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 Domus.Cad

Queries and Answers part 2

#1

Does Domus.Cad have a command line interface ?

Domus.Cad doesn't have a command line interface. Usually CADs with a command line user interface derive from old versions or have a compatible Autocad user Interface. In this case the commands follow the form: verb and object :

Example:
To change color set the current color and then execute: Change Color - click on the element
Changing a fill or rotating an element etc. are done in the same way.

In Domus.Cad the command form is: subject and verb :

Example:
Select an object (the subject) and after execute any command (the verb) like change color, fill, rotate, scale etc.

This format doesn't suit a command line. A script language could be useful, but we don't like it for normal users because we believe that an architect isn't a programmer and a programmer can easily use the API.

#2

Does DomusCAD have an SDK ?

We are working on graphical programming where special graphic elements influence the way the program works, like the very useful Apply Object and the ##APP elements.

Domus.Cad has a c++ developer API that allows you to develop plug-ins. Any plug-in in the Modules folder is automatically recognized by the program.

#3

I have created a single pitched roof for a rectangular 3-level building, but cannot find the right method for connecting the walls to the roof.

To make the walls match exactly the bottom part of the roof you must select all the walls and the roof and execute the command Adjust Walls on Roof from the Process menu.

Follow the steps below:

  • Click on the arrow and on the wall icons on palette #1
  • Trace a selection rectangle including all the walls
  • Click on the Floor/Slab/Roof icon
  • Press the shift key and click on one of the edges of the roof. This extends the previous selection, so you have selected all the walls and one roof.
  • Execute the command above

Possible errors:

You have selected 2 or more roofs. Only one roof can be selected.
The bottom of a wall is higher than the bottom of the roof. In this case it is geometrically impossible to complete the command.

#4

Is there a technique for adding skylights, i.e. windows on/through a roof or slab?

There is a couple of ways of doing this:

1. Using any polygon or curve of any form to "punch" the roof or the slab (select the slab and the polygon on it and execute the command Process -> Punch Slab or click on the equivalent icon of palette #3)

2. Using the scissors to cut the slab into parts and cutting away one of them.

Using the light of the sky as a light source (like a room with a window on the north side of the house, where the light of the sky lights the room) isn't possible - you must use one of the 3 types of artificial lighting or sunlight.

#5

When I open my drawing, my previous layer 10 has moved to layer 9, and so on. Very strange.

Maybe you executed the command Layer->Change Layer order?

You can solve the problem by using this command again, following the steps below:

Let's suppose that you want the current Layer #9 on Layer #11 and vice-versa.
Go on Layer 9
Execute the Layer->Change Layer order command
Choose Layer 11

The current Layer 9 goes on Layer 11 and Layer 11 goes on Layer 9.

#6

I am trying to change the parameters of a few walls already in the design, and each time I open the "Walls..." dialog box and make some changes, I get an error message.

I selected the walls I wanted to alter and then selected "Walls..." from the Parameters menu.

Do you have a Window or Door in the wall? In this case you must select the walls on both sides of the Door or Windows.

Another problem can happen if you try to insert measures in fractional inches and feet without setting this unit of measure first.

#7

Why do I see a blank screen instead of my drawing?!

Below are some normal situations where you can see a blank page instead of your drawing:

- The layers are disabled in the Layers dialog box
- The screen scale is very large (look at the scale in the Window title)
- The drawing is outside of the screen (double click on the House icon on the left-bottom corner of the window or execute the Autoscale command to make the drawing content fit the window box)

#8

I would like to know how to import a TIF file into a Domus.Cad document so I can use a survey as a base plan for a drawing.

The Macintosh version, thanks to QuickTime, supports more formats than Windows. It takes all formats supported by QuickTime (GIF, JPG, TIF, TGA, Photoshop, BTM, WMF and many others).
So Mac users can go to Layers -> Import -> Image on active layer.

The Windows version doesn't import TIF format - only DMP, DIB, GIF, JPG, BTM and WMF.
So you must convert your TIF to one of those formats before importing to Domus.Cad.

#9

Is Domus.Cad cross-compatible between Windows and Mac? That is, can I save a file on my Windows laptop and then open that same file on my Mac?

Yes, with File -> Export -> Drawing in Macintosh format command.

#10

I'm having problems with a window I am cutting into a wall. It had a previous window that I deleted from the original plan to replace it with a new one full height . Also in elevation nothing cuts.

In Domus.Cad all walls and segments are ordered with the first end and the second end from left to right and from bottom to top.

If you draw a vertical wall, select it and click on one of the coordinates editing boxes. You can see that the wall always starts from the bottom, independently of how it was traced before.

Your walls are probably ordered with the second vertex on the bottom instead of on the top.

Cutting the windows, re-inserting the walls and pasting the windows should resolve the problem.

#11

I have tried the Fill Sectioned Walls function, but how does it work? Using Assign Fills in Preferences fills the whole room. The function Turn Fills On does nothing.

Fill Section Walls works like an automatic bucket command inside any wall. To work properly, your room must have at least one window or one door - the walls must not form a closed shape.
Insert a window or a door in your room and the tools will work properly,

#12

My staircase has suspended treads which rest on two metal beams.
I drew the treads, the IPE in 2D and I gave my slab a thickness of 2 meters.

Now I want to rotate the beams and align them under the stair treads with a slope of 17 cm / 25 cm or 68 %. How can I do this?

Follow the steps below:

  • Select the IPE
  • Separate it into faces
  • Select all the faces (slabs)
  • Group the faces into an Object
  • Set the origin on a corner of the object
  • Select the object
  • Execute the command RotObj from the Modules menu and rotate it around the mostappropriate axis (probably X)

An alternative method is to draw the IPE 2D shape with a polygon and generate an inclined extrusion with the Extrusion command.

#13

For some reason my copy of Domus.Cad doesn't produce the Information palette (or message window?). It's release 14 for Mac (we're in 10.4.8)

You can enable or disable the visibility of the Information palette with the Options->Windows->Information Palette menu command.

If you don't see the palette after enabling it, probably the drawing was saved from a bigger screen, so it is outside of the current screen. In this case you can restart from one of the standard configurations of the same sub-menu, rearrange all the palettes and windows as you like and save the Operative Environment to make it the default configuration.

#14

Any tips you might have on making a Column would be helpful!

If the section of a column is a rectangle, treat it as a simple wall with the desired dimensions.

For a circular column, you can use circular slabs as in the example below - let’s suppose that we want a circular column with a height of 3 meters.

Double click on the Floor/Slab icon and set Slab thickness and Ref. Ht. as below.


Double click on the Circle/Polygon parameters and click on Slab Generation


With the Slab Generation option enabled, every time you draw a 2D shape like a circle, ellipses, regular or irregular polygons or a freehand curve, you are inserting a slab with the current characteristics.

If you draw circles as below, you obtain circular columns as in the 3D view.

For more complex columns, you can use the SuperRot module from the Modules menu as follows:

- Draw half a column with a 2D polygon starting from the origin of the axes.

- Select it and choose the SuperRot module.

- Set the SuperRot parameters as below and click on OK.

You will see the column in plan. Drag it where you want - place and accept it by clicking on the Space bar or the Enter key.

The result in plan and in the 3D view are as below.

#15

The Line Thickness Button seems to not work.


Are you pressing the Line Thickness Button long enough? Like several other buttons, it has to be pressed for a short while
before the menu of icons appears.

Or perhaps your monitor is not set for millions of colors - in this case, the sub-menu is not visible.

To modify the thickness of an element, such as a line or polygon, simply select the element, then choose the desired thickness, using the Line Thickness button. A shortcut is to use the number keys to indicate the desired thickness.

Exceptions to the above are Slabs and Walls, whose lines are always Thickness 1, or Thickness 0 if invisible. Wall edge thickness depends on the height of the wall e.g. , a low wall has thin edge lines.

#16

I want to create a hexagonal room. I chose 120 degrees and a wall appeared with 120 degree angle. The next wall that I need to build is at 90 degrees. So if I choose Free Angle, how can I build shapes with precise angles?


It's similar to the manual method used on drafting machines. If you set the drafting machine to 120 degrees, you can draw elements with 120 and 120 + or - 90 angles.

There are several methods to do what you want.

By mouse:

Change the drawing angle for each wall


By keyboard:

Select the Pen and the Walls icon
Click where you want to start
Click on the Polar input box

In the distance and angle fields, input 300 and 0 then click Continue
Continue the drawing with the following data:
Distance Angle
300 60
300 120
300 180
300 -120
300 -60

By a 2D hexagon:

Double click on the Circle button and set the following parameters:

Draw a hexagon

Select it.

Click on the Wall on polygon generation button (palette #3)

This is the result

#17

How do I delete simple things please?

Select them and press the back key on the keyboard (the key on the top of the Enter key), or choose Delete from the Edit menu.

Selection in Domus.Cad is selective! This means that usually you can select elements of the same family of the current active tool. Example, if you have activated the arrow and circle icons, you can select circles, ovals, polygons and freehand curves.

You can select with a single click on the elements, add or remove elements from the selection pressing the shift key and trace a selection rectangle to select all the elements of the same selection.

Selective selection is very important in complex drawing. For example, you can select all the windows of a plan with a selection rectangle without selecting walls or other elements.

It is possible to select all the elements inside the selection rectangle if you press the Command key while you are tracing the rectangle.

Double clicking on a element opens its parameters dialog windows, independently of the current active icon, select the element and set the current operative icon to that of the element.

If you want to change the parameters of several selected elements, select them and double click on the tool icon. The parameters filled will be blank and only the filled parameters will be changed. For example, to change the thickness of selected walls, insert the new thickness and leave blank all other fields.

Another important way of selecting elements is Parametric Selection, from the Edit menu. With this command you can select elements on the basis of their characteristics.

#18

I would like to know how to draw a grid and something about scale and measures in general.

Double click on the Grid icon on the right of the working window. Set the grid values for X and Y directions. This is the active grid. If the icon is enabled (pressed), the mouse is attached to the grid while you are drawing.

The active grid can be visible or not. The visible grid is drawn on the screen, but if it is too small, Domus.Cad displays a multiple of the grid. In this case the grid lines are different. You can test this activating the grid and zooming in and out.

If both the Snap to Grid and the Snap to Hot Points are activated, the cursor first attaches to the points, intersection, perpendicular, center, border etc,, then if it doesn't find anything, attaches to the grid.

We suggest leaving the grid active by default.

Look at the coordinates and distances boxes on the Coordinates palette.

When you click on any point of the window, the relative and polar coordinates are zeroed on this point. Moving the mouse, the relative and polar coordinates refer to the last point clicked. You can visualize the last point clicked at any time by pressing the W key.

In Domus.Cad you use real measures and you can choose the unit of measure and decimals. Anyway the Window title shows the current video scale and you can set a reference scale, called Natural scale.

An icon on the bottom of the working window allows you to see the drawing with the Natural scale.

The Natural scale is important for font size. When you choose a text size, it means that the text will be printed with that size if the printing scale is the same as the Natural Scale, otherwise the text will print out bigger or smaller.

#19

I want to design a hexagonal apartment starting from its inhabitants and the furniture, then defining the walls. I'd like to do the geometric transformation afterwards.

First choose your furniture from DomusCad 14.0.1 Folder ->Object Libraries->3D (or 2D) Libraries->Furniture and place it where you wish inside the hexagon. If you want to transform any furniture elements, now is the time to do rotating, re-scaling, deforming, mirroring etc.
Next select all the objects and un-group them. Then select everything - walls and objects - and group them in a new object
Now you can apply all the geometric transformations to the object

#20

When applying a library Window to an opening, why does the program turn the object 90 degrees ?


