wall niche?

[Gytis]

Any tips for creating a niche in a wall object?

I'm trying to use a cased opening shallower than the wall, with a 1/16 thick jamb, but either the symbol cuts through the entire thickness of wall or just floats and does not insert.

I'm supposing I could break the wall and create little walls below, above, and behind, but that is laborious, inelegant, and not easily editable.

[Christiaan]

Just create an extruded polygon for your recess Gytis, and then do a Subtract Solids. This way you don't permently lose your wall or break it up into components.

[Gytis]

I figured there would be a "duh" answer.

Thanks!!

[Christiaan]

Only "duh" if you actually know the answer! No prob.

[Kevin]

This is a good trick. However the wall does lose it's property of a wall and becomes a solid subtraction. You would not be able to insert doors or windows into the solid subtraction.

You can manipulate a door to look like a niche and still retain the wall as a wall. By adjusting the door swing, thickness, height, and jamb thickness, you can create what appears to be a niche.

[Robert Anderson]

It's possible also to create a symbol that works as a niche. However the symbol has to "make up" the wall that it removes. If there are interested parties for this topic, I could do something in our knowledge base.

[Gytis]

Kevin: good point about the solid subtraction - I'll play with a door.

Robert: yes, please , for my part -hope others weigh in.

[Christiaan]

the wall does lose it's property of a wall and becomes a solid subtraction. You would not be able to insert doors or windows into the solid subtraction.

Bugger, yeah you're right, I thought you could double click into the wall and insert a door, window, etc but obviously it then becomes part of the solid subtraction instead of remaining as a door.

[Paolo]

I have made, some time ago, a plugin that fits your needs. It can create parametric niches or openings with splays (also aymmetric) and vault of various kinds.

I can't attach the plug in directly here. Let me know how to send it to you.

Ciao,

[mike m oz]

You can form niches by Solid Subtraction. The downside is the wall loses its intelligence. To edit it as a wall again you have to Edit the grouped object. It is a bit inconvenient but it does work.

The plug-in of Paolo's sounds a much better way of doing it. Paolo any chance of posting it at Vector Depot - perhaps in the Market Section.

[Christiaan]

You can form niches by Solid Subtraction. The downside is the wall loses its intelligence. To edit it as a wall again you have to Edit the grouped object. It is a bit inconvenient but it does work.

As pointed out above Mike, this doesn't work because any further addtitions to the wall (such as a door) contribute to the Solid Subtraction rather than staying as a door.

[Paolo]

Yes, I'll try to publish it at VectorDepot, but the site is under heavy remake at the moment. If you can't wait, write me at project@arcoarredamenti.it.

Paolo

[acepernich]

Keep the wall a wall. Make the niche (doesn't go all the way through the wall, right?) a symbol. Edit the symbol's insertion options to:

Insert In Walls: On Edge

Wall Breaks: Half Break

This will break the wall surface only on the side the symbol is inserted on, and keep the walls 'wallness"

[mike m oz]

Antone, it works in 2D, but doesn't work in 3D unfortunately.

[domer1322]

Robert: I'm interested in your solution. Please put something in the knowledge base.

[Paolo]

The plugin I mentioned is now available on Vectordepot

VM-030 Openings

[Robert Anderson]

I would comment that (if you have VW Architect) you can make most of the shapes he has using the door and window tool.

[Paolo]

Are the VW Architect door and window tools able to do a wall niche? If yes, why don't you tell us before?

[Robert Anderson]

No, I guess I was confused by these objects being called "openings". I think of an opening as something that is, well, open (not blind like a niche.)

[panthony]

Most of the object inserted into a wall penetrate entirely through like a window. However there are some instances when you need to have only a partial cut into a wall such as a beam pocket in a masonry wall. Up to now I have created a symbol with the back half of the wall behind the 3d solid and insert the symbol into the wall with full break and no caps defined. To simulate an actual cut out of the masonry wall I built the solid with 3d polys leaving the face out to show a hole in the wall. This symbol once installed may be adjusted in "Z" height and shows well in plan view.

I have had to create redundant symbols to cover most occurances of a masonry beam pocket but once you have one it is just a matter or duplicating and modifying existing symbols.

Following is the different graphics:

1.) 2 dimensional (plan view)

2.) 3D inserted into wall

3.) 3D view of actual symbol

The only issue I have encountered that shows poorly is the edge surface of the wall at the top and sides where the beam pocket inserts next to will not be cut by the symbol. If there was a way to subtract or mask out the wall edges that collide with the symbol it would make the 3D view and hidden line rendering show better.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Pete Anthony

[Paolo]

I agree with you, Robert, the name "Openings" for the plugin's set may be confusing, but niche is an option available in a general, very customizable, opening in the wall.

here's th info panel of the plugin

and same image respectively in plan view, dashed line and openGL renderings.

Hope now it's clear.

[Paolo]

VectorDepot has published an instruction / explaination file about "openings" plugins set (including the wall niche option).

The link is here:

Opening plugin (wall niche) readMe