This article details the steps involved in creating roof plans and keynotes in AutoCAD. It breaks down the process into manageable steps, making it easier to understand and follow along.
Key Insights
- The process starts by turning off layers that are not needed at the moment, such as the wall layer and the no plot layer. Then the downspout layer is turned on and made the current layer to allow for the placement of splash blocks and downspouts in plan view.
- Keynotes are created by inserting necessary symbols and then adding leaders to them. The leaders are then exploded to allow for precise positioning of the arrowheads and line segments. The keynotes are then populated around the drawing with the correct values.
- The article also touches on creating 'typical' symbols for elements that are repeated throughout the drawing to save time and effort. For instance, the 'typical' symbol was used for the attic vent, which is represented the same way throughout the drawing.
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We have completed our keynotes, we have referenced them into our sheet file, and now we need to start working on the model again. What I'm going to do right now is to go to layers, and I'm going to go on and turn off the wall layer, turn that layer off. I'm going to take the no plot and turn that off because I'm not concerned about encroaching out within the no plot area right now.
But I'm also going to go on and turn our downspout layer on and make it the current layer because I'd like to go on and populate in our splash blocks. What I'm going to do is zoom in, so I'd like to go on and show the downspouts in plan view with their splash blocks. So I will go to the insert tab, I'm going to choose browse, slide down, it's going to be an architectural.
So you can see that we have our gutter and downspout, which is the side profile. But I also have my roof downspout and the downspout with the splash block. So I'm going to say roof downspout open, specify insertion point on screen.
I'm just going to bring that in right there, and I'm going to accept the rotation angle, let it go that way. Go back to insert, go to browse, now I'm going to take the downspout, the roof downspout with splash block. Again the rotation is specified, I'll pop it in here and rotate it that way, control S to save.
Now what's happening is that there are certain areas where we have downspouts, and downspouts bring the water from the gutter and let it go down a metal channel and onto the street or into the garden. And so what I'm going to do is over here on the right hand side of the garage, I know that I happen to have my walkway. So I'm going to start off by saying move this symbol from the insertion base point of the symbol.
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And I'm just going to pop it over here at the end of the house, so pop it in at the end of there. I'm going to pick it, go to the grip, right button, rotate, and I will rotate it. And then I'm going to go M enter for move from the end to the end or intersection, control S to save.
So again what's happening is the roof slopes down 5 to 12, deposits the water into the gutter, the water then goes down the downspout, and this is the vertical cross section that's actually going to be happening at the side of the house. So I brought one on the side of there, I'm going to copy another one from the end of here to the end of the building. I have another one up here by the kitchen.
What I'm going to do for the time being is I will turn my wall layer on because I don't want to have a downspout running right into a window. So I'm going to take this symbol and I will copy this symbol, enter from the insertion point. I'm going to pop it right at the mid of this wall.
And then I will hit escape, pick on it, go to the grip, right button, rotate, and rotate it 90. Again what's happening is that here's the gutter, the water comes down the downspout through the vertical section, and then goes on to the splash block itself. I'm going to copy this guy from the insertion base point of here, pop it at the end of the house, hit escape, pick on it, go to the grip, right button, rotate, and then M enter for move from the end of the house, pop it there.
I'm going to similarly copy this guy from the insertion base point to the end of the house here, pick on it, go to the grip, right button, rotate, get it the proper way, and then M enter for move, end of the splash block, end of the house. I can mirror this guy, so I'll just say mirror the symbol from the mid of the roof, ortho on, straight over, control S to save, and then I have one more I'd like to put into position, so I will simply move this guy from the end of here to the end of the house, control S to save. Now we're showing in plan view all of our gutters and all of our downspouts, and once again to save.
I'm going to go back and I'm going to make my symbols, my annotative symbols 96, the current layer, and I'm going to begin by inserting, go to insert, I'm going to go over and choose browse, I'm going to choose our A08 keynote, I'm going to go open. This will have a scale factor of 96. I will deselect rotation, specify insertion on screen, go okay, and I'm just going to put this symbol arbitrarily right here.
It asks for the value, go okay. So I have the symbol in without any of my attributed text responded to, control S to save. I'm now going to draw a leader, so I'm going to go over to annotate.
I'm going to go over to my dimension styles and make leader 96, my current leader layer, set current, and close. Now one thing I can always do, it's a little shortcut, is I can type in the command leader. If I type in leader, and if I give it a start point, you can see that depending upon how long my drag line is, that the arrow doesn't show up until my leader line, this little line that I'm creating, is twice as long as the arrowhead.
I'm going to turn my polar O snap on, which is down here, and I'm going to let my polar angle be 60 degrees, and then I'm going to go horizontal, and it's saying where's my next point, I'm going to hit ENTER, it says first line of text or option, hit ENTER for options, there will be no text, so N enter for none, control S to save. So what I have happening now is I have my symbol and I have my leader with the leader arrow. But what I'm going to do is I'm going to explode this leader.
So I'm going to go to the home tab and explode the leader. By exploding the leader, I first separated the arrowhead from the polyline that makes up the leader. If I explode it one more time, you can now see that I have line segments and I have my arrowheads.
