InhabitEcoDesign

Thanks David- I did try this, but there's not an option to turn off interior walls and leave exterior walls. What do you leave on to create a simple outline of the perimeter of your structure?

I've read the articles about how to create a plot plan, and found a few topics that taught me about things like moving some items, like roof lines, between floors. I'm wondering if there is a fairly quick method for showing just the outline of the structure on a plot plan. I'm guessing I could move the roof lines to the foundation plan, and then turn off footings to show this? Or draw a cad line around the perimeter of the house and then go through the process of turning everything else off. Anyone have any suggestions? This is what I have now, and what I'm trying to produce in an example photo. Thanks!

Thanks, Attaching plan here. 3 bedroom Arroyo 4 Gable Plan set.plan.zip

Thank you, that did help some. I'm still left with corners that don't quite match up. See pics. I've checked the foundation and it lines up underneath. I'm wondering if it has something to do with my custom wall?

I am creating a permit set of plans from my design, and am curious about a couple of exterior intersections that are doing some funny things. I have different types of exterior walls- a 2x8 wall ties into an 18" thick straw bale wall. And at the corner, I would like the 2x8 wall to run all the way through. I've tried several times to pull the walls back and make the 2x8 run longer, but it always defaults to the situation in the picture. And where there is a porch on the outside, it gets weirder still. I've checked the foundation walls, and they seem to line up. Any way I can manipulate this to have the 2x8 wall run past the straw bale wall in plan view? Theres also the intersection of the exterior wall and the storage room. I realize the program recognizes "storage" rooms as interior, but I'd like to remove that line at the corner of the 2x8 and 2x4 wall. (Would love to have the foundation footings follow this exterior wall too, but I'll post that separately!). Thank you!

Thank you both for your help. I had to do both things- I changed the ceiling height for the first floor in the default settings, and I did auto rebuild roofs to bring them down. I'm getting something really funky for that porch roof, but I'll post that question in a different thread. Thanks again for your help!

I created this structure for clients. Originally, it was up on a deck foundation. But this is too tall for city allowance in a backyard. So, I've switched the foundation to slab, and am trying to shorten the downstairs walls to get the total height to 15'. When I lower the first and second floor walls, it just creates an attic wall to keep the roof at the same height. What am i missing? And maybe this is a separate subject, but would love some guidance on getting the porch roof to sit on the main roof properly. I've attached the file here. Thank you! Plybon Playhouse GOOD Slab.plan

Thanks, I tried that but the default material is drywall. I"m trying to make the "lower" wall, which is the loft wall inside, appear invisible (So you can see into the loft from the main floor). I tried making it an interior railing wall type, and changed the materials for the lower wall to "open/ no material", but drywall still appears in the 3D view. If I actually specify the railing type too, it then applies itself to whole wall (upper wall included). If I "define" the interior rail wall by deleting the drywall layers, it does something else funky and actually shortens the lower wall. I've tried to use several different wall types for the lower wall (like room divider), but 3D always shows a drywall wall, First pic is the default interior railing wall, the second is after I defined the interior railing wall by removing the two drywall layers.

Thank you. The custom backsplash worked! And I was able to break up that loft wall using the "lower wall type split by butting roof." Unfortunately, when I change the materials on the lower wall, it doesn't translate into the 3D version, so I'll have to keep researching and experimenting I suppose. Thanks for your help.

I am recreating in the software an existing structure built in the 70's. It has wood paneling in several places which changes direction on the walls. I have correctly displayed this on the main walls of the floor plan, but when I try the same method on the exposed attic walls (vaulted ceiling), it doesn't work. I can create the wall break in the attic wall, then open the section of wall I want and change the material. But as soon as I close the dialogue box, the material change will apply to the entire attic wall (the break disappears). Any suggestions? Or what am I doing wrong? You can see in the pic how the material is correct on the main wall, but all the same direction on the attic wall section. Similarly, there is an attic wall creating both a loft inside, and the exterior wall of the second story. I want to open that section of wall on the inside, so the loft is open the rest of the house. But I don't want to change the wall material of this wall above the roof. I'm not sure how to create a "break" in the wall along the roof line to try this. Thanks for your help! ( I would include the plan file, but it's too big. Any suggestions there?)

Would adjusting the angle of a material work for one you already have in use? I'm using planking as my roof sheathing b/c I have exposed rafters and that's what I want to see. I've adjusted the angle from 90 to 0 (also tried 180 as well), and in the 3D view it doesn't change. Any advice?

*edited below*

Well, that seams too easy to be true! And, once I tried it, I think it is too easy to be true. I found the "retain framing" option when I opened the roof planes. I selected and deselected everything you have done, and still I get this. is there a 3D layer that isn't turned on?

