Learning Bricscad - Tutorials ...

Michael Mayer

Just want to point out that Bricsys does an excellent job
with the latest Videos, Blogs and Webinars !

There are often hidden functionalities in CAD Software Tools
that you wouldn't expect or find by yourself. Or functionality
you are currently not interested but could need in the future.

Videos, Blogs and Webinars work very well to show interesting
things from other workflows that I can keep in the back of my mind,
explain Tools and their design intensions from a different point of
view, learn proper Tool usage and even entertain.

So very appreciated from my side, big thanks.

Sander Scheiris

Thank you for your feedback. We are working on improving the online help as well.

Michael Mayer

And the new Help Center is absolutely gorgeous !

Nice and Structured text Layout to find things easily. Beautiful Illustrations.
Videos linked.
perfekt.

Tom Foster

Trying Shape at last, I found the tutorials series extremely valuable, being short and really idiot-level step-by-step, taught me from scratch things that I'd used somehow but not fully understood in Bricscad. Incl forcing me to learn the Quad.

But no.23 - Creating a Roof - loses it, contains several techniques not previously covered but assumes understanding and glosses over their detail just like an 'ordinary' tutorial. This is how we (I) lose hours, trying again and again but always getting one unexplained thing wrong. Tutorials 1-22 wonderfully saved me from that.

Steven_g

OK you got me to look at that video , and indeed I cannot for the life of me get the UCS to lock by pressing the shift key in shape or Bricscad with ducs on or off and that looks like a really useful feature. So now I am going to have to watch all the videos 1-22, just please tell me that the answer is given in one of those as to how you get it to work.

Tom Foster

How do you mean 'get UCS to lock' - is this where in video 23, after selecting wall tool, hover over a surface and press Shift, it constrains clicks to that plane? You have to have the tool selected first. No, it doesn't come into any previous video - 23 is a ragbag of several new tricks, inadequately explained.

I'm not sure whether this is in fact a shortcut way to type UCS >Surface. It doesn't seem to hold so well.

Steven_g

Now it makes sense, that the tool needs to be active first, yes it would be better if that was mentioned in the video. I did try it and the connect tool failed also, I finally figured out it was because one of the walls wasn't wide enough to be 'seen' as a wall by Shape.

Tom Foster

'Major' faces and 'minor' faces of solids behave frustratingly differently, with Connect and Bimdrag
https://forum.bricsys.com/discussion/33965/connect-plank-ends#latest .

In all the other other BIMs, sides, ends and top/bottom have v different status and ability forever, depending on how they were originally created. Whereas the unique and wonderful thing about BricsBIM is that its BIM solids are simply ordinary 3D dwg solids, where all faces have equal staus and ability, however they were originally created. Length, width and height of a linear solid AFAIK only apply during creation, then are forgotten.

So this major vs minor thing seems to be an artificial 'feature' which is supposed to be helpful. This can be seen - by stretching a solid, a minor face can be reclassified as a major face if it becomes the biggest face.

It's not always helpful - I think the major/minor thing should be switchable off during any given operation.

Michael Mayer

^ I agree with most of this.

And I think it is great that Bricscad works with standard Solids and
that it is able to BIMIFY any imported Solids Geometry too.

For the Planks and BIMCONNECT there might be a "2D" option needed
that is used when in Top Plan View to decide what currently is minor/major.
(Maybe with DUCS or UCS option in your Roof Case)
Or something like selecting the special Face on both Solids, to force where
BIMCONNECT applies.

Which Video (#23) are you talking about ? this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSHL0uXLyzU&list=PLONdQc9bizsc8XLnlFNxV57A-vfCNGO5r&index=23

Michael Mayer

And the second part of what is gorgeous :

Bricscad Lessons

But do I need to create another Bricscad Account ?
(Didn't work with one of my others)

Tom Foster

Yes, that #23.

I never knew about Bricscad Lessons - super-basic and not provided by Brics - I think it's an independent enterprise so yes have to create an a/c. So far just everyday 2D stuff tho I don't doubt contains some insights or better routines. And so far FREE but I've signed up for 'Educational and Promotional materials' so see what comes.

Richard Webb

I'm no Demosthenes myself, but I wish they'd use a different narrator for Bricscad Lessons. Speaking in a cave with your face in a pillow, nearly falling asleep at the end of sentences is hardly engaging.

Michael Mayer

@Tom Foster said:
How do you mean 'get UCS to lock' - is this where in video 23, after selecting wall tool, hover over a surface and press Shift, it constrains clicks to that plane?

I may have overseen that.
That is totally cool !!!

Roy Klein Gebbinck

@Tom Foster:
It would help if you try to be more specific in your criticism of video #23. Calling it a 'ragbag of tricks' doesn't give the Bricsys team or others much to work with.

I did encounter an issue with the justification of the roof slab. Installing the latest version of Shape (V18.2.17) solved this. There is no mention of a _PolySolid justification issue in the Release Notes of Shape, but there is in the RN of BricsCAD.

Michael Mayer

„Ragbag of Tricks“
I think means those hidden, not documented or hard to find
but important Features.
That is why such Vidoes are so valuable.