Explore the complexities of developing building and wall sections within the same file, with a special focus on managing the insulation layer in AutoCAD. Learn how to manipulate color parameters and layer assignments to ensure critical elements, such as doors and windows, remain visible during the process.
Key Insights
- The article provides insights on managing detailed information within a building section file in AutoCAD, specifically focusing on the insulation layer and its color parameters for better visualization.
- The author demonstrates how to force the characteristics of the insulation to be on a particular layer and color, while ensuring visibility of other elements like doors and windows. This process includes moving and copying entities, forcing color changes, and adjusting layers.
- The final part of the article offers practical advice on integrating detailed information into the wall section sheet file. The author also outlines the next steps in the development process, which includes referencing details and approaching a completion point.
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I'm still in the A303 file, and you can see that in the green color we have our detailed information. You can also see that in this wall area and in this wall area, we are showing the insulation that is extracted from the building section file itself. That information was drawn on the medium layer, the same layer on which we have our doors, windows, gutters, and everything else.
So what I'd like to do is force the characteristics of the insulation in the building section to make that information—at least the information that's exposed here within the enlarged wall sections—be on the A-pattern layer. I also want to force it to be color 120, because hopefully you understand that if I were to turn off the medium layer, I wouldn't see my doors or windows. I need to appropriately present the information in the building sections, and keep in mind the fact that I'm trying to develop building and wall sections within the same file. So let's go on and go to our section drawing, and I'm going to zoom back. Now this is one of the areas that we were seeing.
So I'm going to choose these pieces of insulation, right-click, and go to Properties. I'm going to force their color to be color 120, and 120 is the color of the medium layer, so I'm forcing the color there. I'm also going to force its layer to be the A-pattern layer, and you will see it turn off. I'm going to close the Properties dialog box, press CTRL+S to save, and zoom dynamic.
I'm going to go over to this area for the section here and do the same thing. So I'm going to choose these entities, right-click, and go to Properties.
I will end up forcing their color to be color 120. And one thing that is nice about AutoCAD—remember a few minutes ago that this just listed colors red through white, and then we had to go to the 255 color matrix to extract color 120—well now it adds it to the list right there. So I force the color, make the layer A-pattern, close Properties, click Yes, and press CTRL+S to save. When I go back into my 303 drawing and reload the XRef, you will see that the information has disappeared, but we now need to copy this information into those appropriate section files.
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So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go back into the section file, zoom previous, zoom previous, and I'm going to copy. I'm going to grab the base plate, the gyp board, and the ceiling, and I'm going to copy it from the end of the wall to the end of the wall right here. I'm going to mirror across from the intersection of the base plate. So I brought that over, mirrored this from the end of that line because I had centered that line, and then I know that the distance from the end of the gyp board perpendicular to the ceiling is 5/8 of an inch.
I'm going to use stretch crossing, base point tracking, start at the intersection here, go up 5/8 of an inch, and from that point, stretch up to the end. Press CTRL+S to save. Now, we had the wall segment that went up to there. I'm now going to copy this line, using an arbitrary base point.
Again, be aware I have my running OSNAP on. I'm going to copy it up to there, pick the grip at the end, and stretch it up to there. I'd like to put some blocking in through here.
I will draw a line from here down to here, offset by 1.5 inches. Draw one line, then another, and two more lines. Press CTRL+S to save. I can trim this or not—it's not going to make a big difference.
I also want to show some insulation up here. Again, this insulation is on the medium layer. I'm going to force characteristics like before. I will pick the entity, right-click, and go to Properties.
I will make its color 120, and make its layer A-pattern. Click Yes. I'm now going to copy this line from here over to here.
I'm going to rotate it using an arbitrary base point, 90 degrees. I'm going to move this line from the end of here, perpendicular to here. Again, because of how the batting line type works, this might require some back and forth until we get it just right.
I'm going to move this line back over into that area so that it's within the viewable area. Press CTRL+S to save. Go back to my 303, reload the XRef, and we're beginning to see how it works.
I think what I'm going to do is move it down a little bit. I need to move that guy down, so I'm going to go back into my section file. I know that this structural member, from the end of here to the end of here, is right around 6 inches tall.
I'm going to move it down 3 inches. Press CTRL+S to save. Go back into my 303 file, reload the XRef.
It looks acceptable. I think I'm going to move it a little bit more to the right. I'm going to go back to the section file, and move this line from the end of here to the endpoint’s X coordinate of this line.
Press CTRL+S to save. Back off. I'm going to save.
Press CTRL+S to save. Go back into the 303 file, reload the XRef, and now this information on these two sections looks good to me. One other thing I'd like to add, though, on this section—and when we get back to it, we’ll do it.
I would like to put some insulation in the area above the family room, so I probably do want to show some insulation going in through there. After we tackle the insulation, we’ll come back into this section and add similar data into that drawing. If you would please get this far, then we will continue on.
Once we have that detailed information integrated, we will start referencing our details, and we'll be approaching a completion point on our wall section sheet file.