I'm trying to draw a plan similar to the one I show here (this is just an example I found online). How do I create exposed rafter tails? I've searched all the videos, searched here on the forum and found some secondary mentions of it. Can't find anything in the reference manual. I've tried drawing the roof with no fascia or gutters, and just wind up with a hole between the roof materials and the soffit (like all the framing was erased). Any guidance would be appreciated!

I realized that the windows are technically on the attic layer. So, I was able to give them negative heights relative to the floor, and drop them down into place. But, if I'm trying to create an accurate floorplan, is there a way I can move the dormer walls and windows to show on the plan for the 2nd floor? A framer looking at the plan as it is now, wouldn't be able to relate the dormer walls and windows without them somehow overlaying the second floor.

Hmm, what did I do wrong? I turned off auto rebuild roofs. selected the "bedroom" loft and set the walls to 8', and clicked flat ceiling. And it shot the windows of my dormers up into space above the roof line.

Oh, I was afraid that would raise the walls of the second story up to 8 feet again. I guess by turning off "auto rebuild roof" it, keeps the walls the same height? Thanks for your help!

Oh wow, that's farther than i've gone in the software so far. Thanks! I'll have to experiment a bit with that.

Jo- Ann, you're right. If I keep messing with the dormer wall height, I actually got both to draw at 49". Any ideas how to give the dormer areas flat ceilings so they dont meet at the peak of the ceiling with just an awkward couple of inches in between? I've tried drawing a room divider on the attic level inside the dormer walls, but that doesn't seem to work. I thought i might create a room where I could designate a ceiling.

Wow, thanks for both videos. I saw David's first, and it still took a little tweaking to get all the walls, and roof hole and everything lined up just right. Eric, your method definitely seems quicker. Thanks for the tips. I didn't catch what you said to do to get that CAD line copied up on the attic plane to "reflect about." (Remember, i use a mac so I don't have "alt.") I do like those alternating stairs. is that a style that comes in Pro? Haven't messed around yet much with stairs.

Thanks, I have watched most of the HD videos on the roofs and dormers, and I watched several of yours on YT also. None seemed to tell me why one dormer would be unable to be built as soon as I added another one on the opposite side of the roof. I've attached the file here. Thanks for your help! And thanks for the videos too. I"m new so I keep going through topics and watching things as I come across problems. Miller_Owlery.plan

I'm converting a design from Sketchup of a small 1.5 story house. I finally got one dormer in the roof to look good and fit well. When I copied it and pasted it on the other side of the roof, I get the warning that a dormer can't be built because previous walls are in the way. So the new pasted dormer will show up, but the original dormer disappears (though the outline for it is still there). I thought maybe they were both too close to the peak that the framing might interfere. So, I lowered the wall height on each dormer, but I still get the same messages and only one dormer appears. I know I'm missing something. I couldn't find anything like this in previous posts, so thought I'd ask. Here are two screen shots of the current plan, and an elevation of the SU version I'm trying to recreate. Also, is there a way to create a flat ceiling in these dormers like in my SU drawing? I haven't been able to find a way to do that. I have lots of other questions regarding this plan, like how to have exposed rafter tails on the roof, but I suppose I should start new threads for each of those. Thanks for your help!

Thanks Eric! I broke the wall and then used "wall covering" on the outside. You can direct the heights of the material there, so that gives me the ability to put the siding where I want, but I can't put a trim border around it. I haven't messed with making a custom backsplash before, so I can try that as well. Will I be able to add trim borders in that? Here's what I have so far.

I am trying to recreate a Sketchup drawing I did years ago and I have two questions. I've attached screen shots of both my SU and what i have so far in HDpro. How do I add two types of siding to an exterior wall. I know you can do a pony wall to have the lower half different than the top half, but I'm going for an asymmetrical look, and the lap siding would not necessarily go down to the floor, or up to the "ceiling." And I would like to trim out that area like I have in the SU drawing. I haven't messed with the walls on the second floor yet as I wasn't sure if I should draw pony walls or whatever first. Also, is there a way to create custom garage doors? Without 2021, I don't have the option to adjust the glass panels, but I wouldn't want glass in each panel anyway. I would like to have just three panels of glass. I suppose I could try to find something from the Trimble library, but I was wondering if there was a way to draw glass panels on a solid panel garage door. I currently have a door from Thermatru's catalog that I put in there to at least get the effect. I'm sure I'll have more questions when I get to trying to draw the deck and roof and posts. Thanks for your help!

Robborito, how did you draw those walls in front of the garage with no foundation? I like the look of them, so I'm curious how to put in something like that. I'm a newbie and still learning. Thanks for your help!