At a glance
- Define the surface with boundary points, internal points and holes.
- Set the material and thickness of each layer below the surface.
- Display contours, point levels and slope analysis to help describe the modelled surface.
Surface points and holesUse Point Controls to edit the shape and levels.
Enable Point Controls to display the object’s editing hotspots. Move the boundary points to define the outside edge, and use internal points to control levels within the surface. Hole points define openings within the boundary. Each point has its own position and level.
Reset Surface returns the object to a flat, four-point square and removes its internal points and holes. Use this when you want to start the surface again, rather than to reset an individual point.
Skins and materialsDefine the layered construction below the surface.
In Skins, choose how many layers to include, then assign a Building Material and thickness to each one. The build-up follows the surface defined by the object’s points.
To vary a layer’s lower face, enable its variable base and select it with Edit skin. Edit the Z-only base hotspots in 3D; the points retain the surface’s X and Y positions. Each skin’s base becomes the next skin’s top, while a disabled variable base retains its saved edits.
Composite Mesh creates its own geometry. These settings do not assign a Composite to a native Archicad Mesh or convert a Mesh into another element type.
Contours and slope analysisChoose the information to display on the surface.
Set the major and minor contour intervals to control the height difference between contour lines. Enable labels where required. Label spacing and minimum-length settings help prevent short or closely spaced contours from becoming cluttered. You can also show contours in 3D.
Use Analysis Overlay to display slopes along edges or across the surface triangles, together with downhill arrows. Edge lengths and triangulation lengths can be displayed separately.
The analysis is calculated from the modelled geometry. It helps you inspect levels and falls, but does not account for construction tolerances or establish drainage compliance.
Point levels and annotationControl the information shown for each group of points.
Boundary points, internal points and hole points have separate display controls. Choose which groups show levels or point IDs, then adjust their frames, leaders and offsets.
The text scale limit controls when annotations are visible. Beyond the selected drawing scale, the text is hidden while the surface and its other graphics remain visible.