Adding a 3D Wall Hole Component to a Symbol Definition

[Dubman]

Does anybody know of a video on "Adding a 3D Wall Hole Component to a Symbol Definition" , I'm trying everything that is noted in the VectorWorks help web page, but do not get the same results. I have created a 2D/3D symbol of a double slab door with a hollow metal frame. I'm having problems in getting the 3D symbol into a wall correctly. I've inserted the symbol into a wall & selected the Edit 3D Wall Hole Component, I then trace the door profile on the wall surface & then extrude it to the wall thickness & give it a solid fill. When I select the exit button & do not see the door face in the wall, in other words it is not removing the section of the wall where the door is.

[Marissa Farrell]

Have you tried inserting a new symbol fresh from the Resource Manager? Does a new instance show the wall hole?

[Pat Stanford]

Is the door listed in the OIP as a Door or as a Door in Wall.  If you managed to place the symbol but not insert it into the wall, you would not get the proper breaks.

This often happens when you move a door or window. The insertion point of the door/window is determined by the location of the mouse pointer when you release the mouse button after moving the symbol. If the pointer is outside of the wall, the door/window will "pop" out of the wall. This can be corrected by moving it again and making sure the mouse pointer is inside the wall before you release the mouse button.

[Dubman]

Yes I tried inserting a new ( already created ) door symbol, it inserts correctly & in wire frame I can see the hole opening in the wall, but I do not get any edit 3D wall hole component options. Even using the Building Shell Tool Set "Door" & inserting it into the wall, I can see the wall hole opening, but no option of editing the wall hole. These are different results that when I create my own symbol & insert it into the wall.

 

The OIP list my door as Symbol IN Wall with the name of the door as I gave the symbol & yes I am inserting it far as I know correctly, also FYI my door symbol is with a 6" thick jamb/wall thickness and my wall is a 3 1/2" one sided set wall, not knowing if this matters. Attached is the file with my door in the set wall, a resource browser door in the same wall & a Tool Sets Building Shell door tool door in the same wall with each labeled.

I also deleted from my symbol the solid 3d rectangle object that I thought I needed for the wall hole object & now the door has inserted its self correctly except for the hole in the wall, its to the outer edge of the trim & not the jamb, I got the 2D version to work correct in the jamb by using "Locus" for the insertion point on each jamb, but not able to do this with the 3d.

Also, the door from the Building Tool Set does not have any thickness to the leaf, and in the settings under Leaf thickness, it only changes the depth into the jamb the door face sits, not the thickness of the leaf, is this the way it is suppose to be?

Thanks for any advice on this

MyCourtRoom-3D.vwx

[Marissa Farrell]

@Dubman

I'm attaching a revision of your file that I hope is along the lines of what you're looking for.

 

In short, here's what I've done.

1) For your hole-in-wall, it's necessary to make that object an extrusion. You can see what I used if you select your custom door symbol and go into the "Edit 3D Wall Hole Component". I basically just created an extrude thicker than your door, but with the same width.

2) To define where the object gets inserted in 3D, you can align your 3D parts of your object with its internal grid. I shifted yours slightly so that the center of the jamb is aligned with 0. You can see this if you go into the 3D part of your symbol and going to a Top view with the grid on.

 

Does this help? Do you need more of an explanation?

MyCourtRoom-3D_MFarrell.vwx

[Dubman]

Thanks Marissa, I see what you did, I was trying the same but I did not make the extrude wider than the wall & door object like your is.

That is what I was doing wrong. Thanks!

I also moved the insertion point to align with the interior of the room. This is for a TV show & our set walls are one sided about 3 1/2" & all door jambs are made to 6" thick

[Dubman]

Marissa, I spoke to soon. I was able to do everything with your file. I even made the hole in wall object a 1/4" wider on each side so I could have the same jamb material thru out.

Now I'm trying to do this in my original file & it is not working, mine looks like the wall surface & door surface are competing for the same space.

question- in wire frame perspective, when I click on edit wall hole object & see nothing, no door or wall wire frame, is this what you see?

Then I noticed you wall hole object was drawn in the middle of the page, not over top of the door symbol, are you drawing the hole object in random space while in the edit hole object mode?

I drew my wall hole object extrude in the center of the edit screen with nothing else showing, I drew a 6'-0"x10" rectangle & extruded it up 6'-8" & made it solid. This did not do the same as yours, it make the two surfaces compete. I even made my hole object extrude 24" thk. & still get the same results. The VW help web page shows that you trace around your object in the wall, but I do not get this in my drawing.

[Dubman]

Ha, I think I figured it out, for some reason I do not know, that when I click on Edit Wall Hole Component that I do not see anything else, I figured out you draw the hole object centered on that edit page, that is how it worked for me.

Thanks!

[Marissa Farrell]

I'm glad you've got it worked out!

 

I think some of what you're running into when editing may be that you're editing the symbol that's already inserted into the wall, so the door position may look offset from the center. 

 

I usually edit the definition itself from the Resource Manager. I have sometimes found it hard to reference the other parts of the object while I'm various edit modes, but it sounds like whatever you're doing is still working out for you!

[Pat Stanford]

It can also be useful to draw the hole object in the 3D portion of the symbol and then CUT it, switch to the Wall Hole component and PASTE IN PLACE. That way you can see the 3D geometry you are working with while creating the wall hole object.