How to Not changing the Default layer set

[lbuttery]

We want to be able to have the ability to easily create and show before and after models of an existing design that we intend to remodel.

I would add "... and various alternatives for the remodel".

For example, I should be able to say to the client "here is a view of the new porch on the left", "here is a view of the new porch on the right", "here is a view of the new porch with a gable roof", "here is a view of the new porch with a shed roof" ..... etc, etc. etc.

With all of these alternatives in one plan.


For example: let's say I want to not display a roof plane, do we then recalculate the wall heights at that point and not show the wall going to the roofline?

If I turn off everything but framing then rebuild the framing do we recalculate the framing so that it does not show the window and door openings? Using the logic in this thread this is what you are asking for.

Perhaps there could be a "build" column in the layer display dbx so that one could control what is actually built versus what is turned "off" for display in
2D/3D.

I really would like the ability to make an room or an entire floor "invisible". That is a "must" have request.

It would be "nice to be able to have" alternate walls/rooms, etc be able to occupy the same space and be able to control which display.

Dan, thanks for listening and considering and here's to the next version ... "onward and upward"

Lew

[cgirerd]

With remodeling being about 90% of my business, anything to improve the interaction between the existing and "alternatives" would be a huge help. And as Lew pointed out, it is rarely just the existing and the remodel until it's built. It's the existing and option one and option two and option one variation A and option one variation B2 and....

I'm not sure about the feasibility to have many large scale options in a single plan as the file size would be huge (I'm talking options as variable as one story versus two story, adding 150 SF versus adding 800 SF, not just porch left or right issues), but options that might allow easier sharing of an existing plan layers into other plans for reference, sharing of camera views between plans... Maybe some new type of "remodel group" relationship for remodels with variations that have ways to link with the existing plan and/or each other for comparisons and easy sharing of data.

Christina

[mbbailey]

What is a wall? Is it just siding, size or dimensions, studs, etc.? All the elements of a wall can be displayed in various Layer Sets at different times. What about a second wall that occupies the same space? Which elements of the first wall are common to the second? Do all the elements of a wall disappear when you turn off the Wall Layer of that wall? Should the wall be assigned to a room or the room assigned to the wall? This is a very complicated issue due to the amount of work that CA puts into an object such as a wall.

If every component (doors, windows, framing, etc.) of a wall is assigned to that wall then you should be able to assign it to an un-displayed layer and have all the assigned components hidden at the same time, but we all know that it does not work that way in CA. You must reassign all the wall’s components to layers that will not display at the same time that the wall is not displaying. That is one of the things that make this issue so complicated.

If the display of all the components of a wall were controlled by the wall layer via a configurable switch then this proposal would be feasible to consider and we would be able to do remodels with much more versatility.

As long as we are day dreaming why not do some of these things also? Maybe some programmer could come up with a way for us to set in the independent height of a wall similar to our ability to set the height of a railing. Who knows? We may even be allowed to set the spacing of framing members on a per-wall basis or be allowed to use metal framing. The options are endless when you can allow that type of freedom.

[louis]

We may even be allowed to set the spacing of framing members on a per-wall basis

We can do that now. Look at use wall framing material.

[Allen42acj]

This is good but don't get away from the fact CA is a program to draw blue prints first....

[mbbailey]

We can do that now. Look at use wall framing material.

This is an undocumented feature. The manual and the Help system do not cover this feature and I cannot find anything that changes when you check the box in the Wall Dbx. Can you give us a clue on how this will enable a person to change stud spacing on an individual wall?

Thanks,

[Glenn Woodward]

You can specify the spacing of framing in the material definition dbx for a framing material.

[louis]

Michael,

Look at the framing material in a wall. Notice that O.C. spacing is one of the things that can be adjusted. You can make a new wall type with any spacing and then check "use wall framing material" , build the wall framing and then look at how that wall framed.

[Tim O'Donnell]

you can create a new material using whatever parameters/spacing you like, then assign it to the main layer of your wall type

then check box for 'use wall framing material' option is in the build framing dbx>wall tab when you build the framing...this is new in v10

in v10 and earlier versions, you can also open specific wall dbx and check the box in the general tab to 'retain framing' ...if no framing is present, none will be built...if you have 16" centers and lock the wall framing in this manner, you can do the build framing and set your wall framing to whatever spacing and thickness of members you like and rebuild the wall framing and only the walls you did not lock will get the new framing parameters...

[Dan Park]

Actually this was added after the initial release of version 10 - This is why the feature is undocumented.

[mbbailey]

Thanks Dan, Louis and Tim! Your explanations of wall building have helped my understanding of the process and available options. I found a way to set stud spacing without locking wall framing on any of the walls by using the Wall Type Definitions for an individual wall. You have to open the Wall Specification and the Wall Type Definitions and select a new Layer Material such as Framing Fir Stud 24” OC. You can then go to the Build Framing Dbx and select “Use wall framing material” to change the wall framing for that wall only. When you Build Wall Framing again it changes stud spacing for that wall to 24” OC. This allows me to specify any spacing that I want by creating new wall materials. That is very powerful feature.

You have also raised questions in my mind concerning the Sole and Top Plates. Why can’t we have the same options with them? It would be great to be able to expand the Wall Type Definitions Dbx to include Sole and Top Plates and maybe even Wall Height. Making it a Material Definition is great because you have ultimate control. There have been several times when I wanted to turn the Sole Plate into a heater for the wall below due to large openings and the lack of head room for a properly sized beam on the fist floor. This feature would give me that option and the result would be included in the Materials List.

Thanks again,

[Dan Park]

The ability to choose different materials for base plates is in our database as a feature request.

[LaMar71675]

Patrick said,"....

In other words, a wall in layer set A is the same wall in layer set B. And any change that you make to that wall while in layer set A shall change the same in layer set B, because it's the same wall. You may make it( the change) not "show" up by turning the layer in the layer set off, but the change is there .
Presently, CA only has a global change in layer set. The CHECK BOX: "Modify ALL Layer Sets" just add to the confusion........"

Perhaps this is the reason that I am having so much trouble with this layer set thing. I want to do the window and door schedule with the changes for dim. to the label thing and I can do that but it changes the default layer set also.....This I don't want to do but cannot figure out how to stop it from doing that..... same applies to the windows.

Sure would like to see it fixed to where if I wanted something applied to all sets I could tell it to do that and only when I wanted the whole thing to change. Just rambling.

LaMar

[Allen42acj]

LaMar
Can you post a picture of what your after?
Not only can you make new layer sets,you can make new layers to put things on.Don't know if that would help you.
All the dims. don't have to be on the same layer..

[LaMar71675]

Allen I have attached a .jpg showing what I need to be able to do in the layer set. The one attached I saved the Default drawing as another file and did what I need to do. I could never get the window and door label to stay out of the default drawing using layer sets.

Lamar