Learn AutoCAD 3D Commands Needed for Creating 3D Architectural Models

Disclaimer

As always for your convenience, it is good to note before we start that my tutorial is perfectly compatible with the ©AutoCAD 2013 version and above. Therefore, and as a result,  your UI —User Interface— might look slightly different from mine in some screenshots.

Most popular AutoCAD 3D Commands for Creating Architectural Models

As mentioned in a previous post concerning AutoCAD© Learning Courses, I will be publishing an article about the most used AutoCAD 3d commands. This tutorial is divided into four parts, just to make it more assimilable to everyone in need of it.

However, the Rendering section will be treated independently in the next posts. In this chapter, you will learn how to create and manipulate 3d architectural models.

The CAD software became an indispensable tool for achieving complicated architectural 3d modeling

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The file is 100% free of charge, virus-free, and will not harm your pc; It is only about 600 KB in size and compatible with the ©AutoCAD 2013 version and later, as noted before.

Fig.1- The given modeling file to use in this tutorial is downloadable for free.

Importing the 2D Drawing File | The Insert Command

After downloading the file mentioned above, which is free of charge, virus-free, and provided from my Dropbox shared files, you will have to insert it into a new AutoCAD file; press CTRL+N to create a new drawing from the AutoCAD Application menu at the upper left corner of your screen: New > drawing.

• Select the "acadiso.dwt" file as a template for your new project and save it under the name: my_first_model.dwg

• Insert the downloaded file into your newly created drawing by typing I for the Insert tool, or by selecting the Home tab on the ribbon > Block panel > Insert. While on the Insert dialog, click the Browse button. Go to the location of the downloaded 2D-Drawing_Tutorial.dwg, select it, and then click Open. Back to the Insert dialog, uncheck the "Specify On-screen" option under the Insertion point section, and then click OK. Don’t forget to tick the Explode option found in the same dialog, in the lower-left corner.

• You are now ready to start transforming an initial 2D drawing of a small house into a 3d  model, using some fundamental AutoCAD 3D Commands.

For your ease, and in case they were already active, you will need to turn off the following layers:

- A-DIMENSION

- A-HATCH

- A-FURNITURE

- A-FIXTURES

- A-ANNOBJ

- A-DOORS

Creating 3D Architectural Models with the proper 3D Modeling Commands and Tools

First, create a new Layer with the name "3D-WALLS" and set the color to #6 (magenta) for better sight, then switch it to current. While selecting the object snap to Endpoint, start the Polyline  (PL) command, and draw as directed in Fig. 2 below.

               

Fig.2- The polyline construction, shown in magenta color along with the rectangles’ corners shown in yellow.

Next, launch the "Rectangle" command or type (REC) and start by specifying its corners as indicated in Fig.2 above, and also by drawing the remaining polylines shown in Fig.3 as well.

Note that the external or the outside walls are 300 mm thick, while the indoors are 100.

Fig.3- The 4 remaining polylines to complete the exercise are as shown and directed here.

Now switch the current Workspace to "3D Modeling" by using the Workspace drop-down menu on the Quick Access Toolbar or the Workspace Switching menu on the lower status bar for easy access to the commonly used 3D tools and commands. (Fig.4)

Fig.4- Switching to the 3D Modeling workspace

Click on (F3) to activate the Object snap mode and check the Endpoint  snap.

Besides, from the Home tab, launch the Group command from the Groups panel. At the Select objects or [Name/Description]: prompt, select the entities of each elevation separately and create the related groups respectively. We have now created four groups that allow us to easily select and manipulate each elevation independently, as we will see in the next steps.

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You will need now to change the view of your model for better visualization of the various elements now present in our scene. To do so we will simply use the "ViewCube" quick tool for setting the requested view. Choose the lower right corner and your screen should show the same view as Fig.5 below:

Fig.5- The view switched to SE-Isometric

Alternatively, you can change the view by using the View panel in the Home tab and choosing SE Isometric from the drop-down menu. (see Fig. 6)

Fig.6- Alternative method to set the isometric views

Next in this series, learn how to project the elevations for creating your project model and other related exclusive tools to use in the 3D process. Stay tuned!