Some Tips for Manipulation of Information with ADT, MSP, and CPT4D

Architectural Desktop (ADT) UI

• Look in the command line for prompts and status
• Select objects by left-mouse click
• Deselect objects by typing Esc
• Right click any object to see or change its properties and perform actions

Set user coordinate system

• type UCS in command line
• Type n (to Enter an option)
• Mouse Select: a point in the Drawing Editor (X-Y axes will appear)

Design walls (ADT): create a rectangle with 4 walls

• Set User Coordinate system:
• Draw > Rectangle;
  • Specify first point: type 0,0,0
  • Specify other corner point. Type 120,144 (i.e., 10' x 12')
• Design > Walls > Convert to walls
• Erase layout geometry? [Yes/No] <N>: y <enter>
• Wall Properties window appears
• To specify wall height (other than default of 8 feet):
  • Select Dimensions tab of Wall Properties window;
  • Set B - Base Height:
• Wall properties > OK
• View your rectangle of four walls from a SW isometric view

Design a rectangular slab (ADT)

Create a slab by attaching it to a set of existing walls (note: roof is similar)

• View > 3D Views > Top (Show design in Top view)
• Design > Slabs > convert to slabs...
• Mouse Select: walls; then <Enter>
• Erase layout geometry? [Yes/No] <N>: n <Enter>
• Specify slab justification [Top/Center/Bottom/Slopeline]<Bottom>: t <Enter>
• Specify wall justification for edge alignment [Left/Center/Right/Baseline]<Baseline>: r<Enter>
• Specify slope Direction [Left/Right]<Left>: <Enter>
• Slab properties > OK
• View > 3D Views > Left (You should see the slab just below the top of your walls)
• Mouse Select: new slab object (confirm that Layer of selected object says something like "A-slab")
• right click; Mouse Select: Slab properties...
• Slab properties > Location
• Note the vertical orientation of the drawing; assume it is "Y"
• Set vertical direction (Y) insertion point: -1'
• Mouse Select: OK
• View > 3D Views > SW isometric (You should see your slab as the floor of your space)

Create a slab "from scratch"

• View > 3D Views > top (Command functions are at the top of the ADT desktop window)

Design (a rectangular) slab (sides aligned with the x, y axes)

• Design > Slabs > Add Slab
• The "Add Slab" dialog box appears. Place it where you want it.
• In the Add Slab, Mouse Select: "Floating Viewer" mode to create a new isometric projection view of your work. (Floating viewer icon is the lowest-left icon in the Add Slab dialog box.)
• In the design window, Mouse-select first point (a yellow box will appear if you select an existing point)
• To place the slab corners at new (previously undefined) points,
  • Mouse Select: second point
  • To set x of 3^rd point, Type: .x; then Mouse Select: first point
  • Respond to command line request “of (need Y)”: Mouse Select: left side of third line to create third line
  • Type C to close the fourth side.
• To place the slab corners at previously defined points (recommended if appropriate), mouse the second, third and fourth points.
• To see your slab in 3D: View > 3D Views > SW Isometric

Move an object (ADT)

• Mouse select it
• Hold Left Mouse button down and move the mouse

Resize an object (ADT)

• Mouse select the object
• Select a “grip”: a box on a lower extremity of the object
• Mouse select the grip (it turns red)
• Move the grip to re size the object
• Click in place to complete the resizing

Zoom the view (ADT)

• Hold left mouse button down; rotate the mouse button forward or backward.

Pan the view (ADT)

• Hold mouse wheel down; move the mouse

Distance between two points (ADT)

• Tools > Inquiry > Distance (mouse select the two points; see the distance in the command line)

Area of region (ADT)

• Tools > Inquiry > Area (mouse select the four points)
  • see the area in the command line. Be very careful to select the points you want on the object of interest.

Layer control (ADT)

To add a new layer or reset the "current" layer

• Format > Layer
• Layer properties manager > New
  • A new layer named something like"Layer1" is created automatically. Rename it to something more descriptive, e.g., "Big blocks"
• Mouse select the color; select a color you like
• Layer properties manager > OK

To reset the "current" layer

• Format > Layer
• Select a layer
• Layer properties manager > Current
• Layer properties manager > OK

  Change the layer of an object

• Mouse select the object
• Mouse select value of layer in object properties pane
• Mouse Select: down arrow
• Mouse Select: name of new layer for this object

To specify which layers to make visible (or color in which they are shown)

• Format > Layer...
• In the Layer Properties Manager,
  • Mouse select the light bulb to turn a layer on (when bulb is yellow) or off (when blue)
  • Mouse select the color square to change the color

Getting started with ADT

• Launch ADT from your desktop
• Select “Model” layout tab (see ADT UI)
• Mouse Select: ORTHO mode button repeatedly until the command line says <Ortho on>
  • Interaction modes are at the bottom of the ADT desktop window.
  • <Ortho on> limits mouse input to horizontal or vertical (relative to the current snap angle and the user coordinate system.
• Mouse Select: OSNAP mode button to set <Osnap on>
  • Object snap on constrains point specification to exact locations, such as a midpoint or an intersection, on existing objects. Using object snaps is a quick way to locate an exact position on an object without having to know the coordinate or draw construction lines.
  • Note that to place an object freely, it is necessary to turn off object snap.

