Creating Elevators from a Floor Plan

You can create elevators in a building model from a floor plan sketch that includes elevator shafts.

  1. Before you begin:
    1. Create a mass. Alternatively, you can create a mass using a DWG or DXF floor plan sketch.
    2. Activate Shell and Core.
    3. Use Sketch from DWG to import the DWG or DXF floor plan sketch.
    4. In the Sketch from DWG dialog box, ensure that Unit Selection matches the unit measurement of the drawing you are importing; otherwise select the matching unit from the list.
    5. Select the Merge Overlapping Entities check box.
    6. Clear all other check boxes.
    7. In the layer list, select the drawing layers to import into the sketch.

      Tip: Select only drawing layers containing line work for the elevator walls.

    8. Click OK.
    The system adds the sketch and in the tree, lists the sketch under Shell and Core under External References.
  2. From the 2D to 3D section of the action bar, click Elevators from Floor Plan .
  3. From the Elevators from Floor Plan dialog box, click Select a floor plan sketch , and in the tree, click the floor plan sketch.
  4. From the dialog box, in Starting story, select the starting story.
  5. From the dialog box, in Number of Stories, enter or select the number of stories that the elevator is to pass through.
  6. In the dialog box:
    1. Enter in Maximum opening width a value to reflect the largest opening in the sketch.

      Openings are for elements such as windows and doors.

    2. Enter in Minimum elevator area a value to reflect the minimum elevator area in the sketch.

      The command does not create any elevator smaller than your entry.

    3. Enter in Maximum wall thickness a value that reflects the maximum thickness of the elevator walls in the sketch.

      Your entry is the largest distance between lines that the command considers for a wall. The command does not create any wall thicker than your entry.

  7. To convert all valid boundaries in the sketch to three-dimensional elevator spaces, click Generate All .
  8. To remove walls around the elevator, in the Elevators From Floor Plan dialog box, click Remove Walls .

    Remove Walls is a toggle. When you remove walls, the system highlights the toggle.

  9. To see a preview of the valid elevator boundaries and openings, click Analytical View .
  10. To only make specific valid boundaries in the sketch into three-dimensional elevator spaces, click each individual boundary that you want to convert.
  11. Click .

The system creates the three-dimensional elevator shafts both in the 3D area and in the tree, where it lists the elevators under Shell and Core.