How To Design This Column Arch with Curvature?

[Anonymous]

I'm halfway with designing this column, except I'm having trouble with the curvature of the column archs. Can this only be done using a structural-based program? Would be awesome to design this in Revit. Could someone mimic this and lead me through the steps?

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous

This Revit Structure tutorial shows how to place a slanted structural column in your architectural drawing and change the height and angle.

Meanwhile, while I do some testing on my own, let's throw out this open challenge to the community to mimic this design.

Regards,

[Viveka_CD]

@Anonymous Also check out this post HERE by @Alfredo_Medina

Some of the suggested tips are - design by sweep profile, beam by sketch process etc. 

Regards,

[Anonymous]

I created this with the 'blend' tool. Yet it seems curvature isn't an option. 

[Kimtaurus]

Try modelling this with a conceptual mass.

[Sahay_R]

Off the top of my head - I would split the triangle into half,

                                       model the column as a Sweep,

                                       constrain with parameters,

                                       nest into a structural framing family,

                                       associate parameters

                                       and mirror. 

The beam would need to be a separate entity, because Revit does not like curves in two directions. Maybe a modeled in place Sweep going all around the building?

[Kimtaurus]

Here's an example of a conceptual mass.

It's not exactly how yours looks, but you'll get an idea of how it's modelled.

[Alfredo_Medina · Accepted solution]

I think it can be done in 3 pieces, like this: 

• one solid by sweep on the left, "A".
• one (mirrored) solid by sweep on the right, "B".
• one solid by blend at the bottom, "C".

For making "A", you need a path with the curves and angles, and a profile, something like this:

For making "C", you need to draw boundaries for bottom and top, something like this:

Then,  define category, material, load the family into a project, repeat it, add beams, etc...

[Sahay_R]

@Kimtaurus can you give idiot-proof directions please?

@Alfredo_Medina awesome!

[Kimtaurus]

1. Draw reference lines for the profile to sweep along.

2. Draw the profile on the reference plane that's at the end of the reference line.

3. Copy-mirror the sweep

4. Add voids to cut away the top and bottom to get horizontal endings.

[Sahay_R]

@Kimtaurus - So the procedure is the same in the conceptual modeling environment?

[Kimtaurus]

For not to complex shapes it is similar

When the the sweep has more than 2 profiles, conceptual mass (or adaptive components) work better. You can add profiles to the mass/sweep and edit them individually.

[Viveka_CD]

Wow- this is an interesting thread! Thanks for the cool tips and illustrations @Alfredo_Medina, @Sahay_R and @Kimtaurus

We will be having more open challenges for complex modeling and see how we can best use Revit tools to achieve this.

Best Regards,