Solid Element Operations - Archicad Tutorial

- [Instructor] There are multiple ways to connect and manipulate 3D elements in ArchiCAD. In this video, we'll use the solid element operation function to merge and crop 3D forms. We can see based on the last process of drawing the walls that the walls don't relate properly to our roofs. The best way to connect these is using the solid element operation function. We can access this under Design, Solid Element Operations. This window can remain open if necessary but it's easy to access later. For ease of access, it's also in our toolbar at the top. When using our solid element operation, it's important to understand the difference between target and operator. The way I like to understand this is our target, let's say in a medical operation is being targeted, is being cut. Our operator, our surgeon is doing the cutting. In this instance, we'll therefore select the walls and we can do this all in one instance or we can do it one part at a time. If we only want to do it one at a time, we can click. In this case, our grouping is enabled, allowing us to select multiple walls. If we hold shift, that would allow us to select multiple at one time. If we select something that we don't want, continue to hold shift and select it again, and that would deselect. Now, with these walls selected, I'm going to select them as the target. So add as target. I'll then select the roofs. In this case, I need to select multiple roofs and I could group these if I wanted to but that's not necessary. Edit, grouping, group. And I can add as operator. Then I need to choose the correct operation. In this instance, we want to use the subtract with upwards extrusion. The diagram on the left explains how this works, meaning that the roof is the horizontal element and the walls, the vertical element. Wherever the roof is, the walls will be cut away. We want to choose this option, subtraction with upwards extrusion and then once we've done this, we'll press execute. We see that the tops of the walls have now been cut. Let's repeat this process. Select the walls. Add as target. Select the roof. Add as operator. Subtract with upwards extrusion. We see that that remains selected. We don't need to reselect it if we're doing the same thing over and again. And execute. One more time. Select the walls. Select the roof. Execute. We see that our model is now much more defined and refined based on the settings that we've adjusted. However, the relationship between our model is not complete. We see that there's holes. There's areas where the walls are not in the right place or that the slab is not in the right place. Now, in different instances, we can approach this in a different way. To finish this off, we could select the slab and extend its base down into the slab, down into the mesh, and we can see that as we extend it, if we zoom in a bit more, as the line changes from dashed to solid or solid to dashed, it's sinking further and further into our mesh. So once it's completely underground, we know that we've gone far enough. We can then select this slab. It's significantly larger than we want a slab to be but for our modeling process as a conceptual design, this is appropriate. This is now our target. The mesh is our operator and we want to subtract with downwards extrusion, execute to cut it away. We now see a nice defined line between the edge of the slab and the mesh. We now want to repeat this process where possible. We can select the slab and extend that down but that won't work in this instance because of the way this slab works. We could then either break this slab into multiple parts or add walls underneath. As it makes more sense in this instance to add walls, that's what we'll do. We can see that this needs to be done on both sides. And the walls that we're extending sit on our studio floor. We can select these walls. Suspend temporarily, right click lower ground, show as trace reference, and extend as necessary. Then when we're back in 3D, we see their function. We can select these walls. Let's use them all in this instance. And then with our solid element operation turned back on, we want these to be our target, our mesh, our operator, and subtract with downwards extrusion once more. We can see that this has now been chopped. We can repeat this process one more time for the next level. Lower ground floor, right click on upper ground floor, show as trace reference. And we'll extend this wall back. More than necessary perhaps. But sufficiently to do the job. Show all in 3D. And repeat the process. Downwards extrusion, execute. And now we have our model complete, cutting away as necessary. And the advantage of using solid element operations is even if we change the relationship, such as we decide to elevate or lower the height of the roof, let's make this +300, we see that the relationship will be maintained to the extent of the overall potential height of the walls. Similarly, if we go into the settings and story settings, we could change the height of the first floor. Let's make this 2,700. And that relationship will also be maintained. The solid element operation function creates an ongoing relationship between modeled elements. While these elements remain in their original context, this relationship endures. However, if the element is removed, being cut or pasted, or moved to another story, the relationship will be severed.