Streamline Elevation Drawings

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create Elevation drawings in Rhino 9 while keeping them in sync with the 3D model as the project evolves. We’ll address how to output the drawings to a team- or project-specific layer structure and control linework and other drawing properties through layers.

Create the 2D Drawing

We’ll start by cutting a section through the building with ClippingSections , then extract it as a 2D drawing.

1. Download and open the model Elevation Drawings. The model represents a small portion of a larger building. The file has a nested layer structure that divides the model into floors and the components they contain. Component detail has been simplified for clarity.
2. Maximize the Top | ▾ viewport and change the Display Mode to Shaded.
3. Run ClippingSections .
4. At the Select objects to section prompt , press Enter to select all the geometry.
5. At the Place sections prompt, set the following options:
   • Direction = X
   • Custom Depth = No
   • Clip = No
   • Name = Section
   • Label Mode = Text
   • Saved to Named View = No
   • Flip = Yes
6. Place the section so it passes through the building.

1. Run ClippingDrawings to create a new 2D Drawing.
2. At the Select clipping planes prompt, select the Section_00 Clipping Plane widget and press Enter .
3. In the Clipping Drawings dialog, set the following options:
   • Auto-Update = Yes
   • Project in Place = No
   • Output to Clipping Drawings layer = No
   • Label = Text
   • Properties = By output layers
   • Create section hatch = Yes
   • Create section surface = No
   • Add background = Yes
     • Tangents = No
     • Hidden = No
     • Silhouette = No
     • Projection = Parallel
   • Add annotations = Yes
     • Dimensions = Yes
     • Text = Yes
     • Leaders = Yes
     • Dots = Yes

1. Press OK to confirm.
2. At the Placement point prompt, select a point in the Top | ▾ viewport to place the drawing next to the model. You might need to zoom out to avoid overlapping the model.

Create the Elevations

A distinct advantage of using Clipping Planes and Clipping Drawings to create elevations and plans is that the drawings update when you change the model.

1. Continue with your file or download and open the model Elevation Drawings 01.
2. In the Top | ▾ viewport, select the Section_00 Clipping Plane widget and drag to move it above the building. It should no longer pass through it.
3. Notice that the Clipping Drawing now shows an elevation. The key here is the Add background option: the section doesn’t cut through any geometry, but the elevation is visible in the background.
4. With Section_00 selected, go to the Properties panel, under Clipping Plane, rename Section_00 to North Elevation.
5. With the Section_00 still selected, run the Copy command.
6. At the Point to copy to. Press Enter for automatic. prompt , press Enter.
7. At the Point to copy to. prompt, select a point below the building.
8. Select the new Clipping Plane: North Elevation_00.
9. In the Properties panel, on the Clipping Plane Properties page, rename North Elevation_00 to South Elevation.
10. Run Flip to reverse the direction of the South Elevation Clipping Plane, so it looks toward the building.

1. Run ClippingDrawings to create a new 2D Drawing.
2. At the Select clipping planes prompt, select the South Elevation Clipping Plane widget and press Enter .
3. Use the same Clipping Drawings options as above and press OK.
4. At the Placement point prompt, place it below the North Elevation drawing.
5. Because of the way we named and set up the Clipping Drawing options, each 2D Drawing has its own parent layer named after its view. This makes drawing output easier to understand and control. Learn more about Clipping Drawing Options.
6. The visibility of the Clipping Planes themselves can also be controlled per layer:
   1. Open the Layer panel and create a Layer named 001 Clipping Planes.
   2. Select the two Clipping Plane widgets.
   3. Right-click the 001 Clipping Planes layer and select Change Object Layer.
   4. Turn off this layer to simplify the view. This doesn’t affect the visibility of the 2D Drawings.
7. The file now has 88 layers. Thanks to parent layers and sublayers, you can collapse the layer stack to just five main layers.

Add and Remove Content

Because we selected all the geometry when we created the Clipping Section, we can use layer visibility to control what is clipped and shown in the drawing. We can also add or remove objects one by one.

