Strip Footings

[DaleSmith]

Sorry, this may be a very basic question, but hopefully that would mean a quick answer.

As a company we do a large number of structural foundations using strip footings, supporting slabs, with walls built off these slabs. An image of an example project is attached. We've always modelled these strips as concrete structural framing and visually got the results we were after. However, there is a push within the company to move away from work-arounds and start modelling everything correctly. So we can schedule foundations correctly etc.

However, the only ways I can see to create foundations like this are to:
a) Use wall foundation, which obviously won't work, as we don't need the walls to spring from the strips, and deletion of the walls removes the strip.
b) Use a slab and draw the shape Cad style. Which is slow and reletively inflexible, especially when dealing with rebated beams.
or
c) In place families

None of these are anywhere near as efficient and flexible as the structural framing solution is however to model.

It isn't just scheduling which is an issue either, analytically model-wise the building is obviously incorrect.

How do others model this kind of structure? Is there a more effiecient way that will provide accurate scheduling and analytical information too?

Thanks,

[dmahan]

you could create hidden dummy wall type to be used only for modeling wall footings.
then create a view filter to turn this dummy wall type on and off in each view.
the footing would remain even with the dummy wall is turned off.
then you could turn back on to edit footing locations or elevations, you could use a filter to give this wall type another screen color.

I have used this method to model a turn-down slab edge with cont footing system.