Dept of Sneaky Tricks

[sherpa_jones]

The attached plan file includes details on how to create a ramp using terrain tools. I cannot take credit for most of the ideas here, as I watched them on someone else's training videos, but I can't remember who. It was created in X2, but the same steps work for X1 and probably V10, but I cannot confirm.

For those of you who cannot open the file to see the graphics, here are the steps:

HOW TO CREATE A RAMP:
1. DRAW A RECTANGULAR POLINE, 48" X 16'. THE TOTAL RUN WILL BE 8' WITH A 4' LANDING ON EACH END.
2. CONVERT TO TERRAIN PERIMITER. SET THE SKIRT TO FOLLOW TERRAIN AND SET THE THICKNESS TO REPRESENT YOUR JOISTS AND SHEATHING. I WILL USE 8" FOR 2x8 JOISTS AND 3/4" SUBFLOOR.
3. CHANGE THE MATERIALS TO SHOW FINISH FLOOR. YOU MAY NEED TO ROTATE THE TEXTURE/PATTERN.
4. ADD TERRAIN ELEVATION LINES TO DEFINE THE 4'x4' LANDINGS ON EACH END. ADJUST THE HEIGHT OF THE HIGH END TO 36". NOTICE I PLACED ELEVATION LINES (RED) ON THE ENDS AS WELL.
5. TO MAKE THE LANDINGS FLAT, ADD A FLAT REGION (CUT/FILL) TO EACH LANDING.
6. TO MAKE THE RAMP FLAT, ADD TERRAIN BREAK LINES AT WHERE THE LANDINGS MEET THE RAMP. ALSO ADD TERRAIN ELEVATION LINES ALONG THE RAMP, EQUALLY SPACED AND SET THEIR PROPER ELEVATIONS. THIS SOMEHOW GIVES A BETTER RESULT. SOME ADJUSTMENTS STILL MAY NEED TO BE MADE TO OBTAIN THE DESIRED RESULTS.
7. ADD A RAILING TO EACH EDGE AND DESIGNATE 'FOLLOW TERRAIN' IN THE DBX. USE THE BREAK WALL TOOL TO BREAK THE RAILING AT EACH LANDING. NOTE THAT THE RAILING IS NOW ON THE 'FENCE' LAYER.
8. MAKE ANY AND ALL ADJUSTMENTS YOU NEED TO THE RAILINGS NOW. THE NEXT STEP IS TO EXPORT TO 3DS. THEN YOU CAN IMPORT BACK INTO YOUR MODEL AND YOU ARE DONE.

Disclaimer: I have never done any code research for ramps, so please do not depend on my specifications to be code compliant.

Allan sent me the link to his previous posts about ramps:

http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread.php?p=257966&highlight=ramps#post257966

[Dan Park]

Here's an article on ramps that has some similar steps. It's kind of an ugly hack but the results are pretty good.

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/suppor...?faqNumber=762

[sherpa_jones]

For anyone who wants to create a deck with framing that goes past the railing (16" to 2'), here is a way to do it:

1. Begin by drawing your deck railing. Specify each railing as 'no room definition.'
2. Create a wall type and name it 'deck boundary' or something similar. Make it any thickness that works for you, and set the outer line style as dashed or solid, and the inner line style as none. Copy the material 'air gap' and adjust the transparency to full. Set this as your wall material.
3. Draw this wall around your deck, spacing it as appropriate, and connect it to the exterior walls. This should create a room definition to your new boundary wall. Specify it as 'deck.'
4. Draw your stairs down from the boundary wall. Using a poline, draw a landing between the stairs and the railing, and remove the railing at the landing edge that meets the railing. Change the landing thickness to 0, and use the new air gap material you created earlier.
5. Break the railing at each end of the landing and make it invisible. Now your railings shoudl be continuous. Some minor work may be needed to make everything line up, but you should be 99.99% there.
6. Auto frame the deck and you are done.

In my photos here, I drew in my own posts and beam for the roof, as well as all my deck framing, except for the planking which I used from the auto framing. Now the beam supporting the deck is right under the posts and beam supporting the roof, and I the deck is framed 12" past. Thanks to Allen Colburn for suggesting this to me.

[SDS Chris]

HOW TO CREATE A RAMP:
1. DRAW A RECTANGULAR POLINE, 48" X 16'. THE TOTAL RUN WILL BE 8' WITH A 4' LANDING ON EACH END.
2. CONVERT TO TERRAIN PERIMITER. SET THE SKIRT TO FOLLOW TERRAIN AND SET THE THICKNESS TO REPRESENT YOUR JOISTS AND SHEATHING. I WILL USE 8" FOR 2x8 JOISTS AND 3/4" SUBFLOOR.
3. CHANGE THE MATERIALS TO SHOW FINISH FLOOR. YOU MAY NEED TO ROTATE THE TEXTURE/PATTERN.
4. ADD TERRAIN ELEVATION LINES TO DEFINE THE 4'x4' LANDINGS ON EACH END. ADJUST THE HEIGHT OF THE HIGH END TO 36". NOTICE I PLACED ELEVATION LINES (RED) ON THE ENDS AS WELL.
5. TO MAKE THE LANDINGS FLAT, ADD A FLAT REGION (CUT/FILL) TO EACH LANDING.
6. TO MAKE THE RAMP FLAT, ADD TERRAIN BREAK LINES AT WHERE THE LANDINGS MEET THE RAMP. ALSO ADD TERRAIN ELEVATION LINES ALONG THE RAMP, EQUALLY SPACED AND SET THEIR PROPER ELEVATIONS. THIS SOMEHOW GIVES A BETTER RESULT. SOME ADJUSTMENTS STILL MAY NEED TO BE MADE TO OBTAIN THE DESIRED RESULTS.
7. ADD A RAILING TO EACH EDGE AND DESIGNATE 'FOLLOW TERRAIN' IN THE DBX. USE THE BREAK WALL TOOL TO BREAK THE RAILING AT EACH LANDING. NOTE THAT THE RAILING IS NOW ON THE 'FENCE' LAYER.
8. MAKE ANY AND ALL ADJUSTMENTS YOU NEED TO THE RAILINGS NOW. THE NEXT STEP IS TO EXPORT TO 3DS. THEN YOU CAN IMPORT BACK INTO YOUR MODEL AND YOU ARE DONE.

Disclaimer: I have never done any code research for ramps, so please do not depend on my specifications to be code compliant.

It works great...I've done this similar idea for a sloped floor in a large sanctuary....

Thanks!


In fact, I just did a ramp like this for another church, today....

[sherpa_jones]

It works great...I've done this similar idea for a sloped floor in a large sanctuary....

Thanks!


In fact, I just did a ramp like this for another church, today....

Looks like you got it down. Very nice looking ramp.

[sherpa_jones]

This is a bit of a workaround i have been doing lately to get a better stair graphic in plan:

Begin by setting up an extra stair layer, and label it "OFF IN 3D." Make the line style solid, and change the default stair layer's line style to dashed. Turn this new layer off in all your camera views.

Draw your stairs, and get everything looking right. Probably best to save the next steps until you are laying out your CD's.

Using multiple copy, drag a copy of the stairs at a 1" interval, (1" being the depth of your nosing,) dragging towards the bottom of the flight. Do this for each section of stairs. Then open the dbx for the new stair, assign it to the new layer, and make the fill transparent.

The attached picture shows the result: