This project mainly focuses upon the utilization of CAD programs for sustainable development and alternative architectural design.

Supplies

Supplies:

- Access to a computer (or other mobile device) and the internet

Step 1: Constructing the Framework

For this step, boxes were utilized to create the walls, roofing, and porch areas of the home. Boxes can be found in the "Basic Shapes" section, and features including their height, width, angling, and length can be alternated and customized to generate a unique creation. The base layer of the roofing depicted in this image was placed at an angle to create a slope. Additionally, the construction of the porch and balcony began in this step by simply creating vertically placed rectangles.

*Tip: copy and paste small details (i.e. the structure of the deck in the latter stage) to save time

Step 2: Completing the Deck

The process of completing the deck and balcony areas of the home involved numerous substeps (that can be achieved rather easily).(1) The first step is depicted first image conveyed above and involved creating a horizontally placed rectangle utilized as the panels for the deck. This only has to be completed a single time and can be copied and pasted for the remaining deck and porch areas. Once a larger section is completed, that section can additionally be copied and pasted as a measure to increase time efficiency. (2) The following step entails placing a different flooring beneath the area that will be the balcony (optional). The flooring used is recognized as "Voronoi" under the featured section of "Shape Generators". The flooring beneath the balcony was completed in a similar manner to that of the wooden porch and deck paneling in that a single shape was customized to fit beneath the deck and was copied and pasted an another five times to fill the remaining area. This can be achieved through examining the length and width of the deck and sizing the individual pieces accordingly, or the "Voronoi" flooring pieces can be grouped and subsequently sized to fit the given area. (3) To create the second level of the deck, a pergola was initially constructed through placing rectangular planks above the preexisting vertical planks along the length and width of the deck. This house utilized two separate floor design patterns for balcony, which can be created through simply halving the length of the planks (to one half the length or width of the deck depending on the direction they are placed).

*Tip: Make sure to space the flooring at least .1-.25 mm apart, which can be done by editing the grid to the desired size. If the flooring is not adequately spaced, it can combine into one large, indistinguishable shape when grouped.

Step 3: Create the First Floor Siding and Trim

This step was utilized to cover the imperfections in the base layer of the home in addition to adding desired colors and detail. The siding involved simply creating two different sized rectangles with the same height but different width and lengths. The narrower sections of the siding had a greater width to add depth to the home. (Similar to the flooring, it is recommended that these are copied and pasted in an alternating pattern.) It is recommended that the siding is completed prior to adding windows, doors, or other openings to save time and prevent complications The trim was placed along the corners of the exterior and along the sloping of the roof to mask any imperfections an add another level of detail. (All the shapes employed for this step were sourced from the "Basic Shapes" section.)

Step 4: Finishing the Siding and Trim (Second Floor)

The second floor utilized different sidings for each wall of the home. The siding on the backside of the house was completed by employing the trim (placed horizontally) from the previous step, changing the color, and spacing each plank an equal distance apart. Alternatively, the siding on the front of the home was much more complex, but utilized a single shape that was copied and pasted with a varying pattern and spacing to create the illusion of shingles). The staggered pattern of the shingle placement and angling of the shingles assisted in preventing the shingles from having a brick-like appearance and added both depth and texture to the home. Once again, these shapes were generated through the customization of the solely with the boxes.

*Note: The windows and roofing will be added in later steps but are displayed in these images to provide a greater picture.

Step 5: Adding Windows and Door(s)

To create openings in the home, a clear box was customized to the desired opening size and placed partially through preexisting walls. It is very important to ensure that the box extends entirely through both sides of the area where the opening will be located. Subsequently, a slightly larger and narrower rectangle was placed around the clear box. This served as the trim for the window and can be completed twice in different colors to make the home more strongly resonate with the craftsman architectural style. As the majority of the windows in this home were identical, these shapes were copied and pasted numerous times in their desired locations. When the windows were in their set locations, they were grouped by clicking the the "group" button in the top right corner of the screen (or Control + g). When images are grouped, the clear boxes will disappear and transform into clear openings. Following the initial grouping in this stage, window panes were added by creating narrow rectangles the slightly longer than the length and width of the window opening. This ensured that there were no gaps and these can additionally be copied and pasted among all the windows of the same size. The front door was completed through a similar method to the windows, but had a different paint color to add brightness to the home. While the majority of shapes utilized for this step can be located in the "Basic Shapes" section, the door handle was created through adjusting the dimensions of and repositioning the "Bent Pipe," which can be found in the featured "Shape Generators" area.

