Footings

A footing is the foundation under the building. A strip footing runs under a wall. A pad footing sits under a column or stands on its own.

Placing footings

1. Pick the Footing tool (in Create › Building elements, next to Railing).
2. In the tool options pick Strip or Pad, then set its Width (for a pad, its Size) and Thickness. You can also pick a footing Type.
3. Click to place:
   • Strip: click a wall to put a strip under it. To draw a strip on its own, click its two ends anywhere else.
   • Pad: click a column to put a pad under it, or click anywhere to place one on its own.

Keep clicking walls (or columns) to give each its footing: the tool stays on until you press Esc.

To add footings under many elements at once:

• Drag a box with the Footing tool, as in Select. Every wall it touches gets a strip (with Strip picked), or every column a pad (with Pad picked), all in one undo step.
• Or select walls and columns first, then click Under N selected in the tool options, or right-click and choose Footings under selection. Each wall gets a strip and each column gets a pad.

Anything that already has a footing is skipped, and curtain walls never get one.

Footings follow what they carry

A footing placed under a wall or column is hosted by it:

• A strip runs the wall's length. Where walls are joined, their strips are mitred at corners and trimmed at tees, the same way the walls are. Where a wall ends free, the strip runs past it by half the extra width.
• A pad stays centred under its column and turns with it.
• When the wall or column moves, the footing moves with it. When it is deleted, its footing is deleted too.
• Its depth is measured from the host's base. If the wall or column stands higher on its level, the footing goes up with it.

To make a hosted footing independent, click Let go of it in Properties. It stays where it is but no longer follows the host.

Size and depth

Properties shows a footing's Width, a pad's Length, its Thickness, and Top below: how far its top sits below the base of its wall or column. For a footing on its own, this is measured from its level. The last line gives its top and underside elevations.

A footing on its own also has its Level and position, and for a pad, its Rotation.

Footing types carry a kind (strip or pad), size, thickness and material. They come with four starters: Strip footing 600 × 300, Strip footing 900 × 400, Pad footing 1200 × 1200 × 400 and Pad footing 1800 × 1800 × 500. See Types.

Handles

Select a footing to see its handles. They work in plans, sections, elevations and 3D:

• Width and, on a pad, Length: drag a side.
• Top and Underside: drag up or down in a section to change the depth or the thickness.
• Ends and Centre: move a footing that stands on its own. A hosted footing moves with its host instead.

Edit mode shows the same handles. Move and Rotate work on footings that stand on their own.

In drawings and schedules

Footings sit below the floor, so plans show them dashed. A plan cut low enough to pass through a footing shows it cut instead. Sections and elevations draw them cut or in view, and 3D shows them in concrete grey.

File › New schedule › Columns and beams lists footings too, with their type, level and size. Use the Footings category in Visibility to hide them in a view.

IFC

Footings are exported as IfcFooting, with predefined type STRIP_FOOTING or PAD_FOOTING and their types as IfcFootingType. The CreaBIM_Footing property set keeps the size, depth and host, so a footing comes back as a footing, still under its wall or column, when the file is opened again. See IFC.