The library Window must be saved horizontal, with the internal part facing up and the external, down. In this way Domus.Cad applies the object correctly, no matter which way the opening is orientated.
Simply open your Window on a free layer, turn it and save the layer as Object.

file 2

#21

Is there any way of manually inputting the X & Y-coordinates to determine the length of the walls? Is there a box anywhere that the length can be typed into?

If you want to draw a wall inserting the length, you can use the polar or relative input.

Follow the steps below:

- Click with the mouse where you want to start the wall. In Domus.Cad the polar and relative coordinates refer always to the last click made.

- Click inside the relative coordinates box

- In the relative coordinates dialog window, input the length in the dx or dy field and click Continue. You can continue to insert other elements, each element starts from the previous point. Command-W shows the current insert point

- Continue allows you to continue inserting elements without exiting.
- Draw inserts an element and exits.
- Move moves the insertion point without drawing.

If you are using a unit of measure different than fractional inches, you can use the algebraic input. In Domus.Cad you can use any algebraic formula in any numerical field with + - * / () operators. Unfortunately this doesn't work with fractional inches (decimal feet are OK).
If you want to use polar coordinates the method is similar.

If you want to change the length of a selected element, follow the steps below:

- Select the element
- Click in one of the coordinates boxes. The editing dialog appears.

You can change the length, the angle and move the element.

#22


Does the package allow the insertion of windows and doors accurately using coordinates, as for walls?

Yes, there are several methods to accurately insert or modify an opening, window or door, in a wall.

Double click on the Windows/Doors icon and look at the Windows or Doors parameters dialog window:

You can choose several tracing modes.

Example:

I want to insert a door of 150 cm starting 60 cm from the corner of the room. In this case I choose the (b+c) Fixed Width+Dist. option and set the fixed distance = 60 cm and the Fixed length = 150 and press OK.

Click inside a wall - the program finds the closest corner or end of the wall and places the opening correctly. (Move the mouse around to find the internal part of the wall, marked with a bullet.)
In the same way you can modify the position and length of one or more selected windows/doors.

Or, you can insert openings using the polar absolute and relative coordinates of the coordinates palette. The absolute coordinates are referenced to a global or local origin that you can place in any point, so it is a good idea to place elements with progressive distances.

#23

Are there different types of wall construction, e.g. cavity walls, stud walls etc?

You can change the materials of the wall faces, but not the internal structure.
To draw very complex walls, it is faster to use Domus.Cad tools.


An example of cavity walls follows below.


Here is a room with the external part of the cavity wall.

With the bucket tool, automatically fill the room with a polygon

Select the polygon and execute the command Expand/Reduce polygon from the Process menu or from the palette #2. Insert the distance between the internal and external parts of the cavity wall.

Choose the command Wall on Polygon generation from the palette #3

This is the result

Delete the polygon
Add windows and doors
Add some other parts to complete the room

The result is below.

FILE 4

#24


I have tried to use the spiral stair creation but am having lots of trouble. Can you send me a step by step set of instructions?


A step by step tutorial follows below (Using centimeters)

Choose Prepare Spiral Stairs from the Stair menu

The spiral stair can have any form, not necessary circular. The bottom part and the upper part can have a different shape. Our stair will be circular at the bottom and square at the top.

Draw a 120 x 120 cm red square

Draw a 120 diameter blue circle

Fix the center of the stair with an attach point or execute the Mark Center of Spiral Stair command.

Choose Design Spiral Stair command:


Click OK to set the other stair parameters:

Accepting the data Domus.Cad designs two versions of the stair: 2D and 3D.

The 2D representation is on Layer 94

And the 3D on Layer 98

To see the stair in 3D, change the Reference Height of layer 98 to 0.


