Z height question

[Mickey]

Am I doing something wrong?

I have 2 layers First floor 2nd floor.

First floor z height is 0

2nd floor z height is 18'6"

If I draw an object in plan view on the 2nd floor layer give it an extrusion so it's a 3D object and then switch to the front view my object is only at 14'

I'm no 3D master and everything I've done in 3D I've done from one layer and adjusted heights of each individual object.

What am I doing wrong?

[Mickey]

OK some more on this.

I deleted all layers except my First floor layer.

I have a set of columns that will extend beyond the 2nd floor so...

I created a new layer, called it 2nd floor and gave it a Z height of 18'6".

I go to my first floor, and select my four columns, and then make my 2nd floor the active layer, and paste in place.

From a front view the new columns are sitting on the floor in the exact same place as the original columns (yea paste in place!).

Here's the kicker.

I create a new layer and call it Model, and link my two layers to it so I can render and view them at the same time.

Here the layers are lined up correctly and render exactly as I expected them to.

WHY?

I quit for now.

Thanks in advance.

[P Retondo]

Z height is only relevant to layer linking or model layers. An object created in a layer with a z height will have its base at elevation 0 when viewed from the side IN THAT LAYER. Only when linked into a model layer will the z height have an effect.

You didn't mention your VectorWorks version. Depending on your version, there is a "z" and a "z +/-", which can sometimes lead you to enter your desired z value in the wrong field. V12 (v11 I don't know) has a "Delta z" instead of the "z +/-", which makes it harder to make a mistake.

By the way, after trying both systems I actually favor your previous method (z=0 in every layer) because it makes it possible to paste objects from one layer to another and preserve the actual height.

[marek.dk]

hej mickey,

try the command stack layers. that will stack the layers in top of each other in order to their z-value.

regards marek

[MKingsley]

By the way, after trying both systems I actually favor your previous method (z=0 in every layer) because it makes it possible to paste objects from one layer to another and preserve the actual height.

Pete, I'm curious as to how you use this method. When you draw walls, for example, for a second story, you have to move each of them up to the appropriate height, right? Same for the Roof. Seems like extra work. Maybe you're not doing houses?

[Mickey]

oh silly me where do I find this command?

hej mickey,

try the command stack layers. that will stack the layers in top of each other in order to their z-value.

regards marek

[Mickey]

oh silly me where do I find this command?

Yeah I found it.I had to add it to my workspace, but I got it.

[P Retondo]

Pete, I'm curious as to how you use this method. When you draw walls, for example, for a second story, you have to move each of them up to the appropriate height, right? Same for the Roof. Seems like extra work. Maybe you're not doing houses?

Michael, you can move everything with one command once they're drawn. It's extra work when you have to add walls after that, but it's also extra work to deal with trying to work out exactly where you are in a complex building when all of your objects can only be viewed in their correct height relationships with the full model. Too many lines, plus you aren't in a design layer when the model is displayed.

I find that it's very convenient to just paste a few objects from roof 1, let's say, into the floor 2 layer and work things out where a roof intersects a wall near a window, just to cite the first example that comes to mind.

Plus, it just drives me crazy that once you enter a z value in a layer, VW starts automatically augmenting the z value of every new layer you create. Talk about a waste of time, changing all those automated z parameters!

[michael john williams]

What I can not get my mind round is when setting floor levels and you link the wall heights to floor levels everyting seems to work great. But ground floor usually has walls going below gound floor level as the external ground level is usually lower by at least 150mm than the ground floor level. So you put -150mm in Bot Z but than the walls are 150mm short in height and do not really link into wall height layer z!!

Also when adding a floor the level of the floor is determined by the thickness of the slab, say 200mm and is measured from the u/s of the slab rather than the top of the slab, which is the normal convention, and so Bot Z has to be set at -200mm rather than 0!!!

[P Retondo]

Good point, Michael.