Libraries & objects
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Window - wall interaction, my first gdl

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi,

I've managed to create my first gdl object - a custom, one time only interior window, but I'm stuck at how to make the object interact with the wall properly, I don't understand how to define the relationship betw the window and the wall.

My sources for getting this far are: GDL Reference Guide; Creadting GDL Objects ITG; and GDL Cookbook. In what I have read, it's not clear to me what variables to control to position the window correctly.

Sorry for the long post plus all the attachments, I will attach in this and following posts, plan view, section view, 3d view, and gsm.

Any pointers to where I can learn would be greatly appreciated.

Plan view attached here, with window selected, you can see that it extends well outside the wall. With more trial and error I might be able to fix the (incomplete) 2d script, but as you can see in the section and 3d views, the frame is inset from the face of the wall by a few inches, and that I don't know how to fix. (Note that there are 3 casements shown on the outside face of the wall, they are standard Library parts and are displaying correctly).

Thanks again

plan.png
12 REPLIES 12
Anonymous
Not applicable
Section view
section.png
Anonymous
Not applicable
3d view
Anonymous
Not applicable
The darkness of the images makes it difficult to see what's going on. I assume you are scripting this from scratch. Perhaps you should start with a simpler unit and get each bit working before building up the complexity.
Anonymous
Not applicable
Matthew wrote:
The darkness of the images makes it difficult to see what's going on. I assume you are scripting this from scratch. Perhaps you should start with a simpler unit and get each bit working before building up the complexity.
Ok, sorry, I will take some new screen shots with a white bkgrd, may be easier to see.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have built it from scratch, and the 3d object, in itself, is defined correctly, it's the interaction with the wall I don't get.

This is for a "real" window, for a "real" project, and while it, in itself, is a one time only element, it's typical of things we do, and I am trying to test how we can use ArchiCAD most fruitfully, rather than simply drawing this somewhat complicated window with 2d tools.

Thanks again Matthew, I will post better screenshots later.
David Maudlin
Virtuoso
Paul:

Like Matthew, I am having a hard time reading the images, but here are a few things to keep in mind about the window's relationship to the wall:
1. As you referred to the GDL Reference Guide, then I am guessing that you have looked through the DOORS AND WINDOWS chapter that outlines the relationship between the window and the wall it is placed in.
2. The zero point for the window is on the exterior (reference line) side of the wall, and you are trying to place your window flush with the interior (non-reference side) face of the wall, so the wall thickness is an issue. The thickness of the wall can be picked up with the WALL_THICKNESS (C_) Global Variable, which you will need to use to adjust the frame thickness to the wall. You may also want to use WIDO_SILL (K_) which reads the Reveal Depth parameter for the window to get the correct adjustment. (These work for both the 2D and 3D Scripts.)
3. You might want to start with just the frame (comment out the rest of the window code) to concentrate on just getting the frame to work correctly, then place the rest of your elements relative to the frame.

Windows and doors are trickier than objects, as they depend on the wall they are placed in, but you should be able to sort this out and the knowledge you gain will be very helpful for any opening library part. Let us know how you get along.

David
David Maudlin / Architect
www.davidmaudlin.com
Digital Architecture
AC27 USA • iMac 27" 4.0GHz Quad-core i7 OSX11 | 24 gb ram • MacBook Pro M3 Pro | 36 gb ram OSX14
Anonymous
Not applicable
David wrote:
Paul:

Like Matthew, I am having a hard time reading the images, but here are a few things to keep in mind about the window's relationship to the wall:
1. As you referred to the GDL Reference Guide, then I am guessing that you have looked through the DOORS AND WINDOWS chapter that outlines the relationship between the window and the wall it is placed in.
2. The zero point for the window is on the exterior (reference line) side of the wall, and you are trying to place your window flush with the interior (non-reference side) face of the wall, so the wall thickness is an issue. The thickness of the wall can be picked up with the WALL_THICKNESS (C_) Global Variable, which you will need to use to adjust the frame thickness to the wall. You may also want to use WIDO_SILL (K_) which reads the Reveal Depth parameter for the window to get the correct adjustment. (These work for both the 2D and 3D Scripts.)
3. You might want to start with just the frame (comment out the rest of the window code) to concentrate on just getting the frame to work correctly, then place the rest of your elements relative to the frame.

Windows and doors are trickier than objects, as they depend on the wall they are placed in, but you should be able to sort this out and the knowledge you gain will be very helpful for any opening library part. Let us know how you get along.

David
David, thank you very much for taking the time to reply, especially for the WALL_THICKNESS and WIDO_SILL pointers, and again, apologies for the hard to read images.

I will take your advice and Matthew's, try to get a bit further along, then maybe make some decent screenshots and repost. In the meantime, thank you both again.

Paul
ztaskai
Graphisoft Alumni
Graphisoft Alumni
Hi,

This topic is covered in the Basic Library Documentation which was created to give implementation info and advice beyond the GDL Manual.

See Chapter 'Windows and Doors in GDL' under http://www.graphisoft.com/support/developer/documentation/LibraryDevKit for details about the positioning of windows in a wall.

Regs,
Zsolt Táskai
ArchiCAD Development - GDL Team
AC13, AC14 and upwards...
Anonymous
Not applicable
ztaskai wrote:
Hi,

This topic is covered in the Basic Library Documentation which was created to give implementation info and advice beyond the GDL Manual.

See Chapter 'Windows and Doors in GDL' under http://www.graphisoft.com/support/developer/documentation/LibraryDevKit for details about the positioning of windows in a wall.
Thank you - exactly what I was hoping to find.
jc4d
Expert

Sorry to revive this old topic, but I am curious from where the terminology is taken?
WALL_THICKNESS (C_)

WIDO_SILL (K_)

A_

etc.

 

Juan.