Creating a site model using the Mesh tool

Although mesh is a generic term, often used in many 3D modeling applications for a collection of triangles connecting points, in Archicad, it is a specific tool for creating site models in the first place (and can also consist of one or more rectangles, instead of only triangles). The tool was already introduced in Chapter 8, for developing complex roof geometries, but now we will focus on its main application.

Basic mesh

A mesh is a contour-based element, just like a slab or a roof, but it has an important geometrical distinction: its top nodes can vary in height, allowing you to define multiple slopes in a single element. They are a natural fit for model terrains, but there are a few creative uses for them, as we already showed in Chapter 8, in the Complex roof geometry and skylights – sloped flat roofs using the Mesh tool section.

Drawing a mesh contour

Since you already know how to model a slab and a roof, modeling a...