Contents:
Greetings ---- Product Features ---- Purchase

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The first and most important aspect of this kit that you need to be clear about is that it is not a software product and it does not do anything on its own.  Basically, this kit is a library of Styles designed exclusively for Autodesk^®'s Architectural Desktop 2005 CAD program.

The second important aspect of this kit that we want to make clear is the philosophy behind its structure.  We created it out of pure necessity to fill a void in the default Library of Styles that come with ADT and fought with the native Object Style Properties to produce the best compromises we could come up with.  Though many have created fence solutions with Curtain Walls, we prefer to work with Railing Styles for numerous reasons; including ease of use, tools for Post Locations and the ability to Anchor to terrain.

Illustrated to the right are some composite images of how we used ADT's default High, Medium and Low Detail Display Representations to not only allow for a range of presentation but a range of performance on your equipment.

Low Detail
The Low Detail Display Representation will affect the Plan and Model Display Representations.  Railing Styles, by default, display a single line in Plan View under the Low Display Representation ( though you can add more detail ) and we stuck with this approach but changed the linetype to the "DashDot" or DashDotX2" types.  In Model (3D) View you will find that all Linework is simple and clean with all Properties managed "ByBlock" which means you can set Color, for example, by the Layer or other means.  The Hidden and Shaded modes of the Model View are illustrated to the right.

Medium Detail
The Medium Detail Display Representation will affect the Plan and Model Display Representations.  For this Display Representation, we continue to use the same Linetype as for the Low Detail Display Representation but added the display of Columns.  In Model View you will find Material Linework such as Brick and Concrete Hatch Patterns set to Colors that match the default Materials we assigned to the various Styles ( you can, of course,  change these settings).  For the Shaded mode, you will find Colors but no Materials ( which have been set for High Detail ).

High Detail
The High Detail Display Representation will also affect the Plan and Model Display Representations.  In Plan View you will find that we show a bit more detail than in the Medium Detail Display Representation and no Linetypes.  For Model View you will find the same Linework as under the Medium Detail Display Representation but under the Shaded mode of this View, you will find Materials display ( if set to display on the Options dialog ).  We designed this Display Representation for Rendering purposes to optimize linking to Viz Render; chain link fencing, for example, changes from lines to a chain link material.

The entire kit was designed to work with ADT's new Tool Palettes, as illustrated to the right, and after installation you simply assemble one or more Palettes as you see fit by dragging content out of the Fences 5 eKit Catalog (from the Content Browser).

The list of fence types is broken into three primary categories: Metal, Wood and Masonry.  Within each of these categories are standard configurations that you can use directly or as templates for your own variations.  For Post and Rail fences, for example, there are five variations but you can easily copy and alter any of these to change dimensions, number of rails or post profiles.  For Masonry Column fences, for example, there are two variations on large estate-like configurations but you can easily create your own column designs and replace the ones we included.  Information on how to achieve such changes is included in the Fences 5 User Guide.

Fence - Post and Board
Fence - Post and Plank
Fence - Post and Plank - 45d Planks
Fence - Post and Rail
Fence - Post and Rail - 2 Rails
Fence - Post and Rail - Combination - Lattice
Fence - Post and Rail - Round Column - Round Rails
Fence - Post and Rail - Round Column - Square Rails
Fence - Timber Pole
Fence - Glass Panel Guardrail
Fence - Guardrail Xbrace

Wall Styles
Fence Masonry CMU Stucco
Fence Masonry CMU Stucco Tile Cap
Fence Masonry Concrete Stone Veneer
Fence Masonry Fieldstone

Door (Gate) Styles
Fence_Chain_Link_Gate_Hinged_Dbl^new
Fence_Chain_Link_Gate_Hinged_Sngl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_1_Hinged_Dbl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_1_Hinged_Sngl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_2_Hinged_Dbl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_2_Hinged_Sngl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_3_Hinged_Dbl^new
Fence_Gate_Iron_Security_3_Hinged_Sngl^new

When you make your purchase, you will receive a confirmation e-mail within minutes ( if purchase is made on-line but longer if by phone, fax or mail ) that will contain your User Name and Password. 

Go to www.archidigm.com/classroom/osmosis or look for the OSMOSIS icon on the ARCHIdigm.com website to enter our subscription center.  There you will be able to download the Fences 5 eKit Installation file, User Guide and check for Updates.

Current users of the Fence eKit for Architectural Desktop 3 - 3.3 may apply for a User Name and Password to upgrade their Kit at no additional cost.

kits@archidigm.com

The Object Style files are devoid of undesirable Layers, Colors and Plot Styles.  With the exception of Material Definition Styles, that control Linetypes and Colors for these Object Styles, all Properties have been set to "By Block".

Installation Issues
In Architectural Desktop 2005 improvements were made for the management of Tool Palette Catalogs and you may now Copy or Move Catalogs to any network or local drive location you wish.  However, in order to provide a default installation location, we have configured this kit to be installed locally under  "C:\Program Files\ARCHIdigm\Fences Kit". If you choose to Move the kit, be aware that there are a few path issues that are not automatically resolved and some Tool icon's will require corrections.  The work is minimal, ten (10) minutes or so and is covered in our User Guide for this kit.