Column

Column places a column with one click, centred where the magnet holds the cursor, with the section chosen beside the tools. Its section and its angle can then be changed in its panel.

What it is

Column places a rectangular column, centred on the point you click. The list beside the tools offers five sections: 25 by 25, 30 by 30, 40 by 40, 20 by 40 and 40 by 20 centimetres, shown in your project's units. The first number is the width along the plan's horizontal, the second the depth along its vertical.

The column stands on its level, from floor to floor. On the lowest level it stands on a foundation the project works out under it, unless something else already carries it.

When to use it

Laying out a structure on a grid, column by column.
Placing a post under a beam or a roof.
Redrawing the columns of a surveyed building.

The steps

Take the tool. Press C, or click the Column button. The status bar says to click, with the section from the list.
Choose the section. Pick it in the list beside the tools. The ghost under the cursor shows it.
Click where it stands. The magnet holds the cursor on a grid crossing, a wall's corner, a middle or another point within reach, and the column is centred there. Each click places another column.
Adjust it in its panel. Select the column with Select to type its width, its depth, its rotation in degrees, and the X and Y of its centre.

What it refuses

A section that is not positive. A width or a depth of zero or less is refused by the project.
Nothing at the click. A column is placed wherever you click, even inside a wall: look at the plan before you click.

What it writes to the contract

One new entry at the end of the project's list of columns, as one step that one undo takes back: the level, the centre to the millimetre, the width and the depth in metres, and the phase the view draws in. The angle is written only once you turn the column. The foundation under it is never written: it is worked out each time the project is built.

Concepts

The magnet

Common questions

How do I put a column exactly on a grid crossing?

Bring the cursor near the crossing of two grid lines: the magnet holds it on the crossing and shows a cross. Click, and the column is centred there.

Can I make a column of another size than the ones offered?

Yes. Place it with any section, then type its width and depth in its panel.