In part 1 of the tutorial, you start a project, and create levels for foundation, store floor, upper and lower parapets of the building model.
This video demonstrates the following:
To create a new project, use a project template. Click the New link on the Home page. You can change the default templates in the Options dialog, which is accessed from the application menu. Here we will browse to a specific template used for this tutorial.
When first starting a project, it's a good idea to establish level datums which provide a framework to start building your model. To see the levels in your project and place new ones, you must first be in an elevation or a section view. In this case, open the South elevation by double-clicking it in the Project Browser.
Notice that 2 levels have been defined for this project. You will want to rename these existing levels to reflect your own project naming scheme.
To rename a level in the view, you select the level, click its name, and enter a new name. When you rename the levels, you are asked whether you also want to rename the corresponding views - that is, the plan view and the reflected ceiling views associated with this level. Click Yes to automatically change the names of those views in the Project Browser.
As an alternative to renaming the level in the drawing area, you can right-click the name of the level in the Project Browser and select the Rename option. Again, you are asked about corresponding views and you click Yes. To change the height or position of a level, you can select the associated dimension in the drawing area and enter a new value. The level marker will move to the new position.
To add a new level, select the Level tool from the Architecture tab of the ribbon. When you use the Line drawing tool, the level will snap into alignment with existing levels in the project. You can also use the temporary dimensions to help you position the level. And if the level is placed in the wrong position, you can always reposition it by editing the dimension or dragging the elevation marker.
To place the next level, select the Pick Lines tool from the Draw panel. When using this tool, you can select an offset value, to place the level the specified distance away from the line you picked. In this case, you offset the level from the pick line by 500 millimeters. This level only represents a datum for the project, not a building story, so a plan view is not needed, and the option is cleared on the Options bar. Because these 2 levels are very close to each other, click the Add Elbow control on the level line and adjust the position of the level head.
The 2 new levels are now listed in the Project Browser where you can rename them using the right-click method. The Project Browser sorts the levels by numerical or alphabetical order by default. In this example, the naming scheme begins with a zero and the number to keep levels organized in the Project Browser.