Creating Shells

Shell Solid Tool:
Often you will want to edit an object by 'opening it up'. For example turning a cube into an open box, a hemisphere into a bowl or even an extruded polygon into a floor and set of walls!

To do this we can use the Shell Solid Tool. In the Mode Bar set the Shell Preferences to the desired thickness and also select either 'Shell Inside' or 'Shell Outside'.

Select the face to shell and in the Mode Bar select the Green Tick Button to complete the command.

We can always change the thickness of the shell in the Object Info. Palette afterwards.

We can shell very complex shapes but make sure that you save your work first just in case the computer cant take it and crashes!

We can also use the Shell Solid tool to add a thickness to 3D Polygons and NURBS Surfaces. We will look at this later though!

Filleting Edges

Once we have created 3D objects there are many tools to edit and refine them further. These are also located in the 3D Modeling Menu in the Tool Sets Palette. There are too many to go through today but we will look at the main ones that I think you will need to use.

Fillet Edge Tool:
Most 3D objects do not have perfect sharp edges but are instead smoothed off with a fillet edge. Placing these onto objects will add extra detail and quality to your model and help the renders achieve greater realism.

Note that in the Mode Bar we can set the Fillet edge Preferences. Firstly set the fillet Radius and secondly whether to fillet either a single Edge or a whole Face.

Select the edge or face that you wish to fillet and in the Mode Bar select the Green Tick Button to complete the Command. Note that by holding down the shift key we can select multiple edges or faces to fillet.

It is a good idea to wait and go through your model at the end of a project and place fillets on the relevant edges.

You may also need to use the fillet tool more radically to alter the form of an object. We can turn a cylinder into a pill shape or even a sphere if we place a big enough fillet.

The Fillet Radius can be altered afterwards in the Object Info. Palette. To take a fillet off an object we need to select it and go to Modify> Ungroup.

3D Primitives

We have looked at taking 2D shapes and giving them an extrusion value using the Model> Extrude tool. Vectorworks also has many 3D Primitives which does this process in one simple step. There are also tools which create 3D shapes not possible through Linear extrusion, such as cones, spheres and hemispheres.

To model using 3D Primitives go to the 3D Modeling Menu in the Tool Sets Palette.

Cylinders and Cones (By Radius Mode):
Select the view you require and click to determine the objects center point. The computer will then ask you to input a height value (this can always be changed later either manually or through the object Info. Palette). Next drag the mouse out to determine the radius of the Primitive.

Spheres and Hemispheres (By Radius mode):
Click to determine the objects center point, drag the mouse out to determine the objects radius, click again to complete the command. Hemispheres will be drawn with the flat surface at the base, to rotate go to the required view and use the Modify>Rotate> Flip Vertical /Horizontal Commands.

As with all tools, have a go at the different modes of drawing available in the Mode Bar.

Extruded Rectangle / Extruded Polygon:
Click to determine a corner point of the object, input the height value required and then drag and draw to complete the object. Remember to double click to finish Extruded Polygons.

Editing Primitives:
3D Primitive Rectangles and Cylinders act just like extruded 2D Primitives. we can double-click on them and 'go inside' the extrusion. We can now edit the shape, add surface, clip surface etc.

Editing Extruded Polygons is done slightly differently. You will notice that they are called 'Meshes', this means that instead of being one solid object they are made up of many seperate 3D Polygons. Double-click on the Mesh and we can now edit individual planes. Each plane can be given a different colour, or we can delete, resize or move individual planes.

Duplicate Along Path Tool

We can also duplicate objects and symbols along pre drawn paths (any 2D object) by using the Duplicate Along Path tool.

In the Preferences Box we can decide to place the object at set intervals along the path or decide on the number of duplicates to be placed.

Select Tangent to Path to place the duplicates consistently at right angles to the path.

When modelling architectural schemes it is often useful to use the same path for more than one task. For example if we use a path to model a curved sofa we can use it again to place a set of tables in front of it.

For this to work however we must first off-set the original path to the required distance so that the tables will position themselves parallel to the sofa path.

