AVAcad is an industry-specific CAD tool designed to allow hollow metal elevations to be created with a level of speed and ease never seen before. As with all powerful drawing tools, a solid technique is critical to maximizing efficiency. With all of AVAcad’s specialized tools at one’s disposal, there are several approaches to be taken when creating frame elevations.

As an example, the following elevation can be created from scratch in well under 1 minute with a few simple techniques.

The mistake people usually make is attempting to draw each stick, one at a time, sized perfectly. Although this will certainly get the job done, it’s far from efficient. Drawing and sizing each stick requires constantly switching from the ‘stick’ tool to the ‘dimension’ tool and back again.

There are four basic steps to creating any elevation. The critical thing to remember is that AVAcad does a lot of the thinking for you. Unlike traditional CAD and drawing applications, the ‘stick’ tool intelligently draws and connects hollow metal components without any intervention on the part of the user. Simply allow the software to do its job.

STEP 1 – Create the Basic Shape

Using the ‘3-sided’ and the ‘stick’ tools, simply rough out the overall shape of the elevation – giving no thought to the lengths of the sticks at this point!

When drawing the heading stick, there is no need to create 3 separate components. Simply begin with the node on the right and drag the stick right across the two jambs until the topmost left node glows green to indicate alignment.

When the mouse button is released, AVAcad will create the stick and intersection joints automatically. Continue this process until all the pieces are in place.

STEP 2 – Verify the corners and notching

In this example, the intersections are created with the vertical pieces notched. If this is not the desired configuration, simply select the ‘node edit’ tool, click on the desired node and choice of all available notching options for that particular joint will be offered.

STEP 3 – Insert Dimensions & Size the Frame

At this point, it’s time to insert the dimensions. Select the ‘linear dimension’ tools and drop them all into place at once. This is far quicker than if they had been inserted as the elevation was being drawn. Also, changes in corner conditions will affect the position of dimension nodes. It makes far more sense to do them all once the frame drawing complete than having to move them around if the frame is modified.

The fastest way to size the frame is to click on each dimension in turn and simply enter the desired size on the toolbar at the bottom of the editing pane.

For consistency, the rightmost or bottommost node is repositioned, along with all components connected to it. When dimensioning the entire frame, being with top-left most dimension and work through them moving to the right and downwards.

STEP 4 – Insert the Doors & Glass

Using the ‘door’ and ‘glass’ tools, simply “drop” these final components in place. AVAcad will automatically determine what modifications need to be made to the sticks surrounding these components. For example, stops will be added to form jambs and mullions as is required. No action is required on the part of the user as even the corner connections will be updated automatically to reflect the newly added stops. In a few clicks, the elevation will look just like the first illustration.