I'm remodeling an older home, and bought this program mostly to make plans for the county planning commission that approves building permits in my area. I'm having several problems with the program (Turbo Floorplan Home and Interior as downloaded via Digital River), but I'll restrict myself to one problem per post so as to keep the topics simple.
First problem. I have bare concrete walls in the basement. I want to add some framing to allow space for insulation, and electrical and plumbing connections. Is there some "official" way to do this presumably common task?
I've tried placing a 4 inch framed wall just inside the concrete wall, but whenever the separation between the walls gets less than 1.5 inches, weird things happen with openings. I'd originally planned to put the windows in the concrete wall, since that's where they will really be in construction, and just put matching openings in the frame wall. But if the frame wall is closer than 1.5 inches the openings tool treats both walls as a single wall and makes an opening through both. It also refuses to make an opening in the frame wall that overlaps a window in the concrete wall. If I separate the walls to a foot or so, make the openings, then bring them together again, the openings disappear at 1.5 inch separation. If I make a niche the depth of the frame wall, the opening _still_ claims the space on the concrete wall, and I cannot insert a window at that location.
I can put two corresponding windows in both walls, but that's a pretty dim workaround at best. I'm hoping there's a more correct procedure that doesn't mess up views and material estimates. I cannot, even if the walls overlap, put one window through both walls.
regards JB Howes.
Hi, Welcome to the Forum!
I don't want to be the deliverer of bad news but after reading your two posts I am wondering if TurboFLOORPLAN is the right product for you. TFP is basically designed for creating 3D walk through models and creating photorealistic images of what the building will look like when built, (I use it to submit visual images to Councils of how it will LOOK but not for plans) as well as creating movies of the building to demonstrate the appearance from all angles.
To achieve this it is obviously necessary to draw the plan, so the program does allow you to print that but it PRIMARILY uses it to create the 3D model for image rendering. It's parent program however, Envisioneer (considerably more expensive!), allows you to produce full architectural drawings for Council submissions and is optimised for this purpose.
TFP does many things automatically, to help those without the technical drawing skills and so it assumes that if you are putting a window through a wall, that it will go through both walls if they are very close - this would be a normal situation hence the programing of it that way. Having said that, if you put the two walls on separate Locations with the same settings, then you can put one wall close or inside the other for example although I think the window/door will snap through both since this again is the logical situation in real life. Instead of putting the same window in both walls as you said you can do, try putting a window in one wall and an "Opening" in the other.
You can of course use the Layout toolbar (probably turned off - See Settings/Program Settings/Toolbars) where you can draw almost anything on the plan and add dimensions and text to identify objects etc if necessary. Double click the lines/text and you can change how they look, colours etc. Almost anything is customisable if you double click it and keep double clicking things within the boxes that pop up too. You will eventually run into a limit (which is where Envisioneer takes over).
The program is very capable for its purpose and for a ridiculous cost. I have recently completed a 9 storey office block and in an earlier version, a 62 room convention centre (complete with all furniture including 4,000 chairs and 16 acres of landscape) that was presented as a total virtual walk through to an audience of nearly 500 people and images were printed and displayed at about 100 locations for viewing by thousands of people. Its 3D visual results are outstanding - its plan printing capabilities are not as that is not its primary purpose.
Things may change of course. A new version must be getting very close, as the release of a new version of Envisioneer is imminent. That does not mean of course that anything will substantially change in plan printing etc but you never know.
I don't know if any of that helps. Maybe the Layout tools will get you by, but please feel free to ask about other things you come across as there may be ways of doing it.
Allan
So, the features chart items at http://www.imsidesign.com/Products/TurboFLOORPLAN/TurboFLOORPLANFeatures/tabid/525/Default.aspx regarding 2D & 3D Design, Project Cost Estimating, Display Framing Tool, and most especially Plumbing & Electrical Tools, are essentially lies, i.e. "features" with those names exist, but serve no useful purpose? Specifically not the purpose of actually designing a remodel job? I'm expected to do the real design elsewhere and just make pretty pictures with this thing? Bah! So, what program _should_ I be using for my intended purpose.
BTW, the program does _not_ put a window through two adjacent walls. If it did, I could live with it. It puts a window through one and prevents the creation of a corresponding opening in the other.
Hi
You have hit on a problem that many others have encountered.
There is no single software low cost software that will allow you to simply design a house and produce suitable building regs docs with a few mouse clicks.
From a design and visualisation point of view, cavity and stud walls are of zero value. The actual mechanical construction of the building is another issue - a job for the draftsman.
As the feature list says - TFloorplan excels at 2D and 3D design, this is correct, Floorplan is the best, and best value for visualising your design in 3D and planning your spaces in 2D, location of doors staircases etc.
Anyone can be a designer but Working Drawings are the domain of the draftsman or computer savvy builder or technicien. Every council or local authority has standards or requirements as well as national guide lines, the idea that a software program can do this for you is a falsehood, help 'Yes', do compeletely 'No'.
TurboFloorplan will allow you to design and visualise your spaces and can then export your design for use in a 2D Cad program, indeed IMSI have just released a free 2D CAD software which will allow you to get the job done if you have the time http://www.DoubleCAD.com (http://www.doublecad.com)
I dont use TFloorplan myself although I have owned the old FloorPlan and Envisioneer.