It is always useful to keep copies of paths that you use as you may need them later on.

We can also duplicate Light sources along paths.

Exercise : Model of seating and table/ Model of Bar area.
Websites: www.designboom.com (Becks Bar Competition)

Multiple Extrudes

Another tool with interesting results is Model >Multiple Extrude.

By drawing a series of 2D shapes on top of one another (or by placing them in a specific hierarchy), selecting them and then using the command, an extrude of a particular height with varying cross-sections is created. These can be edited afterwards by double-cli

Extrude Along Path Tool

So far we have looked at simple linear extrusions which keep a constant profile in one direction. Today we will be looking at a range of advanced modeling tools that extrude in all sorts of directions and have some great results!

These tools are all kept in the Model Menu.

Extrude Along Path Tool:

The ‘Advanced’ Extrude that you will probably use the most frequently is Model >Extrude Along path.

As the name suggests this requires at least two parts to complete the extrusion. It is made up solely of 2D shapes one of which acts as the path object and the other/others as the profile.

• Paths can be either simple primitives (circles, rectangles, arcs) or Polylines/Polygons. When drawing paths it is often useful to construct one from a series of separate lines/polylines, this ensures a level of accuracy to the path. Make sure that the lines are connected at their end points and connect using Modify> Compose. This will result in a new single polyline.

• The ‘Profile’ can be formed of single or multiple 2D shapes. Each shape can have its own colour- but not its own texture!. Note that the profile is positioned with its center along the path.

Extrusions along paths are always positioned flat on the ground plane despite which view you create them in. You will have to rotate them afterwards to position them vertically etc.

Also note that the center of the extrusion is placed at height=0. The Extrude Along Path will require moving up and re-positioning in an elevation view.

Both the Path and the Profile can be edited/added to by double-clicking on the extrusion and selecting the desired part to alter from the command box. Click on the 'Done' button to see the updated extrusion.

CAD Session 10: ADVANCED 3d Modelling

By far the most enjoyable tool to use for the first time is the Sweep Tool. Sweeps include tables, stools, glasses or bottles and even whole buildings!.

Sweep Tool :

This tool works by drawing the right hand half of an objects profile. Vectorworks then sweeps the half profile around the left hand edge.

It is often useful to draw a vertical line to act as a guide to draw to, this can be deleted later before activating the sweep command.

Sweeps can consist of individual lines, 2D Primitive shapes and collections of both.

Sweeps are made up of Segments, each segment has a degree value. By adding segments we can make them smoother in appearance (the smoothest being 0.1). By decreasing the segments we can turn them into sweeps of different shapes . Four segments of ninety degrees will create square sweeps!This makes the sweep tool ideal for quickly trying out different design ideas for say a table.

For more advanced sweeps we need to include what is termed a 2D Locus Point. We can place this wherever we want and this will now become the sweeps center of rotation. This creates sweeps with space at their centers (such as a bar counter or information desk).

The sweep tool can be set to rotate through any number of degrees (either less or more than 360). A sweep of 180 degrees will result in half a swept profile. A sweep of 330 degrees will produce a bar counter with an access point!

By adjusting the sweeps Pitch higher and the rotation above 360 we can create spiralling sweeps. For example if we sweep a circle with a diameter of 100mm and an off-set 2D locus we will get a dough-nut shape as a result. By changing the pitch to say 150mm and the sweep to 3600 degrees we will get a spring!

Finally we should look at editing sweeps.

We can double-click on a sweep to add to, delete from or edit the original. Click on 'Done' to see the updated result.

By un-grouping a sweep (Modify> Un-Group) made from multiple shapes we can then apply individual textures to each sweep as well as adjusting the settings for each one.

It is amazing how this tool will cut down the time needed for modeling complex schemes and how it can be used to make shapes that at first will not be obvious to you!

Session 15: Reflectivity

Session 15: Applying Imported Textures

Working out the correct dimensions:

When applying imported images as graphics in Vectorworks it is important to pay attention to the dimensions of both the image file and the object it is to be applied to.