The model will appear on the 3D view.

Domus.Cad creates the bottom and top slabs too. If you don't need them, they can be deleted with the following result:



Now you can group
the stair and use it where you want.


There is another method of designing spiral and helicoidal stairs, using the offset operations.
See paragraph on Offset Parameters in User manual for more details.

#25

How do you put a window into a gable wall? I have split the wall into two, coinciding with the apex of the gable in order to create the varying wall heights. But I now am unable to create a window across the center of the gable, bridging between the two walls.
Is there a better way to do this?

The window must go into a wall, so I suggest the following:

- Divide the gable wall in three parts
- Put the Window into the middle wall
- Create two more walls on top of the middle wall. It's better to build the upper walls separately, group them in a object and put the object on top of the central wall - you can't start or end walls in the middle of a window or door.

The frontal view is as follows:

#26

When you modify a design (whose elevation or section is already saved on another layer) do you need to start all over and create a completely new elevation?

No, it isn't necessary.

Copy the new elevation or section generated to an empty layer and check it against the previous layer.

You can update the differences manually, deleting old parts and transferring parts of new drawing to old.

You can also check automatically. Choose the command Generate Demolition/Construction Overlay, from the Process menu.

Select the original, new and destination layers.

Domus.Cad generates a new drawing in the destination layer where all the unchanged parts are black, the deleted parts are yellow and the new parts are red. Simply select the yellow parts (with Parametric selection) and delete them to make a new elevation or section, without losing your additions or modifications.

#27

Please explain how to illuminate the interior of a building. I would like moderate lighting with one illuminated wall, opposite a wall in shadow.

Are you using Interactive renderer or Ray Shade? The two renderers work differently.

The Interactive renderer doesn't support cast shadows. This means that the light "penetrates" inside the objects and the building, lighting internal objects too.

The Ray Shade renderer supports cast shadows. This means that if you have an external light, the internal parts of a building aren't lighted and you must insert some point lights inside.

When you insert point lights, pay attention to the Z coordinate. Light coordinates are calculated overall, not by layer, so if you put a light on the second floor, the Z starts from ground level, not from the 2nd floor.

#28

I would like to add texture to a 3D perspective, but when I "paste" a fill to the floor, it is visible only in 2D.

In the 3D view you can use photorealistic textures.
Go to the Colors parameters, associate a texture to a color, activate the texture check box on the color parameters dialog and on the 3D view (far right button).

#29

After saving a design ready for printing, how can I re-use a .lay document?

You can re-open it with the Open button on the page layout window

#30


I cannot reopen a document previously saved in .DWG. If I use Import, that just brings up a list of pages.

First select the file, then choose an empty layer to which you can import the file.

#31

I don't think I am using the Materials function correctly. My buildings are often pale-coloured and when converted to 2D become invisible! But if I make them black, they are indistinguishable in the 3D view.

One of the useful features of Domus.Cad is that it allows you to choose separate colors for the plan and the 3D view. Take a look at the Materials parameters - there is a drawing color and a 3D color, so you could have a material completely black in plan and totally white in 3D!

#32

The rooms of my building, which have no external lighting, are completely dark. Is there any way of defining natural lighting for the whole interior, valid all through the evolution of the 3D version? Or must I define the light source as I go?

Natural lighting is really all about shadows - more light means fewer shadows. It all depends on the type of renderer you are using. For example, the interactive renderer doesn't support cast shadow, so if you use an external light, it lights the interiors too. The RayShade renderer supports cast shadows, so the light doesn't penetrate across the surfaces and doesn't light the interior - you have to put other lights in the building.

#33

I have a series of elements which are repeated throughout my drawing, but with different dimensions, so I changed the height of each single element, one by one. Was there a quicker way of doing this?

There are several possible procedures. A couple follow below.

1) - Select the elements and group them in an object with the command in the Edit menu. The object is created with a 0 reference height which you can then increase, thus enlarging all the elements inside the object.

