1200" (100'), your subfloor height above terrain would be 1200".

 

Example:  I have a plan with an elevation line that represents 1943 ft in real life, but in my plan it is elevation 36".  In my case, I wanted the slab at 1943, so I set my building pad 'subfloor height above terrain' to 36".

 

By unchecking the boxes to 'hide terrain intersected by building' and 'flatten pad', you'll be able to see the areas that need cut and fill.

[glennw]

Todd,

 

I would always import, locate and rotate the terrain into the plan.

 

As for your levels.

In the Terrain Specification dbx set your Subfloor Height Above Terrain at 100'.

Select all your Terrain Elevation data.

Open Transform/Replicate Object...Move...Relative To Itself.

Enter a value in Z Delta (either positive or negative) that will locate your 100' contour at the correct height in relation to your 100' floor level.

This will locate your floor level at the correct height (100') and all the terrain levels will relate to that floor level.

ie, they will loose their original levels and will now relate to the house floor level of 100'.

I assume from your posts that this is what you wanted to achive.

 

This is exactly what D. Scott has been requesting forever.

 

It is easier to do than it sounds.

[4hotshoez]

How do I raise the whole building up so the first floor is at 100 ft after the house is drawn with the first floor at 0"?

 

How do modify contours or create new ones to tie into existing?

[Chief16Designer]

To change the position of the house relative to the terrain, you will want to select the terrain, open it and change the Building Pad Elevation. You will want to uncheck Automatic then enter a new value for the Pad Elevation

[glennw]

How do I raise the whole building up so the first floor is at 100 ft after the house is drawn with the first floor at 0"?

 

How do modify contours or create new ones to tie into existing?

 

Todd,

Did you read my post #5?

 

Best to leave the buildings main floor level at Chief's default zero level and do what I described.

If you try and do things by changing the actual floor level to 100', you will eventually get all messed up.

[4hotshoez]

Todd,

Did you read my post #5?

 

Best to leave the buildings main floor level at Chief's default zero level and do what I described.

If you try and do things by changing the actual floor level to 100', you will eventually get all messed up.

Yes, I have not tried moving the floor level as I know I have had trouble in the past. But I am struggling to work with the contours to make them do what I want them to do. I not sure it is worth the fight. I am trying to work with the existing terrain model and modify to show how the new house sits without gaping holes or mounds of dirt piling up. I have not figure out how to have manual control of how the 3D model builds the terrain. Fight, fight, fight seems to be the Chief A** way.

[mydog8it]

I think you're making it more complicated than it is. If you open the terrain perimeter and check the boxes to "flatten pad" and "hide terrain intersected by building" the gaps below and mounds of dirt inside will go away. This gives you a flat pad under your building. Unchecking those boxes will let you see how the building interacts with the unaltered terrain so you can see where you need cut and fill. 

[lbuttery]

Todd:

 

Glenn probably has the "way"

 

but for me I find it easier to have the plan in a separate plan

and then save it as a 3D symbol

 

then place the symbol into the master terrain plan

 

I only do this if there is complex terrain or multiple buildings in the master

 

this method seems to avoid all the "hassles"

 

Lew

[mydog8it]

Todd:

 

Glenn probably has the "way"

 

but for me I find it easier to have the plan in a separate plan

and then save it as a 3D symbol

 

then place the symbol into the master terrain plan

 

I only do this if there is complex terrain or multiple buildings in the master

 

this method seems to avoid all the "hassles"

 

Lew

That probably makes your plan much faster, especially with complicated terrain, but I would get frustrated re-blocking and placing the home back on the terrain every time the client wanted a change.

[lbuttery]

Joy:

 

its never been an issue

 

but I also did fewer plans than most

 

most of the time the client wants to see the house and variations

 

once in awhile we did "site planning" where the terrain was the main focus

 

Lew

[lbuttery]

get frustrated re-blocking and placing the home back on the terrain every time the client wanted a change

 

Joy:

 

yes, it would be nice if there was x-ref capability and the master plan was auto-updated

if the "sub" plan was changed

 

Lew

[mydog8it]

A recent client decided to add a pool at the end of the project, and the grading/drainage engineer made quite a few changes to accommodate. We also went through five or six variations on exterior color schemes, landscape & hardscape options. Needless to say, that plan exterior was re-rendered A LOT. But you're right, most plans are not.

 

yes, it would be nice if there was x-ref capability and the master plan was auto-updated

if the "sub" plan was changed

 

That actually might be nice for things other than terrain, too, but it's not something I'll complain about. I'm just excited to finally be getting frameless corner windows in x8