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Last Updated: 16 February 2021

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2.2.1- Create the Ground floor Outline

To create the outline of the ground floor plan, for project house21-190, you will draw a polyline in the shape and dimensions as shown in Fig.2.2.1.1.

Open the drawing file you created in the earlier lesson 2.0.1 - Drawing Setup, with the name h21190_starting.dwg, and you have saved it in path C:/ACA/myProjects/house21-190/h21190_starting.dwg.

Now that the basic file is set up, you will draw the polyline (abcdefgha), that is the outline of the ground floor plan, for your project house21-190, as shown in Fig.2.2.1.1.

On the Application Status bar , make sure that ORTHOMODE is turned ON, display Drawing Grid is turned OFF (its color has to be grey), Snap mode is turned OFF(its color has to be grey), and the Dynamic Input is turned ON.

Now you have to create a new layer, with Name: A-GroundFloor-Outline, Color: red, and to make it current. To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Layers panel ►click Layer Properties icon 
• Right-click on the 'Layer Properties Manager' window that will open ►and from the drop-down menu that will appear  select New Layer ►for the Name type A-GroundFloor-Outline , for Color select red, and make it Current.
• Close the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

To draw the polyline (abgha), as shown in Fig. 2.2.1.1:

• Click Home tab > Draw panel > click Line (hover on) and from the drop-down menu select Polyline.
• To Specify on the screen the Start point (a) of the polyline, in dynamic input prompt, type 20,20 and press Enter. Point (a) is the reference point for all your drawing.
  From now on, keep in mind that you will use the same coordinates (20,20) for the same point (a) in all drawings of this project.
• Move your cursor downward, type 6.70 (it is the length (ab) to define second point(b), move your cursor right, type 6.60 (it is the length (bc)), and press Enter to define the third point (c), move the cursor downward and type 4.00 to define fourth point (d), the same way continue drawing the rest points e, f, g, h, of the polyline, after the drawing of point (h), right-click on the screen and select, from the drop-down menu that will open, 'close' to close polyline (abcdefgha).

The outline of the Ground floor plan is done, it is polyline (abcdefgha), and you will use it at the next lesson to create the exterior walls.

Type Text

You will type the letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, at the corners of polyline, as shown in Fig.2.2.1.1. To do this:

• Make layer A-Notes as Current, to do this, on Ribbon > Layers panel > Layer tab and on the drop-down menu that will open select A-Notes.
• On Ribbon, click Annotate tab > on Text panel, make sure that text style Standard is current, and text height is 0.27.
• On Ribbon, Click Annotate tab > on Text panel > click the arrow on Multiline Text icon (hover on) ,  from the drop-down menu, select Single Line, and type the letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, at the corners of polyline, as shown in Fig.2.2.1.1..

Draw dimensions

Draw the Dimensions (ab), (bc), (ce), (ef), (fg), (gh), and (ah) on the Basement Outline drawing, as shown in Fig.2.1.1.1.

• Set layer A-Dim as the current Layer.
• Draw the dimension (ah), to do this:
  Click Annotate tab > Dimensions panel and make sure that current style is Standard > click on the Linear Dimension icon (hover on) .
• To Specify on the screen the first point (a)of dimension (ah), select corner (a) of the polyline.
• To Specify the second point (h) of dimension (ah), select corner (h) of the polyline.
• To Specify the Dimension location line, select with your mouse a point upward of line (ah) second point (h) of dimension (ah).
• The same way cretae the rest dimensions for Ground floor outline.

Customize Dimension Style

Once you have drawn the dimension, if you notice that its components like text, arrow etc. are very large or small, it means that you have to modify the dimension style 'Standard' that you use.

To do this,

• Select a dimension, with style Standard that you want to edit, right-click on it and on the drop-down  menu select 'Edit Dimension Style.
• The dialog box 'Dimension Style Manager' will open, click on Modify tab to open the dialog box 'Override Current Style: Standard, select on the top tab 'Text' to open the corresponding dialog box, as shown in Fig.2.1.1.7. Here set the text height= 0.15, go back, select tab 'Symbols and Arrows' tab and set Arrow Size= 0.18, go back, select tab 'Primary Units' tab and set Precission= 0.000, go back, select tab 'Fit' tab and on category 'scale for dimension features', set Use overal scale of = 1.000.
• Click OK, and on Dimension Style Manager click Close.

From now on, the 'Standard' Dimension Style, on the  drawing, has the new values you just inserted.

Save your drawing within folder 'house21-190', with the name: h21190_groundFloor_outline. Its full path will be: C://ACA/MyProjects/house21-190/h21190_groundFloor_outline

At the next lesson, you will start designing, the exterior walls of the basement, according to the layout and dimensions of the polyline 'Basement outline' as shown in Fig 2.1.1.1.
During the drawing of the Basement Outline, you gave to point (a) coordinates (20,20) ( X=20, Y=20), and keep in mind that you will use these coordinate values for the same point in all floor plans and site plan you are going to design.

Adjust position of plans on x-y plane

In later steps you will create the 3D View model of the building and from this model drawing you will develop the sections and elevation drawings.
To appear these view drawings correctly, you have to place the floor plans at the same position on x-y plane, for example the point (g) that is a stable point and exist in all plans, should have the same x,y coordinates in all levels. To do this:

• Take as base the x,y coordinates of point (g) on the basement plan and move the other plans to the same position on the x-y plane.
• Open the basement plan drawing, locate point (g) and find its coordinates using the ID Point command.
  To do this:
• select point (g) and on Ribbon >select Home tab >Inquiry >ID Point.(icon)
  You will get the its x,y,z coordinates that will be, x = 32.90 (it is the sum 20.00, that is the coordinate X of point (a), and 12.90 that is the distance (ah) , y = 20.00, it is the same Y coordinate with point (a), and z = 0.00.
• If you notice, in any of your plan drawings, you have different coordinates for point (g), then you have to move this drawing to a new position, so that the co-ordinates of point (g) match. To do this:
• Open the Ground floor plan drawing and turn on all its layers.
• On Ribbon >select Home tab >Modify >select Move icon.
• At the prompt Select Objects: select with window all the items of the drawing and press ENTER.
• At the prompt Specify Base point or [...]: select point (g).
• At the prompt Specify second point or [...]: type 32.90, 20.00 , 0 where these values are the coordinates x , y, and Z of point (g) on the basement plan.

With the same procedure, using the coordinates of point (g), you will check and move if nessesary, the floor plan drawings and site plan at the same position on x-y plane.