Drawing elevations

[Squiidly]

I'm an AutoCad user at work, using VW at home for side work. I am currently drawing interior elevations, and am used to being able to draw them from plans that were "xref'ed" into my drawing and rotated to align wall and openings. In VW, I can see how to show a plan by turning on the plan layer, but how do you rotate the thing without changing the nature of the original plan? Or, how do VW users draw elevations, if you don't have a fully developed model? I tend to use the program for 2D work, and haven't build a complete model of my project.

[CipesDesign]

One method is to create a LAYER LINK containing the plan layer, then rotate the link. Another is to duplicate the whole plan, group it, then rotate.

[Squiidly]

Is that going to ruin the plan's location in the plan viewport, unless I return it to its original position?

[Jonathan Pickup]

a layer link will do what you want. And it will not affect the original information. But, why apply autocad techniques to VectorWorks? Why not draw the building using 3D and then make elevation and section viewports?

[Petri]

Well, Jon, I very often draw (initial) elevations in 2D with lines. However, for this I use this little known invention called pen and paper. A fantastic user interface! I use it also for massing studies, perspective/axo sketches and what have you. Extremely versatile.

After this, I start to develop the 3D model in VW and get my elevations that are good enough for at least design development and draft permit & working drawings.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Petri

[Jonathan Pickup]

the fantastic thing about pen and paper is the start-up time, it?s immediate! The undo and redo are a bit buggy though...

[Petri]

Yeah, but the batteries last even the entire flight between Oz and Europe. Tested many times.

[Squiidly]

I've considered creating a model, but doesn't that mean that you have to create every single part? So that if you have reveals in a door frame, you would have to create them in the model? I thought it might be too time consuming to model all the details.

[CipesDesign]

Yes & no. Even if you model just the basics, you can still use that as an acurate "skeleton" for section & elevations. You can easily trace over it and/or add more (2d) detail in the annotations of a viewport.

[Jonathan Pickup]

Follow Peter?s advice. This is what I do. Use VectorWorks to generate most (but not all) of the 3D model. Anything that you need to add, add it to the annotation part of the viewport.

[CipesDesign]

Squidly, here is an EXAMPLE of an elevation created from a model. The only thing added (in the annotations) is the heavy outline. P

Edited January 9, 2007 by Katie

[Squiidly]

Nice drawing. Do all line weights have to be added afterward? I can't tell if there are more than 2 line weights.

[CipesDesign]

In that particular example there are 3 line weights: one is the hidden line rendering (which can be controlled via the VP Advanced Prop's), the other two were added in the annotations. Also, underneath the hidden line VP is an exact duplicate VP which is rendered in Final Quality RW's.

[michael john williams]

Nice elevation.

Simple rendering and shadows. Was it done in Renderworks? How did you create the shadows?

3D modeling, Renderworks and lighting gets so complicated doing it properly I beginning to wonder that I should go back to the basics and do more in annotations, hatches, etc

[CipesDesign]

MJW, Yes (as I said above) 2 VP's. First is in FQRW, second (a copy of the first) is in HL and placed directly over the the first. It's not so much that it's complicated but you DO have to model accurately, which means more front-end time, but much less time at the end...

[michael john williams]

Peter

Thanks for getting back.

We do it a similar way - 2 vp's - one HL set to sketch and one Fast RW with Shadows. But boo, as you say it takes time and whilst it may not be complicated it can be to those who are learning.

I few qeries on your elevation:

1. How do you do your shadows? They look nice and simple but effective.

We use 4 suns, but it takes a lot of fiddling to get it right.

2. Are you getting you thick black lines in annotations or in classes?

3. Are you getting your renders in the object info

[CipesDesign]

<<<1. How do you do your shadows? They look nice and simple but effective. We use 4 suns, but it takes a lot of fiddling to get it right.>>>

Final Quality RW's. In most cases my shadows are from a "real" sun, by which I mean I set true north based on the surveyor's data and a set light source with accurate lat/long, day of year & time of day. So what happens to the dark (north in my case) side of the house? In that particular shot (which is the north side) I set the sun to very early in the morning, in the summer. This gives me the light you see on the north side. One other thing of note: in order to light all four elevs effectively I uses two layer links. They are identical except that their respective "suns" are set to different days/times. Those layer links are not used for anything else.

<<<2. Are you getting you thick black lines in annotations or in classes?>>>

I assume you mean to ask " are you *drawing* the heavy lines in annotations?" Yes, they're in the annotations of the HL VP. When I set the render option to "sketch" the annotations are sketched as well. I find this the most effective, and easiest method.

<<<3. Are you getting your renders in the object info?>>>

Yes & no. My first render (for each elev) is done in the layer link (ie: on the design layer) so that I can tweak the sun position without having to go back and forth from sheets layers to design layers, etc. Once I get what I'm after I create a VP (for each elev), with the rendering set to FQRW. I then properly position each of these VP's on its sheet. Then I use "OptionClick" to duplicate each VP in place, then change the duplicates via the OIP to HL, fiddle with line weights, etc.

Hope that expalins it better ;-)