Window and Door Tool maturity

[Christiaan 642]

This thread is intended to bring together the features needed to bring the window and door tools to what I (and some UK architects I worked with on these) consider maturity. These tools have been neglected for too long. These aren't interface improvements, nice-to-haves or radical ideas, but rather basic features (from a user's point of view) needed to model windows for the vast majority of our projects (mostly medium-sized residential buildings in UK/Europe).

 

The last set of items are the interface improvements, nice-to-haves or radical changes that we'd love to have but I've posted here by way of contrast to the basic features we need for window/door tool maturity.

 

Window Tool:

 

Additional window sash types required

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49476-additional-window-sash-types-required/

 

Additional window panel types required

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49477-additional-window-panel-types-required/

 

Window sill improvements

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49479-window-sill-improvements/

 

Control attributes of individual window panes/panels

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49478-control-attributes-of-individual-window-panespanels/

 

Brick header and decorative window lintels

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49481-brick-header-and-decorative-window-lintels/

 

Support for 3D 'Wall Detail' component returns at windows

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/50263-support-for-3d-wall-detail-component-returns-at-windows/

 

 

Door Tool:

 

Ability to define gaps for Door Tool

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49508-ability-to-define-gaps-for-door-tool/

 

Frame stops for Door Tool

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49502-frame-stops-for-door-tool/

 

Custom ID tags for windows and doors

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/51066-custom-id-tags-for-windows-and-doors/

 

Bi-folding sliding doors for Door Tool

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49506-bi-folding-sliding-doors-for-door-tool/

 

Meeting Stiles for Door Tool

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49503-meeting-stiles-for-door-tool/

 

More refined control over complex door opening arrangements

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49504-more-refined-control-over-complex-door-opening-arrangements/

 

 

Window/Door tool interface improvements:

 

Ability to configure doors within the Window Tool

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49369-ability-to-configure-doors-within-the-window-tool/

 

Traditional window schedules

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49480-traditional-window-schedules/

 

2D front view vector-based door schedules

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49364-2d-front-view-vector-based-door-schedules/

 

Ability to define Wall Hole Component of Window/Door Objects

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/50187-ability-to-define-wall-hole-component-of-windowdoor-objects/

 

Ability to manipulate windows/doors directly in model

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/49482-ability-to-manipulate-windowsdoors-directly-in-model/

 

Ability to define our own sash types and markers

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/50577-ability-to-define-our-own-sash-types-and-markers/

 

Need better way to hide Window ID Tags irrelevant to current elevation

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/53910-need-better-way-to-hide-window-id-tags-irrelevant-to-current-elevation/

 

Undo function for Custom Sash Options

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/51103-undo-function-for-custom-sash-options/

Edited July 2, 2019 by Christiaan

[Christiaan 642]

Thanks for liking. Please vote up too @Sander van Lanen (top left)

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Christiaan

[Bas Vellekoop 158]

I shared this before but the Belgian / Dutch version has a nice combined door and window tool with allot possibilities. 

Maybe VW can find some inspiration in this tool 🙂

 

Ability to combine doors and windows and change the type of door an window for each section individually:

 

 

Ability create all kind of (overhead)doors:

 

 

All kind of sliding doors and the ability to change how the different sections slide.

 

 

The most common wall details correctly drawn in 2d and 3d.

This is possible for the horizontal en vertical sections:

 

 

 

 

[Bas Vellekoop 158]

@elepp and @drelARCH

 

If you not already did please vote this wish up like Christiaan said. Thanks!

 

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 9:36 PM, Christiaan said:

 

 

[elepp 46]

Just now, Bas Vellekoop said:

@elepp and @drelARCH

 

If you not already did please vote this wish up like Christiaan said. Thanks!

 

 

I did. And I wish I could upvote it multiple times. So fed up with the current tool. 😭

[drelARCH 40]

Same here.

Thanks Christiaan and Bas for your effort.

We NEED this tools to get improved dramatically in order to cover all the different scenarios. It is very very basic now. 

For the beginning I would be really happy if international version gets belgian/dutch window/door abilities.

 

Pavol

[Christiaan 642]

3 hours ago, Bas Vellekoop said:

I shared this before but the Belgian / Dutch version has a nice combined door and window tool with allot possibilities. 

 

Wow, jealous!

[zoomer 788]

4 hours ago, Bas Vellekoop said:

the Belgian / Dutch version has a nice combined door and window tool with allot possibilities. 

