| Workshop 2c | |
|---|---|
| Course | Arch 200c |
| Date | 2014/10/07 |
| Learning Objectives | This workshop will dive into drawing extraction as a means to utilize your 3d models in the generation of 2d drawings. We'll be moving from 3d to 2d and back again, all the while laying out various plans, sections, elevations and axons. We conclude with a discussion on creating exploded axonometric drawings from 3D models in Rhino. |
| Agenda |
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| Uses Tool(s) | |
Rhino III: Extracting Drawings to Illustrator (and/or ACAD)
Orthographic Drawings
Orthographic drawings are the building blocks of architectural representation and are used to give a sense of the space through plans, sections, and elevations of various varieties. They can be measured according to their scale by providing a 2 dimensional slice through (or looking at) the building. While the geometry of what has been cut through is often the most important part of the drawing, having other elements in the drawing help define the space in a much more understandable and easily legible way.
Exploded Axonometrics and Obliques
An axonometric drawing or oblique drawing uses parallel project to maintain some measurability, while providing a 3-dimensional view of whatever we are modelling. An exploded axonometric or exploded oblique (usually all lumped under the umbrella term 'exploded axon') takes this original construction and displaces selected elements to illustrate construction assembly or, in the context of architecture, spatial relationships. Exploded axons can be extremely detailed, such as a construction detail, or they can be more diagrammatic, such as in a program or circulation diagram.
Section (the rhino command)
With 3D geometry selected, typing Section creates a line indicating the intersection of the selected geometry and a plane anywhere in your viewport defined simply by clicking any two points. This plane is your cutting plane and the section derived from it will be parallel to this plane. This means that if you wanted to cut your plan, you wouldn't choose your section plane in Top View because that would make a plane that cut through your space from the top down, (giving you a section), but you could do it in Front View, where your plane would slice all the way through your model at one consistent height.
Make sure that when you take your sections (especially in the case of actual sections, and not plan cuts which are technically sections, though not usually referred to that way), you place them in order in the top view by rotating them appropriately. The top view is the only view that can be exported to Illustrator.
Make 2D (another rhino command)
Make 2D will help you get the base lines for elevations as well as site plans. It is also a great way to capture background information that has been 3d modeled. The Make2D command captures linework in a selected viewport in relation to that viewport's construction plane and projects it as a two-dimensional drawing to the origin (0,0,0) of the X-Y plane.
Using this tool in conjunction with the "isometric" Rhino view is very helpful when creating drawings. However, if you want your drawing to be a true isometric in the sense of them being measurable along the x, y, and z axes, you must scale the Make 2D export up, as the rhino view foreshortens the image. For example, the Make 2D export of a 1x1x1 cube will be approximately .86x.86x.86 instead using the standard axon view. Fortunately, the scale command can quickly rectify this discrepancy. [To be precise, Rhino scales the view by (L * sqrt(.5))/cos(axon angle) where L is the length of a line in the x, y, or z axis.]
Common Issues
- Detail Appropriately
- Consider the goal of your digital model. If you desire 1/4" scale drawings of your building, modeling the light-switches may not be efficient and will drastically slow your Make2D efforts. If you require a high degree of detail in your model, ensure that your use of layers allows you to "turn-down" the level of unwanted detail.
- Simplify
- Join all surfaces into polysurfaces insofar as possible - everywhere surface edges are concurrent, Rhino has to calculate two edges instead of one and see if there are overlaps.
- Use the Right Stuff
- Make2D does not create 2 D drawings from mesh objects, only surfaces, polysurface, lines, curves, and points.
Creating an Exploded Axonometric Drawing Using Rhino and Illustrator
General Workflow
- Create 3D geometry on layers that have a logic to them, usually a different layer for each major element of the exploded drawing
- Create 2D linework in Rhino (Make 2D)
- Edit linework in Rhino to desired degree of specificity
- Move lines to hierarchical layers in Rhino according to lineweight
- Export to Illustrator
- Edit line-types in Illustrator, fixing line weights, types, styles, etc
Setting up an Exploded Axonometric Drawing
- We will only be referencing the first half of this workflow that deals with setting up the Exploded Axonometric view and exporting our linework.
- This workflow emphasizes the proper orientation for an exploded drawing and using post-processing effects in Photoshop and Illustrator to illustrate shadows and textures. While you are not expected to apply materials or textures in this project, you should by now have all of the tools at your disposal to know how to do this. We will also look at the basics of VRay rendering as an alternative to Rhino render.
Creating an Exploded Oblique Drawing Using Rhino and Illustrator
This process is almost the same as the process of creating an exploded axon. The major problem is that Rhino does not have an "oblique view," which can be a problem. Fortunately there is a way to work around this problem.
Here, we must be slightly more careful which lines we choose to export since there is direct view showing us what we will get. We may need to proceed through a series of tests to see exactly how the oblique will look, especially if it is exploded.
You can download the .txt files here and here . Remember that in the plan oblique script, the second rotation number is the angle of the plan oblique, and in the elevation oblique, the second rotation number is once again the angle of the oblique and this time must match in both cases.
Resources
Related
- Exploded Axonometrics from Digital Models
- Using a provided Rhino 3dm file, this workflow demonstrates how to develop 2D axonometric drawings from 3D models exported into Adobe Illustrator. We will discuss the proper procedure of turning a 3D model into a 2D drawing, then manipulating lineweights, adding notations, adding color via the pen tool,
- Isometric Drawings from Digital Models
- This workflow shows how to use the Shear command to create an isometric view in Rhino of an existing digital model. The linework will then be exported to Illustrator where a few pointers on stylistic effects can help create descriptive and eloquent presentation diagrams.
- Creating a clean drawing from a 3D Model in Rhino
- This workflow details methods for the creation of a section and plan drawing from a 3 dimensional model in Rhino and the process for cleaning up the output, deciding what information to keep / delete and what needs to be drawn to complete the understanding of the space.
- Cleaning Up 2D Drawings Extracted from a 3D Model
- This workflow emphasizes how to use extracted line work from a 3D model in order to iterate and refine a design. Precision, accuracy and organization are also emphasized in using the line work to produce a final drawing set. Starting with an existing digital model, we will redesign and refine portions of a building. The use of layer management is critical in working efficiently.
- Analogous 2013 Session
- The above content roughly corresponds with this class session from last year.
- Analogous 2012 Session
- The above content roughly corresponds with this class session from two years ago.
- Analogous 124a Session
- The above content roughly corresponds with this class session from Summer 2014.
In-Class Exercise
Take your precedent study and create at least 1 exploded axonometric drawing that analyzes the precedent in some way. Possible concepts to analyze include (but are certainly not limited to) circulation, structure, social organization, program, figure ground, public/private, etc. If it makes sense to make a series of related drawings that explain your chosen concept, please do not stop after just one. If you feel this is the right way to make yoru drawing, consider that it often makes sense to use the same line work as a base layer and call out different parts of it in successive drawings.