Best way of representing cladding

[Kevin.Bell]

Hi,

Please see the attached pic from AutoCAD.

I need to create some vertical timber cladding which has some joints (i.e. line features) above and below the windows.

The only way I know of creating this is to use a custom hatch, is there any better way of creating this?

Cheers.

[rosskirby · Accepted solution]

There are a couple of ways, although I wouldn't use a custom pattern, since you'd have to re-create it if the floor-to-floor or window heights changed.

Option 1: If the horizontal banding is continuous around the building, add a sweep to the structure of the wall type, and assign it a different material than what you use for the vertical boards.

Option 2: Use the split-face tool (Modify --> Split-face) to create the horizontal bands and "Paint" on a different material than what you use for the vertical boards.

Option 3: Draw masking and/or fill regions on your elevations to represent the horizontal bands.

Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks, but Option 1 is the most "BIM" and the most stable, Option 2 is sort-of "BIM" but unstable if you ever edit the profile of the wall or move the windows, and Option 3 is the least "BIM", but relatively stable, as long as you constrain your mask/fill region sketch to the building geometry.  Just keep in mind that Option 3 is view-specific, so the banding won't show up automatically in other views, or at all in 3D views.

[Kevin.Bell]

Thanks!

I think option 1 is best, the sweeps should be an easy win and then I can simply make up different wall types for each panel.

Its a shame the hatches are more easily editable as I was hoping to use these originally.

Cheers.

[rosskirby]

Glad I could help.  And be sure to mark that post as a solution, so that others can benefit as well.