2) - Use the offset parameters. In the offset parameters dialog set the z that you want to increase. Enable the offset operations in the Edit menu. Select the elements and execute the Process on Active Layer command (Edit menu).

#34

How can I draw trapezial sun blinds ?

If your blinds are vertical, you can use the Slab elements. Simply draw a slab with the section of one element of the blinds. After, duplicate the element with the right offset.

#35

I want my wall to be 100 cm wide at the base, narrowing to 80 cm at the top. It is 150 cm high. How can I draw this lopsided wall?

Draw one 80 cm wall and one 20 cm wall. Change the height of one side of the 20 cm wall to 0 (you obtain a triangular wall). Move the 20 cm triangular wall close to one side of the 80 cm rectangular wall.

#36

Can I draw a pillar, duplicate it at a distance of 2 mt, then duplicate these 2 pillars at the same distance apart to make 4 pillars, then 4 pillars to make 8, and so on.

In Domus.Cad there are two different duplication modes: offset and parallel.

If parallel operations are enabled (Edit menu), the element duplicates parallel to itself with the value set in the Offset parameters Dialog.

If Offset operations are enabled, selected elements duplicate along the X, Y, Z and Angle offset parameters.

With multiple duplications, elements duplicate relative to the last duplication.

So, if you have a 2 mt X offset and duplicate a selection 10 times, you obtain a series of elements spaced at 2 mt.

#37

When I make changes to my document, the modification takes a long time to 'go through'.

Maybe there is a memory problem. Try the following solutions:

- Reduce the number of Undo/Redo. This feature can use a lot of memory if the layer is complex. Try 3 instead of the default 10.
- Organize a complex layer in multiple layers. Each time you draw something, the program saves a part of the active layer for the Undo/Redo mechanism, so if the layer contains many elements this operation can require some time.

#38

Each new element I draw goes under, instead of over, existing elements and there is no way to move it up. Please help!

In Domus.Cad different elements are ordered as followed:

- Pictures
- Polygons and curves
- Slabs and roofs
- Stairs
- Walls
- Objects

So a wall will always be on top of a polygon, even if the polygon is inserted after it. The Send backward-forward functions work on elements of the same group. How to change this order? Simply group bottom elements in an object and the new object will be drawn on top of everything.

#39

When paging, Domus.Cad opens the layer too far to the right of my screen and too far down. Every time I have to move the layer over to the left, so that I can click on the bottom right corner and reduce the layer size. And then I move it back to the right again!

In order for the page to correspond exactly to the printer page, do the following:

- Go to pagination

- Click on Page Setup button and choose your page dimensions, orientation and page scale in the Page Format dialog window
- Click on Drawing Size button and click on the page area, so as to select exactly one page
-.The page is exactly the same on the printer.

#40

I couldn't see the bar showing all the measurements (Ruler) . I eventually discovered it was hidden almost off the bottom of the screen! It took me a long time to drag it all up to the top. In the previous version you could configure the program to open the way you wanted .....

Go to the Options -> Palettes -> sub menu and choose one of the standard positions.

#41

My plan has a scale of 1:200. I then want to pass (in the same design) to a scale of 1:100 - and after, to 1:50. That is, from the general plan, to plans of each building and then of parts of the buildings. Is it possible to cut out (and print) a part of a plan?

Usually you have to organize the layers depending on what you want to print, but here's a useful trick :

In an empty layer, draw a rectangle with 0 thickness and a white fill. When you want to print only part of a layer, paginate the layer and on top of it paginate the layer with the white filled rectangle. Move the "White" on top of the other to hide the unwanted part.

#42

I have 10 buildings, each of which have 3 or 4 views - 30-40 drawings in all. What is the best way to organise these files, for easy retrieval?

You can load all the files in one document. Start a new document then load the files on different layers.

#43

I can't change from vertical to horizontal page setup.

