Discrete Terrain shaping

[Techno]

Using Home Designer Architectural 2015.  The pad or 1st floor is at 0", as is the driveway.  So far so good.  But I can't keep it there.

 

As soon as I add any elevation data anywhere on the map, the terrain lines change, ignoring the elevation regions I've set.  Well, not quite ignoring, but viewing them merely as loose guidelines and imposing on them significantly.  Which results in the driveway not mating to the garage and all sorts of other oddities.  Even when an elevation region extends into the garage.

 

I do have the terrain elevation automatic setting to "Off"; "On" was a bugger because it would move the entire house on elevation additions.

 

I was hoping that the terrain wall or retaining wall would help, since part of the issue is a three foot wall (and stairs) between the driveway and the entry of the split-level house, but the terrain builder doesn't seem to get the concept.  There is always a lip up where the terrain/driveway meets the garage.

 

What should I do differently?  

 

Only slightly related, after I try a few things and see it's a nasty infected rabbit-hole, I want to close and reopen the file.  I've been closing and reopening the application since I don't see a File-Close menu item; is there one?

[Kbird1]

Please Post Pics of your issues otherwise we are only going to be guessing , there is a thread on how to post/add pics if you don't know how.

 

You can close any plan by clicking the X in the top RH Corner of the Plan Window ( not program window) same as any normal Window's Program, however for testing and trying stuff you can just use the Undo/Redo tools on the Toolbar , you may want to, in Preferences change the number of Undo's to something like 20 or 30 from the default 9 or 10 though for messing around a lot.

 

Mick.

[Techno]

Thanks.  I will do so tonight.

 

The Undo is too slow when I've made lots of steps.  I do use it heavily, but for example after adding 20 elevation points, just reloading is faster.

[Kbird1]

Do A "Save As" backup plan if you haven't too, incase something goes really wrong .....

[Techno]

Here the problem is...

The grey region is an elevation region set to 0.  The upper right has another elevation region at 20" and near the street is a long thin 24" region.  The wall is a retaining wall, but apparently not terribly effective.  Hard to see, but at the intersection of the retaining wall and the garage, in that corner, I also put a zero-height elevation point... and yet it falls outside the zero region!  Note the green spline created by HDA... it cuts the zero-region in half roughly. 

 

So my trouble is that the generated elevation lines do not respect the regions or points.  Which makes adding sidewalks, driveways and decks rather challenging.  

 

 

[DavidJPotter]

Generally speaking, I use as few elevation objects as possible to get terrain appearance correct. I NEVER use elevation points, ever, they concentrically alter the terrain and afterwards it is easy to forget where they are and what values you have set them to. Their use just makes a hard job impossible to edit.

I use lines, splines and regions only, much simpler to deal with. Keep it simple and learn how to adjust them against the other to get the desired effect by small tweaks checking each change with a camera view.

 

DJP

[Techno]

David, thanks, but I'm only using like four and haven't a clue why it's so screwy.  How do you get a region's elevation setting to be respected?

[Kbird1]

I don't use Elev. points either usually , much more difficult to deal with.

 

I don't see the terrain issue but it looks as thought the driveway is 6" above the terrain? ie floating in the doorway.......

 

have you rebuilt the terrain since you started working on it  ( or is it set to auto? and off?) 

http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00152/72/Home-Designer/Terrain/Updating-the-Plan-View-when-Terrain-Objects-are-Deleted.html

 

Floor 1   0"   is not the same as terrain 0" see these:

http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00322/72/Home-Designer/Terrain/Setting-the-Height-of-Terrain.html

 

http://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-00861/72/Home-Designer/Terrain/Understanding-How-the-Height-of-the-Floor-Relates-to-the-Height-of-the-Terrain.html

 

I found this one very useful in figuring out the "why" of hills and valleys in my plans

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00574/150/Chief-Architect/Terrain/How-Chief-Architect-Interprets-Terrain-Lines.html

 

Mick.

[Techno]

I think part of the problem is that Home Designer is too stupid to deal with below-grade situations.  It's going to paint terrain as intersecting the house, including the open garage door, at 0" even if the area in question is essentially dug-out.  And it's going to flow the terrain around the end of the retaining wall (they don't have a solid-abutting one) no matter what you tell it to do.  So I probably have to redo my tri-level, built a bit into a grade, because I started with the pad, which is the first floor, at 0" terrain and floor, and have terrain that goes 14" below that and a garage pad that is basically 9" below standard ground level... but has a dug-out driveway and path for it.  Instead, HDA shows grass going up the doors.  Seriously.  And painfully.

 

Dave, a few lines doesn't fix this.  Please try it; you'll see.

[Kbird1]

You apparently haven't read the KB articles I posted above the terrain perimeter should not be 0" , it will always be 18" approx. depending on the type of foundation built , but terrain should be set to 8" below the bottom of the siding/stucco to meet CODE ,HD defaults this to 6" (read KB) so you probably need 20" minimum in the Pad setting , everything else is set off that height , once the Pad height is set ie 20" ( no need for a - minus sign HD knows that) , your terrain regions ,walls etc are set off that, not the main floor height of 0" which has no relation to terrain heights. If your Terrain is set to 0" I am not surprised the grass is growing into/on the front door.....

PS it is best to put an elevation line at the top and bottom ( ie either side) of the retaining wall or you will get the humps and bumps as described in the 3rd KB article.

Terrain Modelling is one of the toughest parts of HD and Chief to understand , you will need to read the Reference Manual and online help too ,with the basics you are got to get (even more) frustrated.

M.