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I'm embarrassed to ask this ....  I want to make a roof dormer and the manual says to insert a window symbol, but NOT a plug-in object.  I can't use the 'window' tool because that makes PIOs.  Then I went to the libraries, and every library has a PIO for windows from various manufacturers.   So ... how do I convert a Plug in object to a symbol so it can be inserted in a roof to make a dormer ?    I tried to 'ungroup' it but that won't let it be inserted.

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Just create a window plug in object to the specs of the window in the dormer.  Then Modify > Create Symbol  to turn it into a symbol.  You can then insert the "Symbol" into your roof to create the dormer.  Or you can just model the dormer from walls and roofs.  The auto-dormer is fast but has some limitations.

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UPDATE:  I discovered that I can insert a window dormer from the VW libraries ...  IF....  I click and drag it directly on to the roof.  Whenever I first drag it on the drawing (but not on the roof) and then I drag it over the roof (in top/plan view) then it does not insert itself as a dormer.  This seems odd to me.  Is it supposed to work that way ?

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Guest Wes Gardner

Make symbol from a Window (or Door)

Drag the symbol DIRECTLY FROM the Resource Manager onto the roof

It should create a dormer

If you try to use a symbol that's in white space, it doesn't work, the symbol MUST be drug from the Resource Manager onto the roof

 

Wes

 

 

 

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Guest Wes Gardner

Also, keep in mind that once you use the "auto-dormer" feature you can explode (ungroup) it resulting in walls and roof faces that are then editable

 

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Did someone actually decide that's a user friendly way to do something? Amazing.

 

You'd think you might design it so you activate the window tool and then place the window directly into the roof object, like what happens with a regular window in a wall. But instead there must be several counter-intuitive intermediate steps with some traps to fall into along the way.

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  • 2 months later...

I just tried creating a dormer window for the first time. I've not tried using this before.

 

I ran into exactly the same problem as @domer1322 above. I followed all the instructions, including the create a symbol bit, which isn't properly explained in the user guides, and activated the symbol, and tried to insert it into a roof face. Nothing.

 

I remembered this thread. So, reading it, yes, you have to *drag* the symbol from the resource browser. As identified above. But not stated in the VW documentation.

 

Thank you @domer1322.

 

It's absolutely dreadful, this. How to annoy and frustrate your users, for no apparent reason. It should win some kind of award for terrible design.

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13 hours ago, Robert Darden said:

I created a dormer by dragging in the window into the roof in isometric view.

However, I want to modify the window, but can't - the program only allows editing of a skylight.

Please advise, thanks!

When you get into the edit dialogue for the dormer/skylight, in the top right you can choose between dormer and skylight. It's not well worded - "edit dormer" implies it's a function to edit an existing dormer whereas really it should say "create dormer".

 

364359033_ScreenShot2020-06-25at08_56_20.thumb.jpg.893a762e9890eb8a08a4f15a7f93c685.jpg

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The way i've found to be easier to me is drawing the dormer from the walls and cut the roof where the walls are sitting and then add a normal window and a roof on top of those walls and join both roofs. Later i'll edit the walls as to how they're going to be in construction, so the bottom of the wall is going to be on the bottom of the main roof.

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43 minutes ago, FBernardo said:

The way i've found to be easier to me is drawing the dormer from the walls and cut the roof where the walls are sitting and then add a normal window and a roof on top of those walls and join both roofs. Later i'll edit the walls as to how they're going to be in construction, so the bottom of the wall is going to be on the bottom of the main roof.

 

Yes, having tried the dormer tool out a bit more now, I've decided it's not all that much use, except maybe if you want to show something indicative at an early stage.

- as far as I can see, you can't go back and edit the window easily, because although it exists as a symbol, it's no longer a plug in object so you can't make adjustments to it in the same way that you would to a normal window-in wall

- it seems that the only way you can adjust its location in plan is through typing numbers into the dialogue box in a trial-and-error kind of fashion, which isn't even updated live, so you have to keep closing and opening the dialogue to see if you have got it right yet

- the controls themselves seem rather confusing, with various options to offset and so on, but little information about where the reference points actually are, how they relate to what points on the symbol, and so on.

