topic Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow? in Modeling

How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

AG717 — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:11:57 GMT

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to model two wall types in Archicad 29 (see attached reference images) and I’d like advice on the best/most efficient modeling approach both.

1) Vertical wood slat wall paneling (feature wall)

Continuous curved wall clad with vertical wood fins/slats (tight spacing), similar to the reference image.
Goal: clean plans/elevations/sections, and ideally decent 3D without making the model too heavy.

Questions:

What’s the recommended workflow: Curtain Wall, Complex Profile Wall, Morph, Railing, Wall + custom GDL object, or another method?
If using Curtain Wall: how do you set it up so the vertical elements read as slats/fins (and remain controllable for spacing/thickness)?
If using profiles/morphs: how do you keep it editable and not overly complex on a curved surface?

2) Fluted / reeded glass wall (ribbed glass panels)

A glass partition/wall using fluted glass (ribbed texture) like the attached glass image.
Goal: correct appearance in elevations/3D and clear 2D representation (hatch/symbolic lines) without modeling every flute.

Questions:

What’s the best practice?
How do you represent it in 2D/3D (plan and elevation): custom symbolic lines, cover fill, vectorial hatching, or something else?

Modeling level + deliverables

I need: Construction Documents (plans, interior elevations, sections, details) and a usable 3D model for coordination and rendering.
I’m trying to avoid solutions that create thousands of elements and slow down the file.

If it helps, I can follow whatever the community recommends, but I’d love to know the most common “pro” workflow for these two conditions (especially on curved geometry) and any tips on keeping files light.

Thanks in advance.

Operating system used: Windows 29.0.2 (3200)

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

Claudiu Serban — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:45:02 GMT

If i were to get this done now and quickly, spending the least amount of time in implementation and future modifications, i would just model the wall as a complex profile with a recess for the vertical elements and model these in an extra step with the railing tool.

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

Mahmoud Qenawi — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 04:57:46 GMT

Hi,

I suggest using the curtain wall tool as illustrated in this clip for @Luca Manelli.

https://youtu.be/xGuAJ9dqXOI?si=1O7KKqDYWYZZPpNs

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

mikas — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:44:55 GMT

I would use curtain wall tool too, but I don't think panels will curve (panels are used in the given example linked by Mahmoud Qenawi).

So that's why I'd use the vertical frame only. Maybe model the back of the wall separately, or maybe use cw-panels as backside (acoustic wool probably).

There will be mathematical problems to solve in the curved part to get even spacing, so not that straighforward to model, but it's solvable still.

Glass won't curve anyway, so it could be a complex profile, cw-vertical frames, or maybe just a material with correct bump map.

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

PB — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 12:16:43 GMT

Perhaps too simplistic, but, if 3D modelling for close-up work is not required, I'd be looking to create surfaces (textures) to apply to the relevant faces of straight or curved walls. Least load on the file with 'clean' plan/section representation and, associated with an appropriate/custom fill, should read correctly in elevations, sections, 3D, depending on visualisation options chosen. This will likely require competence in image editing software. (Transparency can be included in the 'surface' image for a realistic glass effect).

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

cuba — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:37:26 GMT

Vertical wall: railing tool

Fluted glass: gdl or param-o

Re: How to model curved vertical wood slat wall paneling + fluted glass wall. Efficient workflow?

cuba — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 21:35:36 GMT

Made an object for the glass with gemini+chatgpt: