3D Modeling

Basics

AR. TAPASH KALITA

ar.tapash@gmail.com
 What is 3D Modeling?

3D Modeling as we all know is a

way of expressing 2-
Dimensional drawings on a
CAD software in 3D Perspective
view for better understanding. It
is also very convenient for the
common people who have little
knowledge of drawings when
they are shown 3D views instead
of drawings. Although there are
loads of 3D softwares available
we will be mainly focused on
AutoCAD 3D and Archicad in
this presentation.
autocad
basics
 Workspaces

Workspaces
AutoCAD workspaces are sets of menus, toolbars and dockable windows (such as
the Properties palette, Design Center, and the Tool palettes window) that are
grouped and organized so that you can work in a custom, task-oriented drawing
environment.
1. Click the Workspace Switching icon.

2. Click 3D Basics and OK.

 The AutoCAD 3D Interface

Below is a typical AutoCAD 2009 3D interface which resembles basically any

other AutoCAD version 3D interface.
 The AutoCAD 3D Interface
The 3D AutoCAD interface shown in the The 3D Modeling panels are as follows:
previous slide contains the following  Modeling
menus.  Mesh
 Solid Editing
The 3D Basic ribbons are as follows:  Draw
 Create  Modify
 Edit  Section
 Draw  Coordinates
 Modify  View
 Selection  Selection
 Coordinates  Layers and Groups
 Layers and Views
The 3D Modeling pulldown menus are as
The 3D Basic pulldown menus are as follows:
follows:  Home
 Home  Solid
 Render  Surfaces
 Insert  Mesh
 Manage  Render
 Output  Parametric
 Plug-ins  Insert, Annotate, View,
 Online  Manage, Output, Plug-ins, Online, and
 Express Tools Express Tools
 The AutoCAD 3D Interface
Detail of the user interface toolbars is as follows:

1. Quick access tool bar

 The AutoCAD 3D Interface

2. Ribbon

3. Work Space
 The AutoCAD 3D Interface

4 Tool
Space
window
 Tool Palettes

The 3D AutoCAD interface also contains a

number of tool palettes which helps in
creating a model in AutoCAD. The next slides
gives an idea of some of the important tool
palettes helpful while making the model.

It gives an opportunity to make the design

structurally and architecturally sound. These
tool palettes are used while making a model
in AutoCAD.
 Tool Palettes
Modeling Annotative Architectural
 Tool Palettes
Mechanical Electrical Structural
 Navigation

Steering Wheel
Steering Wheels are menus that
track the cursor over the
drawing window, and provide
access to 2D and 3D navigation
tools from a single interface.
Steering Wheels, or “wheels,”
are divided into wedges; each
wedge contains a single
navigation tool. You can start a
navigation tool by clicking a
wedge or by clicking and
dragging the cursor over a
wedge.
 Views

View Cube

The View Cube provides

visual feedback about the
current orientation of a
model. The View Cube can
help you adjust the
viewpoint of a model. The
orientation shown by the
View Cube is based on the
North direction of the WCS
for the model. The View
Cube also shows the current
UCS and allows you to
restore a named UCS.
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
archicad
basics
 User Interface

Status Bar

Tool Box

Navigator Box

Story Settings Box

Navigation Box
 User Interface

The Archicad interface shown in the previous slide contains the

following menus.

The Tool Box : Tool Box helps in creating the various architectural and structural
components like walls, doors, windows, roof, slabs, column, beams. It also helps in
creating other aspects of a model like sections, elevations, etc. and marking
various annotations like dimensions, levels, texts, etc.

The Status Bar : The Status Bar contains a variety of commands

from file managing like open, save, new, etc. to editing like cut,
copy, paste. It also a ruler, trim and fillet option, reference
option, etc. It also has the options of 3D views like axonometric
and perspective views.
 User Interface
The Navigator Box : The
Navigator Box is basically the
complete guide for surfing
The Navigation Box : The navigation
through all the floors, sheets,
box has numerous options through
details, sections, elevations, 3D
which we can view the 3D model as
views, components, information,
well as the 2D drawing from various
etc.
angles. Some of the options are
Orbit, Pan, Zoom, Scale, etc.

The Story Settings Box : This is

another important aspect of 3D
Modeling in Archicad as this is
where we can customize the
height and number of stories
for each and every building
created in the model.
Settings

The Settings menu is one of the

most important options of the
Archicad Interface as it lets us
customize and put the values
needed for the structure. For
example on the sample image,
the wall settings can be seen
where there various attributes
can be given like height of the
wall, thickness, materials used,
structure, shape, inclination, etc.

Similarly settings for all other

components in a building or
structure can be found on this
menu. Hence it is the key option
while creating a model on
Archicad.
 Rendering

After the entire model is

done, it can be rendered
using the Lightworks
Rendering Engine or the
Z-Buffer Rendering
engine. The render can
be customized in the
PhotoRendering Settings
box. Here we can
accordingly adjust the
sun, brightness,
background etc. before
rendering it.
 Exercise

Let us draw a room :

 Dimensions – 4m. by 4m. (internally)

 Wall thickness – 115 mm.
 1 Door of 900 mm. width
 1 window of 1500 mm. width
 Sloped Roofing
 Wooden Flooring
 Exercise

First we select the wall option and draw four walls of thickness
115mm. and length 4000mm.

3D
PERSPECTIVE
 Exercise

Then we select the door and window option respectively and customize
it in the settings box according to the requirements and place on the
wall.

3D
PERSPECTIVE
 Exercise

The roof option is then selected and angle of 30

degrees is given for the slope and after that it is drawn
on the periphery of the room. An offset of 600mm.
automatically forms around the room which is a
standard requirement.

3D
PERSPECTIVE
 Exercise

The slab is drawn at 0 level for the A mesh of grass material covering is
flooring and the material is changed then given around the house to depict
to wooden flooring in the settings the ground underlying the entire
box. house.
 Exercise

A few other elements like a tree and a bench are added before it is rendered with
Archicad’s internal render engine.
 AR. TAPASH KALITA
Thank you ar.tapash@gmail.com