Toposurface and In-Ground Housing

[Anonymous]

I have been working on my "final project" for my drafting - architecture class and as can be assumed, still learning the program. Sadly, my teacher only knows how to create a solid flat toposurface, so I decided to come to the forums to try to solve my problem.

I have built a multi-level house that has parts meant to be underground. I have learned how to manipulate the elevations of toposurfaces using "graded region" and whatnot but I have also learned that "pads" are meant to keep the terrain out of the house. So my question is how do I get the topo to go ontop of the house (with natural looking topography) without it going inside the house? Any help will be greatly appreciated as I've been trying to figure this out for a few days now.

Project details:

Residential-default template

3 story house (current)

[Anonymous]

Hello,

So you are trying to create a Toposurface with out it being inside the building itself, correct.

I have found with my own projects, setting it just below the building, if that isn't what your trying to go for, you can make multiple Toposurfaces, that's what I typically do, may look messy but Ray Traceing or Rendering it it's all one piece.

Hope this helps. 

Sarah.

[L.Maas]

You mention (building)pads. Are those not working for you?

[Anonymous]

Are you just looking to create the visual aesthetic?

If so you could place floors and modify the sub element giving near the same functioality as the topo.

[RDAOU]

@Anonymous

See screencast below (self explanatory)

Question: can you give the name of the institution where you are learning Revit?

[Anonymous]

 In an attempt to answer as many questions as I can,

Pisgah High School - place where I am taking my drafting courses

Yes, I noted building pads, but I don't believe that it is the issue at hand, I'm trying to get the toposurface to go on top of the house. I didn't know if you could create more than one however.

If I go in, and create multiple topo-surfaces, if I grade them up on certain side of the house, can I "attach" them to each other somehow? I've got the main of the house done, basement, and all three floors. The ceilings and floors are done, all I have left to do for my project is to install lights (shouldnt be hard right?), furnish the rooms, add roofing to places that are not covered with a toposurface.

The toposurface does like to catch onto other topo-points (if i can refer to them as such). This normally is why it goes inside the house. I define the points where I want the toposurface to stay inside of, and it just takes to the outermost points.

I can upload the project if need be so you guys can see if that will help. The main thing is that I learn to do it myself.

I love the attention brought on, and I thank you guys so much for looking into it. Hopefully this post will clear some stuff up.

[RDAOU]

It is somewhat hard to understand the sequence/workflow following which you modeled your topography vs building without anything to look at...If building pads aren't suitable; it is definitely better to upload a file of images to avoid making assumptions be able to give an adequate solution

[Anonymous]

Ok, here is the current bit I have. The roof is not on the top level for the reasons behind this topic.

[Anonymous]

You can't do this with topography...it just won't work.

You can however use a roof for your topography,that way when you place your ground "roof" over your building they will join with the rest of the "roof" topography.

Downside of doing this is no contours.  But just create your flat roof by footprint then use the Modify Sub Elements to set your heights for the slopes.

[Anonymous]

Well, that was my original thought was to put the terrain as the roof of the house. But I want it to join a slope - think valley here, steep, sharp valley. The rear of both "wings" of the house will be inside the "walls" of the valley.

This is so hard to describe in text, I wish I had an image to show you of what I mean, this is probably the best of what I can give you except for the house is 3 stories + basement and it's a valley:

The driveway will go through the center - between the two wings.

What I'm mainly worried about now, is that if it's possible to create multiple toposurfaces, to join them together and have it look alright. I'm getting a grade on how well I design the house and it's surroundings so having strange physics defying walls of dirt isn't the best idea.

[Anonymous]

You can create multiple toposurfaces and merge them but it's not going to be perfect.

[Anonymous]

When you say not perfect, do you mean like minor bumps in the places where they connect or like massive outcroppings? If it's just bumps its fine.

[Anonymous]

Minor bumps in the places they connect, and like I said before when you Render it or Ray Trace it, you can't notice it.

Now this is how I work with it, and present my clients with, and with the importance of it, depends on what your job is but with me it's just a added bonus for realism.

[Anonymous]

Yea, multiple toposurfaces would be much much easier to work with and since you can just "connect" them together like that it will probably be fine. Now the question is how to get toposurfaces on the bottom of my valley, up the sides, and across the roof as well as I'd like them to be.

I should really do more with the terrain but it may have been my mistake of listening to my teacher when she said that it would probably be best if I didn't worry about the terrain until after I'd built the house.

[Anonymous]

Well it would be smart to get the building correct and finished first yes, that I belive would be an important part, and you can set all the points within a toposurface differently so that shouldn't be to difficult to get it close to what you would like, also try different ways, if you don't like it try another way, you just have to trial and error until it comes out good. 

[Anonymous]

What if you were to come across a point where the toposurface grade keeps wanting to connect to another point that it's not supposed to connect to?

Say if I were to create two toposurfaces, use the graded region tool, and have one finished, and be working on the other, what if one of the points on the toposurface decides to connect with one that it shouldn't and it creates an awkward ridgeline that defies physics?

[constantin.stroescu]

When having underground buildings I prefer not working with Toposurface but creating a Mass Element terrain that can be cut with Voids in any direction.

[Anonymous]

https://youtu.be/ocw9K5nLaX0

Go to about 4:30

You mean like that?

[Anonymous]

I'm not familiar with mass elements (recall I'm still learning the program) so I don't know what you mean but I'll look into it.

Sadly for @Anonymous:
My school system blocks all forms of YouTube that are not tagged Educational; so I wont be able to take a look at that video until I get home.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, well take a look at that, I'm not sure if its what you need, I can try to explain it,

Lets say you have 4 points,

all set at 0,0

You change two of them to 3'

Then you may add a handful more points to 1' between the level an highst point,

You want a section be more rounded and connected instead of jumping to another point and missing the others you have placed, slightly change those to 1' 1" an so fourth.