any ex archicad'ers here

[6randon.hen9]

just wondering if anybody found a way of :
viewings walls with overhead bits shown in dotted lines?
able to cut a section box that is not rectalinear?
able to marquee a part of a model in plan view to see in 3d?
displaying elements x distance away from section line cut in grey of other colours?

[douggodfrey]

1. To see wall outlines that are above the cut line you would draw a detail line (hidden or overhead) connecting the two points or even easier would be to "pick" the overhead line which automatically draws the line only at the intended opening, i.e. insert an opening that is 7' tall in an 8' wall. Cut plane is at 5' but you can pick the edges of the opening using the detail line.
2. If you are referring to the section boundaries, they are ortho to the section cut line however you can split the section segment into smaller pieces and rotate the section as needed and it may accomplish your goal. This function doesn't also split the field of view though.
3. Don't know what you mean by "marquee" but if you want a 3D plan view, activate the 'section box' in the view properties dialogue when in 3D view and adjust the top horizontal cut plane as needed.
4. By default, cut lines 'bleed' vs. background lines are grayed out. If you need more control, click on the advanced graphics in the shadows view control button at the bottom left of the screen. the override sillouettes will give you some flexibility on the cut lines. For further refinement, i use the linework tool to whiteout(invisible) unwanted construction lines or fatten/thin others as needed. I'm not aware of adjusting linework based on it's distance from the section.

[Scott D Davis]

able to marquee a part of a model in plan view to see in 3d?

Draw a callout. Goto any 3D view, and then to View>Orient>to Other View and pick the Callout name from the list. Works in Iso-3D and perspective if you pick a camera view.

[douggodfrey]

Wow, that's a lot easier than my way. Thanks for the tip.

[Scott D Davis]

Yeah, at first it may not look like much, but do a Shift-Scroll click (to orbit) and spin that sucker into 3D!

[eddy.lermytte]

Nice tip Scott