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Merging levels from multiple files
Greetings, all!
I created the first and second levels of a house as separate files, with no previous consideration that it might eventually be beneficial to merge them, much less properly offset them vertically relative to each other. (Thus, my second floor is at 0 elevation, as I didn't think I'd actually have a reason to offset it relative to the first floor.)
Now, however, I think it would be beneficial to merge these floors-as-separate-files into a single coherent home (party because certain elements span both stories, and not having them actually makes things more complicated).
Is there an easy/preferred way to accomplish this? I'm hesitant to copy the second level into the first, as I can't first offset it vertically in its current file. (Plan -> Levels -> Modify Level is greyed out.)
France
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Re: Merging levels from multiple files
Open the file showing the upper level, choose Edit > Select all and Edit > Copy menu items, then open the file showing the lower level, choose Plan > Levels > Add level and Edit > Paste menu items. That’s all!
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
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Re: Merging levels from multiple files
Thank you, Emmanuel - that was the option I was attempting to locate! It appears to have worked well... except for highlighting a few mistakes between floors! :)
Any input on whether there a "best practice" for how to address multi-level walls using SH3D?
For example, is it better to always draw the walls of each level separately, even if the outside walls always span both floors, or if you have the occasional room with 2-story interior walls, such as for a 2-story entryway?
Similarly, are there issues to using negative heights, say if you have a garage that is a few feet lower than the main floor of a house? (i.e. you need 3-4 steps to get from the garage to the first floor because of the grade of the lot, etc.)
Netherlands
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Re: Merging levels from multiple files
For example, is it better to always draw the walls of each level separately, even if the outside walls always span both floors, or if you have the occasional room with 2-story interior walls, such as for a 2-story entryway?
Use walls only for the floor where they are. The reason is simple: if you texture the walls for a room you don't want to span that over multiple floors but keep it to the room where you set the wall texture. It's easy to create walls above each other: just copy them from one level to the next above and they will look on the outside as a single wall. With a 2-story entryway you could use higher walls but that's an exception to the rule. You probably want to use walls per levels anyway for this since the other side of the wall is most likely for another room and you want to keep room textures for that room.
Similarly, are there issues to using negative heights, say if you have a garage that is a few feet lower than the main floor of a house? (i.e. you need 3-4 steps to get from the garage to the first floor because of the grade of the lot, etc.)
No issues, it's just that the level has a negative elevation value, that's all. The walls and floor you handle just like any other level. You might want to set a different height for the negative level if you want to equalize the ceiling with the ground floor level but that depends on your design.
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Re: Merging levels from multiple files
Another reason not to use walls that span multiple floors is that it makes it hard to view lower floors in the 3D view if they are surrounded by towering perimeter walls.
