Summary
This article describes the process to set up your building plot with separations, streets, and offsets, so you will be ready to model.
This KB Article includes the following sections:
Building Plot
Removing Existing Buildings from Your Building Plot
When working on your building plot in Skema, you might find existing structures that you need to clear away. Here’s how to efficiently remove any unwanted buildings:
Navigate to the building you wish to remove. Simply left click on the building to select it. With the building selected, press the 'delete' button on your keyboard. This action will immediately remove the building from your plot.
Making Existing Buildings Editable
If you want to modify existing buildings within your Skema project, you can change their status from existing to proposed. This allows you to edit them as needed for your design or planning purposes. Here's how to do it:
Click on the building you want to edit to select it.
Look for a tab in the top right corner of the interface while the building is selected. Change the setting from "Existing" to "Proposed" by selecting the appropriate option from the list.
With the building now set as proposed, you can make any necessary modifications to the structure. This could involve resizing, reshaping, or repositioning the building within your project.
Switching Terrain Underlays
To enhance the visualization and accuracy of your site planning in Skema, you may want to switch between different types of underlays—like from a map view to a satellite view. Here’s how you can toggle between terrain underlays at any stage of your project:
Find the map icon on the top right side of your modeling space.
Here, you will have two choices: a map underlay and a satellite underlay. Simply select the button to toggle between a map underlay or satellite underlay. You will notice the icons representing each will change as you toggle between each.
You can change the terrain underlay at any point throughout the project. Whether you are in the planning phase, mid-project revisions, or final stages, switching the underlay can provide new insights or clearer visualizations based on your current needs.
Editing the Site Boundaries
When managing or adjusting the boundaries of your site in Skema, you can easily make changes to align with new project specifications or requirements. Here’s how to edit your site boundary:
Access the Construction Site Tab: Navigate to the "Edit Site" button located on the upper left side of the screen.
Initiate Editing: Select the "Edit Site Button"
Adjust the Boundaries: With the editing mode activated, click and drag the boundary lines to adjust them according to your needs. You can move them to expand or reduce the site area or reshape it to better fit the project's layout.
Finalize Changes: Once you have adjusted the boundaries to your satisfaction, hit the Done button and your new site will be updated in the modeling space.
Inserting a Background Image
1. Navigate to the Tool Bar
Open your project and go to the Tool Bar at the bottom of the modeling space.
2. Select the Image Import Option:
Locate and click on the image import icon, which is situated on the top left side of the screen. This icon is designated for adding visual elements like background images to your site.
3. Upload Your Image:
After clicking the image import icon, you will be prompted to choose a file. Select the desired background image from your files that you want to overlay on your site plan.
Using Tools to Manipulate Images
1. Overview of Top Screen Tools:
Move Tool: Located as the first icon on the left, this tool is used for repositioning the image within your design space.
Scale Tool: Next to the move tool, this tool allows for adjusting the size of the image relative to the design elements.
Rotate Tool: Positioned after the scale tool, it enables you to rotate the image to align correctly with your site layout.
2. Adjusting Image Settings:
On the right side of the screen, you'll find settings to customize your image further:
Image Name: Modify the name of the image, which will be displayed in the Layers tab for easy identification.
Image Opacity: Adjust how transparent the image appears over your site, which helps in layering multiple images without losing visibility.
Image Scale: Change the scale of the image to ensure it fits appropriately within the site dimensions.
3. Scaling the Image:
Click on the scale tool icon to activate scaling mode.
Click to place the first reference point at one end of the image's scale indicator, then place the second reference point at the other end.
Input the actual scale distance according to the scale indicator to resize the image accurately. This ensures that the image matches real-world dimensions and aligns correctly within your project.
4. Adjusting Image Opacity:
Click on the image to select it.
Use the opacity slider or input field located on the right-hand side of the screen to adjust the transparency of the image. This allows you to make the image more or less visible over your site plan, facilitating better visual integration with other elements.
5. Naming and Locking the Image:
Enter a name for your image in the designated field on the right side.