The File above was used for the ITV Reception Area Graphic. Download the file to use in the exercise (Left-Click to open in a new window and then Right-Click to save as a jpeg).

The image is 31.25cm x 13.02cm. So that the image fits neatly onto the object we must apply the same proportions to both (or crop part of the image). It is unlikely that the object shares these dimensions. Here is a tip for working out the required dimensions in Photoshop:

• Open the file and check the Image Size. Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked.
• Change either the Height or width to match one of your desired dimensions (e.g Height=100cm).
• This will automatically adjust the second dimension, keeping the same proportions!
• Do not save the changes made however, it is not needed to have such a large file.

Setting the Texture Size by Image: (taken from Vectorworks 2008 Help)

For image-based shaders, the real-world size of each texture repetition can be set based on a segment of the image.

To set the size of an image texture based on the image:

1.	Select the image to use for the texture..

2.	In the Edit Texture dialog box, click Set By Image.

The Set Image Size dialog box opens. Red handles flash briefly to indicate the location of the line segment.

3.	Specify the image length to use for sizing the texture by dragging the line segment into position, and then dragging the ends of the line segment. If necessary, use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom into and out of the image, or click and hold the mouse wheel button to pan.

When the line is indicating the desired real-world length, specify the real-world size for the line segment in Feature Size.

4.	Click OK to exit the Set Image Size dialog box and update the Size value.

Applying the Texture:

• Select the object
• Double-click on the texture Icon in the Resource Browser Palette.
• The Texture may have to be 'Flipped' either Horizontally or Vertically.
• Make sure that the Horizontal and vertical off-sets are at 0.
  

To complete the application you can Un-check the Repeat Horizontally and Repeat Vertically boxes in the Object Info. Palette. The texture now sits on the front face of the object only. The other faces take on the objects fill colour attribute.

Session 15: Using Renderworks Textures

The addition of textures and other graphics to your model will make a huge difference and help bring it to life.

Today we will look at a few specific tools and tricks, however there are too many to mention here. The best way to learn is to experiment yourself with all the options and to have fun doing so!

Object Info Palette:

• The application of many of the most used textures is done through the Object Info Palette under the 'Render Tab'. Here we have among others several Woods, Metals, Concrete and two Glass texture resources.
  

• To apply simply select a 3D object and then in the Render Tab select a texture from the pull down menu. Once you have used a texture Resource it will then be placed at the top of the 'Pull-Down' Menu for easy selection in the future.
  

• Most of these pre-set textures come already scaled. For example a brick texture will map onto the surface of an object at its correct size without having to be scaled. For other textures we can use the scale bar in the Render Tab to adjust the size.

• Note that we can also Rotate the Texture Resource as well!

• A special case are Walls. We can apply a texture to either the Left, Center or the Right side of the Object. So we could have Bricks on the outside and a Wallpaper on the Interior.
  

Resource Browser libraries:

• There are also a wide variety of textures in the Resource Browser Palette to choose from. From the Libraries Menu select the Category of texture required ( e.g Interior textures).
  

• You are then given a full range of textures for that category. It is probably best to see these as Thumbnail Icons (right-click to select this option).
  

• To apply one of these textures simply select the object and then double click on the required texture icon.

• Note that once you have used a texture from the Resource Browser it will now be placed in the Object Info Palette Render Tab list for you to use.

It is often useful to work with texturing when in Open GL Render Mode so that you can quickly see the results of any changes made without having to re-render the screen.

Session 15: Using Lighting Tools

Session 14: Sheet Layer Examples

Session 13: Stairs

Session 12: Using Stack Layers

Session 11: Doors and Windows

Vectorworks has what are termed Hybrid Objects. These objects can look different in 2D and 3D, making them perfect for both architectural plans as well as visualisations. Vectorworks doors and windows are Hybrid objects, for example in plan view a door will show an arc for opening radius but act just like any other object in a 3D view.

Plug-Ins:

The Resource Browser contains many ‘Plug-Ins’ for your Vectorworks model.