When I started with Punch (rubbish) in 2001 I thought I could just buy some software and within a few hours knock up a house. Thousands of hours later and
I agree completely with Peter, architectural drawings are a lot of work and CAD programs can only help a little. TFP is all about 3D visualisation and does it remarkably well for the price.
Quote from: jbhowes on February 10, 2009, 10:37:29 PM
BTW, the program does _not_ put a window through two adjacent walls. If it did, I could live with it. It puts a window through one and prevents the creation of a corresponding opening in the other.
You are right on this point, as far as the window cutting through both walls. If you put a window in one wall and move the wall up to the wall on the other location, it will snap through both but only when the walls "touch" but it does not cut through if there is the slightest gap between the two walls. On the second point I was able to put two windows in 'adjacent walls' without any problem. The walls could be close or even overlapping half way before one of the windows disappeared and it became just an opening in the second wall. I was also able to place an opening in a wall opposte a window in the other and could move the two walls together up to 73mm apart - any closes the opening disappeared until the wall touched and then the window cut the second wall. (first image)
If you want them closer than 73mm then just use a window in both walls and on one of them use the View Filter for that location to turn the windows off. You can then have the walls really close with a window in one and an opening in the other. (second image)
Allan
Peter and Alan
I have looked a bit through the forums and found both you have important information. I am hoping you can help me in cutting learning curve out which is why education from others is so valuable learn from others and you don;t have to reinvent the wheels.
That being said I am hoping you guys can help guide me. I have searched a number of threads but then the conversations end with out resolutions to the problem touched on.
I have purchased a number of IMSI and graphics programs but besides the printmasters programs have not really accomplished too much. I have TurboCad v12, floorplan 3 and 10, total 3d landscape, and I have just got a test of turboFloorPlan3d home and Landscape.
This thread concerns taking a remodel and getting a 3d view but also a working building plan to submit for permits. I have a few questions so will number them?
1) What is the best method or can it be done to get this view but also a working 2D plan for permits. ( Might have to export and edit to get a final plan) Can this be done with TurboCad V12?
2) How does the DoubleCad differ from Turbocad V12 in this result does doubecad enable a simplier easier method for a novice user ?
1) What is the best method or can it be done to get this view but also a working 2D plan for permits. ( Might have to export and edit to get a final plan) Can this be done with TurboCad V12?
2) How does the DoubleCad differ from Turbocad V12 in this result does doubecad enable a simpler easier method for a novice user ?
I don't have Floorplan 3 and 10 or total 3D Landscape any more installed on computer because in order to run Turbo floorplan I had to upgrade my computer from a Pentium 3 to pent 4 and increase ram to 550 from 125. I am working on a project that needs to show exterior lighting and none of the ones in turbofloorplan are the ones I need. So Question three.
3) Does Turbo FloorPlan have all the elements that floorplan 3 and 10 , and total 3d landscape have or should I reinstall them so that I have even more 3ds file options for elements?
4) If so, how do you get them onto your plan.
Next Question.
All the IMSI programs have weak help and tremendous limits but for the price I have been able to make them work. On Cad and floorplan I have not put in the time to really make it functional with-out tons of hours. I spend a lot of time reading and using the programs but never really achieve a final product that was worth it. I am hoping that Turbofloorplan will be it. However, I spent 15 hours on trying to remove and find out why I had a 12
Hi William,
Welcome to the forum.
I have used Floorplan and TurboFLOORPLAN almost daily since V3. V14 is the best. Not compatble with 1-11 and I have not touched any of these early version, as TFP is way more advanced. In my opinion it will do anything that your existing versions can do. TCAD is a different beast. It can do it all and more, very technically, but with a huge learning curve. I looked at it once or twice over the years and thought, no I just do not have time to learn it.
TFP is quick. Once you are used to it you can turn out a 3D model in hours. I recently did a whole church in about 5 hours (10 half hour train trips!!!), that included the construction, decor, furnishings and landscaping. Once the model is done you can then do the drawings. Ideally to do this you need to open the model in Envisioneer Professional (parent product). This is about 12 times the price and I just can't afford it. Env 5 is latest and it allows you to create worksheets from your 3D model. Drag and drop, plan elevations, sections etc. Since I couldn't afford it I decided to find a way using TFP, since it obvisouly did the ground work anyway if Env was able to open the file and finish it. The results you can read in this post ( http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,877.0.html (http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,877.0.html) ) - a simple way (not quite as simple as Env 5) that produces working drawings within TFP, that I am sure would satisfy most authorities except these who just want to be difficult.
So far there is hardly any object I have needed that I have not been able to create in TFP. You can easily make up nearly any object you want, save it and add it to your catalog to use later. I have not had to bring things in from previous versions or from internet 3DS searchs, although there are many resources to be found that way. Many are free. For some examples of objects created in TFP see http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,763.0.html (http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,763.0.html) and http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,793.0.html (http://forums.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,793.0.html).
I don't quite understand the problem you mentioned "I spent 15 hours on trying to remove and find out why I had a 12