Jump to content


Photo

Drawing Walls


  • Please log in to reply
8 replies to this topic

#1 Sergio Astorga

Sergio Astorga

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 9 posts
  • LocationHouston, TX

Posted 31 July 2015 - 03:20 PM

When drawing a wall, is there a way to input the length of the wall desired?  In other words, I want to sketch the wall, type 10' on the keyboard and let the program draw it to that measurement.  Can that be done?  

 

I know that as you drag the mouse the tape measure shows you the distance being drawn.  But I prefer to type the measurement in.


Sergio Astorga


#2 Keith Owens

Keith Owens

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 96 posts
  • LocationConnecticut

Posted 31 July 2015 - 04:15 PM

Yes, you can type in the desired length, then choose the direction with the arrow key, then press home. Just make sure you select outermost bearing or outermost visible for the "wall trace line" options in your system or drawing options, this way the dimension of what you input properly places the wall. Also, when you enter in the first wall length for an exterior wall, you will have to click (or use the arrow keys) on the side of the wall  you will want as the outside, then continue inputting the rest of the walls.


  • Sergio Astorga likes this

#3 Keith Almond

Keith Almond

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 5,092 posts
  • LocationBrockville, Ontario, Canada

Posted 31 July 2015 - 05:31 PM

And this work for most things that you want to draw too. Not just walls. So HOME, 10', RIGHT ARROW, HOME, 4', DOWN ARROW, HOME, 5', RIGHT ARROW, HOME, 2', DOWN ARROW, HOME, 15', LEFT ARROW, HOME, 6' UP ARROW, HOME. Should draw a closed shape, deck, roof ... you get the picture.


  • Sergio Astorga likes this
Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#4 Sergio Astorga

Sergio Astorga

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 9 posts
  • LocationHouston, TX

Posted 31 July 2015 - 06:13 PM

Yes, you can type in the desired length, then choose the direction with the arrow key, then press home. Just make sure you select outermost bearing or outermost visible for the "wall trace line" options in your system or drawing options, this way the dimension of what you input properly places the wall. Also, when you enter in the first wall length for an exterior wall, you will have to click (or use the arrow keys) on the side of the wall  you will want as the outside, then continue inputting the rest of the walls.

It looks like Drawing Settings and System Settings are independent from each other.  So if I make changes to the "wall trace line" in the System Settings, it does not update the Drawings Settings.  But will future projects use the System Settings?


Sergio Astorga


#5 Sergio Astorga

Sergio Astorga

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 9 posts
  • LocationHouston, TX

Posted 31 July 2015 - 06:43 PM

Please forgive me about asking questions comparing with Revit.  But when I draw walls in Revit, there is a properties window that shows me the wall properties.  I can edit the wall height, base offset, top offset, etc., before I draw the wall.  I don't see this option in SP.  So do I just draw the wall with it's default height and then modify the wall height as needed?  Or is there a way to assign a wall height before I draw it?


Sergio Astorga


#6 Sergio Astorga

Sergio Astorga

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 9 posts
  • LocationHouston, TX

Posted 31 July 2015 - 07:07 PM

I am drawing a two story house.  The front wall is a combo wall with stone up to 11' high and then stucco above to the roof plate.  The first floor will have a 10' top plate.  The second floor will have a 9' top plate.

 

Do I create a wall definition with combo stone/stucco and draw it on the first floor plan?  This wall will go all the way up to the roof plate.  Or do I draw the

wall only up to the first floor top plate and then continue that wall on the second floor plan?

 

I seem to remember something about stacking the floors to make the 3D model.  So if I draw the combo wall on the first floor going all the way to the roof, will this wall show up on the second floor plan?


Sergio Astorga


#7 Keith Owens

Keith Owens

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 96 posts
  • LocationConnecticut

Posted 31 July 2015 - 07:21 PM

It looks like Drawing Settings and System Settings are independent from each other.  So if I make changes to the "wall trace line" in the System Settings, it does not update the Drawings Settings.  But will future projects use the System Settings?

I actually shouldn't have included drawing options in my reply - you can only change the wall trace line in system options, and that feature will update in a drawing that was created previously.



#8 Keith Almond

Keith Almond

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 5,092 posts
  • LocationBrockville, Ontario, Canada

Posted 01 August 2015 - 01:37 PM

When you are drawing, you would do it on a floor by floor basis. So draw basement wall, and add concrete floor, then draw main floor walls and add the floor, and second floor walls and add floors and roof. When you stack the floors in the model, it will automatically start the next floor at the top height of the one below. as you add the floors, the walls will automatically be offset. There is only one exception to this - if you use a CIRCULAR reference point, it will stack the floors on top of the circular reference, regardless of it's height. The reference can be assumed to be lowest point to the highest point at that particular location.

 

Typically, I would draw your walls in the locations that you want them, and worry about their heights later. You can use EDIT > WALL HEIGHTS and marquee select all the relevant walls, to edit all the walls to the same height in one command.

 

All Softplan settings are at drawing level. The system options bring in a given default when you start a drawing (obviously you can keep updating them as you wish). Then you change them in the drawing for specific instances. So you can edit a wall definition for this drawing ONLY, Safe in the knowledge that you are not changing your defaults. Most of the drawing menu's have a "RESET TO SYSTEM" command to bring them back to their defaults if necessary.


Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#9 Keith Owens

Keith Owens

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 96 posts
  • LocationConnecticut

Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:45 AM

As Keith mentioned, you typically want to draw all walls at the floor (level) they are associated with. However, if you have situations like a foyer or family room that are open through the second floor, I would draw a 20' +/- wall (10' first floor wall + thickness of second floor floor system + 9' second floor wall) on the main floor. When creating the roof just make you select the "multiple floor roof" option to be able to reference a roof edge to a wall that's on the main floor plan if necessary. On the second floor plan you would still want to show a wall in plan view, but if you draw a 9' wall it will show 2 walls in 3d. So you could break the wall and uncheck "extract in model" in the "common" tab for that section of wall...or you could just draw lines for that area (I usually have a note stating "20'H 2x6 wall from below", or something to that effect). If you choose to draw the additional wall on the second floor, and you use softlist for estimating materials, you would want to exclude that wall. Seeing that you drew a 20' wall on the first floor the material would be figure properly.

 

Drawing all the walls first, then editing the heights is the most common practice, but if you wanted to take the time you could save new wall names if the wall definitions. For example: 2x6/siding/10'. Then when you start drawing you could choose that wall and not have to edit the height later.

 

I had made mention of this in another thread, however I don't think it's very common - I always have 2 instances of softplan running, and I copy & paste with the softplan clipboard from 1 instance to the other all the time. When starting a new drawing you can copy the entire floor plan from one project and paste it into another, then use "draw select" and select anything from the plan you just pasted to start drawing the new floor plan. This way you will be drawing the walls with the heights that have already been changed. You can select anything you want - windows, doors, symbols, notes, arrows, etc. without searching through menus or even using toolbars. I have found the combination of this, and using keyboard shortcuts makes for drawing a complete plan extremely fast. This can be done with projects that were created in earlier versions as well.






0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users