Drawing with SoftPlan

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2 Drawing with SoftPlan Selected text from: LEARNING SOFTPLAN, Version 2012, pp. 12, , 358. Copyright SoftPlan Systems Inc Steps in Creating a Residential Plan Where to Start? As time passes you will accumulate hundreds of drawings. In order to locate the drawing you want, be sure that you organize your drawings into a format suitable for your business. One option is to use the projects folder created by SoftPlan or to create your own projects folder in another location such as a Flash drive. Under the projects folder, create a plan folder for each building plan you create. In each plan folder you would then place all the drawings for that plan. The name you give the drawing would signify what is in the drawing: for example, Foundation, First Floor, Second floor, Front Elevation, Back Elevation, and so on. 3. Dimension interior and exterior walls. Use Auto Dimension to place dimension lines for exterior walls. Use the Dimension tool to scan in interior dimensions. - These are working dimensions that you will use to accurately set the wall positions. Since you will remove them later on, you do not need to position them accurately. 4. Edit the wall dimensions to set walls in the exact position. Use the Edit command to set the exact position of each wall using the working dimensions that you added. Remember to work from one side of the floor plan to the other, for example when editing horizontal dimensions, start editing on the left side and move towards the right side of the floor plan. When adjusting the vertical dimensions, start editing from the top and move to the bottom of the floor plan. 5. Add all windows and doors. Place the windows and doors (openings) in their approximate location. Do not spend time trying to get the openings in their exact location. Edit the dimensions that you place on the openings to quickly do this. 1. Select Create a New Project from the Start Page, or select File---? New Folder and enter a name for the project. Create the Main Floor Plan 1. A new drawing is already created for you in the Project. The main floor plan will be created in this Drawing. 2. Sketch in the exterior and interior walls. Choose the wall type you wish to use, for example for exterior, use 2x4/Brick or 2x4/Siding. Sketch in the walls to the approximate length and position to form the room layout you are trying to achieve - Do not try to be precise at this time since later steps will add this precision. 6. Erase the working dimensions. Many times the working dimensions that you have added to a drawing are not placed in the best location after the walls have all been re-located. In addition new dimensions will be required to dimension the windows and doors. Use Auto Dimension to update the dimension lines for exterior walls. The existing exterior dimensions will automatically be erased and new dimension lines will be added. Interior dimensions must be manually removed and added again or existing interior dimensions must be manually relocated as needed. - Since dimensioning is very quick and easy, you will probably find it faster to erase all the working dimensions and extensions using the Type Erase command, and replace them using Auto Dimension for exterior walls and then re-scan the interior Dimensions. 7. If necessary, set the exact window and door styles. Use the Edit function to do this. Use the Repeat Edit and Duplicate functions to quickly set similar windows and doors. 2

3 8. Set the exact window and door locations. Position the windows and doors accurately using the Edit function to adjust the dimension lines attached to each window and door. 9. Save your drawing using the Save command. In the event of a computer failure or if you want to revert back to an earlier design, you can easily retrieve saved versions of the drawing from the Recovery folder for the current folder. 10. Add details to your floor plan. Complete your design by adding details from the libraries of pre-drawn symbols and cabinets. Add electrical symbols and their connections. For common messages, add notation using the Speed Note libraries. As you add details you may want to make minor changes to the floor plan to accommodate the cabinetry or appliances that you want to use. Add stairs and set them to the correct rise and run. Adjust dimension positions as necessary. Add reference points. 11. Save the drawing. Create the Foundation Plan If your design requires a foundation you must create a new drawing for the foundation Plan. To do this: 1. Use the Save As command to make a copy of the main floor plan in the same folder. This becomes a separate drawing. Name it, for example, Basement or Foundation. 2. Modify this copied drawing. Erase unneeded walls, openings, symbols, cabinets and so on. Use the Type Erase function to remove items by their type. Use Block Erase to remove all items within a specified area. 3. Change the remaining walls to the type used for the foundation. Use the Change Wall function to change all walls of the same type to the type needed. Use the Edit function to change individual walls. Be careful not to move bearing walls since they must line up with any bearing walls on the floor above. When adding bearing walls you can use the edit function to set the Anchor option, then if you attempt to move a bearing wall a message will appear warning you that this wall is anchored. 5. Add support beams. Add any support beams that are required. 6. Add support posts. Use the Post (plan) function for this. 7. Add windows and doors to the foundation plan. 8. Add additional dimensions. You can choose to add additional dimensions for the objects you have added or you may prefer to erase all dimensions and re-dimension the plan as required. 9. Add details to the foundation plan. Complete your design by adding details using the symbol libraries. Add electrical symbols and add their connections. For common messages, add notation using the Speed Note libraries. Adjust dimension positions as needed. 10. Add the floor system. Select Floor System mode from the Status bar (or press CTRL + J). Use the Slab function to add concrete slabs in the basement and garage areas. Choose the type of slab you wish to use: - Structural (monolithic) to support the outside bearing walls - Slab footings for interior bearing walls - Non Structural 11. Cleanup the flooring system by selecting the Cleanup button from the Toolbar (or press CTRL +c). Concrete slabs that you have added will snap to the walls. Structural slabs will snap to the outside of the wall while non-structural slabs will snap to the inside. The offsets of walls supported by the slab and any symbols you have added will be adjusted to position the item on top of the slab surface. 4. If necessary, Edit the dimension lines to position the walls. 3

