Learn how to effectively add and modify materials in a digital architectural model to distinguish between exterior and interior textures. This article discusses the detailed steps of manipulating the model, applying color to different components, and adding detailed features like roof tiles to enhance realism.
Key Insights
- The article outlines a systematic approach to separating exterior and interior materials in a digital model, using functionalities such as 'intersect face with model', 'erase', and 'hide'. These steps ensure each part can be individually modified without impacting the other.
- It provides detailed instructions on how to add complexity to the model, particularly focusing on roof design. This includes adjusting roof overhangs, adding additional panels for roof tiles, and creating roof thickness with the 'push pull' tool.
- Finally, the author emphasizes the benefits of using components for identical items in a model. By making a component, any modifications made to one item automatically applies to its duplicates, resulting in a more efficient design process.
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Now, as we look into this model, we can see that we have different materials on the exterior, and that same material is on the inside. We want to make a line around this so that it separates the two. I could right-click and choose Intersect Faces with Model, then press my H key to hide, and erase those edges.
And now I have a material here and a material here. Now, if I wanted to paint the exterior roof a different color and then the interior a different color, that gives us the option. I'll do the same on this side: Intersect Faces with Model and delete the inside portions.
Now, when I click H to unhide the rest of the model, I can see that I have a portion here that does not affect the interior. So as I start adding materials later on, we can keep that separate. We'll hit Escape to cancel that move, and now I will make this roof portion.
So I will double-click into this group, Push/Pull all the way until it snaps to the face. Do the same roof overhangs—36. You know what? I think that's a little too long. Let's undo that.
Let's make this one 18, then this side 12, and then this side 18. That way this creates a much cleaner detail up against here. Again, I will Intersect this with this face using Intersect Faces with Model.
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I will go to View > Component Edit > Hide Rest of Model or hit H, then use the Eraser tool: erase, erase, erase, erase, erase, erase. I will select out of this component, and now I will want to copy, move, click Select to make a copy along the red direction, holding down Shift to lock that. Find this plane so it snaps, then flip this along the red axis so this line ends up outside.
Then one last thing I want to do to these roof planes to add a little more detail is add an additional panel for our roof tiles. So let's double-click into this group and use the Push/Pull tool. I could Push/Pull it like this, but I want to press CTRL to make a copy so it's a duplicate of this.
We have these lines, and let's lift this up one inch. You see here I can now Push/Pull this out one inch and one inch. This side I don't want because it's butted up against the wall. Then I'll do the same thing on this side.
Press CTRL to create a new starting face, up one inch, and then uncheck CTRL to just pull this out one inch and this out one inch. Now I want to fill in this portion to create a nice triangle top. So draw a line along the magenta and draw a line along the magenta. That will auto-heal, and I can erase this line and this line, then Push/Pull across, and erase, erase, erase, erase.
Now that's getting a lot more detailed for this roof, and I can select out of this. Because these two portions are the same, I should make this a component so whenever I modify one, it also modifies the other. So let's explode this, then right-click and choose Make Component. I want to call this one "Low Roof" and click Create. You can choose whether to make components or groups.
If two items are identical, you may want to make a component so it saves you time from making future modifications. Now I will delete this and copy this one across, then right-click and flip along the red axis, making sure this is flush. That looks great. Now let's do the same thing to this roof, adding some thickness for our roof tiles.
We'll go here, press CTRL to create a new starting face, type one inch and press ENTER. Then we'll do the same thing: double-click that to copy in the same direction. This time, we'll skip a step and do that first. Then Push/Pull and erase, erase, erase, erase, erase. Then go on the inside and erase.
Now let's pull this portion out one inch, one inch, one inch, and one inch. Then select out of this component, and now we have our roofs complete for our clubhouse. Let's go to our Tags and add a new "Roofs" tag. Then select our roofs by holding down CTRL, go to Entity Info, select "Roofs, " and double-check that we have those so we can turn them on and off.
I see here that there are a few extra lines. I'm going to double-click into this wall group and erase these, then erase these little trim lines around that. Looking around the model to see if there are any excess lines that need to be cleaned up. Now click out of my model, turn on my roofs, and I will save my file. I will see you in the next video!