1 - Choose the sheet dimensions and horizontal orientation from Page Setup.
2 - Go to the Sheet Size dialog window from the View menu and click with the mouse on left top part of the green area. You can drag the mouse on the green area to choose the dimensions of the drawing table and the number of requested pages. if you click close enough to the left top corner you will obtain only one page, with the exact dimension of the printing area of the printer page. This procedure is very similar to other classic Macintosh programs like the old Mac Draw.

3 - Go to Paging from the View menu. Enable the Show Pages check box, so you can see if the table will be printed on only one page or more.

#44

Is it possible to 'mirror' elements, e.g. to change direction of door opening, or turn a bath around?

Yes. Select the part that you want mirrored and group it in an object with the Group in Object command from the Edit menu (or the corresponding icon on palette n.2). Select the object and choose Mirror Selected Object from the Process menu.

file 3

#45

When I import from AutoCad, why can't I see each layer? And when I export to AutoCad, why can't I see the entire project?

DomusCad offers a choice of import/export modes, depending on what you want to do. Either :

- Layers -> Import DWG-DXF to Active Layer

or

- File -> Import -> Import DWG-DXF document (Archive ->Import, for Mac users)

The first mode is used for importing, say, a cadastal drawing, to an existing project, for which you have already set up parameters such as layers, colors, etc.

The second mode is used when you import an entire project, maintaining its original layers, names, colors, etc., as well as layout and impagination ready for printing.

Remember that Domus.Cad organizes projects, not single drawings like AutoCad. The project is 3D and so the layers are one on top of the other.

To export the whole project, use Export ->impaginate DWG-DXF.

For more details see Release Notes of version 14.

#46

How can I create shadow for objects in 2D or 3D?

In DomusCad, cast shadows can only be created using RayShade in 3D. For 2D drawings, use the traditional method of indicating shadows by a hatched or colored polygon.

Or try this interesting method : create a 3D view with RayShade, complete with cast shadows. This can then be transferred to a layer which has been rescaled and placed under the technical view. The result is a technical view with colors and shadows. The same can be achieved in plan.

#47

Why does the Metric Calculation command bring up a a blank page?

You probably haven't assigned a calculation mode to your elements. Select the elements and choose Calculation from the Parameters menu. For example, you can choose to calculate the volume of a Wall, or the surface area of one face, two faces, or all faces.

#48

How can I insert an arched portico into the facade of my building? And how do I do a barrel-vaulted ceiling?

For the portico, the simplest way is to insert arched 'Doors' into the facade.

Here's how to do the barrel-vault:

- draw an Arch, the section of the barrel-vault

- select the Arch

- choose Process ->Automatic Generation-> Extrude Slabs on Polygon, or double-click on the equivalent icon in palette no.3

- insert length of vault and confirm

- the vault will appear in plan; position it using the mouse then press Return or Space bar.

#49

How do you draw a double pitched roof, one side of which overshoots the ridge, thus forming a cornice?

All you do is create two different pitches, starting from the desired height of gutter line. Where they overlap, close them off with a wall, using the Adjust Garret Walls and Adjust Walls on Roof commands.

#50

Sometimes a drawing imported from AutoCad is either very small or very big, or the text is larger than the drawing. Why?

Check the units of measurement. DWG and DXF files have no unit of measurement - AutoCad doesn't take this into consideration until time of printing.

For example, if an AutoCad drawing in meters is imported in centimeters, the drawing is 100 times smaller and the texts, which cannot be reduced by 100, appear enormous with respect to the drawing. Vice versa, if the original file was in centimeters and it is imported in meters, it will be 100 times bigger.

In either case, simply cancel the operation and re-import, changing the unit of measurement.

#51

How are dormer windows and skylights done ?

Below is one of several possible methods, using the Scissors, a simple but powerful function.

- below is a roof with four walls. Select the Roof/Slab icon and make 3 cuts (shown as red lines.

- now modify the color and thickness of the portion destined as a window and reduce the reference height by 5 cm.

