Creating slabs

The Slab tool creates architectural slabs such as floors, ceilings, and flat roofs. Slabs can be drawn manually or they can be based on, and associated with, existing walls. Slab components can be created using material resources for an efficient BIM workflow. The method of associating slab components with wall components can be specified, to create accurate and detailed cross-section views. Slabs can also be created with drainage systems. Energy-related information specified for slabs is considered when conducting an energy analysis (Vectorworks Architect required).

To draw a free-standing slab manually with the Slab tool, click the Polyline mode. If the walls are already drawn, click the Picked Walls mode or Inner Boundary mode to create a slab bounded by visible walls. The Picked Walls mode can also be used to create a slab that is bounded by walls on some sides but has a manual edge on others.

Mode	Description
Check mark	Executes the operation. The check mark button is enabled only when Picked Walls mode is selected.
Picked Walls	Defines the perimeter of a slab based on a set of selected walls; if the walls do not completely enclose the slab, additional manual edges are created to complete the slab geometry
Inner Boundary	Creates a slab object in a clicked area that is bounded by visible walls
Polyline	Draws a slab using the selected polyline creation options and the current preference settings
Polyline creation options	For Polyline mode, selects the method for drawing the polyline upon which the object is based; see Creating polylines
Slab Style list	Opens the Resource Selector to select a symbol for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Preferences	Opens the Slab Preferences dialog box to set the default preferences for slabs; see Slab preferences