1. Continue with your file or download and open the model Elevation Drawings 02.
2. Set 4 Views :
   1. Make sure the building model is visible in the Front | ▾ viewport
   2. Make sure the South Elevation Clipping Drawing is visible in the Top | ▾ viewport.
3. In the Layer panel:
   1. Expand 002 3D Model
   2. Turn off sublayer 002-01-010 Stairs Ground to First
   3. Turn 001 Clipping Drawings layer back on.
4. Run UpdateClippingDrawings and select All in the prompt . The South Elevation Clipping Drawing updates.

Note

Changing layer visibility doesn’t trigger Auto-Update. Run UpdateClippingDrawings to refresh the drawing after showing or hiding layers.

Next, let’s remove some objects one by one:

1. Turn 002-01-010 Stairs Ground to First back on and update the drawing. All objects are shown again.
2. Select the South Elevation Clipping Plane widget.
3. Go to the Properties panel → Clipping Plane Properties page, under Objects Clipped:
   1. Change All to Exclude Selected.
   2. Then, select the Objects button.
   3. At the Select objects for custom clipping prompt, select one of the concrete stairs on layer 002-01-010-01 Stair Concrete and press Enter .
4. The 2D Drawing updates automatically, removing the stair.

Now let’s add objects one by one:

1. Select South Elevation Clipping Plane widget.
2. In the Properties panel → Clipping Plane Properties page, under Objects Clipped:
   1. Select the X next to Objects to clear the excluded objects.
   2. Set Objects Clipped to Include Selected.
   3. The South Elevation 2D Drawing disappears because no objects are included in the selection yet.
   4. Select the Objects button.
   5. At the Select objects for custom clipping prompt, window select the whole building in the Front | ▾ viewport
   6. Press Enter to end the command.
3. The South Elevation 2D Drawing reappears, now with 797 objects included in the selection.

1. Make 002-01-001 Floor the current layer .
2. In the Status Bar , activate AutoAlignCPlane . Right-click and set the alignment to Align to World.
3. In the Perspective | ▾ viewport, sub-object select the upper surface of the ground floor slab. Then, lock the Auto CPlane by selecting its lock icon in the Status Bar .
4. Still in the Perspective | ▾ viewport, add some simple solids, similar to the example below.

   

5. Select the South Elevation Clipping Plane widget and go to the Clipping Plane Properties page in the Properties panel.
6. Under Objects Clipped, select Objects and follow the prompt to add some (but not all) of the new solids.
7. The South Elevation Clipping Drawing automatically Updates to include the new selections.
8. To include all objects again, go back to the Clipping Plane Properties page, in the Properties panel:
   1. Select the X next to Objects to clear the included objects. The 2D Drawing disappears again.
   2. Set Objects Clipped to All to bring the drawing back.
9. Delete the new solids and turn off Auto CPlane.

Use Curves in Clipping Drawings

Clipping Drawings support curves and linework. With layers and selections, you can quickly add alternative information to a scheme. Let’s look at an example.

1. Continue with your file or download and open the model Elevation Drawings 03.
2. Change to the Front | ▾ viewport and make sure you’re in Shaded mode .
3. Run ClippingSections to create a horizontal section.
4. At the Select objects to section prompt , drag a rectangular selection around the building and press Enter .
5. At the Place sections prompt, set the following options:
   • Direction = World
   • Custom Depth = No
   • Clip = No
   • Name = Access
   • Label Mode = Text
   • Saved to Named View = No
   • Flip = No
6. Place the section about halfway up the first floor. Press Enter .
7. Select the new Clipping Plane: Access_00.
8. Run the Copy command. Follow the prompt to create a copy 1000 mm above.
9. You should have two sections that produce essentially the same Clipping Drawing, which we can then vary by adding or removing content.

