component modeller tutorialthis tutorial contains step-by-step instructions that will show you how...

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Component Modeller Tutorial

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Contents

1. Introduction.......................................................................................................31.1. What is the Component Modeller?....................................................................................... 31.2. What You Need to Know to Get Started .............................................................................. 31.3. This Tutorial.......................................................................................................................... 31.4. The Model ............................................................................................................................ 4

2. Creating Components ......................................................................................52.1. Getting Started ..................................................................................................................... 52.2. Creating a Simple Component ............................................................................................. 62.3. Copying a Component ......................................................................................................... 92.4. Copying and Editing a Component .................................................................................... 102.5. Importing a Component...................................................................................................... 132.6. Setting the Component Handle .......................................................................................... 15

3. Placing Components in ModelIT ...................................................................173.1. Simple Placement .............................................................................................................. 173.2. Copying Components......................................................................................................... 203.3. Rotating Components ........................................................................................................ 21

4. Opening Components ....................................................................................224.1. What is an Opening Component? ...................................................................................... 224.2. Create a New Component.................................................................................................. 234.3. Place Opening Component in ModelIT .............................................................................. 24

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1. Introduction

1.1. What is the Component Modeller?

The Component Modeller is a model building element in the . It allows the user to create a library of components which canthen be placed within the model. Components are geometrical entities and canbe used to model things such as desks, chairs, computers, etc. These can thenbe placed in the model by ModelIT.

The Component Modeller uses many of the same drawing and editing toolsthat are used in ModelIT. Effectively the component is an encapsulated pieceof geometry, therefore operations that would modify that geometry are notallowed e.g. mirror, though some operations such as rotation and scaling havebeen built into the definition.

1.2. What You Need to Know to Get Started

Standard conventions for manipulating files are used throughout the .Standard conventions for manipulating windows (moving, resizing, closing,etc.) are used throughout the . Ask your IT Manager for help if any ofthese processes are unfamiliar to you.

The Component Modeller can only be run from within the . To get anunderstanding of the see the document " UserGuide", this explains the various startup options. It will be useful to have aworking knowledge of ModelIT, and also to have read the Component ModellerReference Manual and be familiar with the terminology used to describe theinterface.

1.3. This Tutorial

This tutorial contains step-by-step instructions that will show you how to usethe Component Modeller and how to add components to a model in ModelIT. Itis perhaps also useful to read this document at the same time as you run theprogram.

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1.4. The Model

We will assume the user has created a simple model using ModelIT and nowwishes to create and add components. This two zone model is shown below:

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2. Creating Components

2.1. Getting Started

At any time during the creation of the model the user can activate theComponent Modeller by clicking the “CompLib” button in the “Model Builder”tab.

As when any application is activated the user is prompted to save the currentmodel before the Component Modeller is started.

The initial state of the Component Library is to contain a single, emptycomponent; this is shown on the Browser as below:

The user may now create geometry in this component, using the sametechniques as in ModelIT, but with no geometry restrictions (i.e. elements mayintersect).

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2.2. Creating a Simple Component

We click the “Prism” button we get the following pop-up window, we enterthe required parameters:

This creates a prism with the appropriate dimensions representing our tabletop.

We change the parameters and create another prism:

This represents the leg of our table.

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We select this object and copy to the other 3 corners of our table:

Unless we want our table to be blue, we click on the “Colour Table” button,which pops-up the following window:

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When colour 1 (top-left corner) is double-clicked the colour editing window isopened:

From this window we select a brown colour, and view our component using the

Component Viewer (same as Model Viewer):

The colour of objects is important as in the current version of Radiance this isthe colour that is used to render the objects.

Lastly we go into the Object Bar and edit the default name from “Component”:to “Table (1m x 1m)”:

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The Browser now shows this component and the objects within the component:

2.3. Copying a Component

If we click on the “Copy Component” button we get an exact copy of thecomponent:

One possible reason for doing this is to create the same component withdifferent colours.

Select the “table top” object and change the colour of this object in the ObjectBar:

Edit the colours as in section 2.2 above:

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Lastly we edit the component name as defined above.

2.4. Copying and Editing a Component

We repeat the copy as above:

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We select the “table top” object and scale in the X-axis by 1.5:

We select the two legs to the right and move them to the correct position:

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This gives us a new table which is 1.5 m by 1.0 m:

We edit the name to “table B (1.5m x 1m)”:

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2.5. Importing a Component

Components that have been created for one model can be imported to anothermodel. There are also several standard libraries from which components canbe imported.

