Exercise 2: Creating and Modifying Form

Lesson Overview

When you start working in Autodesk^® Project Vasari, you may already have a few sketches of ideas for the campus. You should have a conceptual basis for the design, notebook sketches and ideas. In this lesson you will learn basic 2D sketching and 3D modeling skills by creating several low-rise buildings on our site based on a basic CAD layout.

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Sketching and 3D Modeling
• Creating Basic Mass Forms
• Manipulate Forms Using Modeling Tools
• Sketch and extrude several simple masses
• Edit mass forms in-place

Suggested Exercises

Exercise 2.0: Basic Sketching and Extrusion

Exercise File: 2-0 Create Form_Modify Form1_Start.rvt. Download this file to follow along with the exercise.

Video 2.0: Creating and Modifying Forms

download video: 02.00-CreateForm.mp4

Exercise 2

In this example, we see a set of lines and polylines drawn in AutoCAD^® and imported. For this exercise, we want to create a series of low buildings using the closed CAD lines as a template for the footprints.

Begin by temporarily hiding the map image by selecting the image and pressing "HH" on your keyboard. To unhide, press "HR."

Next, click Model tab Create Mass. Using the modeling lines, sketch the profiles of each mass footprint you wish to create, ensuring that each sketch is a closed loop.

To extrude, select the curve and select Create Form at the top of the ribbon.

This command creates a parametrically controlled form where you can use a 3D control to push, pull, and edit the form on any face. You can perform blends, sweeps, extrusions, and Boolean operations in this environment. For the low buildings, this exercise will only be using the extrude commands.

When you are finished with each building, click Finish Mass.

Modifying Form

Once you have created and finished your basic building mass extrusions, you can go back into the Mass Editor by selecting the mass object and clicking the Edit In-Place on the ribbon.

By selecting a face individually, you can use the many modeling tools to manipulate the surface and overall form.

Another helpful modeling trick is to hit the space bar with a surface, edge, or point selected. This toggles between a 3D control that operates in the world XYZ coordinate system and object-specific coordinate system, enabling you to move and edit the object more precisely.

3D Control Orientation

When you have successfully done this step, the model should resemble the following:

Mass Floors

After modeling and selecting Finish Mass you can use the reference planes as datum to create floors for calculating square footages (or meters) and enabling the Conceptual Energy Analysis features. The Mass Floors button is right next to Edit Mass-In-Place whenever a mass is selected. You can move your reference planes around to edit the floor-to-floor heights and the model automatically updates.

Notice in the Project Browser, under Schedules, a new Mass Floor schedule is automatically created. Open it and see how area totals are tracked per floor. Schedules can be added and edited for almost any geometry or data in Autodesk^® Project Vasari.

Area Schedules

By creating mass floors, you automatically create and populate a schedule of information based on the floors you just created. The Mass Floor Schedule is located in the Project Browser under Schedules and Quantities.

Additional Resources