Place a Wall

Add one or more instances of a specific type of architectural wall to the building model.

The process of creating a structural wall is similar.

1. Open a floor plan view or a 3D view.
2. Click Architecture tabBuild panelWall drop-down (Wall: Architectural).
3. If you want to place a wall type other than the one displayed in the Type Selector, select a different type from the drop-down.

   You can use the bottom part of the Properties palette to modify some of the instance properties for the selected wall type before you start placing instances.

4. On the Options Bar, specify the following:
   • Level. (3D views only) Select a level for the wall’s base constraint. You can choose a non-story level. See Levels.
   • Height. Select a level for the wall’s top constraint, or enter a value for the default setting of Unconnected. See Height/Depth of Walls.
   • Location Line. Select which vertical plane of the wall you want to align with the cursor as you draw, or with the line or face you will select in the drawing area. For examples, see About the Wall Location Line.
   • Chain. Select this option to draw a series of wall segments connected at endpoints.
   • Offset. (Does not apply to ellipse or partial ellipse walls.) Optionally enter a distance to specify how far the wall’s location line will be offset from the cursor position or from a selected line or face (as described in the next step).
   • Join Status. Select Allow to automatically create a butt join (default) where walls intersect. Select Disallow to prevent walls from joining when they meet. Allow is selected by default each time you open the software, but your last-selected option is maintained during the current session. You can change the join status of individual walls later, if desired. See Wall Joins.
5. On the Draw panel, select a draw tool to place the wall using one of the following methods:
   • Draw the wall. Use the default Line tool to place a straight wall segment by specifying both a start point and an endpoint in the drawing. Alternatively, you can specify the start point, move the cursor in the desired direction, and then enter a value for the wall length.

     Other tools on the Draw panel let you sketch rectangular, polygonal, circular, elliptical or arced layouts. For detailed descriptions of these tools, see Sketching Elements.

     As you are drawing a wall with these tools, you can press the Spacebar to flip the interior/exterior orientation of the wall in relation to its location line.

     Note: You cannot use the space bar to flip the interior/exterior orientation of a wall created with an ellipse or partial ellipse during wall creation.
   • Place the wall along an existing line. Use the Pick Lines tool to place wall segments along lines you select in the drawing. The lines can be model lines, reference planes, or edges of elements, such as roofs, curtain panels, and other walls.
     Tip: To place walls simultaneously on an entire chain of lines, move the cursor over a line segment, press Tab to highlight them all, and then click.
   • Place the wall on an existing face. Use the Pick Faces tool to place a wall on a massing face or a generic model face that you select in the drawing. See Creating Walls from Mass Faces.
     Note: You cannot pick the face of a wall created with an ellipse or partial ellipse.
     Tip: To place walls simultaneously on all vertical faces on the mass or generic model, move the cursor over one of faces, press Tabto highlight them all, and then click.
6. To exit the Wall tool, click Modify.