Creating and modifying slabs How to create slabs for rooms, draw custom slabs and edit slab properties like thickness and overhang Amritha Krishnan

There are 3 types of slabs in Snaptrude:

1. Intermediate slabs: All slabs above grade level, i.e., Storey 2 slab and above

2. Basement slabs: All slabs below grade level, i.e., below Storey. These slabs cannot have an overhang.

3. Plinth: Floor slab of Storey 1, created at datum level. These slabs cannot have an overhang.

Slabs are created in Snaptrude in 2 ways, using Create Building and using the Draw tool.

Create Building to auto create slabs for the entire project

Click on the Create Building tool. Slabs are created at a roof and floor of the room, i.e., using the top and bottom face of each room as reference. Roof slabs of Balcony type rooms are generated at the same level as other slabs of the storey. Slabs of all connected rooms on a storey are combined, creating a single slab, that is easy to edit. For multi-storey buildings, a single slab is generated between rooms in each storey (i.e., no duplicates). By default, slabs are generated with 150mm thickness.

Draw custom slabs in plan views

You can delete any auto generated slab and create custom slabs where needed. Use the Draw tool to draw the footprint of the slab. When completed, a room is created with the footprint. Select the room, open the Object Properties tab on the right panel, and change the object type to Slab. The object is updated as a slab.

By default, this slab is created with 150mm thickness. You can now edit parametric slab properties like thickness and overhang,

Project construction properties

You can change the thickness and overhang distance of all slabs from a central location. Open the Project Properties tab in the right panel. Change the slab thickness value, and all the slabs are updated. Note that wall heights of each storey are parametrically linked to slab thickness. When slab thickness is increased or decreased, the walls attached to it also decrease or increase in height accordingly.

Slab overhang is a popular passive environmental strategy to protect a building from rain and sun. It is the distance by which slab footprint is offset, to create the actual slab. Change the slab overhang value in Project Properties, all intermediate slabs are updated. This property does not apply to plinth and basement slabs.

Slab specific properties

You can change the thickness and overhang distance of each specific slab using Object Properties. Select the slab to modify, or Ctrl + Select all the slabs to modify. Open the Object Properties tab in the right panel. Change the slab thickness or overhang value, and all selected slabs are updated.

Manually edit slab extents or thickness

Slabs can be further edited using the standard edit tools.

Use the Move tool to move slabs around the project. You can also move slabs up and down to create multi-level roof structures. Double click the top or bottom face of a slab to increase or decrease slab thickness manually. You can also type in a numerical value by which you want to change the slab thickness. Double click an edge or vertex of a slab to move it up and create sloping roofs. You can create complex sloping roofs (gabled, pitched. hipped) on Snaptrude using simple edits.

Use the Add and Remove vertex tools to edit the footprint of existing slabs.

Use the Flip tools and Rotate tool to mirror or rotate a slab.

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