Sculptural EIFS facade - best practices?

[cellersick]

What is the best approach to modeling a sculptural EIFS facade with horizontal sections of exterior skin? I assumed the answer was "skin a mass", but I'm not able to "Wall by Face" the horizontal faces. Do all the horizontal sections need to be broken into Roofs and Ceilings? Are there any other options besides In-Place Wall for the entire skin? Am I missing something crucial to skinning masses?

[kamranmirza]

The method that appeals to me:
1. Make a partition wall for the internal [constant-width] portion, comprising internal plasterboard, insulation, etc.
2. Make an external wall for the external portion beyond the insulation, and then use sweeps, reveals as necessary. Can use in-place family for the external wall.

This will work for an orthogonal-type facade everything down to 1:50. The drawings you're showing are approx 1:20 and need to be done in detail views.

=2¢

[Mengelmn]

There's a few ways to accomplish what you ask. Based on your attached sections I would suggest using walls and roofs similar to kamranmirza. If there is more sculpture to the form as your description implies then I would suggest a more mass form with applied assembly approached.

In the end it is depended on what the design needs, either way works.


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[cellersick]

Thanks! I was truly hoping I was misunderstanding something about the mass/wall by face. The Wall by face can apparently be "tricked" if you make the face not horizontal (like when the top is sloped for drainage). But then the walls have difficulty joining in a consistent manner.

I hacked together a loadable wall family from an in-place family (make group of in-place elements, save group as family)... Anyone know how likely is it that these families will screw up my model? Do I need to revert to an archived copy?

[cellophane]

depending on how 'correct' you want your model to be those can easily be achieved with wall sweeps. The downside is you will need masking regions in your sections (depending on how sweeps are constructed) and your takeoffs might be off if you provide them.