Relationship between default planes and custom planes

Reference Planes

Several pairs of reference planes in a document

Custom reference plane pairs have priority over both default reference planes. Consequently, inserting a custom pair of planes will cause elements whose heights were defined relative to the default pair to lose their association with the default pair and to adjust to the new constraints imposed by the custom pair.

(A) Upper plane free
(B) Lower plane free

You can define several pairs of custom reference planes in a drawing file – only one pair, however, can apply in any one area of the drawing file. When two custom reference plane pairs overlap, the pair entered last is always valid: they have priority over both custom pairs of reference planes and default reference planes entered previously.

Example:
You define a wall whose height is set relative to the default reference planes. If you now create a custom pair of reference planes in the area of the wall, then the wall will adjust automatically to reflect this change. The height of the wall is no longer relative to the default reference plane. It is now associated with the custom pair.

Figure: Component adapts to the custom planes
A Plan
B View
C Delimited custom reference plane

The situation is different with pairs of reference planes that are located on other drawing files open in reference mode:
pairs of reference planes only affect the architectural elements that are located in the same drawing file as the reference planes themselves.

• Architectural elements can only be controlled by a single pair of reference planes. The pair of reference planes entered last has priority over the others.
• Pairs of reference planes only affect the architectural elements that are located in the same drawing file as the reference planes themselves.

The exception – roof planes

Roofs that you design with Roof Frame are special pairs of custom reference planes: All the architectural elements whose height has been defined by associating them with planes, automatically adapt to the constraints imposed by these planes. When you design roofs, only the elements relevant for roofs are presented (height of eaves, roof pitch and height) so that you do not have to make any complex conversions.

You can also use Custom Planes to design complex roof shapes, of course. For more information on entering roof planes, see the section entitled ”Roof modeling”.

Examples of custom pairs of reference planes

Examples:

Associating the height of an element with reference planes

Defining the height of an element relative to existing elements