Vectorworks has a huge library of pre-built door and window objects which correspond to real-life manufacturing standards. To activate a plug-in simply select it and drag into the drawing space.

If you know exactly which door or window you require then this is very useful, today however we will be looking at making our own from the default window and door symbols (These can also be found in the Building Shell Pallette).

Doors and windows can be snapped into walls and then repositioned in plan view by selecting the plug-in at one of its ends and moving it along the wall (make sure you use the double-headed angled arrow cursor).

Using the Object Info Palette we can now adjust settings such as height, width and configuration (along with the option of having a door open or closed in 3D). You can also adjust the elevation height of a window.

Extra editing controls are accessed by double-clicking on the plug-in object. This will open up a large box with a number of different tabs. Here you can adjust in more detail the makeup of the object (For example you can adjust the thickness of a sill or add a door threshold).

Session 11: Floors and Ceilings

There is no 'Floor' Tool in Vectorworks as such, instead we draw the floor area using a 2D Tool and then give it a depth (usually a negative extrusion as discussed in session 2). In todays session we will look at two different ways in which to achieve this.

• Drawing the Floor Area: It is often useful to draw the floor first and then use this as a guide around which to construct the walls. This is especially useful when modeling one room for visualisation. You may have done a site survey and have all of the internal measurements, in this case it is easier to construct an accurate 2D shape for the floor rather than straight away trying to determine the individual lengths of multiple walls.

The Image above shows a floor area made by adding together several rectangles using Modify > Add Surface.

General Tips!

1. When drawing walls around the Floorplan template make sure that you use the appropriate wall drawing mode from the mode bar. You do not want to have your walls sitting inside the floor area if you have spent time constructing it accurately!
2. The Floor shapes that you construct can often simply be duplicated and moved up to act as your ceiling object as well!

Advanced Floor Creation:
Vectorworks has even more advanced commands which can be used for quick and easy construction of walls and floors. They are located in the AEC>Architectural menu, found in the Standard Workspace (Tools > Workspaces > Standard Workspace).

• The Create Polys from Walls command can be used to create flooring and ceilings from multiple walls. Select all of the walls that form contained spaces and access the command (Note that you must select wall objects only for the command to work). Select either Gross or net (room) Polys and see the results.
  
  The Create Walls from Polys Tool takes a polygon and constructs walls around it. The polygon can include curved edges but the program may have trouble with excessively complex shapes. The curved part of the polygon will produce curved walls made up of many individual straight walls. This is different to the curved wall tool which is made of a single wall. This means that it is trickier to position symbols into the wall where desired.

These tools are very useful if you need to draw complex floor shapes and don't feel confident drawing using 2D tools!

Session 11: Drawing Walls

Up to now we have looked at modeling walls using extruded 2D shapes (e.g Double Line Polygon Tool). Vectorworks however has a set of Tools to draw Walls without the need to extrude from 2D to 3D.

• Walls are part of what we call 'Hybrid Objects'. They display different attributes when in Top/Plan view compared to any 3D view.

• The Building Shell Sub-Palette (Green Roofed House Icon) is found in the Tool Sets Palette and contains all of the tools needed to construct and edit walls in Vectorworks.

Straight Wall Tool:
This tool works the same as drawing using the normal Polygon tool. Simply click and move the mouse to determine the direction to draw in.

• To draw a single wall, click, drag and then double click to finish.

• You may draw multiple walls at one time, simply click, drag click again and then continue to draw a second wall length. Double-Click as normal to finish.
• All the walls will be selected once you have finished drawing them, this makes it easy to give heights and attributes quickly.

Image above shows a single wall and multiple walls viewed in Top/Plan View

Setting Prefernces and Drawing Modes:
Before drawing walls it is often best to set certain Preferences first and also to decide on which drawing mode to work with. These can all be set through the Mode Bar.

• Drawing Modes are similar to those of the Double Line Polygon Tool. Each one has a different control method for where the computer places the two wall lines in relation to the mouse on screen.

