2020 Design Summit Thoughts

[_c_]

Glad to see finally components wrapping around windows, that was time.

Materials as resources is good. I had my own command for managing this problem, glad to see this streamlined.

 

I really hope that the architectural plug-ins get upgraded. I see no hint in this sense.

 

[Helm]

On 4/30/2020 at 4:54 PM, lorenza said:

Ok, UNIT PLAN is extremely important for our workflow!

Here too, we still have not found the best way.  You can make a symbol of an apartment plan but what does it include.  I am not talking about much more that walls, fixtures, and furniture.  But how does the symbol connect to the building structure, the exterior and interior common walls.  And what about layers, they cannot be included in a symbol everything is on one layer, but we can use classes for electrical etc.  

[_c_]

We use design layer viewports. It is pretty complex if you need to display them on multiple files but it works perfect, including IFC export.

This gets rather tricky if you need various wall heights. If Unit Plan resolves this, well done.

[Helm]

55 minutes ago, _c_ said:

We use design layer viewports. It is pretty complex if you need to display them on multiple files but it works perfect, including IFC export.

This gets rather tricky if you need various wall heights. If Unit Plan resolves this, well done.

So you make a unit/apartment plan with only interior walls? And make it a view port.  In our case we are making factory built modules that have double common walls, that is a factory built common wall on each side of the unit.  We would sit that VP/module on top of the slab and then draw the exterior building walls and then interior hallway walls for example.  Actually we would probably fit all the modules around the overall floor plan then draw exterior walls then fit the slab to the overall floor plan.  Just trying to get the system straight in my head.  Right now I am getting basic layouts done by others and we have to do the exterior look and finalize the model and no one seems to do the basic layout the same way.   Having written all this I am wondering if this is going to be problematic since VPs can't be copied to other files.  

 

Interestingly the architect we started working with does all his work with others online, no one is in his office and because of my long experience I seem to be getting the bigger projects, works out perfectly during this lockdown.  

 

Yes some sort of unit plan approach would be a great help.  In the housing market factory built modules are going to be the future.  Our architect has all the work he can handle and we are happy to be sitting at home in Italy working on his projects.  Keeping up with VW and years of experience has made me at retirement age an even more valuable asset in the work force.  

[twk]

We use DLVP's as well. The brain wrecking part is when you have to do window and door schedules in this scenario.

 

e.g

You have an overall plan (Design Layer) that contains different floor plan types (in this case, in the form of Design Layer Viewports). When it comes to scheduling doors/windows, if these are in the DLVP's, then your schedule would have to calculate what viewport types are on that overall plan, and then calculate what window types belong to that particular plan type. A simple terrace housing complex is ok. Up scale that to a six story complex with 8 plan types mixed in at each level, and your in a living nightmare. We've alleviated that particular scenario through custom scripting, but if the new Unit Plan methodology would be able to cater for this that would be great.

 

[Helm]

I keep thinking about this bit about unit plans.  At present the only really efficient way is to develop symbols of the units.  They can be used in various projects and if updated every instance of the symbol changes.  Or one can also update a copy of a symbol and replace it in the overall floor plan easily.  

[Helm]

On 4/30/2020 at 10:58 PM, Boh said:

Not to mention walls within symbols sometimes getting confused with elevation level. 😉

That seems to be the reason some don't want to use symbols for units.  

[_c_]

10 minutes ago, Helm said:

I keep thinking about this bit about unit plans.  At present the only really efficient way is to develop symbols of the units.  They can be used in various projects and if updated every instance of the symbol changes.  Or one can also update a copy of a symbol and replace it in the overall floor plan easily.  

 

No. Given that we don't know Unit Plan yet, presently the only really efficient way is using Design Layer Viewports.

Both Symbols and Design Layer Viewports fail on variable wall height, obviously, but Symbols fail more, since their definition doesn't reside on design layer and walls are entities whose parent is required to be design layer.

 

Edit: if you don't use walls, symbols are better.

Edited May 3, 2020 by _c_

[Helm]

3 minutes ago, _c_ said:

 

No. Given that we don't know Unit Plan yet, presently the only really efficient way is using Design Layer Viewports.

Both Symbols and Design Layer Viewports fail on variable wall height, obviously, but Symbols fail more, since their definition doesn't reside on design layer and walls are entities whose parent is required to be design layer.

 

Edit: if you don't use walls, symbols are better.

If you want to use the viewports in another file or project what do you do.  Also I still find the whole wall height business confusing and cumbersome.  Why can't we just put a wall on a layer give it a height without any other settings.  Variable wall heights in symbols - I am not sure can't a symbol have walls of differing heights. 

[twk]

30 minutes ago, Helm said:

If you want to use the viewports in another file or project what do you do

We layer reference in the design layer, then viewport that onto the master/overall layer. Cumbersome I know, but that workflow, works for us.

[_c_]

Same as TWK.

Usually this is a set up taking a little while, yes, but it isn't done often and it pays off greatly.

[Christiaan]

2 hours ago, twk said:

We layer reference in the design layer, then viewport that onto the master/overall layer. Cumbersome I know, but that workflow, works for us.

 

That's what I do as well. I made this wish to deal with the cumbersome nature of this workflow:

 

[Helm]

OK so continuing on the subject of unit plans, I am starting to agree about design layer viewports.  I have not been a big fan of using referenced files.  But on my current project we do have one big one and that is referencing the apartment building to the office building on the same site in order to accomplish the overall site plan and project model.  The beauty of it is that the referenced viewport can have all the advantages of a normal viewport.  So:

Let me summarize how I think it works, we make a file for the units, then we create the main project file.  On that file we make design layer viewports for each unit type referencing the unit file, then those viewports are copied and pasted as needed to create the overall floor plan.  Any changes we make to the units would be done in the original unit plan file and updated in the project file.  Do I have it right so far.  What will be the issues regarding floor elevations and wall heights.  

[_c_]

Yes.

 

A few advises:

• name your Design Layer Viewports well, so you can easily spot them and mass edit them in the visibility tab of the Organization Dialog (which, for some reason, most users never notice). Preferably add a suffix, such as vp- or dlvp- 
• Set the Viewport Class Visibilities to Use Current Document Class Visibilities, so you don't need to go crazy setting them up at every change.
• The needed elevation  (Z) for the design layer with the geometry must be 0. The DLVPs can then be treated like any other 3D object.
• The Layer Wall Height (DZ) for the design layer with the geometry should match the standard height for your flats/floors. If you have multiple heights that cannot be resolved well.
• The Walls can be set to layer wall height, or whatever, it depends on your specific planning needs.

Edited May 4, 2020 by _c_

[Helm]

I should mention I saw something incorporating Excel spread sheets in VW, that would be very useful.  Make it happen.