Once the image is named and adjusted, go to the Layers tab. Find your image in the list and click the lock icon beside its name. Locking the image ensures that it stays fixed as a background overlay, preventing any accidental shifts or modifications during further editing.
Splitting the Building Plot
Switching from 3D Perspective to 2D Plan View
Look for the 2D switch on the right side of your screen. This control is specifically designed to toggle between different view modes.
Click on the 2D switch to transition from the 3D perspective view to the 2D plan view. This change will flatten the view to a top-down layout, making it easier to work on detailed site plans and layout adjustments.
Adding a Street to Your Building Plot
1. Starting the Street Drawing:
Click on the street icon located at the top left of the screen to begin.
If snapping points are difficult to align, start at a corner of your plot and slide your point along the edge until it aligns with your desired starting position.
Move your cursor over the edges of your building plot. Watch for a pink highlight to appear on the edge; this visual cue indicates that your point has successfully aligned with the plot edge.
2. Utilize Snap Settings:
For detailed guidance on snapping points accurately, refer to the "Snap Settings" article.
3. Begin Drawing the Street:
Left-click to start laying down your street line. You can choose to draw freeform or use snap settings to achieve exact lengths and angles.
Ensure your street lines snap correctly by adjusting your settings as you draw, which helps in maintaining alignment and precision.
4. Adjusting Street Placement with Offset Tool:
For more specific street placements, such as adjusting the distance from other objects or features, the offset tool can be invaluable. The use of this tool and its capabilities will be discussed in the following section of the article.
5. Extend the Street Line:
After setting your initial point, click and hold to drag the line across your building plot. Extend it to reach the opposite edge or even beyond the plot if necessary.
6. Set the Ending Point:
Move your cursor to where you want the street to end. Left-click to drop another point at this location.
7. Finalize the Street:
Press 'Enter' to finalize the drawing of the street. This action solidifies the street's path and integrates it into your design.
8. Understand the Impact on the Plot:
When a street fully crosses a building plot, it effectively splits the original plot into two separate sections. Each newly created plot remains within the confines of the original boundary but now has its distinct area due to the street's division.
Creating a Site Offset
1. Select the Site Edge:
Move your cursor over the edge of the site where you want to create the offset.
Click on this edge to activate the offset tool. This action will open a specific toolbar on the right side of the screen dedicated to offset settings.
It is possible to select several site edges at once by holding the <ctrl> key down on your keyboard while selecting multiple edges.
2. Configure the Offset:
Look for the toolbar that appears on the right side of your screen upon selecting a site edge.
Within this toolbar, locate the "Width" option. Here, enter the desired offset length. This length determines how far from the original edge the new offset boundary will be positioned.
3. Visualize the Offset:
After setting the width, the software will automatically adjust the site boundary. You will see a dashed red line indicating the new offset boundary, while a solid black line remains to represent the original site outline.
Managing and Editing Site Offsets
1. Creating Continuous Offsets:
You can combine multiple offsets to extend or wrap around your site continuously. This is useful for creating layered or stepped boundary effects that reflect the complexity of your project's needs.
Offsets can vary in depth but still maintain continuity. This flexibility allows you to tailor the site boundaries according to specific project requirements or to simulate different zoning layers within the site.
2. Editing an Existing Offset:
modify an existing offset, move your cursor over the original line from which the offset was created.
Once you hover over the line, the width toolbar on the right side of the screen will become active.
In the width toolbar, enter the new desired offset depth. This updates the offset to adjust the boundary as per your new specifications.
Editing Streets
1. Selecting the Street for Editing:
Look for the drawn line representing the street, which will typically appear as a dashed line running through the center of the street.
Click on this dashed line to begin editing the street. This selection will enable various editing tools and options.
2. Adjusting the Location Line:
The location line serves as a reference for how the street aligns relative to the drawn line. You can align the street to the left, center, or right of the drawn line, depending on the specific requirements or layout of your project.
3. Modifying Street Width
Above the location line option, you will find the width dialog box. Enter a new value in the width dialog box to adjust the width of the street from the location line to its endpoint. This adjustment allows you to customize the size of the street to better fit the scale and traffic needs of your project.
Instructional Video