Applying Cladding to the exterior of your building forms begins to transform your designs from simply massing models to a piece of architecture.
Cladding is a big topic!
While we don't want to restrict the size of your project, please be aware that this first release of Cladding will perform best for buildings of modest size - for example, 20 Stories. However, the overall performance is determined by several factors.
We've focused on getting this tool into our customers' hands quickly to hear your feedback. Therefore we have concentrated on the big picture and will work on the details (for example, beautiful corner junctions and applying Cladding to curved surfaces) in future releases.
Quick start
We want you to get started quickly with Cladding, so we have included several examples of Cladding Systems.
To place Cladding on your building, select the Cladding Tool from the Toolbar, and your view will change to the Cladding Editor.
Click a building face and the selected Cladding Style will be applied.
The 2d window shows an elevational view of the selected cladding.
Cladding Systems
Cladding Systems contain all the information relating to a single style of Cladding. This includes the types of frames, spacing and size characteristics.
A Cladding System can contain up to four different Profile styles (a style being a combination of orientation, type, size and colour)
Once a Profile has been defined, you can add any number of frames to the system setting their offset.
Select / Create Cladding System
When working with the Cladding Tool, you can either work with a face selected - in which case the Face will update live with any changes you make. Or, you can work on a Cladding System and then apply it to the building by clicking on the faces you wish to apply it to.
Use the System selector to change the currently applied Cladding System, or hit the + button to create a new system.
Cladding Systems can be renamed and deleted within the Project Settings.
When working with a face selected, the Update all button will update all faces that have the current System applied.
You can remove Cladding from a face by selecting it and then using the Remove button.
As you update a Cladding System, the changes are updated live on both the selected face and the drawing. Once you have completed your updates, click the Update all button to have all the Cladding that uses the edited system rebuilt.
Framing Tabs
A Cladding System can contain up to four sets of Frames. A single set of Frames all share the same orientation, profile shape, size and colour.
You can create any number of Frames at set spacing.
Frames can be added, updated and removed along with the overall profile properties.
The icon of the tabs indicate the various orientations in use within the current system.
Add tab
The Add button allows you to add a new set of Frames (up to a maximum of four sets)
Use the Add button when you need to create a new Frame that uses a different orientation, profile shape, size or colour.
Automatic Spacing
By default, new Cladding Systems use Automatic spacing to determine how the frames are repeated across a building face.
This is best described via the following examples:
Vertical and Angled Frames
These are all 'non-horizontal frames that are applied across the face of the building. The frame with the largest offset controls the overall repeat across the face with automatic spacing.
The following frames are repeated at 3,000mm and the result will be alternating frames of 600 / 2,400 / 3,000 / 600 / 2,400 / 3,000 etc
As you can see this spacing is then "scaled" so that it sits evenly across the building face.
If we disable Automatic spacing and enter 6,000mm for our Spacing we end up with a pattern of frames at 600, 2,400, 3,000, 6,600 (ie 6,000 + the origanal 600) etc
Horizontal Frames
Automatic spacing for horizontal frames works differently from vertical frames as the horizontal frames are linked to building stories by default.
Therefore a frame with an offset of 500mm, won't repeat every 500mm, but rather it will be 500mm above the base of every story.
Disabling Automatic spacing and updating the spacing to 600mm gives the result we are after.
All these spacing changes and updates are automatically updated in the drawing view so you can see the result of your changes.
Boundary Frames
Cladding Boundary Frames allow you to specify a profile that is attached to the boundary of each face that you apply cladding too.
You can indicate which edges you want to apply the Frames to using the toggles on the interface:
If you apply Boundary Frames to multiple adjacent faces, where "internal" frames (ie left and right frames are turned off) the frames will join from face to face:
The Boundary Frames are part of a Cladding System, however, you can apply Frames without the need to specify any other Cladding options.