 

Even roofs/roof faces themselves (which I've not used a lot until now, but they do seem useful to an extent) are a typical VW jumble of confusing, inconsistent and anti-intuitive commands. And something weird seems to go on with textures and classing by component and so on.

 

 

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14 minutes ago, line-weight said:

 

Yes, having tried the dormer tool out a bit more now, I've decided it's not all that much use, except maybe if you want to show something indicative at an early stage.

- as far as I can see, you can't go back and edit the window easily, because although it exists as a symbol, it's no longer a plug in object so you can't make adjustments to it in the same way that you would to a normal window-in wall

- it seems that the only way you can adjust its location in plan is through typing numbers into the dialogue box in a trial-and-error kind of fashion, which isn't even updated live, so you have to keep closing and opening the dialogue to see if you have got it right yet

- the controls themselves seem rather confusing, with various options to offset and so on, but little information about where the reference points actually are, how they relate to what points on the symbol, and so on.

 

Even roofs/roof faces themselves (which I've not used a lot until now, but they do seem useful to an extent) are a typical VW jumble of confusing, inconsistent and anti-intuitive commands. And something weird seems to go on with textures and classing by component and so on.

 

 

 

Do you want me to create a video showing how i usually do it? i think it's a lot easier to show than to explain in words! 

 

But you are right the Roof "dormer" way VW uses is quite a gibberish in comparison with other tools that are quite easy to use and with all the mojo of easy to use philosophy!

 

What kind of issues have you found with the Textures by class and using in the components? I use it this way and it seems so much easier and quick also works wonderfully!

 

 

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2 hours ago, FBernardo said:

 

Do you want me to create a video showing how i usually do it? i think it's a lot easier to show than to explain in words! 

 

But you are right the Roof "dormer" way VW uses is quite a gibberish in comparison with other tools that are quite easy to use and with all the mojo of easy to use philosophy!

 

What kind of issues have you found with the Textures by class and using in the components? I use it this way and it seems so much easier and quick also works wonderfully!

 

 

I think I mostly understood about how you draw them - thanks - so there is no need to make a video, although it might still be interesting to see.

 

With the classes (actually it may not be related to textures as such) - the specific thing I noticed was:

1. Viewing in OpenGL with "use textures" and "use colours".

2. I assign a "material" class to each component, and each class has its own "fill colour".

3. I then edited one of these classes, to change it's "fill colour".

4. Then, viewing in OpenGL something strange was happening, the relevant component would sometimes appear with its "old" colour and sometimes with its "new" one. It would change when I shifted the view around.

5. Changing the render setting for the roof face object from 'by component' to 'by object' and then back to 'by component' seemed to fix it.

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5 minutes ago, line-weight said:

I think I mostly understood about how you draw them - thanks - so there is no need to make a video, although it might still be interesting to see.

 

With the classes (actually it may not be related to textures as such) - the specific thing I noticed was:

1. Viewing in OpenGL with "use textures" and "use colours".

2. I assign a "material" class to each component, and each class has its own "fill colour".

3. I then edited one of these classes, to change it's "fill colour".

4. Then, viewing in OpenGL something strange was happening, the relevant component would sometimes appear with its "old" colour and sometimes with its "new" one. It would change when I shifted the view around.

5. Changing the render setting for the roof face object from 'by component' to 'by object' and then back to 'by component' seemed to fix it.

 

I think this is in regards to your GPU and VW way of working, i have huge issues with vw when viewing in OPENGL, and i have a 1080ti, where there are quite a few glitches and it seems VW just wants to crash but then i zoom in and out and it goes back to normal. this is something i'm seeing happening since i first start working with VW and showed the support team already because at first i was worried... 

 

I'll do the video this weekend and will also show how i use the classes and textures and post the link here.

 

 

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