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Of course the job is far from done, even if a substantial amount of
information can be entered and stored within the Virtual Building.
Architectural documentation, however, includes many interpretations of
the same view of the building. For example, for a given story of the building,
we'll have to generate one construction plan, one reflected ceiling plan, one plan for the
floor finishes, one structural plan, one plan for the furniture, and so on.
Not to mention all the communication with all the professions we'll have
to collaborate with: the structural engineer, the electrical engineer,
HVAC, plumbing, etc. all need different documents from us. ArchiCAD
supports the documentation workflow with so-called views.
So far we have only utilized one part of the Navigator, the Project Map part.
Let's click on the icon to the right of the Project Map. This is the ViewMap part of the
Navigator. As you can see, this part lists plans instead of stories. Of course a plan
can show a floor or a section or a detail. Double-click on 1st Floor in the RCP folder
of the Construction Documentation section of the View Map. The Reflected Ceiling Plan
of the ground floor is shown instantly.
How is this plan different from the Floor Plan we have worked with up
till now? One difference is obvious: we see the tiles of the reflected
ceiling and the lighting elements. These must have been on a layer that
was switched on when changing to the views of the RCP folder. Layers
are like vellums of old times, layered on top of each other. If we pull one
out of the stack, it will be invisible. Elements that have common characteristics -- like exterior
walls, interior walls, furniture, etc. -- should be placed on a common layer, so that their
visibility can be regulated together.
The other significant difference is only visible if we zoom in to the
interior of the building. Doors are shown with their openings only, ...as is
usual on a reflected ceiling plan.
There are six differentiating factors for a view:
One is the Layer Combination, which determines which layers must be switched on or off for
that particular view. Here, layer combinations were set up and named in advance. The one
that is used here is aptly named "Reflected Ceiling Plan".
The other factor is the Scale of the drawing. For instance, plans that are submitted to
the municipality for approval have a smaller scale than construction documentation. In
ArchiCAD, objects like doors, windows or other custom elements are scale--sensitive, that
is, their 2D representation depends on the current scale of the drawing.
The third factor is the Structure Display. This function allows us to display construction
elements in various ways depending how we define the components of elements. We can
choose one of these options: • Entire Model
• Without Finishes • Core Only
• Core of Load-Bearing Elements Only
The fourth factor is the Pen Set. We can define different line weight
to the different color.
The following factor is the so-called Model View Options Combination. These settings control
the behavior of ArchiCAD elements beyond merely toggling visibility on and off. These combinations
were also set up and named in advance. The one for reflected ceiling plans can be viewed
when selecting "Document, ... Set Model View, ...Model View Options" from the menu.
The last factor is the Renovation Filter. We can provide visual
feedback on the status of each element at a particular stage of a
renovation project.
A view is defined by these factors, plus the current zoom and the
dimensions, as shown in the Properties part underneath the Navigator.
Let's display the Quick Options palette by clicking its name in the Windows, ... Palettes
menu.
In the Quick Options palette, you can change these settings
for the current project representation.
Click on any of the buttons and see what changes occur on the Floor
Plan when the settings are changed. Note that the current quick option
settings are not saved to the views automatically. For this you have to
open the view settings dialog and there launch the Get Current
Window's Settings command.
Let's close the example file. Select "File, ... Close" from the menu. Choose "Don't save"
in the "Save changes" dialog box.
You have successfully completed this Training Guide!
Now that you know how to navigate in the model and in the project, you're ready to proceed
with other training materials and see how you can construct new elements.
We hope that you have learned many new and exciting things about the possibilities of
BIM and understood how ArchiCAD supports the architectural design workflow. Please check
the other volumes of this training series for more details about ArchiCAD.
Should you have any questions regarding ArchiCAD or other GRAPHISOFT products, please visit
Graphisoft Help Center, our online knowledge base: helpcenter.graphisoft.com
Please feel free to contact GRAPHISOFT and its worldwide partners with further questions
at www.graphisoft.com.
We look forward to seeing you in the ArchiCAD user community!