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Window sill improvements


Christiaan

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As far as I can see the sill capability of the window tool is still a problem, in c2020. Its method seems to be as in this thread still :-

Surely I am missing something and 6 years have not in fact passed without improvement? To avoid sill issues I model windows by creating a hybrid symbol, S1. It contains all components parts, eg sills inside and outwards, reveal linings, etc etc. It's not checked to insert into walls. I use it with a second symbol, s2, its sole purpose is to include a 3D wall hole component designed to preserve 2D appearance on plan whilst creating space in the wall for S1. I am sure I could use S1 with the window tool directly. Just not tried it yet...any comments welcome.

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In complete agreement.  I would add that if the sill is turned on on the outside, the stool can't be turned off on the inside.  The extensions (ears) are also presently linked, so if you have different width casing on the exterior and the interior of the window (common) one of them will be wrong.

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I completely agree with all of the above.

 

Here is an example of a "sill" I was "capable" of achieving with VW, versus a real-life window:

 

 

Customer and builder expectations of the accuracy of the model are increasing continuously. We've had some cases where the painter subcontractor has asked for extra compensation since the jamb and trims of the window were not modeled 100% correctly (since it was not possible to achieve the exact correct end result with the current VW tool).

 

BTW since up here north we don't have a localised version, trying to understand the US-UK-AUS-NZ window terminology is indeed mighty confusing...perhaps a visual guide as part of the user manual could be implemented?

 

 

 

Edited by JMR
typos
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JMR. Thank you for quoting mgries's post. Add profile tool. Great idea. So yes I think maybe the way for VWX software designers to go is to think of the window and its opening separately. So the window tool controls frame and glazing only. Then an "Add Profile" tool developed into a "Window Opening" tool is used with it. The WO tool controls every other part of the whole installation.....( In my ideal world there are very few windows punched through walls anyway! Just transparant walls. But I often have to work at small scale in the local vernacular. This and a conservative Planning/Zoning policy in the UK forces traditional fenestration.

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The back edge of the sill needs to align with the back of the jamb/frame rather than extending all the way to the right wall edge by default. 

 

This would mean you wouldn't need to edit the sill parameters each time the PIO is inserted in a new wall (i.e. a wall with a different thickness) as long as the PIO has the same offset from the face of the wall.

 

Even better, you would be able to link the front edge of the sill to the left edge of the wall + give it an offset: this way you could specify the front edge of the sill relative to the wall + the back edge relative to the window + the depth of the sill would adjust automatically.

 

Interestingly, the WinDoor sill DOES stop at the back of the frame + so WILL allow the wall closures to function as they should in 3D:

 

1472005249_Screenshot2022-03-31at21_23_44.png.23db72ca230398dd940f903c507ab65c.png     1893602741_Screenshot2022-03-31at21_23_56.png.bb796799004f992b4a7cbc0585e6f39b.png

 

However it's the same issue in 2D unfortunately - the sill sits on top of the wall components + obscures them:

 

669728344_Screenshot2022-03-31at21_24_07.png.ae80ce952dfbd32f1400e11d240e1b1e.png  1079392704_Screenshot2022-03-31at21_25_40.png.d0e978ab040dfa74f5b54fea76078175.png

 

I discussed all this with @Matt Panzer recently - he said he is aware the sill needs redesigning + was tempted to do it for 2022 but was too much work to get Wall Closures up + running. So hopefully being worked on now for 2023...?

 

 

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4 hours ago, Tom W. said:

The back edge of the sill needs to align with the back of the jamb/frame rather than extending all the way to the right wall edge by default. 

For the Timber configuration it's not just the default, it's the only setting. The inside edge of the Timber sill aligns with the inside face of wall, as does the outer edge of the Stool Nose. 

 

1014899096_Screenshot2022-06-20at17_31_29.thumb.png.ef4bfdb525ae4cc3d3991e6e4191072d.png

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Christiaan said:

For the Timber configuration it's not just the default, it's the only setting.

 

Sorry yes that's what I meant. I think Timber is the only configuration I've ever used (for concrete/stone/timber sills) - is it different with other configurations? 

 

I never use the Stool either, for the reasons you outline in 1. above. Plus with a traditional timber window board I want it to have a bullnose profile not square edge!

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Later that same decade...

 

....I've ignored the sill setting for windows for years but in v2024 find it's so much better. But the lack of stool settings  independent from the sill still seems unsolved? Anyway I find that setting the stool extension to 0 effectively switches it off completely. So I draw a sill board in 2D in VP annotations on a section. Or of course model it. You all probably know this but I thought I'd mention.

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Although I find these modifications very interesting, I believe they are very specific to the United Kingdom. I'll use Italy as an example, as I work in both countries. Although the Italian distributor has created a window plug-in solely for Italy, the native VW window tool works very well regardless, since in Italy, the sill typically continues seamlessly from the exterior to the interior (with travertine or granite slabs), and cavity walls like those in the UK are rare.
 

However, regarding the UK, I believe the sill should be included in the structural opening, as it remains outside, and in the schedules, I always need to add the sill thickness as well. If we have a 15 brick course CO- window, VW designs the sill outside of this dimension (essentially overlapping the brick).

I also think the sill extension and offset tools need significant improvement, as they are not intuitive at all. Furthermore, it’s never clear from the plug-in interface which side of the window is the interior or the exterior.
 

Windows with a segmental arch also do not allow for the creation of a window with rectangular swings while having a solid sub-arch; instead, the swings follow the arch, which is not always required by planning. We are obbligated to manipulate the fanlight in absurd ways (resulting in the jamb thickness following the arch) to achieve a window with an arch and rectangular swings.

 

e.g : This is very simple to achieve:

archedwindow-gallery1.jpg.37bd5740a5948502ccbc11b6d2113ef3.jpg


This type instead is quite hard (and 90% of the time we have arched windows these are like this:

unnamed.jpg.ee5014e1cb33193f974be5ab2d90ad62.jpg

Edited by FranAJA
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