In HouseModeller3D, you work with a model of the building. A new project starts by specifying the model (as opposed to creating "drawings"). HouseModeller3D "knows" a lot about building, which produces a significant automation gain. Building knowledge means that the specifications are fewer and that the program does more.
The model is created by specifying the various building parts. Much of the process is done in graphical windows, but all specifications can also be shown and edited alphanumerically.
It is common to start with a template file that gives the outer walls, wall separators, and roof. Then you can adjust exterior openings, siding, and colors. After this, you specify interiors walls, rooms, fixtures, furniture, and possibly terrain.
HouseModeller3D can import IFC files, which allows you to start from another house. The import template should be adjusted to the contents of the IFC data in order to produce the best result.
You can also start from the beginning with an empty house file. Often you may have a sketch or drawing that you can place underneath. This can be scanned and placed in the background (using the picture tool).
HouseModeller3D can be used to create story layouts. You can start with a template, and then go directly to planning interior walls, fixtures, and furniture.
HouseModeller3D is delivered with many predefined symbols, as well as a symbol library containing the most common variants.
Walls are drawn on the plans for each story. It is usually sufficient to specify a line and the wall type. Wall types are usually predefined, specifying both the thickness and the construction method.
HouseModeller3D finds the corners automatically, including for walls that are composed of several layers. The wall types contains specifications of which wall corner types should be used automatically in the various cases. In this way, you usually do not have to specify corner types for the individual corners.
The walls themselves search dynamically upward and downward to the roof and to story separators (as long as you have not specified fixed heights).
Beams and columns are modelled as separate objects. Each beam is specified in the same way as a wall, while the columns are specified one at a time.
The story separators are created at the bottom of each story. You can usually "snap" to the walls to create the edges. Floors and ceilings that cover the entire story separator are easily created.
Because specification of a roof can be complicated, it is common to do it in two steps in HouseModeller3D. Large "roof polygons" are specified together with a specification of which edges should "create" surfaces. "Suggest roof" is performed to get automatic calculation of heights and intersection lines. (As an alternative, each surface can be specified separately.)
Exterior covering (siding) is modelled separately from walls, but the modelling has its basis in the outer surfaces of the exterior walls. This means that it is usually sufficient to specify the covering type.
The covering geometry can be adjusted separately from the walls. For example, this is common with covering that goes down to sloping terrain. Extending covering slightly upward on gable walls is usually automatic.
Openings in walls are first specified, then filled with windows and doors. The opening size is adjusted dynamically depending on the window or door inserted in it.
The covering around the openings is modelled separately for each opening. It is possible to share the sideboards between two openings and/or combine the tapered boards above adjacent openings. This combining is controlled parametrically, so that it happens automatially when openings are specified close together.
Show and adjust
You can continuously see the model in various screen windows - plans, sections, elevations, and overviews. You can have mange windows and can switch between them as you like. Most windows are updated automatically when the model changes.
On plans you can draw one or more areas, and ask to move all points that are inside. This is useful for "stretching" or "shrinking" the whole house or chosen areas in the house.
Define the interior rooms with double-clicks or by drawing the edges. The areas are calculated and shown on the plans.
Symbols in HouseModeller3D are parametric objects that can have different appearances on the various drawing types, including plans, sections, and elevations. It is common to place many symbols on the plans and in the house.
HouseModeller3D is delivered with a symbol library template file, which has many of the most common variants predefined. These can be dragged into the plans. You can create new libraries yourself with variants that are used often.
Add stariways, chimneys, fixtures, og furnishings using predefined symbols. Adjust the parameters in the symbols to get variations.
Add ordinary drawing objects, such as lines, rectangles, polygons, and curves. You can also add measurement lines and get exact measurements by snapping to points in the model.
Add texts and explanations. Texts for plans are included in the model. For elevations and sections, they are added as annotations.
Pictures can be placed with the picture tool. A copy of the graphic image is copied to the house file. It is common to use pictures in the background for sketches that you will be drawing above, and for pictures of the house lot and possibly decorations with vegetation and people.
HouseModeller3D contains simple terrain modelling. This is based on specifying terrain points (before and after) for the plot. The model is calculated as triangles with corners at the points, so that you get a more exact model in the areas that have the most points. The model can be used to draw terrain lines on elevations and to shown terrain on 3D overviews.
The house can be placed and orientet in the world. Once this is done, you can specify the sun position with date and time - and then see where the shadows fall, including on the terrain.
Floors and ceilings are modelled as separate objects above and below story separators. Usually the cover the separators minus extensions, but this can be modified if necessary.
Roofing is modelled as a separate object above roof surfaces.
All of the various types of screen windows - plan, elevation, overview, and section - can be printed, with either the entire model or just the part shown in the window.
The pring dialog provides many scaling possibilities - to the sheet, to a given number of sheets wide or tall, or in percent.
The printing can also be to PDF, which will be a vector (not raster) drawing of high quality.
Tables showing exterior walls, interior walls, or symbols per story can be brought up by double-clicking to the left of a list.
Larger tables showing, for example, all the walls in a house, can be obtained using a separate command ("Show overview window").
Tables can be written out to a printer (or to a PDF): They can also be copied to the clipboard as a tab-separated list, which can be pasted in to other programs (such as Microsoft Excel).
The model can be exported as IFC 2x3 or as DXF.
The model can be exported to SketchUp to make presentations, such as short videos. A significant amount of work has been put into exporting the model especially for SketchUp. This model is either specially adapted DXF or standard IFC 2x3, and can also be read by other programs.
Drawings can be easily exported as PDF files.
The quick results that are possible with HouseModeller3D are based on definitions configured in a dictionary. HouseModeller3D is sued to define and configure the dictionary definitions and most definitions can be adjusted for each individual house. kan endres pr hus.
Wall types specifiy division into layers and appearance on drawings. Corner types specify how to draw corners.
Symbol definitions, i.e. parametric objects, are defined in a special symbol language. Many symbols are delivered with HouseModeller3D. The definitions are open, meaning that new definitions can be created or that exising definitions can be adjusted.
Roof edges specify the construction and appearance of various types of edges, such as hips, valleys, and ridges. "Suggest roof" tries to figure out which type of edge it should be and sets the roof edge type automatically.