Export VRML (ADT)

Export From ADT:

• AEC VRML toolbar (containing red sphere): Mouse Select: Floppy icon (Export)
• "Save as" dialog box > Options... > Format
  • Set Entity prefix and Layer prefix, e.g., to your initials
  • Select "Include entity layer" or "Include layer information"
  • VRML Export options > OK
• Save As: Enter File name
• Save As: Save in: navigate to a directory where you want to save the file (be sure to back up your files)
• Save As: OK
• Select group of all objects in your drawing
• Select objects: <Enter>

Select an object (ADT)

Select one object

• Mouse Select object

  Select a group of objects

• Move mouse to below and left of a set of objects
• Depress left mouse button and drag to upper right of set of objects
• Mouse click to select all objects within the selected rectangular region

Microsoft Project (MSP) UI

Create tasks (MSP)

• View > Gantt chart
• Mouse Select:blank cell in Task Name column
• Type name of new task <Enter> (First specify task duration that is two days or greater!)

Create successor links (MSP)

• Mouse Select: successor activity
• Right mouse select
• Mouse Select: Task Information > Predecessors tab
• Mouse Select: blank cell in Task Name column (multiple times to add multiple predecessors)
• Mouse Select: pull-down arrow at far right side of Task name cell
• Mouse Select: predecessor task name

Save for export to CP4D (MSP)

• File > Save as
• Mouse Select: "Save as type:" Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt)
• Type new file name
• Select class directory in "Save in" entry box
• Mouse Select: Save
• Export Mapping dialog box appears (use a directory to which you will have access later)
  • Mouse select: "Selective Data" tab
  • Mouse Select: "Task 'Export table' map"
  • Mouse Select: Edit
  • Mouse select: Task Mapping tab
  • Delete all options except: Name, Start, Finish, ID
  • Map "From Microsoft Project field" to the following "Text file field"
    • Name: activity
    • Start: ES
    • Finish : EF
    • ID: code
  • Mouse Select: OK
• Mouse select: SAVE
• Edit the schedule to remove days of the week.

Edit schedule file to remove days of (MSP)

• MSP saves the file in *.txt format and including the day of the week. You must edit out the day of the week of the start and finish of each scheduled activity.
  • Open your .txt file with Notepad (to open Notepad, double-click on the filename in the Windows Explorer)
  • Double-click each name of the week that you see (there will be two per activity)
  • Delete the name and the adjoining space
  • File > Save

Common Point 4D (CP4D) UI

Things to remember

• In CP4D, graphic manipulation is done with the graphic manipulation icons in the toolbar.

Import VRML file into CP4D

• Common Point 4D File > New
• File > Import CAD Components > VRML (Default)
• Select the file you just exported with .wrl extension (the geometry should appear in the 3/4 D CP4D view pane)

Show 4D animation (CP4D)

On the animation toolbar:

• Move date slider to far left (or select 'Project start' double-left arrow)
• Set playback interval (e.g., to 1 day or 7 days)
• Select Play Forward button (large single right arrow)

View one object from tree (CP4D)

• Expand 3D object tree (repeatedly) by clicking on "+" symbols
• Select object name; right mouse click > Select in 4D View (the color object will repeatedly change)

Zoom view (CP4D)

• Left-Mouse select 3/4 D view area
• Drag mouse up to zoom in
• Drag mouse down to zoom out

Pan view (CP4D)

• Right-Mouse select 3/4 D view area
• Drag mouse left to pan left, up to pan up, etc.

Import schedule (CP4D)

• File > Import Schedule > Replace
• Select your MSP schedule with .txt extension (the schedule activities should appear in the bottom CP4D Schedule pane.)
• Check that the field names (ACTIVITY, ES, EF, TYPE, CODE) have appropriate values) and reedit the MSP file if needed.
• For each activity, right-mouse select; Set Activity Type > Select activity type (to show the 4D animation in helpful colors). To add new activity types:
  • Select Activity Types tab in the CP4D components pane
  • Mouse-select New (leftmost icon in top of 4D Components pane, Activity Types tab)
  • Add a meaningful name for the new activity type
  • Select a unique color to associate with new activity type

Link 3D geometry and schedule (CP4D)

• Mouse Select:4D Components tab of 4D Components pane
• Select root node of CAD Components (right side pane) and drag to the 4D components pane (left side pane)
• Repeatedly mouse-select a "+" in the 4D Component tree view to expand the tree to the level of detail at which you have schedule activities.
• Select an activity from the ACTIVITY pane and drag it to link with an appropriate 4D Component; repeat until each Project CAD component
• BE CAREFUL: Before you drag activities to 4D components, make sure that you have select only intended activities, none from a previous operation.