Set Design Technical Theatre

“The Caine Mutiny

Court-Martial

ArchiCAD Quickstart

Permission to Copy

The CAD Academy

Set Design: Set design is all of the scenery, furniture and props the audience sees at a production of a play. It is the set designer’s job to create the physical surroundings in which the action will take place. The set suggests the style & tone of the entire production and creates the mood & atmosphere. It also gives a clue as to the time and place of the play. The Set Designer will read the script many times and collaborates with the Play Director. From this information the Set Designer will make a rough sketch and then a scaled drawing showing the floor plan. The Set Designer will then create front and back elevations of the set plus a 3-D model of the set to show how it will look when finished. The proposed play is:

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial ACT ONE The Prosecution THE SCENE: The Curtain is up when the audience enters the theater. Dimly visible is a gray-draped stage barren except for chairs, tables, and a witness box of a court-martial. The big raised curved judge’s bench, Stage Right, is covered with green baize and behind it on the draperies is a large American Flag. Upstage, is the witness stand: a chair on a raised round platform which rolls on casters. There is a chair for the orderly, Stage Center, by the end of the judge’s bench and a chair and small desk for the Stenographer. Downstage Right, below Captain Blakely’s place on a bench. The single entrance to the stage is through the curtains, deep center Stage.

The start of the place is marked by the dimming of the house LIGHTS and the brightening of the stage. The ORDERLY and STENOGRAPHER, two sailors in dress blues, enter. They pick up GREENWALD’S desk and chairs, carry them Downstage Left, and put the chairs in place. GREENWALD enters, as the ORDERLY and STENOGRAPHER roll the witness stand into place as the play begins . . . .

The overall size of the stage is 40’ x 20’. The printed sheets will be at ¼” = 1’ scale. Heights of flats should be 12’. Doors are 7’ tall and 3’ wide. Windows are 4’ x 4’.

Locate and execute the ArchiCAD program. Your ICON may differ from this one, but will work for this Quickstart.

Page – 2 This is the STARTUP screen for ArchiCAD. Be sure to SELECT CREATE A NEW PROJECT and to select STANDARD PROFILE. Then select NEW. This is the drawing screen. “Home” up the screen by selecting the ZOOM all icon at the bottom of the screen. Notice we are drawing ¼”=1’. You actually draw 1=1 in CAD and SCALE when you print or plot the drawing. Page – 3

The SLAB tool is used for many things. We are going to create the 40’x20’ stage using the SLAB tool. Double click on SLAB to bring up the SLAB DEFAULT SETTING DIALOGUE box. The play states the stage is draped in grey so change the top color to grey. Select OK. Make sure to select the option on the RIBBON at the top of the screen. Change t on the RIBBON to read 6 or six feet. Pick a point in the lower left quadrant of the drawing screen and move your mouse to the right. When you see the GUIDE Lines you will be STRAIGHT. Type in 40 and enter for the width of the stage.

Page – 4 Head up with your mouse and when you see the DISTANCE box appear type in 20 and press enter. If you make a MISTAKE you can undo and start again. Undo is at the top of the screen. In the NAVIGATOR on the RIGHT HAND side of the SCREEN look for 3D and then select GENERIC PRESPECTIVE. Use the ORBIT tool to rotate the stage around. Double click on 1ST floor in the NAVIGATOR to return back to working on our set design.

Page – 5 Select OBJECT from the TOOLBOX. Arrow down on FOLDER VIEW and change to FIND LIBRARY PARTS. Type in PART short for PARTITION. This is a quick way to find what you need in ArchiCAD. PRESS ENTER or select FIND. Select this partition. We can create a wall for our set that has wood on the bottom and painted wall on the top. All OBJECTS in ArchiCAD are parametric, meaning we can change anything about them. Page – 6

Make changes as shown at right. We are changing the height to 12’ or the specified height of the FLAT. We are changing the elevation to 6’ so the FLAT will be on top of the stage. Go to MATERIALS and change to desired colors for proposed WALLS. As a REVIEW – make sure your FLAT will insert 6’ or on top of the stage, will be 2’ wide and 12’ tall. Press OK

Page-7 To INSERT the first FLAT. Align your MOUSE to the LOWER LEFT-HAND corner of the STAGE and type in Y and then 4+ to move our first FLAT up to 4 feet from the edge of the STAGE. Press ENTER. After INSERTING the FLAT goto GENERIC 3D and look to see if FLAT IS IN POSITION and then return to 1st FLOOR. Select OBJECT from the TOOLBOX. Change the width of the FLAT to 5’.

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Select this option to see FLAT in 2D. Type in 90 to change insertion angle. Select OK. Select this CORNER of our FIRST 2’ flat to INSERT the 5’ FLAT. The FLATS will be connected with hinges. Go back to OBJECT in the TOOL BOX. Next FLAT is 2’ ANGLE IS 45 DEGREES.

Page – 9 Change the insertion point to the LOWER RIGHT HAND SIDE by PICKING it or SELECTING it with your MOUSE. Select OK. Select the UPPER RIGHT HAND corner of the 5’ FLAT and insert the 2’ FLAT. Select OBJECT from the TOOLBOX. The next FLAT is 5’ at a 45 degree angle. Use insertion point as shown at RIGHT.

Page – 10 The next FLAT is 9’ ANGLE is 0. Insertion point shown at right. Insert the next FLAT with the following parameters. Enter the width in the following format: 3’9.75” and then INSERT the FLAT. When you want to CHANGE or EDIT anything you SELECT the ARROW from the TOOLBOX. Select ARROW from the toolbox. Select one of the FLATS. Then hold down the SHIFT key to add FLATS until ALL THE FLATS ARE HIGHLIGHTED.

Page - 11 Go to the EDIT pull-DOWN menu and select MOVE and then MIRROR a COPY. SELECT the pink grip shown to the right. Head down with the mouse until you see the GUIDE LINE and DO A SECOND PICK to finish the MIRROR. Checkout the FLATS in GENERIC PERSPECTIVE.

Page 12 Go to OBJECT from the TOOLBOX. Arrow down on FOLDER VIEW and select FIND LIBRARY PARTS. Type DESK as the keyword. Select the DESK shown at RIGHT. Change the width and length as shown and the rotation angle. To make position the chair easier change the insertion POINT as shown at RIGHT by PICKING or SELECTING the point.

Page – 13 SELECT ARROW and use the MAGNET mode. SELECT the MOVE from the PAL. Move the DESKS into position using a GRIP. I used a column for the base of the witness stand. Here are the parameters. Here are the parameters I used to insert chairs found under OBJECTS.

Page – 14 Here is an updated set design

For the Judges desk I used the wall tool Change the PAL to the option shown. It is a 3 pick arc.

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