4 12. Set the slab to the proper offset. For single level foundations, leave the offset at 0. For multi-level foundations, use Edit to set the level of each slab and the offset you wish to use for each level. As you adjust the offset of a slab all walls, stairs and symbols supported by the slab will automatically be adjusted as well. Perform a cleanup. 13. Check the offset and height of the walls. Select wall Profile mode from the Status Bar to check the height, offset, and offset direction of the walls. Use the Edit function to adjust the offset of any walls that require adjustment. If stepped foundations are used the stepped wall must be divided into each step section. Use Part Erase to break the walls into stepped sections. The offset and wall height of each section must then be set using the Edit function. You can also use the Step Wall command. 14. Save the drawing. Create the Second Floor Plan If your design requires a second floor you must create a new drawing for the second floor plan. To do this: 1. Use the Save As function to make a copy of the main floor plan. This becomes a separate drawing. Name it, for example, Second Floor or Upper Floor. 2. Using the same steps you used to generate the foundation plan, modify this copied drawing to convert it to the second floor plan: Erase walls, openings, symbols, and so on that are not needed. Change the remaining walls to the type used for the second floor. Draw any new walls or move existing walls as needed. Add new windows and doors as needed. Add additional dimensions as needed. Edit dimension lines to position walls accurately. Add details. 3. Save the drawing. Complete the Main Floor Plan We will now return to the main floor plan to add a flooring system to it and set up the wall offsets. To do this: 1. Select Floor System mode from the Status bar (or press CTRL + J). 2. Add sill plates, ring joists, and subfloor. By selecting the Ring +Plate + Subfloor command, all three can be placed at the same time. 3. Use Cleanup to position the sill plates, ring joists, and subflooring. When you press CTRL + c to clean up the drawing, the sill plates, ring joists and subflooring are adjusted to line up with the outer edge of the wall studs. 4. Overlay the floor below. The objects you draw on a floor plan are supported by the flooring system for that drawing. Use the Overlay function to see the walls on the floor below (those, which will support the floor system). With the Overlay function you will see the supporting walls and beams as dashed black lines while the walls being supported are shown as dashed brown lines. 5. Add joist sections to span between supporting members. 6. Use Cleanup (CTRL +c) to snap the joists to the ring joists. 7. Use the Hole Rectangle or Hole Polygon commands to block openings for stairs and plumbing drops. 8. Add single joists where required to double up joists under bearing walls. 9. If the floor plan has more than one level, the offset must be set for the joists to allow the flooring system to sit on top of the walls of the floor plan below. To set the offset, use Edit to set the level of each joist set and the offset you wish to use for each level. The offset of the ring joists, sill plates, and single joists will be automatically adjusted as well. As you adjust the offset of the floor joist system, the walls, cabinets and symbols that rest on it will be automatically adjusted as well. Perform a cleanup. 10. Add cross-bridging. 4

