Views on Drawing Sheets

A drawing sheet can include one or more of the following views:

  • Floor plan
  • Elevation view
  • Section view
  • Interior view

Views on a drawing sheet are reference drawings.

Floor plan

A floor plan drawing is created by adding the drawing file of the building's drawing-model pair (first floor walls, second floor walls, etc.) as a reference drawing to the drawing sheet.

The floor plan drawing is automatically updated each time you open a drawing sheet. Open a drawing sheet by double-clicking the sheet name in the project's document browser.

Model views

Views of the model are created from various drawing generation models. The drawing generation model is generated from the building model. However, not all the building components added to the building model will necessarily be included in the drawing generation model. The following drawing generation models used in architectural planning are included in the basic software delivery:

  • Elevations.vxm - Drawing generation model for elevation views. By default, the drawing generation model includes all the building components that affect the elevation but not the interior walls, cabinets and other fixtures or furniture, for example.
  • Sections.vxm - Drawing generation model for cross-section views. By default, the drawing generation model includes almost all the building components but not furniture, for example.
  • Model.vxm - The drawing generation model is the same as the 3D model of the building. It includes all the building components. It is the drawing generation model for interior views of the building.
  • Interior.vxm - Drawing generation model for interior views of the building, such as furniture drawings. By default, the drawing generation model includes cabinets and other fixtures, furniture, exterior walls, interior walls and beams.

Before opening a drawing sheet, update the drawing generation model and the views to be generated in the following cases:

  • When the drawing sheet is opened for the first time. The drawing generation model and the views have not been updated yet.
  • When you have edited the building model. The changes must be updated in the drawing generation model and the views. Save the building model before updating the drawing generation model.
  • When you have edited the drawing generation model. The changes must be updated in the views.
  • When you have edited the drawing settings of the views. The changes must be updated in the views.
To update the drawing generation model and/or the views, select the Update views and Update models checkboxes in the View Tasks dialog box.
Note: You can also create a vertical section directly from the active model, which can be the architectural model (model.vxm) or the framing model (framing.vxm). No drawing generation model is created, which speeds up generating the section for large models.