Architect Special Interest Group June 2019

In this session, we covered how to set up the architectural and structural components of Column objects and how to have their type, amount, and cost show up on a report. We also demonstrated how to use the Create Similar Object tool and discussed tips for using more than one monitor and multiple view panes.

Topics Covered:

• 00:08    Using the Column tool, we created a piling with concrete at the bottom. I tend to cheat when I do this, because I use a shaft, or structural piece, that doesn’t go all the way down, but stops where the base begins. The challenge with the Column tool is getting the structural component, architectural component, and possibly a capital and a base, with various materials and elevations, all set up in the model and on the classes that you want—it may be complicated, but it’s worth having it all work out how you want. We demonstrated how to assign the components to different classes and how to change their sizes and elevations.
• 12:46    We had six Column objects—pilings with concrete bases—that we lined up from the bottom of a hillside to the top. We then used the Send to Surface command to set the bases on the site and used the Top Offset setting for the columns to make the pilings all the same height. We took a little detour to build a retaining wall with uprights and horizontals from Column objects and Framing Member objects—the good thing about using objects, rather than shapes, for this is that you can create a report to calculate the type and amount of materials, even the cost. We went through the steps for making the report. Next, we build the same type of retaining wall, but by using Wall objects—it was faster, but didn’t give what we needed for our report.
• 25:12     Next, we showed how to use the Create Similar Object tool, or ctrl + alt on a PC and opt + cmd on a Mac. The Create Similar Object tool automatically selects the tool for creating the object that you click on, as well as the object’s attributes and class. We finished the session by discussing people’s experiences with using more than one monitor, getting frustrated with palettes not staying in place, using multiple panes, and accidentally opening the Resource Manager. Some tips were proposed to improve efficiency and productivity.

Architect June 2019

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