Problem with Surfaces of trimmed composite walls

[gap]

The selected wall is trimmed by a roof (witch is now hidden). Trim was made with solid element operations (subtraction with upward extrusion). The faces of the trimmed wall gets the surface that is defined in override surfaces, even if the override option is off. I would expect it to show surfaces of the composite materials, as it does on the untrimmed top of the wall.

[runxel]

That is a long standing issue with the Solid Element Operations. It is a similiar issue to polywalls being cut by slabs. And I think there are even more situations like this where it feels like a bug but is actually just a "feature" from old times that survived way to long in there.

By the way, if you instead of "use own attributes" choose "inherit from operator" then at least you can determine it by the operator. Then there is also another subtle difference: The operator needs to have the side surface override option to be checked for it to take effect – otherwise it will be just white (in my case, I don't know where this comes from now. See screenshot down below.)

But I agree: SEOs default mode should instead be that of openings, where it is actually cut and no zero thickness skin is magically applied. It can remain as an option, but not the default. Otherwise it's way to unintuitive.

Looks even more wonky when having an Air layer in the wall 😄

Maybe something for @James B to look into for the next AC version 😉

[SeaGeoff · Accepted solution]

SEOs have seen no significant enhancements since they were introduced (AC8 I believe). The inability for the cut surfaces to show their true structure is but one of their deficiencies. The lack of floor plan display is another notable shortcoming. As a workaround I suggest using the Opening tool whenever possible. The introduction of polygon openings makes this a viable alternative and indeed a superior way to model voids in most cases. And all those composite skins show as they should when exposed by an Opening. But the existence of the Opening tool does not grant Graphisoft a pass for neglecting SEOs for so long. They are a crucial part of every user’s workflow and deserve some love.

[Botonis]

Maybe the simplest workaround in these cases is to have different wall elements outside the roof cropping area.

You can also place a wall end at the no-croped wall.....

[gap]

It's some solution. Unfortunately we lose auto update whenever the cutter format changes.