Creating Spaces from a Floor Plan

You can create spaces in a building model from a floor plan sketch.

  1. Before you begin:
    1. Create a mass. Alternatively, you can create a mass using a DWG or DXF floor plan sketch.
    2. Activate the story where you want to create the spaces from the floor plan sketch.
    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 walls.

    8. In the tree, from the active story, from External References, click the story elevation reference plane.
    9. Click OK.
    In the tree, the system adds the sketch under the active story under External References.
  2. From the 2D to 3D section of the action bar, click Spaces from Floor Plan .
  3. From the Spaces from Floor Plan dialog box, click Select a floor plan sketch and in the tree, select the floor plan sketch.
  4. From Owning Story, select the owning story for the spaces.
  5. In the dialog box,
    1. Enter in Maximum opening width a value to reflect the largest opening in the sketch for elements such as windows and doors.

      Your entry is the largest distance the command attempts to identify as a door, window, or wall opening.

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

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

    3. Enter in Maximum wall thickness a value that reflects the maximum thickness of the space 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.

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

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

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

The system creates the three-dimensional spaces both in the 3D area and in the tree, where it lists the spaces under the owning story.