Align of framing

[technical illustrator]

Does anyone know (or has a tutorial to suggest that explains) how to do an alignment (butt joint) suitable for construction framing? I am not trying to do center, pivot, max, etc. I need to build stud walls with sill plates and base/bottom plates then framing studs, and top plates as well as all other construction parts. If I use any form of vertex align, it changes my timber dimensions (i.e. a 92" stud is no longer 92").

Do I need to do all my placement by assigning numerical location coordinates?

Or can I create my supply of precisely dimensioned timbers/beams and use some form of alignment to do my building construction?

Thanks.

ps Does anyone know of a tutorial showing how to create really accurate screw threads (not just a stack of shapes)?

[Scott Schroeder]

You can use the spacing tool inside max to place your studs. Once you have a spline of the outline of your walls, which you can also now use this spline to loft your sill and top plates. Make an object that is your stud, and with that object selected use the spacing tool. Click the button that says "Choose Path" and select your wall outline spline. Now set the spacing, I'm guess 16" for your typical stud. Set it to divide objects evenly and presto your studs are at 16" all the way around your home.

 

However, this isnt a perfect solution as you'll more than likely need to clean up your corners and or door jambs windows etc per building codes or the corner coniditon that you need. But this should give you fairly good placement on most of your studs.

 

See the max help file for more info on the spacing tool.

[technical illustrator]

I have no trouble with spacing/align. The question is: can 3D Max create a butt joint of a vertical stud and a horizontel sill plate/top plate. In other words can the program easily create what amounts to an L shape (a stud sitting on the end of a base plate)? I do not want the shapes to protrude into each other. I need a construction exactly like that used in framing.

 

From this response and the response I received from two other people, I am left to believe that it is not practical to try to do this in Max. Is FormZ better for basic architectural models?

[William Alexander]

Hung my tool belt up, sort of, a while back.....however

 

Yes Max can do everything you want to do in regards to this. No tutorials that I know of. The allign and array tools are very handy as is working to scale and using the move transform type in box to distribute and place your framing elements. Creating a 92.625" stud is easy, you should however change the pivot to thebottom end to make your life easier.

 

Cut framing elements can be as as easy as crating a new box or coping another that has been converted to an editable poly and using the slice tool with snaps to place the cut even with other fraing elements.

 

C4D, FormZ, Modo..... all have the same issues as max...no one button framed wall kind of solution that I know of frome using them.

[technical illustrator]

Bless you WDA! It works great! My wife told me this morning I should ask a contractor not an architect, I take it you are a contractor?

 

I did: Pivot>Affect pivot only>Align to world (set coordinates)>Align selection(pivot center)>Apply

 

Since you helped me with that, I have another simpler one: If I create a Standard Primitive, I have dialog boxes for dimensions, but if I convert it to Editable Poly I seem to have no way to precisely change my dimensions. Is there a dialog box for EPoly dimensions? I must be missing something here.

[William Alexander]

Recovering contractor

 

Once you have an editable mesh you can select vertices edges and polys then use the move type in box or constrian the axis' of movement to a plane (or single axis) and or use the 2.5D snap tool to get the elements of the mesh where you might need them.

 

LOL It's all in there just have to figure out what works in your favor and against you