This article provides a detailed walk-through on creating layers for a floor plan using the VDCI Fundamentals template. The guide includes step-by-step instructions on setting up layers, assigning colors, and beginning with the basic structure of a building floor plan.
Key Insights
- The article demonstrates how to create layers for a floor plan project using the VDCI Fundamentals template. The layers are created alphabetically and include layers for kitchen counters, dimensions, doors, fixed elements, glazing or windows, patterns, symbols, text, and walls.
- The importance of assigning appropriate colors to each layer is also highlighted in the article. For instance, the color for the kitchen counter is 30 (orange), dimensions are 31, doors are 7 (white), and walls are 2 (yellow).
- By starting with the larger rectangle representing the overall size of the building, the article suggests working from the outside in and always starting any project by finding the bounding box and working your way in. The building floor plan used in the article is 24 feet wide and 20 feet tall.
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Now that we have reviewed the PDF of our floor plan, and we have a general idea of where we’re going from here, let’s begin. Let’s go to File, New.
Let’s choose the VDCI Fundamentals template and go to File, Save. This will be named Floor Plan.
I’ll click Save. Now we have an interesting question: Should we create all of our layers at once, or add them one at a time as we go? Sometimes, you’ll have a template or a reference file from which you can bring in layers from earlier projects.
This depends on where you’re working and on your project. In this case, since we know the layers we’ll use, we might as well create them all at once. So let’s go to Layer Properties.
Starting with Layer 0 as our base layer, let’s create a New Layer. The first will be A-CNTR.
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Enter. This will be for our kitchen counter. I’ll choose a new color.
This will be color 30, which is this orange color.
Okay, let’s create a New Layer again. This will be A-DIMS.
D-I-M-S. These will be our dimensions. Notice that it copied the color from A-CNTR.
This is because A-CNTR was selected. Every time we create a new layer, it copies the layer we previously selected.
If you’ve gone through the course and accidentally had A-NOPLOT selected when you created the new layer, it would also copy the plot information.
You can see that this is our NOPLOT layer. This layer is set not to plot.
Towards the end of the course, if you don’t see some of your geometry, it might be because this plot option is set to 'No Plot.'
The name A-NOPLOT doesn’t affect this option. It’s just built into the template. So our A-DIMS layer does not have a color of 30.
It has color 31, which is right here. Let’s create a New Layer again. This will be A-DOOR.
A-DOOR has color 7, which is white. New Layer again: A-FIXED.
We know this color well. It’s color 120. New Layer again.
Create another New Layer. This one is A-GLAZ for glazing or windows. This color will be 130, not 120.
New Layer: A-PATT, which stands for patterns. This is where we usually put our hatches. This will be color 253, which may seem odd, but it’s right here.
These gray tones are essential for hatches and patterns. New Layer: A-SIMS, S-Y-M-S.
We know this one. It’s color 120. New Layer.
Create a New Layer: A-TEXT. This will be our annotative text, including room labels.
This will be color 7, which is white.
Finally, A-WALL will be our current layer, and we’ll set this layer to yellow, which is color 2.
Okay, I can see that A-WALL is my current layer. I’ll close the Properties window and press CTRL + S to save.
We haven’t drawn anything yet, but we’ve done a lot of work. If I go to my layer dropdown, I can now see all of these layers in the dropdown menu.
We know that we will work from the outside in on this project. That’s how we should start every project—first, find the bounding box, then work our way in.
This building floor plan is 24 feet wide and 20 feet tall, and the base point will be at the left corner, so all of our geometry will be in the positive X and positive Y quadrants.
Let’s get started with our rectangle. It’s a much larger rectangle, but the same principle applies. We’ll go to Rectangle, choose our base point, which will be (0,0).
We could use absolute or relative coordinates here, but we can also use dimensions. So, I’ll type D, Enter.
The first dimension will be 24 feet, using the apostrophe (') or tick mark on your keyboard. Enter.
The width, which in this case is the height, is 20 feet, 2'0", using the tick marker. I’ll hit ENTER, and now you’ll see it says ‘Specify other corner point, ’ which is selecting our quadrant.
I’ll make sure to click in the top-right corner of my screen.
Let’s Zoom Extents and press CTRL + S to save. Let’s ensure we used feet and not inches.
I’ll bring my mouse in, and I can see that it’s 24 feet wide and 20 feet tall.
Additionally, let’s check our ID point to ensure it’s at (0,0). I’ll go to Utilities, ID Point, and choose this endpoint here.
I can see that the endpoint is at (0,0). Zoom Extents, CTRL + S to save.
We discussed earlier that most of the walls are typically 3.5 inches thick. This means all exterior walls for this project are 3.5 inches, and that offset comes to the inside.
I can ensure I offset to the inside by performing a Zoom Extents before the offset.
I can easily pick one of the sides of my rectangle, but if I accidentally offset to the outside, the top and bottom of the new rectangle will be cut off.
Let’s do this offset together: Offset 3.5, Enter.
I’ll choose the left side here, and again, I’ll ensure I’m pointing to the middle and click.
If I had accidentally offset to the outside, the rectangle would have gone off the screen. CTRL + S to save.
In the next video, we’ll continue with the interior walls.
