2D Symbol after modeling custom window

[Anonymous]

I created a custom gothic window with terracotta trim on the exterior side. I'm familiar with copying and pasting parameters for the WALLHOLE function and cleaning up my 2D symbol.

What is new to me is since I included terracotta trim, the window opening on my floorplan follows the overall size including terracotta trim. This is also after I input the WALLHOLE code. I tried deleting the 2D work of the trim and selected everything in that area but the gap still remains. Is there a way to enclose the gap for my 2D representation to follow the WALLHOLE settings? Is the only solution putting in fills in my GDL 2D symbol to line up with wall composites?

[Erika Epstein]

Alternatively save the pieces as a library part,
File>Libraries & Objects> save 3D Model as

and choose window as the type of library part.

When you create the custom window elements in the floor plan, 0,0 on the global origin, is the reference line. What is above will go in the wall. What is below will stick out of the wall.

You can always fudge by adjusting how the window sits in the wall.

[Karl Ottenstein]

ksymons19 wrote:
I created a custom gothic window with terracotta trim on the exterior side. I'm familiar with copying and pasting parameters for the WALLHOLE function and cleaning up my 2D symbol.

Dealing with WALLHOLE is the fairly old (prior to 5 or so years ago) way of doing this. What you want is to include a slab for which you set the ID field to be "wallhole". Be sure only one slab in your assembly has that ID (and if so, that none have the alternative id of "wallniche").

Make that wallhole slab correspond exactly to the hole that you want cut - in other words, it should reside completely inside all of your terracotta trim (or perhaps extend the thickness of the trim that wraps the opening).

Edit: duh, I just realized that you programmed the whole thing in GDL. So, my comment above is just adding to Erika's method of modeling with standard tools and saving from the 3D window.

HTH,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Wow, that's an improvement so users don't have to fiddle around with GDL coding. I guess I missed it from being in a Revit firm for a couple years before finding an ArchiCAD firm last year.

Does WALLNICHE in the ID do anything?

[Karl Ottenstein]

ksymons19 wrote:
Wow, that's an improvement so users don't have to fiddle around with GDL coding. I guess I missed it from being in a Revit firm for a couple years before finding an ArchiCAD firm last year.

Does WALLNICHE in the ID do anything?

Yes - it makes the assembly a niche rather than a window/door. The wallhole always cuts through the entire width of the wall, even if the wallhole slab is 1 cm thick and the wall is 50 cm thick. The wallniche removes part of the wall to allow creating objects similar to the niche elements in the library.

Unless the window/door must be parametric, the visual-build method is very efficient, other than cleaning up the 2D symbol - but that is done graphically in the 2D window of the GDL editor.

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Wow that is cool! Just had to waste an hour playing with this. Wish I had known that trick a long time ago! Are there any others besides wallhole and wallniche?

On a mac this can be even more fun with drag and drop. Create a new library part and open the 3d script window. Grab the slab with the arrow tool and drag it to the 3d script window. Voila, 3d script for the object. This way you don't necessarily have to start a new project to create your object.

I also learned a couple of new things. If you have cover fills turned on in the slab, you get the poly_ not cslab_ like you want. Also if you're dragging from a layer thats in wireframe mode you'll get a wireframe model.

Getting back to the original problem, I suspect it's a problem with the A value being automatically set to 1m. (or 3'-3 3/8") AC's default value. By setting the A value of the window to the correct width the symbol should display properly.

[Anonymous]

Would like to know how you add trim to a custom window. It models 3d correctly. But in the 2d it does not, and it cuts more of the hole off.

Please help.

[Karl Ottenstein]

The 'wallhole' shape will define the 3D hole, but not the 2D hole as you have seen - if you are looking at a symbolic view of the door or window.

To get the symbolic 2D to show properly with your own trim, you have a several choices. I'm not sure which is best in practice as I haven't done this often enough other than for one-offs.

See attached. The A width is used to determine the opening width in 2D. The default A value is the overall width of your custom elements - the outside of the trim pieces.

So, you can either (a) reduce the value of A in the parameter list to subtract your trim width, or (b) click the Details button and change the oversize values. (Option b is required if the trim is not symmetrical.)

Click on the 2D Symbol button to view your changes while you remain in the GDL editor until things look right.

Note that neither of these will work if you stretch your door/window to be wider/narrower than how it was modeled, as the trim will change size too.

The GDL gurus here might have a trick that gives more flexibility for non-parametric objects like this...

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

If you are doing a fully custom, parametric window it's best to keep "A" as the rough opening width and script the details as they should be shown (the wall attributes are available as globals to get the right lines and fills).

Of course for one offs it's usually best to just tweak the symbol.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Matthew wrote:
If you are doing a fully custom, parametric window it's best to keep "A" as the rough opening width and script the details as they should be shown (the wall attributes are available as globals to get the right lines and fills).

Of course for one offs it's usually best to just tweak the symbol.

This thread is about non-scripted windows/doors. 😉