   

10. Change to the Perspective | ▾ viewport.
11. Run ClippingDrawings to create a new 2D Drawing.
12. At the Select clipping planes prompt, select the Access_00 Clipping Plane widget and press Enter .
13. In the Clipping Drawings dialog, use the same options as before:
    • Auto-Update = Yes
    • Project in Place = No
    • Output to Clipping Drawings layer = No
    • Label = Text
    • Properties = By output layers
    • Create section hatch = Yes
    • Create section surface = No
    • Add background = Yes
      • Tangents = No
      • Hidden = No
      • Silhouette = No
      • Projection = Parallel
    • Add annotations = Yes
      • Dimensions = Yes
      • Text = Yes
      • Leaders = Yes
      • Dots = Yes
14. Press OK to confirm.
15. At the Placement point prompt, select a point in the viewport.
16. Repeat the process for Access_01 and place the two Clipping Drawings side by side.
17. Select the Access_01 Clipping Plane widget.
18. In the Clipping Plane Properties page of the Properties panel, select Objects.
19. At the Select objects for custom clipping prompt:
    1. Switch to the Layer panel and turn on 002-02-011 Alternative Access.
    2. Right-click that layer and select Select Objects.
    3. Press Enter to add the selection.
20. The 2D linework on 002-02-011 Alternative Access is now visible in the Access_01 Clipping Drawing. Notice that the text, dimensions, and leaders are carried over to the 2D Drawing too.
21. Now let’s clear some 3D geometry on the second floor to make the drawing easier to read. In the Clipping Plane properties:
    1. Change Objects Clipped to Exclude Selected.
    2. Select the X next to Objects to clear the selected objects.
    3. Select Objects and, at the Select objects for custom clipping prompt, use the Layers panel as above to select all the geometry on these layers:
       • 002-02-004-01 Wood
       • 002-02-004-02 Glass
       • 002-02-007 Elevator
    4. Press Enter to confirm the selection.

       

22. We now have drawings of two alternative access configurations, generated from the same core data.
23. Double-click the Access_01 Clipping Drawing and try turning some of the annotation types on and off. The dimensions, text, and leaders in the referenced 2D information all respond.
24. The two elevations and two sections created in this tutorial are each stored on their own set of layers, so print width, linetype, and print color are easy to configure per drawing.

Support for curves means you can quickly add design information or suggestions to an existing model, without changing the model itself or its layouts.

Clipping Drawing Options

Clipping Drawing options are set when you run ClippingDrawings , but they can all be edited afterward. Double-click a 2D Drawing to edit its properties. This section serves as a reference to what the options do:

Drawing Options

• Auto-Update: updates the 2D Drawing in Model Space and Layout Space when the corresponding Clipping Plane moves, or when geometry included in the selection changes in any way. This can slow down performance on large models. If unchecked, run UpdateClippingDrawings to update the drawing.
• Project in-place: Aligns the 2D Drawing with the Clipping Plane. Useful together with Create section surface.
• Output to Clipping Drawings layer:
  • When checked, every 2D section is placed on a single set of nested layers, with a parent layer named Clipping Drawings.
  • When unchecked, each 2D section gets its own set of nested layers, for example Section_00, Section_01, Section_02. This makes it easier to control the visibility, line weight, and other properties of individual drawings.
• Label: Select Text (uses the Text Style and scaling set in Annotation Properties), Dot, or None.
• Properties:
  • By output layers: Output layers control Display Color, Linetype, Print Color, Print Width, and other properties.
  • From input objects: Those properties come from the source model layers instead. The output layers still control visibility.
  • Use source layers: Creates no new layers. Object properties are controlled entirely by the model layers.

Output options

• Create section hatch: Creates hatches in the 2D Drawing, controlled by the Section Styles. Section Style hatches are always shown in clipped Model Space views.
• Create section surface: Creates a physical surface that caps any open boundaries created by the section. Useful together with Project in Place for visualization.
• Add background: Shows detail behind the section, rather than just the section slice.
  • Tangents: Shows the start and end of, for example, a filleted corner.
  • Hidden: Shows detail hidden behind the section.
  • Silhouette: Creates a thicker line around the perimeter outline of the 2D Drawing.
  • Projection: Select Parallel, Perspective, Reflected, or Parallel and Reflected. See also the Reflected Ceiling Drawing tutorial.
• Add annotations: Adds any of the checked annotation types (Dimensions, Text, Leaders, Dots) captured by the Clipping Section to the Clipping Drawing.