3D Modeling Special Interest Group – October 2019

In this session, we constructed a bathtub using Subdivision Modeling and built a cabinet, which we then exploded and turned into a hybrid symbol so that we could add detail and vary the level of detail shown in a drawing.

Topics Covered:

• 00:34    We started by constructing a bathtub using Subdivision Modeling. With subdivisions, you can change the shape by tugging on a side, an edge or a node. In working with subdivision shapes, I find that I often need to momentarily disable my snaps—by holding down the back quote (“`”) key—because it is all too easy to snap to the wrong thing. We used the Shell Solid tool to give our bathtub a thickness. The Section Solids command let us give a curved cut to the top. After using the Fillet Edge tool to smooth the edges, we made a base by using the Project tool. With the newest version of Vectorworks, you can go back through the bathtub’s history to revise its components.
• 14:32    Wanting more control over the amount of detail added and shown in a cabinet, we first took a Vectorworks base cabinet and exploded it. However, before you explode it, it helps to make sure that you’ve assigned the various parts to the classes you want. We added greater detail—for example, the drawer boxes—so that we could demonstrate how symbols can have three levels of detail: low, medium, and high. Maybe you would want to use low detail on a cross-section of your building, but high detail on a section of your bathroom. Another option is to leave the cabinet as a parametric object and create levels of detail by turning classes on and off. However, this method will not give you the same level of detail control—we still got too much detail on a cross-section, for example. We discussed workarounds for getting the balance you need between having levels of detail and being able to revise your object.
• 39:25    We finished the session by showing how to use the Create Auto Hybrid command to make an object where you can control the level of detail shown to some extent. However, if you want to have the greatest control over the amount of detail, you should simply make your own Hybrid object—an object that has mixes 3D with 2D. That way, you can ensure that it shows exactly what you need!

3D Modeling October 2019

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