Best way to generate elevations

[tom111]

This is slightly less of a technical question but more theoretical. If I am provided with a floor plan, some dimensions and photos, how best should I prepare elevations of a building?

 

I haven't been taught CAD or architectural theory so this is what I came up with (attached and in preview photo).

 

Thanks.

 

fire station.dwg

[ReMark]

I see nothing wrong with generating the elevations the way you have done. When you set up your layouts just rotate the views.

 

Is this an existing firehouse that will be renovated?

[tom111]

I see nothing wrong with generating the elevations the way you have done. When you set up your layouts just rotate the views.

 

Is there a quicker way? Or some way to link lines so when you move one in plan it will change the elevation?

[ReMark]

I'm not sure I follow you. Link lines? No.

[tom111]

I'm not sure I follow you. Link lines? No.

 

Ah. I meant just have the elevations reflect what is happening to the plan. I.e. if I reduce width of the plan, left to right, this will affect two elevations.

[ReMark]

That is not going to happen in a 2D drawing in AutoCAD.

 

The only way it might happen is if you did your design in 3D and used multiple model space viewports to see the different views while you are working on the model. That's one 3D model from which many views could be generated from. Understand?

Edited December 12, 2013 by ReMark

[tom111]

That makes sense. Thanks

[ReMark]

Unfortunately for you LT is not going to do 3D.

[tzframpton]

Is there a quicker way? Or some way to link lines so when you move one in plan it will change the elevation?

 

Ah. I meant just have the elevations reflect what is happening to the plan. I.e. if I reduce width of the plan, left to right, this will affect two elevations.

AutoCAD does not have this ability, however, as ReMark mentioned, with the use of 3D and some Viewport methods and procedures in place, you can make it happen. It's a pain to do though, to be honest.

 

The best thing would be to look into a CAD application built to do exactly this. Revit is the premiere application in the market today. You can download the trial, and after the 30-day trial period is up you still have full use of the program, just no saving or plotting. Maybe it's exactly what you're looking for and would warrant a pitch to the boss?

 

Check it out here:

http://www.autodesk.com/products/revit-lt/overview

 

You can also pick up the Revit LT Suite, which also comes with AutoCAD LT for all your traditional CAD needs for $100 more dollars:

http://www.amazon.com/Autodesk-AutoCAD-Revit-Suite-Download/dp/B00COU4CPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1386856681&sr=1-1&keywords=revit+lt+suite+2014

 

Hope this helps.

[Tuns]

I think you should put the elevations on a different page that is separate from the floor plan. Then you could rotate them all to be right side up instead of bugging people with upside down and sideways elevations. Just label them "North Elevation", "South Elevation", etc. That's if you know which way the building is facing of course. You'd also need to put something to indicate which way is north on the floor plan if you do this.

[ReMark]

I would agree with you Tuns if the OP was not going to make use of layouts. If he did set up multiple layouts with the required number of viewports the elevations in model space could remain as they are.

[eldon]

To be a bit picky, I would mirror your left hand elevation about the vertical line.

Otherwise I think that it shows the picture, which is all one wants

[Tuns]

I would agree with you Tuns if the OP was not going to make use of layouts. If he did set up multiple layouts with the required number of viewports the elevations in model space could remain as they are.

 

 

Yeah, I know. It's just the sideways elevations are bugging me so much.

[eldon]

And there is a little bit of roof from the far side missing.

[danellis]

Just to present a slight alternative:

 

 

I prefer to put all of my elevations on the same level. This means that I can take heights directly from one elevation to another.

The "random" red lines you can see floating around the models are at 45 degrees and allow lines to be projected from the plan (or one of the elevations) onto its matching elevation (or plan if going the other way).

 

This is a direct translaton of a technique I was taught for hand-drawing on a drawing-board.

 

dJE

[Dana W]

In the single family residential construction world, when working with entire subdivisions filled with houses, we cannot designate elevations by compass direction. We usually don''t even know what state the houses will be built in, when the houses are designed, much less which direction they will face on each lot when built. We use FRONT ELEVATION, obvious, REAR ELEVATION, also obvious, RIGHT SIDE ELEVATION, and LEFT SIDE ELEVATION, as facing the front elevation. the PLAN VIEWS are always drawn with the FRONT at the bottom of the "paper" and the REAR at the top.

 

 

Just to present a slight alternative:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45664[/ATTACH]

 

I prefer to put all of my elevations on the same level. This means that I can take heights directly from one elevation to another.

The "random" red lines you can see floating around the models are at 45 degrees and allow lines to be projected from the plan (or one of the elevations) onto its matching elevation (or plan if going the other way).

 

This is a direct translaton of a technique I was taught for hand-drawing on a drawing-board.

 

dJE

That's called Orthographic Projection. ^^^^^^^^ In 2D or on paper, this is the preferred method. Actually, there is no alternative to this method, conceptually.

 

I would find trying to draw my elevations rotated 90 deg off, a huge brain squeezer, and apt to lead to mistakes, for instance the missing roof sections in the OP's example.

 

Of course, CAD makes quicker orthographic methods available. I work almost exclusively with AutoCad LT. One of the ways I frequently set up for a side elevation development is to copy a section of the plan that corresponds to the elevation I will develop, paste and rotate it above where I will draw the elevation. Then I can use that plan view as an "X" axis reference while I draw the elevation placed in true x/y orientation.

 

For instance, to draw the RIGHT SIDE elevation, I work to the right of the plan view, with the right side portion of the plan copied and rotated 90 deg clockwise above the elevation. I then erase the extra plan view(s) when done. I do it this way since projecting lines and turning them at a 45 deg reference line is two extra lines to draw, while projecting only one line is obviously twice as fast.

 

Obviously, 3D software would eliminate a lot of this tedium.