You can enter coordinates manually, or simply pick the points on the grid with the mouse: Draw four lines with the Draft Line tool.See the Mouse navigation for instructions. Zoom out and pan so you can see the area from (0,0) to (4,3).If you do not see the axes then click the toggle draft grid button.
On the snapping toolbar make sure the grid snap button is enabled, so we can use the grid as much as possible.Grid spacing 1000mm to have a one meter-based grid, which is convenient for the size of our building.Open menu Edit → Preferences → Draft → Grid and Snapping and set:.Create a new document, and switch to the Arch Workbench.In this chapter, we will see how to model this small building:Īnd produce a plan and a section view from it: Before beginning, it is always a good idea to browse through the preferences pages of both Draft and Arch and set the default settings to your liking.
The Arch Workbench also includes all the tools from the Draft Workbench, and uses its grid and snapping system. The Arch tools usually take care of that automatically, and also provide utility tools to help you check the validity of objects.
Although it has a different purpose, it is made to work in tight integration with the rest of FreeCAD: Anything made with any other workbench of FreeCAD can become an Arch object, or be used as a base for an Arch object.Īs in the PartDesign Workbench, the objects produced by the Arch Workbench are meant to be built in the real world.
The Arch Workbench of FreeCAD implements a series of tools and facilities for BIM modeling. This extra information permits all kinds of advanced analysis of the model, such as structural resistance, cost and construction time estimations, or calculations of energy consumption. BIM models are usually based on 3D models, and also include a series of additional layers of information, such as materials information, relationships to other objects or models, or special instructions for building or maintenance. The exact definition of what it is varies, but we can simply say that it is how buildings and other large structures like bridges, tunnels, etc. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling.