Strategy for creating corner windows

[Christiaan]

What strategies are people using to create corner windows in 3D, or, more relevant to my current situation, simply the appearance of no external structure at the corner?so it could be just a mockup corner piece which the windows butt into on each adjacent wall.

I can't, for instance, figure out how to get rid of the outer quarter of the walls (think in plan view) where they join. I've thought about maybe having the walls butt instead of mitre and then creating a special symbol?

(apart from the strategy of using Ozcad's WinDoor, or maybe we should bite the bullet)

[mike m oz]

Bite the bullet Christian.

- As you are a New Zealander trade up to the Australian / New Zealand version of Architect, which includes Windoor, if you can.

- If you are using the UK version (where you work) shell out and buy WinDoor.

Either way you won't regret it.

Edited May 16, 2006 by mike m oz

[D Wood]

I second that. Best 3rd party software I have ever bought, it's brilliant.

[Christiaan]

So you're saying there's no way to fake a corner window with two adjacent walls (i.e to get rid of that last quarter of wall)?

[mike m oz]

Only in 2D:

- Cut the walls short and cap them.

- Add 2D linework as necessary to show the window in Top / Plan View.

If you want 2D and 3D corner windows you will either have to model it all manually, or resort to WinDoor.

Edited May 17, 2006 by mike m oz

[Christiaan]

If you want 2D and 3D corner windows you will either have to model it

Well I thought that was the case. What a pain. Corner windows have to be up there in the top of my wishlist I must say.

[Christiaan]

Okay, we just about bought WinDoor, but 1) with the next version of VW due soon we don't want to get caught out, and 2) I really need a fix today.

So here's the workaround that we came up with:

Duplicate the wall in place and adjust appropriately so as to effectively split the wall into two horizontally at the window sill level, then decrease the size of the upper wall to suit your window jambs and set to the inside line of the lower wall.

This doesn't allow for a frameless corner window but it does give the appearance of a structureless corner window, which suits our current purposes.

Update: actually the wall needs to be split into three in most cases. One for below the window, one for the window, and one for above the window.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Christiaan

[Christiaan]

Well of course the problem with the workaround above is that it totally screws up the BIM aspects of the model, effectively trippling the work needed for both model and plans.

So we've finally bitten the bullet and ordered Ozcad's WinDoor plugin.

[Kevin]

It seems that with each release of VW, the door and window PIO's change. How well does Windoor integrate with VW version changes?

Does one need to buy a new version of Windoor with each change in VW version? If this is true, then how quickly are those new versions of Windoor available?

I am a bit concerned about relying on a third party for what I would consider a core function of VW.

[Christiaan]

After a day of using I can say that it's an excellent tool. In fact I get the feeling that this tool might always be able to achieve more than anything NNA eventually come up with because of the way it's built (i.e. unless of course NNA really nail it, which is possible).

It integrates very well and I'm told version changes to VW are not a problem (except for major upgrades of course).

The downside of the way it's built is that your walls begin to be made up of components (at least in the case of corner walls which is what I'm using at the moment, including on straight lengths of walls for various reasons). The corner window component of the tool feels like a workaround as it creates separate components for each section of wall instead of integrating into a wall, except that it feels like an exceptionally well made workaround.

As well as being extremely stable and generally doing what you tell it to do the documentation is excellent as well.

It's difficult to ask for more from a plugin like this, but I seem to have a knack for such things:

1) Many of the settings, such as opening sizes and classes are not dynamic, so if you change a class or you delete one and reassign it your WinDoor won't know about it. Or if you're fiddling around with the size of openings within a windoor you have to get the calculator out.

2) Related to this, it would be nice if you could select different default settings (and classes) from pulldown menus.

Note: in saying the above two comments I'm assuming such dynamism would likely slow the tool down.

3) There's no setting for altering the Bot Z height of a corner window wall so you have to do this manually (as far as I can tell)

4) The Draw WinDoor Object tool doesn't always do as you want it to do but the more I use it the more I'm learning its subtleties.

5) It would be good if you could set the above and below walls to be different classes when using the corner window settings too.

Anyway, as others have, I can recommend it. I look forward to seeing where both Ozcad and NNA go with their Window/Door PIOs.

As an aside I don't seem to have this problem with Artlantis when using the WinDoor tool:

http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB12&Number=60352

[Christiaan]

Many of the settings, such as opening sizes ... are not dynamic, so ... if you're fiddling around with the size of openings within a windoor you have to get the calculator out.

Actually this isn't quite true. It is possible to change the heights of openings for instance and watch the overall height change dynamically.

[Jonathan Pickup]

and you can change door types dynamically from the Object Info Palette

[mike m oz]

Christiaan - You can save presets. Look for Set WinDoor 12 Defaults (in the Architect Oz/NZ version it is under the AEC menu). It has 10 presets which you can set for various door and window types. You can also create your own library files of various door and window types.

The corner wall modeling technique is because of the wall limitations of VW where wall/door openings can only be contained within walls (Try inserting a window which goes above or below the top or bottom of the wall respectively and you will see what I mean). To correctly model corner windows and the like NNA will have to provide the ability for the walls to wrap around the inner edges of doors and windows which extend beyond them. ie. allow them to form notches in walls.

[Christiaan]

Christiaan - You can save presets. Look for Set WinDoor 12 Defaults (in the Architect Oz/NZ version it is under the AEC menu). It has 10 presets which you can set for various door and window types. You can also create your own library files of various door and window types.

Yeah but have to go to the menu bar and it's four clicks. I'd prefer a pulldown menu in the object info palette and wall preferences (and a wall preference option in the mode bar for Draw WinDoor Object).

[Christiaan]

Somehow I've managed to set it on some of my WinDoors so that, in 2D, only the wall shows and not the window. Any ideas?

[mike m oz]

Check the class visibilities for Windoor objects. (WD-....) in both your saved sheets and Viewports.