This is what it looks like in 3D:

- draw 3 more cuts inside the window

- and change the internal section into glass

- in very little time, we have obtained a skylight

Now let's do a dormer window. Begin, as for the skylight, but raise the front end of the window up to form a roof.

- build 3 walls around the resulting opening

- select Walls and Roof, then execute Generate Garret Walls , to bring the Walls right up to join the dormer window Roof.

Finally, how to put several windows into a roof:

if you need to make more complex openings in your roof, it is actually easier to create a vertical Wall, insert the windows and then incline the Wall until it becomes a roof. See below:

- Create a Wall and insert the Windows

- Select it all then use the command from palette no.3, Process menu: Convert to Facets

- regroup the facets into one single Object

- select the Object and execute ObjRot from the Modules menu as follows:

- put the Object on the layer. Here's how it looks in 2D and 3D :

#52

When lengthening a Wall , the program calculates from the center of the wall, even if the start point indicated was the end of the wall.

A wall is registered by its axis and this is what the program takes into account, during modifications. If you want to maintain the original direction, choose the option Only Axial Deformation, or press the Shift key.

#53

How do you create new hatching or change the color of standard hatching ?

The easiest way is to draw it on a layer and import the layer into the tile. Diagonal and bitmap hatching can be created inside the Fills window.

Bitmap hatching takes on the same color as the element containing it, while diagonal hatching or fill tiles can have different colors (export hatching to a layer, modify and re-import).

#54

Can I have some more information on mosaicing?

Precision mosaicing is based on the principle of four points measured on each photo.These must be measured using an identical reference system. Normally progressive measurements are taken, starting from the left corner of the building, and height from ground level.

Each separate image is treated as for a normal straightening-up operation - origin and destination points are fixed.

As each image is added, its origin and destination points are reset. The destination points will be in the correct position with respect to the common origin, thus the image will straighten-up in the correct place.

Normally, to avoid overlapping, a polygon is drawn to delineate the portion of image wanted and White Transparent mode is used.

#55

How can I create people, animals, etc. in a 3D view ?

You can either create 3D models (quite complicated) or insert the people or animals into the 3D view.

For example:

  • create a 3D view and place it on a free layer
  • using a program such as PhotoShop, take a photograph of a person and 'draw round' the person, leaving the rest of the photo blank.
  • import the image into DomusCad (e.g. using Cut and Paste). If using Windows, double-click on the image and make the white part transparent. On Macintosh you can do the same with ObjRot module.
  • rescale the image if necessary, to the same scale as the photo

#56

Is it possible to use two monitors at the same time? How do I set this up?

DomusCad is already set up with independent windows, which can be dragged to different monitors.

Windows users must click on Extend Desk, to extend it to the second monitor, otherwise both monitors will show the same image.

#57

We have been using AutoCad for 2D and Arcon for 3D, but it would obviously be preferable to have only one program. How does DomusCad differ from other programs, say, Archicad or ArchiDesktop?

DomusCad is based on totally different concepts from Architectural Desktop. A DomusCad user tends to think in terms of his 'project', because he uses one software to produce one plan, from which he can then develop a 2D drawing, a 3D model, prospetti, sections, etc.

There are more similarities with ArchiCad which, like DomusCad, is part of the Architectural Parametric 3D CAD group. Some differences are highlighted in the first part of our Getting Started manual but there is one fundamental one between DomusCad and other parametric software: we don't believe in 'parametrising to excess'. We don't believe that every single construction element - every wall or window - should be conceived by inserting parameters.

In Europe, much designing is done on old buildings, which have infinite varieties of form, dimension and building type. Translating such a wide variety of data ito a large number of parameters in a dialog window - and having to modify them - would be impractical. Our view is that parameters should control 90% of the situation, leaving the designer to free to do as he wishes for the remaining 10%, so within the same drawing there would be fairly automatic parts, integrated with manual ones.


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