Step 6: Creating the Porch

In this step, the porch was subsequently created with the "Box" and "Roof" shape generators. (1) A roof shape was adjusted to be identical to the length of the main area of the home and to have a width that covered the majority of the deck. (2) Subsequently, a box adapted to be a rectangular prism was placed beneath the "Roof" shape generator to appear as trim along the porch. This was also done along the slope by angling a rectangular shape the same color as the trim along the top of the roof. (3) Another box was customized to be a rectangular prism to create the columns displayed clearly in the first and second pictures. Boxes the same width as and slightly wider than the initial column were adapted from the original and placed on top to add greater detail (these had a drastically shorter length). (4) Another column (displayed with the white paint color) was placed on top of the previous columns, and extended nearly all the way to the porch roof. Then a cube, slightly wider than the previous column was employed to fill the gap between the porch rails and the roof. These shapes were grouped together, and copied and pasted five times, spaced equidistantly along the porch (Note: Make sure you have the multicolor box selected.) (5) Narrow rectangles created from boxes slightly longer than the gap between each of the columns were placed horizontally as the rails of the porch. (6) As the last substep, one of the previous rails was rotated at ninety degrees and shortened to create the vertical rails on the porch.

Step 7: Add Corrugated Metal Roofing

In comparison to the previous steps, completing the roofing was relatively simple (and very similar to completing the first floor siding). (1) A box was adapted be a thin rectangular prism approximately the same size as the roof of the base layer. It is okay if there is a slight overhang. The aim of the roofing was to appear to be aluminum or some other form of corrugated metal, so the color was adjusted to a light gray shade. (2) For each of the four roofing areas, the prism was adjusted to their distinctive sizes and angling and then subsequently place on top of each. (Make sure to zoom in and check that there is not a gap between the aluminum roofing and the initial roof layer. (3) To create the corrugated look, thin strips were placed an equal distance apart from each other along the entirety of each roof section. These can be created by copying and pasting their respective gray roof layers and reducing their width. After this is completed once for each roof area, the strips can be copied and pasted until roof is covered.

Step 8: Creating a Lookout

The lookout was created by utilizing a box and three additional clear boxes to create openings for windows placed on the structure. Then, the windows were completed by placing trim along the previously created openings and placing frames within these to provide greater detail. A gray shaded "Pyramid" shape was placed on top of the structure for the roofing, and the same method of roofing as described in the preceding step was employed to achieve a corrugated design . Subsequently, a bead board design was placed on the lower third of the lookout structure by increasing the length and width of the strips utilized for the window frames. The strips were rotated ninety degrees for to be vertical and were shortened, copied, and pasted accordingly. Once the bead board was completed on a single side, it was group together and pasted on the three remaining sides.

Step 9: Finishing the Home With a Gable

The gable was added as a final step to enhance the details of the home. Its completion involved (1) utilizing a wedge at a slant of approximately fifteen degrees, (2) adding siding, and (3) adding corrugated metal roofing to match the rest of the structure. Although the roofing has been previously explained in depth, the siding differed from previous areas of the home due to the challenging shape of the gable. The wooden paneling was completed through creating a narrow rectangular strip, copying and pasting it along the sides of the structure, and eventually using a clear wedge to eliminate any excess siding that extended beyond the edge.

Step 10: Finished!

Congrats on finishing your instructable, and thank you for taking the time to view it! Feel free to ask any questions regarding the construction of the scene below.