Description:
I have designed a residential house floor plan. To enhance its visual appeal, I would like to add shadows. How can I achieve this?
Solution
You can create floor plans with shadows in Archicad by utilizing 3D Documents. To do this:
In the Navigator, select 3D Documents and click on “New Viewpoint”, (+) button .
- Open the 3D Document.
Go to 3D Document Settings. Under the Model Appearance tab, make sure to check Shadow.
To further enhance the view, there are additional settings that are available which we can modify.
- Floor Plan Projection - select the appropriate height of the Floor plan cutting Plane.
- In the Model Appearance, under Cut Elements, select “Uniform Surface - Color Fill, Non-shaded.
- Under the Uncut Elements, Change the Value of Uncut Fill to “Uniform Pen - Color Fill, Non-shaded. Change the value of Uncut Pen-Color Fill to “0” or Transparent.
- In the Shadows tab, change the value of Shadow Polygon to 50% and Fill pen to Black or Dark Gray. Make sure that the Fill Background pen is set to “0” or Transparent.
- Select OK when done. If you are not satisfied with the shadow orientation, you can adjust this in the 3D Projection settings. Go to View > 3D View Options > 3D Projection Settings. Change the values of “Altitude” and “Azimuth” to your preference.
- Once the Sun position is finalized, go to 3D Document > Right click and select Redefine 3D Document based on current Floor Plan Window.
- Insert a Graphic Override to change the Cut Fills to “Black”. You can utilize the GO Combination “Simplified - Plan” for this.
- Make sure to save the 3D Document as a View.
You can add annotations like labels and dimensions directly on the 3D Document.
By following these steps, you can effectively incorporate shadow effects into your floor plans, significantly enhancing their visual appeal. The combination of 3D Documents, precise shadow adjustments, and appropriate graphic overrides allows for a professional and polished presentation of your design. Whether for client presentations or internal reviews, adding shadows will provide depth and realism to your floor plans, making them more engaging and impactful.