ArchiCAD Essentials Training Guide INT 5-1

Chapter 5 Solid Element Operations, Creating Objects
and Terrain
In this Chapter we will continue the design development, place additional objects, such
as railing, ramps, furniture and we will create the terrain as well. We will also get familiar
with solid element operations and present how to benefit from these in the everyday
work.
Step 1 Solid Element Operations
In this step we will cut holes into slabs across multiple stories for the staircases.
We will get familiar with ArchiCAD’s Solid Element Operation functionality and find out
how to benefit from this throughout the everyday work.
Select the first pre-set view in the “Solid Element Operations” folder in the Navigator
View Map.
Switch to the Marquee Tool in the Tool Box. Select the “All Floors” Marquee Selection
Method in the Info Box.
Draw a rectangular selection area by clicking at Label 1 and Label 2.
Activate the second view map entry from the Navigator to display the Marquee selection
in the 3D window.
The perspective view presents a Section through the Staircase. Zoom-in and notice that the
area of the Staircase is not cut out of the Slabs. We will create holes into the slabs
across all stories in one single operation using Solid Element Operations. The advantage
of this method is that all future modifications will be carried through automatically, only
one element – the operator body – needs to be modified.
Activate the next pre-set View from the View Map.
We will now create the Staircase shaft body using the Slab Tool. Switch to the Slab Tool
in the Tool box.
Activate the “SEO body 1” entry in the Favorites palette. Please remember that SEO
stands for Solid Element Operation.
Switch to the “Polygonal” Slab Geometry Method in the Info Box.
Create the first SEO body by clicking consecutively on the points of Labels 1.1 to 1.11.
Activate the next pre-set View from the View Map.
Switch to the “Rectangular” Slab Geometry Method in the Info Box.
Create the second SEO body by clicking on the points of Labels 1.1 and 1.2 to define
the diagonal of the Slab rectangle.
Select the View, Elements in 3D, Filter Elements in 3D menu command.
Here you can control the building elements to be displayed in the 3D window.
In the “Element Types to show in 3D” list click the “Wall” item to select it. Press
the SHIFT key and keep it held down, and click the “Curtain Wall” item.
This will select all items on the list from Wall to Curtain Wall. Now, press the CONTROL
key on Windows or the COMMAND key on Macintosh while clicking the “Slab” item in the
list. This will deselect the Slab, while keeping the other items selected.
Now click one of the checkmarks of any selected item to switch off the 3D display of all of
these selected elements. Only the Slabs will appear in the 3D window.
Click the “OK” button to accept changes and leave the Dialog.
Activate the next pre-set View from the View Map.
Select the “All Story” Marquee selection method. Draw a rectangular Marquee defined
by the points of Label 1.1 and Label 1.2.
Activate the next pre-set View from the Navigator. Now only Slabs plus the two SEO bodies that
we defined are visible in the 3D window. As you can see, the SEO bodies are shown in wireframe.
Select the Document, Layers, Layer Settings menu command to go to the Layer Settings Dialog.
In the list on the right, scroll down until you see the Layer called “SEO Elements”.
The icons to the left of each Layer Name allow you to control the visibility of the layers
or lock them if necessary. You can also define their 3D display mode using the wireframe
icon. Notice that the “SEO Elements” layer is set to Wireframe because only want to see
the cutting result obtained by them.
Click “Cancel” to leave the Dialog.
Select the Design, Solid Element Operations menu command to bring up the Solid Element
Operations Palette.
A Solid Element Operation always requires at least one Operator and one target element.
The Target is the one on which various operations can be performed by the Operator.
Select by SHIFT-clicking the four horizontal Slabs in the 3D window.
Click the “Get Target Elements” button in the Solid Element Operations Palette. The
text indicates that there are “4 Target Elements” are now ready for SEO operations.
Click the “ESCAPE” button once to deselect these Slabs and then SHIFT-click the hotspots
of the two wireframe Slabs to select them.
Click the “Get Operator Elements” button in the Solid Element Operations Palette. The
text indicates that there are “2 Operator Elements” to perform SEO operations.
Select “Subtraction” in the Choose Operation drop-down list.
Click the “Execute” button to execute the operation with the Target elements on
the stored Operator elements. Holes are cut into the slabs for the staircases across multiple
stories with one single operation. The best part is that SEO are associative. This practically
means, that all SEO relationships are maintained and automatically updated if the Target or
the Operator elements are modified.
Close the Solid Element Operations Palette, … and then right-click on an empty area
and select Go To, Floor Plan option from the Context Menu.
Press “ESCAPE” once to remove the Marquee or select the “Remove Marquee” option
from the context menu.
Activate the first pre-set view again from the Navigator View Map. We started this exercise
with this floor plan view.
Create a rectangular Marquee again as called for by Label 1 and 2.
Activate the second pre-set View from the View Map to open the 3D window. As you can
see, the Staircase shaft is now correctly cut out of the bodies of the Slab it intersects.