5 Use the Bridging function to add bridging if you wish to show cross-bridging on your floor joist plans. If you add bridging to your floor joist plan, your material list report will have a precise listing of the cross- bridging material. 11. Add ceiling board to your floor plan. 12. Select wall Profile mode from the Status Bar and check the offset of the walls. When the offset of the joists is set, the offset of the walls is adjusted automatically. Check the wall offset and use Edit to adjust any walls as necessary. 13. Save the drawing. Complete the Second Floor Plan If you have created a second floor you must now add a floor joist system and set the wall offsets for that floor. The steps used are the same as when completing the main floor. When setting the offsets for the second floor, remember that the offset is relative to the baseline, or zero. Add a Roof Plan A roof plan must be added to each floor that is covered by a roof. For example, the roof covering the second floor must be added to the second floor. If there is a garage area on the main floor that is not covered by the second floor, a roof section must be added to the main floor to cover this area. You can add these roof areas separately or you could use the Multi Floor Roof command to add the roof over the areas. For each floor do the following steps: 1. Select Roof mode from the Status bar. 2. Use the automatic roof functions to add the roof plan for that floor. 3. When the roof plan has been designed, use the Profile function to check that the roof profile is correct. 4. Use the Birds Eye function to check that the roof is correct. Note: If the roof is correctly referenced to each wall, yet the roofp1an is not correct, the reason may be that the wall offsets or wall heights are not set correctly. If the walls are not correct you must return to the floor plan and make the necessary corrections. 5. Add the roof framing. 6. Save the roof plan for the floor. Add the Cross Section Cut Lines Before you can generate cross sections, you must place the section cut lines on the floor plan. These same lines will be used to indicate the point at which all the floors, including the roof above, will be cut when generating the automatic cross section. Stack the Floors of the Building When generating the automatic cross sections, elevations and 3D views of the building, SoftPlan will build the sections and views from the bottom up using the floors you select. Use the Model section of the Navigation to assemble the floors: Drag and drop the lowest floor and drag and drop each floor in ascending order. Any roof plan that has been saved with the drawing will also be included with the drawing when it is selected. Generate the Cross Section Use the Cross Section feature to generate full cross section drawings of the plan you have created. These cross section drawings can be used to verify wall and joist offsets. To generate a cross section: 1. Select the cut line by which to generate the cross section from the Navigation Window. 2. A tab or new window is opened and the cross section drawing appears showing walls, joists, and roof. 3. Save the cross section by selecting Save As from the File menu, entering a name for the cross section drawing, for example Section A, and pressing the Save button. 4. Repeat above steps for additional cross section views. Generate Elevation Views The elevation feature allows you to generate exterior elevation views of the building. To generate an elevation view: 1. Select the direction from which you want to view the model from the elevation section of the Navigation Window. 5

6 2. An elevation drawing showing walls, windows, and the roof appears. 3. Use the Modify menu to change the appearance of items in the elevation, or you can return to the 2D drawing, make your changes there, and then return to the elevation view and press the Regenerate button to regenerate the elevation. 4. Save the elevation by selecting Save As from the File menu, entering a name for the elevation drawing, for example Front View, and pressing the Save button. 5. Select Camera from the SoftView menu bar to generate additional elevation views. Complete the Cross Section and Elevation Drawings SoftPlan can only generate the elevation and section drawing to the level of detail available from the floor plans and the roof plans. You may need to add additional details such as trim detail, notation and dimensions. These additions are made in Drawing mode using the Symbol libraries, drawing tools and notation tools. What follows is intended to give you some tips that will increase your speed and design ability when drawing with SoftPlan. Drawing Knee Walls In some designs such as in side splits and mulit-level homes, the floor plan is split, allowing a portion of the house to be raised or lowered relative to the rest of the floor plan. When this occurs, the wall shown on the floor plan is often two walls stacked on top of one another. In most cases the second wall, called a knee wall, is of a different construction. See below: There are two methods of handling this situation when using SoftPlan. Because SoftPlan uses the information in the floor plans to generate the other drawings and material lists, you must include information on the floor plan about both parts of a split wall; therefore, you must use one of the following methods to draw the Knee Wall. Using Hidden Walls to Create the Knee Wall To create the Knee wall using hidden walls: 1. When you draw your floor plan choose the type of wall to use, and then place it on your drawing. 2. When the wall represented on the floor plan is actually two walls, one on top of the other, choose the wall type of the lower wall and place it on your drawing. 3. To add the upper portion of the wall, select its type and draw it over top of the lower wall. 4. Use the Edit function to set the correct height and offset for each part of the wall. 5. Use Edit to set the upper wall to be hidden. It will then appear as dashed lines on the screen but it will not appear in our printed or plotted drawings. When you point to the wall using the Edit function, SoftPlan will locate the wall whose edge is closest to the cursor. If both walls are the same thickness you will find it difficult to locate the wall part you are interested in. In this case you will find it easier to right click to find the wall you want to edit. Creating a Knee Wall Plan If your design requires many split walls, you may prefer to generate a separate floor plan for just these walls. In this case the plan, often called the knee wall plan, would just contain the upper half of the split walls. A separate plan allows you to easily set up the offsets for these walls. In addition you can also print or plot these walls as well as generate framing diagrams for them. To Create the Knee Wall Plan 1. Make a copy of the floor plan containing the lower walls. 6

