Is there an easy way to add text and dimensions to elevation views?
I have been reading something about importing and exporting but don't quite understand it. Is there a was to do it in just using TFP?
Thanks
Is it possible to also draw (using tools, layout) on the elevation views?
Hi Garry,
There is not a way to draw or add text to the elevation views. The only way is as described in the PDF in this post: http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,877.0.html (http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,877.0.html).
1. It does not involve using other programs - it is all done in TFP. Simply put all you do is the following:
2. Display your elevation on screen
3. Choose File / Export / 2 D Drawing.
4. Save the file on your hard drive with a name (eg Front Elevation).
5. In TFP open a new blank Project
6. Do a File / Import / Object Wizard and follow the prompts to Select the DXF file you saved. (You may need to change the size if the original was not in Feet and Inches.
7. The elevation will float on your cursor - click it in place on the page.
You can now add any dimensions and text you want (best on another loction or at least make the DXF elevation not selectable in the View Filter or you will find you keep selecting it).
If you want to add other elevations etc to print on one page, then just import the other elevations. You can drag them around to position them where you want.
Hope that was not too brief. The PDF has a lot more detail of course for doing a full set of plans.
Allan
Allen,
Thanks for the help. When I got to step 6, I could not get to "Select the DXF file".
Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks
Hi Garry,
It is on the third 'page' of the Objec Wizard. There is a SELECT button in the middle ofthe dialog box (see image below).
Give it a name in the top box (eg Front Elevation).
Choose a group to save it to in the Catalogue (does not matter really as it is not something you will reuse - that is mainly for 3DS 3D objects that may be used again and again).
SELECT the DXF file from your hard drive.
Choose Next.
That's it - you should now be able to click it into place.
Allan
an alternative....use another program (Photoshop or similar) and add/adjust anything you desire to the rendered TFP image
Allen,
Thanks for the help.
I put it to ft/in when it open it is at a real large scale - elevation is large and text is tiny in comparison.
When I put ft/in at the bottom was some sizes - I did not change any of them first one approx. 2300' - second approx. 900' - do I need to change these?
The "green box" - does that represent the lot?
If it is, it is about the size of the front door(with side lites).
Also, when I do get this right, will it print out 1/4" scale?
Doug,
Could you give me step by step direction on how to do this?
Thanks
One more question - how would I get more than one elevation on a page?
Also, is there a way to draw a 18"x24" frame/box to represent the paper size?
Hi Garry,
Quote from: Garry on April 29, 2011, 04:38:06 AM
I put it to ft/in when it open it is at a real large scale - elevation is large and text is tiny in comparison.
When I put ft/in at the bottom was some sizes - I did not change any of them first one approx. 2300' - second approx. 900' - do I need to change these?
The "green box" - does that represent the lot?
If it is, it is about the size of the front door(with side lites).
Also, when I do get this right, will it print out 1/4" scale?
You must change the setting to ft/inches mm or whatever so that the 'resulting size' (shown at the bottom) is approximately the size of your elevation. What was your original plan done in - ft and Inches, metres or what?
The Green Box is Terrain - turn that off or display on the screen just your elevation - it will export what you display ,so if you have a whole lot of surrounding terrain it will export that too and this will affect the size. If your house elevation is say 36' long (or 12 metres) then this is the 'resulting length' during import. Change the dropdown list to get that result. If you have the terrain displayed then the size will be bigger than that.
If you get the size right during the import then you can print any scale you want as it will be back at the original scale so the text should be OK too.
Quote from: Garry on April 29, 2011, 04:52:42 AM
One more question - how would I get more than one elevation on a page?
You do this in exactly the same way as you did with the first one - you can bring in as many elevations / plans etc as you can fit on the page.
Quote from: Garry on April 29, 2011, 05:12:02 AM
Also, is there a way to draw a 18"x24" frame/box to represent the paper size?
You can draw a box any size using the Layout Toolbar (you may have to turn it on in Settings). You will have to experiment with the size however as your drawing is much larger than 18" x 24".
There is detail about all of these points in the PDF mentioned earlier. I have attached it again below. Now that you have tried doing it you may find the detailed instructions easier to follow. It is illustrated throughout so should be easy to follow.
As Doug said you could do it in a photoediting program by importing the images of the elevations and you can add text but that will not do the dimensions automatically for you of course, so it is a lot more work.
Allan
Quote from: Garry on April 29, 2011, 04:39:24 AM
Doug,
Could you give me step by step direction on how to do this?
Thanks
After rendering the TFP image file....like .bmp or .jpg,
Import that file to your photo editing program....one that uses layers and masks ....such as Photoshop for the best, but Microsoft Paint.net or gimp are free and will do most of what you might want to do.
On new layer(s) above the TFP image, put other text or images or lines/dimensions as desired.
If you use a program that does scaling (such as Microsoft Visio or Adobe Illustrator...there may be some free ones like inkscape...these are vector programs) you can add dimensions...otherwise you will have to manually add dimensions on the lines with arrows at each end.
This is manually intensive....but reasonably fast if you know what you want to do....and it has maximum user control....limited only by your imagination.
And you can fix/correct something in the TFP render image if you want ....such as change colors of things without re-rendering (for example house siding paint colors)...takes only a couple minutes for each color choice.....to compare results side by side or to offer alternatives.