Input Aids
As with all elements, construction aids are available at any time over the context menu.
Tips for each tool and the current insertion values, such as length of the wall, are shown in the status bar. Using this information together with ‘Crl+w’ to change the reference points of elements, and aided by the grid or other construction aids, you can for example define exact values for the interior or exterior measurements of the contour of the building.
The option for ‘Multiple insertion with numerical editing’ also allows numerical input, in particular for the exterior contours of the building. The process consists of the following steps:
· Input of the contours of the building as a polygon with the mouse, without consideration to length and angle of the walls.
· After input has been terminated with ‘Esc’, numerical values can be specified for the walls. As opposed to the option to create the contours as a closed polygon, the numerical values option does not initially create a room. The room is only created, if the subsequent editing results in a closed contour. Up to this point you only see a kind of preview of the current wall being inserted.
· Each wall which has been created is edited using the tool parameter dialog. In doing so, the software automatically switches to the first wall inserted, and the remaining walls are edited in the order in which they were initially inserted.
When the length of a wall is entered, you can specify for each wall the face to which the measurement refers. The values are set by pressing the Tab key or by clicking on the button ‘edit next wall’ or ‘edit previous wall’, to switch to another element. The polygonal outline of the wall then changes automatically, but still only as a preview. You can return to a previous wall at any time and correct its values. A click on ‘cancel’ deletes all walls and returns to the start of numerical input.
The ‘close wall contour’ button is only active for the last wall of the polygon and otherwise appears grey. With this button you can automatically connect the end point of the last wall entered with the start point of the first one entered, and thus created a closed outline, without having to worry about the angle and length of the final wall.
All walls are only finally created with the current values, when insertion is terminated with the ‘Complete’ button, with ‘Esc’ or by terminating the tool parameter dialog.