So I'm now going to say move crossing, and I'm going to move this arrowhead over here, and I'm going to mirror crossing, arbitrary base point ortho on, mirror these guys, arbitrary base point ortho on. Now I have my leaders already pre-positioned in the different angles that I'm going to need them, and then I'm going to move this line from the end of there to the mid of here, escape, control S to save. Now one thing you need to remember about leaders is that when you are pointing to geometry, you need to touch that geometry.
So I'm going to be taking these leaderheads and multiple copying them around the drawing. If you look at all of my keynotes that are on the right-hand side, you can see that the keynotes have the angle pointing up to the left. They're using this one.
So I'm going to say copy crossing, enter to say I'm done, from the end of the leader, and I'm going to be going shift right nearest to here, nearest to here, nearest to here, and also nearest to here, escape. I'm now going to say copy this, enter, from here I'm going to put it there. I'd like these guys to stack up, copy crossing, here ortho on, straight down, escape.
I'm then going to fillet, look at my radius of zero, this segment and this, fillet, this segment and this. So again, graphically, I have things lining up vertically. I'm now going to move this symbol from here, take my ortho off to there, and then copy, CP for copy, this guy, ortho on, there, down to there, escape.
Fillet, F enter for fillet, pick and pick, space bar to repeat, pick and pick, control S to save. Now I don't want to get too far ahead of myself because I might forget to put the values in, so I will double click on this symbol, give it a value of one and go okay. Double click on this symbol, give it a value of three and then enter and okay.
Double click on this symbol, a six, enter and okay. Double click on this symbol, a six, enter and okay. Escape, control S to save.
I'm now going to move my arrows over to this area and I will copy that over to there. And then what I'm going to do is double click on this, give it a blank value, so this way I can go on and start populating the key symbols around, but I will not make the mistake of having the wrong values in here. Now I'm going to say copy this symbol from the end of here, nearest, I'm going to go to here.
I see I didn't put a splash block over here, so I'm going to go on and copy this symbol from the end of the house to the end of the house. Pick on the symbol, right button, rotate from the end of there, ortho on to there. I'm now going to copy my arrow from the end of here.
I'm typing in NEA for nearest to there. Copy this guy from the end of here, typing in NEA for nearest to there and I'm also going to say NEA for nearest to here. I'm now going to copy this symbol from the end of here to the end of there for right now and I'll also copy it to right here and then I'm also going to mirror the line, so mirror the line segment from the mid, straight down, ortho on, copy crossing from the end.
I'm just going to say nearest, I'm going to say to the end of here and then move crossing to the left and then copy crossing to the left and then fillet, fillet and then copy. You know what I'm going to do is I'm going to stretch crossing this to the left and then I'm going to copy this symbol straight down and then copy this symbol from the end to the end and then I'm going to also copy this line from the end of there to the end of there, erase this out and fillet these guys. Again, what I'm trying to do is to have things lined up as nicely as I can, which is why I have these guys stacking here.
I will double click on this, give it a value of 3, double click on this, a value of 3 and this also has a value of 5 associated with it. This symbol here has a value of 1, this symbol over here a value of 3, control S to save. I can also do a copy window around the arrow and the symbol from here straight up.
I'm going to move this guy from the end nearest to here and I will move these from here closer to here, fillet this, control S to save before I go away, make sure I have the proper value in there. I need to put a copy window, pick and crossing from the end of there nearest to here, double click on it, give it a value of 1, control S to save. I'm going to copy these guys from here to here and I will say rotate these symbols from the insertion base point of the symbol, which is at the centroid with ortho on by 180 and then move crossing from the end of here nearest to here, double click, give it a value of 3, okay, control S to save, zoom extents, save the file.
So I'm now perusing around the building and I'm seeing that I have in fact gotten all of my perimeter symbols done. Now I'm going to get ready starting to work on the vent. So here's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to say copy, CP for copy. I'm going to choose window and that from here. I'm going to put it right there and then move window from the end nearest to here.
Double click on this. I will give it a value of 2, control S to save. I'm going to back off.
I'm going to do an erase, window of this, control S to save and what I'm going to do now is I'm going to take this and make this into a typical symbol. So I'm just going to go into single line text. I will give it a position right here.
The height, I'm going to let it be 12 inches, text factor, rotation of zero and I will just type TYP period and enter, enter. I'm now going to move this slightly. I'm going to move it right down here so it's very, very clear that this is a typical detail.
So this is another option. You can see on the handout that we are keynoting all of the roof vents. That really isn't necessary because we're showing that typically that designated shape, which is relatively clear, is the typical attic vent.
The reason that we specified the downspouts with and without splash block is because the splash block is an additional cost to the contractor where they have these pieces of concrete onto which the downspout will deposit the water from the gutter. We need to have those delineated whereas this is a typical symbol and we don't really have that needed so much. I'm going to go to layers.
I'm now going to make zero my current layer. I'm going to turn off my A wall layer. Zoom extends.
Control S to save. I'm going to go back into my VDCI A301 drawing and reload the XREF. Control S to save.
And you can see that now we have our roof plan completed. We have our roof plan keynotes. We have our appropriate drawing label.
And the next thing we're going to start working on will be our building elevations. So I'm going to Control S to save. I hope you're learning a whole lot.
This is a lot of work and I'm sure you're doing really well. I look forward to continuing our learning about AutoCAD together. So I'll see you in a few minutes.
