Walls by Baseline

by | Jun 10, 2020 | Learning Center, Walls, Doors, and Windows | 0 comments

Video: https://youtu.be/EbeUGAkCX00

Instructions from Video:

If you use the Walls tool, the walls are drawn on a center baseline. You may prefer to draw your walls on a different baseline. For example, you may have the exterior dimensions of the walls to the finish materials or to the outside of stud. Using the Walls by Baseline tool you can draw walls from any basepoint and type in the exact dimensions to that baseline point.

  1. Select Insert > Walls > Walls by Baseline or click the down arrow next to the Walls button on the Building toolbar and select Walls by Baseline.
  2. In the catalog, select the wall type you want to insert.
  3. In the drawing screen area, left click to start your first point. A line will attach to your cursor. This command will create a single line diagram to represent the outline of the building you create. Using the Commander at the bottom of the screen you can type in exact dimensions and directions for each wall line segment. This is the most accurate way to insert the lengths of walls when drawing the exterior shell of the building. The Distance edit box will automatically be active and ready for you to type a dimension length, if you move your cursor in the direction you want to draw the wall line it will change the value in the Direction edit box. You can also hit the TAB key on your keyboard to move over to the Direction box and type in a direction and then hit the ENTER key to commit that line length and angle. Each dimension will be the perfect length.
  4. If you make a mistake while drawing the outline you can undo the last segment drawn by right-clicking and selecting Step Back. You can then type in the new dimension for that wall segment.
  5. When you are finished the outline right-click and select Finish.
  6. In the Walls by Baseline dialog, you define what the line diagram represents. You can choose either Outer Face of Veneer, Outer Face of Wall Core or Stud, or Inner Face of Wall Core or Stud.
  7. In the Offset area, specify an offset distance in the Distance edit box, if desired. This is a good option if the dimensions used in the diagram are to sheathing and not to exterior veneer or wall core. You can type an offset equivalent to the thickness of the sheathing.
  8. If you have specified an offset distance, select the direction in which you want to offset the walls from the baseline, either Towards outside or Towards inside.
  9. Click OK.

The single line diagram is converted to walls and the dimensions for the walls match the distances typed in. An accurate way to define the exterior shell of the building.