SOLIDWORKS For Architecture Part 1 CADimensions

Is This Fifty-fifty A Thing?

Equally a SOLIDWORKS user, you're aware that SOLIDWORKS' forte is mechanical design. Does that hateful SOLIDWORKS can't be used for architecture? No, it doesn't. Let's be articulate, though. If yous are drafting house plans for a living, you will find better tools on the market place. But with that said, if y'all take some occasional work to practice, you may as well utilise the SOLIDWORKS software you are familiar with. If you're an engineer looking to use SOLIDWORKS for some personal architectural projects, you may find this article helpful.

At that place is no architectural "add together-in" for SOLIDWORKS. Rather, it's a matter of adapting the software to piece of work improve for what you are using it for. Sometimes they are uncomplicated settings, like changing your units to feet and inches, or using tick marks instead of arrows for the dimension lines.

Image 1: Adding every concluding detail is ofttimes non necessary, depending on the projection.

Different projects require different levels of item. If you're trying to blueprint something simple like a pole barn, all y'all really need are the crucial elements; how big should the overhead doors exist? Practise you want windows, and where should they exist located? Where do you lot desire to position the human door? What's the overall size of the structure? Add details showing what's important to yous. The contractor will figure out the rest.

If you lot're designing a deck or shed, modeling the planks or 2×4's will be helpful because you can create your ain pull list for the lumber yard. We can refer to that every bit a bill of materials in SOLIDWORKS. Consider using the weldment functionality for framing a shed. It's very easy to take an existing weldment profile, such every bit a rectangular tube, and adapt it to a standard 2×four or other dimensional lumber. Yous can even figure out what lengths y'all'll demand by creating a weldment cut list.

Designing Your House

To design a house in SOLIDWORKS, you'll desire to take the appropriate approach. For case, trying to model every 2×4 isn't practical, nor is information technology necessary. In the case of edifice a house, yous (or your framer) would commonly either get a pull list from the builder or the lumber yard. The lumber thousand has a vested interest in obtaining your coin. They will be happy to generate a pull list from your plans, considering they desire to sell you lot the lumber!

Image 2: Modeling a basement? Give yourself some idea of beam and postal service location.

Like to how it isn't necessary to model every stick of lumber, it too isn't necessary to model floor joists or roof trusses. You lot could exercise a rough mock up if you lot are trying to lay out paths for duct work (for example), but otherwise, information technology shouldn't exist necessary. Your builder will do the appropriate load bearing calculations to determine the size of the beams and trusses. What yous may consider is modeling the postal service and beam locations. This will requite you an idea of what obstacles you will be facing if the plan is to eventually create a finished basement. You don't want a post in the middle of your home theater!

What Tools Should I Use?

When designing my house, there were a few tools I found particularly useful. The Design Library, for instance, can be a big time saver. Library Features are convenient for details like window or door openings. In that same vein, utilise Library Parts for the actual windows and doors. Need to add a 30 10 fourscore door to a room? Drag it in and drop it into identify. Add a couple mates and yous're fix to motion on. Incidentally, athwart limit mates piece of work great for getting doors to shut or open to the proper angle.

Configurations lend themselves very nicely to windows and doors. Standard sizes can exist created apace and hands using this arroyo. A standard interior door can be a single part with multiple configurations, which as well makes it very easy to change things up if y'all determine a door needs to be a different size.

The Flooring Plan

By and large speaking, when it comes to designing the layout of the house itself, you lot'll be using thin features. Create the outside walls first and make up one's mind on a general shape. Considering building lawmaking requires 6″ exterior walls, if you make them 7″ thick to business relationship for interior sheet rock and exterior cladding, you'll be darn close to the actual value. Interior walls should be 4 5/8″ thick to business relationship for the true width of a 2×four plus 1/two″ canvass rock on either side of the wall. Offset adding doors and windows and see where it takes you.

Paradigm 3: Modeling your furniture can help you determine if windows and doors are optimally located.

If y'all really desire to accept it to the next level, model up some furniture and make yourself a SOLIDWORKS "doll house". Move things around inside your virtual home to see how everything will play out. In an example from my personal feel, nosotros were able to determine a large piece of furniture, if placed where we wanted it, would take partially blocked a window. Since the window was at the back of the house, I only moved it over one-half a foot. It was a simple prepare, but we would never have known it had I not modeled the furniture. The furniture doesn't have to be works of fine art, either, but obviously yous'll want to make sure the dimensions are shut to reality. Y'all may even be able to download items from the web, such as a washer or drier, and tweak them to fit.

Your Firm Plans

Once you take the layout finished, create the drawing and get all of your dimensions in place. The end result won't exist perfect, but information technology won't need to be. Your chore is to give the architect the general dimensions and layout. Save your drawing equally a DWG file and requite that to your builder, considering it'due south hundred-to-one they will have SOLIDWORKS. They will then be able to draw up your plans using manufacture standard classification and symbology, and give information technology their professional engineering stamp of approval.

Designing your house in SOLIDWORKS tin can be immensely entertaining, but it can also be challenging. Break up your house model into logical function categories, such as the basement walls, the main flooring, the roof. Rename your features as yous get, such as Livingroom, Bedroom1, Master Bathroom, and other logical names. You will probably discover your business firm modeling project will take multiple iterations. Don't be afraid to scrap something and get-go over if y'all think a new approach will piece of work amend. The end event is what'due south of import, and getting in that location will probably be a learning experience, fifty-fifty if y'all are a veteran SOLIDWORKS user. Keep it fun, and Happy Modeling!

Tags: compages, layout, mock-up, Solidworks