• Vectorworks has dozens of Pre-Set Wall styles to choose from in the Wall Preferences Box.
  

• For now maybe just worry about using the simple 'default' Wall Style and Pre-setting the Wall thickness only.
  

Editing Wall Length:
The lengths of walls can be adjusted in two ways:

• manually by dragging one end of the wall to a new position. Take care to select the correct cursor (double-headed 'angled arrow' cursor). Note that we can also change the angle of the wall this way as well.
  

• or in the Obj Info. Palette. Adjust the L value, found under the polar co-ordinates settings. (Note that we can also change the angle of the wall here as well).

• We can also Re-position both the end and centre points of a wall on the grid using the x/y settings in the Object Info. Palette.

Editing Settings with the Object Info Palette:
The Object info Palette also contains controls for these other settings:

• +Z : Sets the overall height of the wall.
• Bot Z : Sets the height that the wall starts at (Can be both positive and negative).
• Thick : Sets the thickness of the wall (If changed the wall will alter from its center-line).
• Caps : Draw lines to 'cap' the start and end of a wall. This is for 2D work only, wall ends will always be solid in 3D.
• Type: Set the Caps to be either Round or Flat.

Curved Wall Tool:
This tool has many modes and requires a bit of practice to understand but acts just like the straight wall tool in many respects. We will cover this tool in greater depth at a later date!

Wall Join Tool:
We use this tool to join two walls together so that there are no gaps in our 3D model as well as 2D drawing.

• There are five modes to this tool and each one corresponds to a particular situation, use the diagrams as clues.
  
• They all work by clicking on one wall and then drawing a line to the wall to join to.
  
• It makes a difference which wall is selected first so if the result is not what you expected try again in another order.

Remove Wall Breaks tool:

• When splitting or moving walls away from one another a hole may be left in the side of one wall.
• We can use the Remove Wall Breaks tool (Wall Heal Tool) to fix this. Simply draw a box marquee around the 'break' and it will be filled in.
  
• This tool can also be used on walls which have mitred ends resulting from previously being joined to another wall.

Fillet Tool (Basic Palette):

• Use the fillet tool to produce rounded corners to two walls that meet each other. Select the Fillet mode and Set the Fillet Preferences in the mode bar. In top view click on one wall and then on the second.

• Try out the three settings for different results. The Fillet can be either 'external' or 'internal'.

General Tips!

1. Individual and multiple walls can be picked up and moved and you will find that it is often useful to nudge them into place by holding down shift and using the arrow keys.
2. Take care when editing walls, to lengthen, rotate and move walls requires different cursors. Get to know them and have patience at first when trying to find a particular one!

Session 11: Hybrid Objects

Drawing and Editing Walls:

Straight wall tool
Curved Wall tool
Joining Walls
Filleting walls
Editing Walls in Elevation

Floors and Ceilings:

Drawing a Floor Area
Extruding Floors Negatively
Using the AEC Commands.
Creating Ceilings

Plug-In Objects:
Placing Doors and Windows accurately
Editing Plug-in settings

Working with layers 2:
Layer Visibility settings
Using Snaps between layers
Stacking Layers

Applying Textures 2:
Texturing Walls
Using the Resource Browser Libraries

Session 10 : Case Study 1(Plans)

The Plans above are from Zaha Hadid Architects.

• They show three floors of the same building and are layed out so that they line up and are to the same scale.
• They also use a key and colour codes to communicate the different areas and their different uses.
• Also note the 'void' spaces on each plan where there is no floor area.
  

Follow the link below for more information....

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://news.msu.edu/media/photo/2009/10/38e375ba-02e6-4d3d-9adb-9f08d0d675a5.jpg&imgrefurl=http://broadmuseum.msu.edu/gallery/&usg=__Xq4NyVZ1BTrlw5XzUI_ONrDDsbY=&h=867&w=1400&sz=351&hl=en&start=422&um=1&tbnid=79YdG5vR0Be4CM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dzaha%2Bhadid%2Bplans%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3RNFA_enGB220GB221%26sa%3DN%26start%3D420%26um%3D1