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Stories vs layers


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I have been drawing residential housing using a 3D model, setting up the building using Layers to achieve the different storey heights.  What I am wondering is what is the difference between what I am doing, and using the Stories option - should I learn how to use Stories and change, and if so why?

As you can tell I am completely ignorant about what the Stories function is for....

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You can assign Z-heights to Layers in VW since decades.

That works well for simpler projects.

 

Stories do similar but are more intelligent and flexible.

a)

You can change the Z position of your Stories later and VW will ask you in which way

the neighbored Stories should react. Like adapt their heights or move all up to free some

space to let one Story expand in height and all those things.

So you will keep your Layers at Z = 0.00 but bind them to a Story,

which will control their height level.

 

b)

And more important,

Stories can have additional Levels and you can bind Plugin Objects to these heights.

For example, you create 2 Levels,

"Top of Structure" = -0.10 cm and "Bottom of Structure" = -0.30 cm.

Now these Levels can be available in all Stories.

So you can assign the Bottom of a Wall to use Level "Top of Structure",

the Top of Wall be "Bottom of Structure - of the Story above"

 

Now you can copy these Walls from one Story to another, no matter how the Stories heights

are different, your Wall will fit perfectly in any Story automatically.

It will even keep fitting when you change your Stories or Story's Levels anytime later.

 

This means Stories and their Layers are the only way to control your whole Building in Z axis,

in a parametric, intelligent and flexible way.

 

 

I am sure you already use Wall Joints or Slab binding to Walls.

That is nearly the same thing, just in 2D XY direction.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@zoomer

I have been toiling with levels and stories for this simple bungalow that i am designing but it is not that simple. in particular where the bottom of walls and doors is located. IT IS quite challenging for me. 

Can you explain the best workflow to make sure the wall is sitting on a subfloor while the door opening starts on the finish floor?

Thank you that will be a great help if I can figure this out.

BEst

 

CF

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When you set your Story to Finish Floor Height (=default) and have bound your main drawing Layer

to that height, everything you draw will sit on that Finish Floor Height, as long as their Object Z Height

stays 0,00.

So all Doors, Windows, Furniture, .... you draw on that Layer has Z=0,00 = Finish Floor Level.

 

For your Wall Styles you will set the Bottom Bound to "Top of Structure"

(Top Bound to "Bottom of Structure - Story above)

When you draw these, they will automatically start below your Finish Floor.

(At the distance you set for your "Top of Structure" in Story Levels)

Edited by zoomer
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Guest Wes Gardner

Hi Sharon,

 

It's not really an either/or scenario.  You can work with Layers without stories but not the other way 'round.  Your model will build just fine using just Layers.  You may want to head over to the Architecture tab and take a look at the Model Set-Up documentation.  It shows you how to create wall styles that are "Story aware" vs wall styles that just use layers - BOTH are PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE means of building a model.

Stories can offer a little more automation when it comes to change management as well as helping with the IFC file format.

 

Wes

Edited by Wes Gardner
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  • 1 month later...

Is there a way to get my project out of stories and back into a simple layer setup? I tried stories and it F---ed up my entire project with walls with no heights, windows and furniture all over the place.... this is a disaster for me ... I tried copying and pasting into a new file but walls won't show proper heights even if I type it in the OIP. I guess I have to redraw a complete project - I may have to switch to Archicad after this financial loss.... grrr.

 

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2 hours ago, Richard Finnegan said:

Is there a way to get my project out of stories and back into a simple layer setup? I tried stories and it F---ed up my entire project with walls with no heights, windows and furniture all over the place.... this is a disaster for me ... I tried copying and pasting into a new file but walls won't show proper heights even if I type it in the OIP. I guess I have to redraw a complete project - I may have to switch to Archicad after this financial loss.... grrr.

 

 

You're telling us you went exploring with your one and only file for the project and then saved your mess overwriting the original?  I can promise this would  end bad no matter what software you used.  I version save my work all the time and ESPECIALLY if I plan to experiment.

 

Edited by jcaia
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2 hours ago, Richard Finnegan said:

Is there a way to get my project out of stories and back into a simple layer setup? I tried stories and it F---ed up my entire project with walls with no heights, windows and furniture all over the place.... this is a disaster for me ... I tried copying and pasting into a new file but walls won't show proper heights even if I type it in the OIP. I guess I have to redraw a complete project - I may have to switch to Archicad after this financial loss.... grrr.

 

I think stories and levels are very powerful.  However, you do need to understand how stories and levels interact with walls, slabs, and symbols. Once you understand how they interact, then you can create your walls and slabs to work with the levels and design layers.

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@Richard FinneganHi all is not lost, walls with no height etc, are they styled walls? If so set that style to be bound to design layer and set height to zero. Go to design layer for those walls and set the design layer for the wall height.and all should come right. Is not styles use wand to select all walls and in OIP select the bound to level and wall height, all should correct. Furniture etc do same place on correct layer. Isolate classes and select all and place on correct design layers. Make sure you have design layers set correctly with level and layer heights.

HTH, Good luck. All is not lost you just have to be methodical in your repair.

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10 hours ago, Richard Finnegan said:

Is there a way to get my project out of stories and back into a simple layer setup?

 

There surly is.

But I think it would be much easier to "repair" the Story/Level issues.

But that needs some understanding of the Story/Level System.

And I agree that VW does not make the best job to make that understandable.

The System itself would be pretty easy.

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Richard Finnegan said:

walls with no heights, windows and furniture all over the place

 

Windows and furniture currently are not Story Level aware.

So it will be just a problem of wrong Layer Z Heights,

maybe not correctly bound to Stories,

or Elements sitting just on wrong Layers with different Z Heights.

 

As for the Walls, these are Story Level aware and rely on existing Levels.

Maybe even by Dummy-Stories above and below your last Stories to be able

to access any "Level XX of Story above/below".

You can change them anytime back to old "Layer Wall Height".

Either in Styles or by Object.

 

 

 

As it is the Story Level System itself does lack all power of being parametric for

later changes. Nevertheless it already gives a lot of automation for your objects.

So I think, if any feasible, going the Story/Level way would be the better way.

 

Edited by zoomer
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15 hours ago, Richard Finnegan said:

Is there a way to get my project out of stories and back into a simple layer setup? I tried stories and it F---ed up my entire project with walls with no heights, windows and furniture all over the place.... this is a disaster for me ... I tried copying and pasting into a new file but walls won't show proper heights even if I type it in the OIP. I guess I have to redraw a complete project - I may have to switch to Archicad after this financial loss.... grrr.

 

start by looking at a few walls in the OIP - check their heights and offsets under "Height"  - it's likely that these settings were made to make the walls work in a Layers-only set up, but don't work in a Stories and levels setup.  Check the 'Top Offset' setting in particular.  Once you've diagnosed the problem with a few walls, you'll be able to fix the rest of the file.

 

Also check your Layer heights in the Story setup - if you have furniture at odd levels, you may have your furniture on a Layer with an elevation setting that doesn't match the corresponding story.  Again, no panic, just look up the correct elevation and set it correctly.

 

we use stories and layers as our preferred setup, because it allows the model to respond quickly to design revisions easily.    The key is understanding how stories and layers work, and setting the model up correctly.

Edited by Chad Hamilton HAarchs
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