Walls exterior

Tutorials -AutoCAD Architecture

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Exterior Walls
using AutoCAD Architecture

You will draw the exterior walls of the basement, using as guide the polyline "basement outline" (Fig.2.1.2.1), that you have created at the previous tutorial h21-outline.

h21190 basem workSpace CreateWall1 t800500 — Fig.2.1.2.1- Basement - Design Exterior walls

Open, with AutoCAD Architecture, the drawing basem_outline.dwg that you created in the previous tutorial.
Tool palettes provide the main method for accessing tools to create objects in your model.

The Design Tool Palette includes the basic tools for creating most of the architectural objects. The tools include commands for adding walls, doors, windows, roofs, slabs and more other objects. You can have tools for standard objects as well as for objects with a specific style and properties.
The tool contains creation parameters for the object it represents. When you add an object with a specific tool, the object has the settings you defined in the tool. When you click an object tool to add an object in the drawing, the properties palette opens and you can change properties for the new object if desired.
To open the default Tool Palette - Design group:
On Ribbon, click the tools icon and then on Design Tools tab, (Fig.2.1.2.2), to Open the Design Tool Palette (Fig.2.1.2.3),

On the Tool Palettes - Design, that will open, right click on the tool Wall and select Apply Tool Properties to > Linework (Fig.2.2.2.3).

At the prompt 'Select lines, arcs, circles, or polylines to convert into walls:', select on your screen the polyline 'Basement Outline' (Fig.2.1.2.1), and press ENTER to accept the selection.
At the prompt: Erase layout geometry: select Yes (or type y), and then press ENTER.

The polyline is replaced by the walls, which are the exterior walls of the basement plan (Fig. 2.1.2.4).

h21190 basem createWalls justify t800475 — Fig.2.1.2.4 - Tool Palettes - Walls - Justify

You will notice that the walls are justified to there center with the Basement polyline, you used to create the walls. You have to justify them to their right, to do this:
With the walls selected, on Properties palette and in Category Dimensions click the arrow on Justify tab, and from the drop-down menu select right.
The position of walls will change, as is shown in Fig.2.1.2.5.

h21190 basem createWalls properties t800627 — Fig.2.1.2.5 - Basement Exterior Walls - Properties

The walls consist of one or more elements, which are the items used for their construction.
The walls used in a drawing have elements and attributes defined by the style of the specific wall tool you selected and used to design it.

Properties of the walls

The Properties palette allows you to view and modify the natural and graphic properties of an object you are going to draw or to select on your screen.
Expanding fields of Properties palette, you can view and modify additional properties of an object that you draw or select.

Select the walls right click on one of them and select Properties. The Properties palette will open, and display the properties of the selected wall (Fig.2.1.2.6, 2.1.2.7).

Fig.2.1.2.6 - Properties of Wall
Fig.2.1.2.7 - Wall Properties - Justify

Look in the properties palette, you'll notice that the style of the wall is the standard, it is the simplest wall style consisting of only two parallel lines that define the two sides of the wall.
It is the wall tool you have chosen earlier from the palette of drawing tools to create the walls.
You will temporarily use this simple style of wall, and later you can replace it with the actual wall style you want to use for the exterior walls of your project.
In category Dimensions select for Justify the value Right (Fig.2.1.2.7).
Now pay attention that :
The walls will have the dimensions of the actual final wall you are going to use later, 0.30 for Width and 2.80 for Base Height ( all units are in meters).
The elevation of the walls will be 0.20. It is the level where will be placed the walls. It is 0.20 instead of 0.00 because later you will add under the walls a floor slab with thickness 0.20 m, whose bottom level will be 0.00.
To do this: In the Properties palette expand category dimensions and set the value of Width to 0.30 and of Base height to 2.80.
The walls have changed and now have Width = 0.30 and Base height= 2.80.
In category Location set Elevation = 0.20.

Press Esc and save your drawing under the name: Walls-1e, within folder: C:/ACA/tutorials/house21/

3D Isometric View

To have a 3D isometric view of your project, on the View Cube tool, at the upper right corner of your screen (Fig.2.1.2.6), click on the corner WS of the Cube.
You can apply a Conceptual view in your drawing to have a more artistic view.
To do this:

First at the Layers panel click the Layer Properties button and on the Layer Properties Manager dialog box locate layer A-Wall, click on its color and change its color to Magenda.
To set the Visual Style of the drawing, on Ribbon > click on View tab > click the arrow on Visual panel, the drop-down which will open provides a choice of visual styles defined in drawing to make current (for the moment the current visual style is the 2D Wireframe) > select Conceptual, to make this visual style current (Fig.2.1.2.8).
The result is what you see in Figure 2.1.2.9.