Hi Craigg,

I will divide my explanation in two parts
1 - Say you have a flat lot and you wish to sit your house over piers--> create the piers on the first floor and the house on the second floor--> In this way, the house will be "in the air" as you wish--> don't forget to set the house elevation regarding the piers' height. You can see an example of this situation in this page
http://www.punchhelpers.com
2 - How to deal with the topo designer--> The most important concept for the topo designer (V7 and up), is the fact that elevations are absolute.
This means that, (for example) if you are drawing a berm with elevation 5 ft, then you are drawing an overlapping berm with elevation= 3 ft you will get a berm with 5 ft with a 2ft sunken area (like a pool). In other words, your levels will be always the difference between the elevations of the different elements
To illustrate better, try this-->
Step 1--> open an empty topo file--> draw a circular topo area--> set it with any elevation (say 10 ft)--> click the Generate Topography button--> Open a liveview window--> you will see a flat lot
Step 2--> open an empty topo file--> cover all the lot with a square topo shape--> set the elevation as 0--> draw a circular topo area--> set it with any elevation (say 10 ft)--> click the Generate Topography button--> Open a liveview window--> you will the berm in the lot

Patricia

Hi Craigg,

You're welcome! :-)
The elements in the Foundation tab, are not visible in 3D, so in order to visualize the piers in Liveview, you'll need a workaround
- You can develop the piers as 3D objects, using the 3D Workshop Power Tool
- Go to the Detail Tab--> draw a circle with diameter= 12"--> Convert To--> Floor--> Set the floor thickness = piers' height--> Copy and texture as necessary

Patricia