7 2. Convert this floor plan to the knee wall plan using the same steps as you would use to create a foundation plan or a second story plan: Delete walls that are not split. Delete symbols and other floor plan details. Convert the walls to the correct type. Adjust dimensions. Set the wall offset and wall height for each wall. Add windows and doors that would be placed in the upper section of the wall. Tips to Help You Draw Floor plans Faster SoftPlan s Toolbars Use SoftPlan s Toolbars. The toolbar located on the Status bar and the quick select floating toolbar consist of function buttons that let you quickly access your most frequently used SoftPlan functions. Note that there are different Toolbar buttons for the different drawing modes. These buttons can be changed if they do not suit you. Symbols Symbols are time saving since they can be reused on your drawings. They can also be used to create new symbols, If there is a particular drawing detail that you use over and over, make it into a symbol so that it is available for future drawings. Many symbols will be used frequently in all your drawings. Use the Library sort function to move the frequently used symbols to the top of the symbol list so that they can be quickly accessed. Speed Notes Use Speed Notes on your drawings whenever possible. They allow you to quickly add text to your drawings. Many speed notes have been created for you but you can also add your own speed notes to the Speed Note libraries. Remember that a Speed Note can be made up of multiple lines of text or of a single line of text. Zoom One of the main ways that you can increase your drawing speed is to learn how to move around on the Drawing screen more quickly. To do this, become familiar with the SoftPlan Zoom commands. Draw Select The Draw Select command allows you to quickly choose an item to draw by selecting it from the items that have been added to the current drawing. Once selected, you can immediately draw the item with all the properties that have been previously specified for it. Keyboard Shortcut Commands. There are many predefined keyboard shortcut commands help you increase the speed at which you draw. A list is provided later in this handout. The predefined keyboard shortcuts can be modified or new keyboard shortcuts can be added for any SoftPlan command. Repeat Edit To save editing time, use Repeat Edit, Repeat Edit (Box), and Repeat Edit (Poly). Repeat Edit allows you to apply changes you make to an item to other items of the same type. Duplicate To save editing time, use Duplicate. Duplicate copies the settings of one item to another item of the same type. Copy Use the Copy commands to make single or multiple copies of objects as well as place them repeatedly at an exact distance and direction. Group Use the Group command to move or erase a number of separate items as a group. When separate items are moved as a group they still maintain their positions relative to each other. This feature is particularly useful when designing unit type housing, finishing elevation details or temporarily grouping back together an exploded symbol. Tools Use the various commands from the Tools menu. These commands make drawing with SoftPlan easier. Cursor The cursor normally moves at 1/8" increments. This is good for most work, but for highly magnified work such as creating symbols, paint patterns, or small details, it is better to use the small cursor. It moves freely and allows you to locate on specific points of your drawing more easily. To select the small cursor, press the Accent (`) keyboard key (under the tilde ~). Press it once again to enable the regular cursor. Shift + ~ - By pressing the Shift and the Tilde (~) keyboard keys, you can toggle between the horizontal/vertical cursor and the cursor angle currently specified. 7