 

Yes,

embarrassing superior.

[Bas Vellekoop 158]

A disclaimer that I do not work with the localized version, so no personal experience with it.

I use the international version, but the grass seems pretty green in Belgian and Holland.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Bas Vellekoop

[zoomer 788]

Yes, I always thought many german Tools would be much better

than my US version. But the benelux tools and community really

impressed me since a saw their videos two years ago for the first time.

[JMR 194]

The fact that local suppliers develop much better door/window tools and we, the users of the international version, are left without ANY improvement, is mighty annoying.

 

NNA, time to update the window, door and stair tools. NOW. This is an order. 😃

 

 

 

[P Retondo 82]

Let me add, multi-track sliding doors with lapping stiles.  This standard door type has been available for more than 30 years.  As far as I know, not possible with VW2017 (I have later versions, but never use them because there is no incentive to do so).

[The Anorak 6]

Window and Door insertion class default

Can I add/ask whether this is possible:

Ability to change insertion options to assign every new window/door to a particular class. 

In the same way that a symbol or wall can have a default class assignment this needs to be created for windows and doors.

Strangely my colleague seems to have a glitch whereby all her windows automatically assign to the "sanitaryware" class - though this has never been set and I can't seem to find a way to change this setting, and her doors similarly automatically go onto another class.

 

[WANA 6]

I've just upgraded to 2020 and once again been left disappointed by a total lack of upgrade to the window/door tool (barring a nifty barn door tool - who on earth prioritises that over actual functional openings?!) but I digress. 

 

Perhaps naive this question, why does the Dutch version have a tool which looks like it would literally nip the constant requests for bifold/sliding door configurations but it isn't rolled out for all? If the coding/technology is there, surely it is an easy win for VW? 

 

Watching those Youtube clips made me sad! 

[lupin 21]

Woah, the Dutch versions looks amazing!

 

The Australian version has WinDoor by OzCAD (maybe that's standard?), which has lots of options but is becoming quite arduous to use.

As it has developed, it's become maze-like and overloaded with lists inside lists inside lists.

It can take a while to navigate a pathway through these to make a WinDoor object do what you want it to do.

I find WinDoor a bit temperamental, too:

- You can't seem to select all your windows and edit their settings (eg: classes) all together, but have to do it window at a time, or else go via the rather cumbersome "copy and apply" dialogue box.

- They're not very stable (for me), but give themselves new classes rather a lot, and other new settings such as id symbols sometimes, which makes for tedious reassigning of these.

- If I edit or delete an unwanted WD class, the redundant class seems to keep reappearing and popping up in random WinDoor objects.

 

Some features I really appreciate are:

- Level of of class control

- good 2D and 3D representation

- editing some schedule info from inside Schedule Worksheet

 

This aside, some of my WinDoor design wishlist items are:

- EDIT WINDOOR ID FROM ANNOTATION (numbers, position) from inside a viewport annotation (like section markers) so I can see how they sit in relation to my notes and dimensions.

- EDIT WINDOOR ID NUMBER AND CLASSES FROM OBJECT INFO, instead of going into Settings.

- COMBINE FORM AND SETTINGS dialogue boxes (the distinction is not obvious, and it slows the flow to have to click in and out of each one)

- ALLOW ASYMETRICAL HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL FORM so it's more like a window joiner's schedule - eg: a door and sidelight with one highlight window over the lot (ie X windows above Y windows) instead of having to have two over two or 3 over 3 etc (X windows over X windows).

The only way workaround I have found, whilst exploring the WinDoor maze is have separate windows for these, which can make my schedules a bit confusing, plus necessitate mucking around with sill settings for the uppermost window.  But maybe I've missed something?

- EDIT ALL SCHEDULE INFO FROM INSIDE WINDOW SCHEDULE WORKSHEET, not just User 1, User 2 etc settings.  And then have it magically update all your windows!

- VECTOR REPRESENTATION IN WINDOW SCHEDULE WORKSHEET, ideally dimesionable, instead of having an "image" - the resolution of the images is pretty bad.  I'm not sure how this is possible, but it would be cool.

 

 

[lupin 21]

Add to that:

 

- MASS SELECT AND EDIT WINDOOR SETTINGS (especially classes) - rather than one at a time.

[Christiaan 642]

@lupin any suggestions for the third party WinDoor plugin would be better off sent directly to OzCAD.

[lupin 21]

Good point