Click on the “Add Components” button, the following window is popped-up:

Using the File > Open menu, the user can browse to find the requiredcomponent library:

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The standard libraries are located in “C:\Program Files\IES\apps\Components”.

When the user selects a file (“chair.mcl”), the components can be looked atand added to the current library by clicking the “Add” button.

From this library we select “Chair 2” which is added to our model (we canselect more than one component from this library, or open a new library toexamine):

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2.6. Setting the Component Handle

The component “handle” is the point which is used by ModelIT to place thecomponent. You may have noticed in the edited table example the “handle”was shown at the bottom-left corner:

We can reposition the handle by clicking on the “Set component handlepoint” button which pops-up the following:

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The handle is positioned at the required location and the pop-up window allowsthe height to be set (the default being 0.0).

It is usual for the handle to be at some easily identifiable location within themodel i.e. bottom-left corner or centre of component. If by error the handle isremote from the component it becomes difficult to see the placement inModelIT.

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3. Placing Components in ModelIT

3.1. Simple Placement

Select the zone “Office” and go down a level to the Surface level and gointo Component mode:

When this is activated the following window pops-up:

From this window the user selects the required component and sets anyrequired transformations, e.g. as shown “Table (1m x 1m)” with the default

settings. Make sure the viewport is in Plan view and activate the “Placecomponent” button, when we move back into the viewport the cursor is used todrag the selected component to where we want to place it:

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We now select the component “Chair 2” and place it in the same way:

We can see by zooming in, that the chair is facing away from the table. We

select the chair component using the “Select object” button and delete it

(using the “Delete” button). We go back into the “Place component” windowand change the “Rotation” angle to 180 degrees:

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We activate the “Place component” button and move the rotated componentinto position (note we have changed the grid size to get a more accurateplacement).

If we activate the “Model Viewer” button in Component mode we see theselected zone with the placed components:

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3.2. Copying Components

Select the two components we have created and activate the “Copy”button, we can now use the same mechanisms used when copying objects inModelIT i.e. drag the objects or use a key-in to give a more explicit copy:

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3.3. Rotating Components

Select the two components we have just copied, activate the “Rotate”button, again this works in exactly the same way as rotating objects, the“Rotate Object” window is popped-up to allow the user to edit the rotate angle,the rotation origin is selected and the component(s) are dragged round thisorigin to the required position:

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4. Opening Components

4.1. What is an Opening Component?

A component given the Category: Opening can be placed on a model inModelIt at Model and Room Level.

A library of pre-built opening components will launch when the OpeningPlacement tool is used in ModelIT but this brief tutorial will show how to createa custom opening component using the Component Modeller.

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4.2. Create a New Component

As before create a new component using the New Component button.

Right click on the Component in the Component Browser and selectProperties.In the Properties dialog, rename the component so that you can identify it laterin the Opening Placement dialog in ModelIT.Change the Category to Opening.

Change the view to Front as this is the geometry of the opening that will beplaced on the model.

It is important to ensure the opening thickness passes through the y=0 plane.For example set the Depth to 0.4m and the Plane to -0.2m.

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4.3. Place Opening Component in ModelIT

To place an opening at Model or Surface Level, press the Add Door, AddWindow or Add Hole button. This will open the Place Opening Dialog whichcontains any custom openings created in Component Modeller along with thelibrary of pre-built Opening Components.

Select the opening you wish to place and enter the Base height, along with theWidth and Height of the opening.

Now moving the mouse anywhere near the walls of your model will showwhere the desired opening will be placed. When you have selected where theopening is to be located, left click to place it.

1.Introduction1.1.What is the Component Modeller?1.2.What You Need to Know to Get Started1.3.This TutorialThe Model

2.Creating Components2.1.Getting StartedCreating a Simple Component2.3.Copying a Component2.4.Copying and Editing a ComponentImporting a ComponentSetting the Component Handle

3.Placing Components in ModelIT3.1.Simple PlacementCopying ComponentsRotating Components

Opening Components4.1.What is an Opening Component?Create a New ComponentPlace Opening Component in ModelIT

component modeller tutorialthis tutorial contains step-by-step instructions that will show you how...

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