Howdy All !
I find myself needing to insert windows with glass blocks and can't find any in the catalog. Any pointers?
Also, I want to put large sliding glass wall panels (actually 3 panels) in a wall and can't find those materials in the catalog either. I know that such are made because I had them in a house in Florida once. These are not just over-sized sliding glass doors but larger, thicker panels of glass that are a full 8 feet tall, 4 feet (or so wide) and about 2 inches thick. They require very different hardware than sliding glass doors.
OK. Now that I got the "I need's" out of the way, here's another question. Does anyone know if manufacturers provide files of their wares that could be used as objects in TFP? Is the file format for TFP catalog objects proprietary or an open standard?
TIA
rh
You will find glass block texture for windows under Glass/Mirrors textures. In the window properties Appearance tab just select the Glass component, click the material 'swatch' and select the Glass/Mirror Group (it should be the selected Group anyway) - they are down the bottom.
What is the difference between large glass wall panels and large glass sliding doors? You only have to resize them or have you run into an issue doing that? I must admit however I could not find a setting for glass thickness as we had in previous versions.
Many manufacturers provide 3DS files of their products. Try just a search on '3DS' and the manufacturers name may reveal some. An Australian version of an earlier spinnoff of FloorPlan is filled with manufacturers products.
Allan
There is a sketchup model in the 3d warehouse. Check under hsw 50 by datagraphics. The model is 113kb.
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r297/Mike1158/GlassWall.jpg)
Allan and Mike,
Thank you very much for the information. As you can see I have much to learn.
I created the sliding glass doors that you see in the attached rendering by changing attributes on an existing catalog door then changing the appearance to window glass. They still need a lot of work to get the frames right and show the tracks and other hardware, but it's a start.
There will be a roof edge over this area and the glass sliding doors will be used in winter to create a freeze-safe area for potted plants. The doors slide back to store between the walls at the left. The floor will be ceramic tile.
Now I wish someone would do a tutorial on creating catalog objects - either by cloning from existing entries or creating them from the ground up in CAD or some other software. (If wishes were horses, beggars - like me - could ride!)
Again, thank you very much for the information.
rh
Ceating a new catalog item is quite easy when based on an existing one.
1. Right click the element that is closest to what you want and select "Add Element..."
2. Change the type, sizes, appearance etc to what you want
3. Give it a name that describes your new element.
4. Click OK.
The new element is added to the list and will appear in future models.
Objects created in other CAD software can be imported using the Import Wizard in the File menu. You can save them in the element group that they belong. You can also create your own groups to put these in.
Unless you are familiar with CAD software, creating elements from scratch is major learning curve. You can however create your own objects by combining elements from TFP. For example, In a new blank model you could push two cabinets together to look like one, add some accessories and export it as a 3DS file.(File Export). You can then import this using the Import Wizard and it will now be one element in your catalog.
You could make up your own piece of furniture just by building it from beams etc that already exist in TFP. The image below is a desk I made this way in V11. It is all made from re-sized stepping stones but who would know? Make use of the Nudge tool (Keyboard Arrow keys) to move things in tiny increments (go to Settings/Program Settings/Drawing Aids and set Nudge Distance to minimum) and turn off Collision Detection (Extreme right of the Status bar) to move things into each other.
What you put together in this way is only limited by your imagination!!!
Allan
Thank you for sharing your knowledge so generously, Allan. I really appreciate it. If I should ever acquire any, I hope to be as generous in helping others as you are.
I have already discovered how to modify elements from the catalog. I haven't yet imported any from other software, though. Mike mentioned using an image from SketchUp. I have become comfortable with that software and might try to draw something there and see if I can move it over to the TFP catalog. Do you know if SU files can be saved or exported in the proper format for importing into TFP? How is scaling managed? I know how to create drawings to precise dimension in SU but don't know how one application tells the other its size.
Thanks again for your generosity.
rh
I have not used SketchUp but TFP will import a SketchUp file so that should not be an issue. It would work the same as it does for a 3DS file so scale should not be an issue either but if it is not right you can just set the maximum dimensions to what it should be in real life and TFP will take case of it.
Give it a go, it is quite straight forward.
Allan