8 Designing a Built Out Bay on a Floor Plan Frequently when you are designing floor plans with SoftPlan, you will want to design a Built Out Bay. The following steps will show you the easiest and most accurate method of designing them. Draw the exterior walls as shown. Place an exterior wall directly below wall A. Dimension what will be the exterior depth of the bay and then edit that dimension to the value you want. Select your wall type and then press CTRL +A to draw the angled walls as in Step 3 at the angle you require to meet wall A. Use Partial Erase to cut out a portion of wall A. Use Adjust Item, if needed, to adjust the comers where the angled walls and wall A join. Do a Cleanup. Dimension the Built Out Bay that you have drawn. Use Edit Item to set the dimensions of the built out bay to the correct measurement. Remember to edit the dimensions starting from the left and moving to the right or from the right to the left. When you have completed editing the Built Out Bay, add the needed openings to the bay, and then edit the openings to the correct specifications. 8

9 Shortcut Keys To: Press this: To: Press this: To: Measure A Distance Add Construction Point At Cursor Suspend Action CTRL + HOME or CTRL + click CTRL + END ESC Key Do Not Cleanup Item Show Profile Of Walls Set A Construction Point CTRL + N Open Draw Menu F1 Press this: To: Select Item To Draw CTRL + P Open Erase Menu F2 Adjust Item A CTRL + END or CTRL + right-click Open Move Menu F3 Set Distance Between Items Toggle Cursor Size CTRL + ` Enlarge Dimension Numbers CTRL + Q Open Dimension Menu F4 Copy C Toggle Cursor Axis SHIFT + ` Redraw Screen CTRL + R Open Note Menu F5 Dimension D Cursor Angle Lock (15 CTRL + A or Degree Increments) F12 Save Drawing CTRL + S Open Edit Menu F6 Erase Item E Draw Any Degree Of Angle CTRL + A A Quick 3D CTRL + V Open Zoom Menu F7 Fillet F Cleanup The Drawing CTRL + C Show Paint CTRL + W Open Model Menu F8 Group Poly G Divide Into Segments CTRL + D Return To The Previous Display CTRL + X Opne Options Menu F9 F9 Insert Symbols I Window Explode An Item CTRL + E Include Item Under Cursor In Cleanup CTRL + Y Adjust Cursor Snap F11 Draw Line L Temporary Enable/Disable Fractional Dimensions Display The Multi-Drawing List CTRL + F CTRL + G Display The Center Zoom Window Zoom Out On Zoom Window CTRL + Z Exit Alt + F4 Move Item M ALT+X View a List of Shortcut Keys CTRL + / Open Help CTRL + H Go To Ceiling Mode ALT + J Open Floating Toolbar Double Click Select/Cancel Floor Right CTRL + J Go To Roof Mode ALT + R System Mode Mouse Button Offset Add Detail Note Add A Single Extension Use Calculator CTRL + K Undo Backspace or U Zoom Z Locate A Specific Type Shift + CTRL + L Redo Of Item Backspace Press this: S B O T X 9

10 Determining Wall Locations To set up the wall accurately we need to note the typical location of the zero baseline for the level - or it won t build the section correctly. Floor Basement Main Floor Second Floor Typical Location of Zero Baseline Bottom of basement wall Bottom of sill plate Bottom of floor joist Location of the top of an object = Offset + Height. Draw sketch. Example: Item Location of the Top of the Object Height (thickness) Offset Offset Direction Basement Wall N/A Basement Slab N/A Garage Slab up Stem Wall up 10

11 Electrical Symbols and their Locations Symbol Electrical Location Symbol Electrical Location outlet 220v ceiling fan 4 bladed 01 Ceiling Fans outlet 42 outlet 42 gfi ceiling fan globe 01 Ceiling Fans outlet floor chime outlet wp condensing unit disconnect pull chain light recessed light recessed directional light doorbell electrical panel exhaust fan Miscellaneous smoke detector split receptacle (not ) switch floodlight light wp (bath) switch 3way switch rheostat meter outlet telephone cable tv outlet wall mounted light 11