AC12 curtain wall tool notes

[R Muller]

I have been experimenting with the curtain wall tool. I am posting some of my observations here in the hopes that other ArchiCAD'ers will have additional observations, better ways to do things, etc.

1. Mullion frames are vertical and transom frames are horizontal by default. However, individual frames can be edited to be any type of frame. Thus, you can use the three frame types to have three different frame profiles that are easy to choose. I am using “boundary” to represent my biggest frame, “mullion” for the next largest, “transom” for the most common small frame.

2. Custom frame profiles all have the same name, so it’s harder to apply a specific custom profile in multiple locations if you have several custom profiles. I find that the eye-dropper tool does work to transfer attributes from one frame to another.

3. Boundary frames can be used anywhere on the interior of the grid, as well as on the boundary. They will always be centered on an interior grid line, even if they are set to be inside or outside the grid on the boundary.

4. Other types of frames can be used on the boundary, by selecting and modifying a boundary frame. They will keep the same “inside” or “outside” alignment you set in the system level settings. There appears to be no way to have some boundary frames centered while others are inside or outside.

5. An invisible frame can’t be selected in order to turn it back into some other type of frame. One way to get the frame back is to select another frame, then drag a copy to the location of the invisible frame.

6. The same trick doesn’t work for deleted panels. Unlike frames, panels can’t be dragged or copied. Once a panel is deleted, the only way I have found to get it back (other than “undo”) is to delete the frame between the missing panel and an adjacent panel, and then put the frame back by dragging a copy of some other frame.

7. If your curtain wall sits op top of a slab, and you need to put a door in the wall that extends to the slab, you need to be sure that the boundary frames are inside the grid. Otherwise, the bottom of the door won’t go down to the slab.

[kevin b]

I have been able to select invisible frames and change them back. At first I couldn't but now I seem to be selecting in the right spot.

I have noticed that selecting things is a bit buggy. Sometimes I can select things (panels, frames) easily, sometimes I have to really work to make a selection.

Another bug I have been having is the system dialog box, when editing, sometimes becomes very long, way way off the side of my monitor, so that you can't see the preview or the OK button.

I have also crashed it several times in the past three days, whereas AC11 hasn't crashed in months. And it always seems to be while editing a curtain wall.

[Sam Wheatley]

I just received AC12. I am not yet familiar with the curtan wall tool. I do residential architecture and see no use as of yet for the curtan wall tool in my practice. Is it possible that this tool could be used to do repetitive items like handrails, fences, etc. with more flexabilty then the tools we currently have? If you have rails and fences on an incline would the curtain wall tool work?

[kevin b]

YEs, exactly, according to the marketing people anyway.

Someone in my office saw a demo of it (maybe at AIA 2008) and they built an entire house using it. Walls and roofs with framing, railings, fences, supposedly anything repetitive like that. It seems like a very powerful tool, just takes some getting used to (I hope).

[gkovacsp]

R wrote:
5. An invisible frame can’t be selected in order to turn it back into some other type of frame. One way to get the frame back is to select another frame, then drag a copy to the location of the invisible frame.

Inviible frames can be selected as well.
Try to switch off panels from the CW Edit Palette and hover over the centerline of the invisible frame.
Of course if you Delete a frame, then that can't be selected, because that is not there any more. In this case use the Frame tool and draw the required Frame with two clicks.

R wrote:
6. The same trick doesn’t work for deleted panels. Unlike frames, panels can’t be dragged or copied. Once a panel is deleted, the only way I have found to get it back (other than “undo”) is to delete the frame between the missing panel and an adjacent panel, and then put the frame back by dragging a copy of some other frame.

If a panel is deleted, then use the panel tool and click inside the empty panel cell to place a panel.

[Dennis Lee]

I am trying to make a simple storefront door with a sidelight using the curtainwall tool.

First, I cannot delete the boundary frame at the bottom of the door. Is the correct way to make it an "invisible" frame?

Second, my door does not go all the way down to the ground level. How do I make it go down?

Third, I cannot find a solid door option using the cw door object. What can I do?

The storefront objects maybe better suited for simple storefronts... aren't they?

[gkovacsp]

Dennis wrote:
First, I cannot delete the boundary frame at the bottom of the door. Is the correct way to make it an "invisible" frame?

Frames on the CW Boundary can't be deleted, because then nothing would stop the panels from infinity. But you can select the Frame you don't want to see the Frame, the select it and set its TYPE to invisible. This means the frame is there (so it stops the panel), but generally it is invisible. But if you hover over the centerline you can select it and change its type again.

Dennis wrote:
Second, my door does not go all the way down to the ground level. How do I make it go down?

I would use the Boundary position - Inside (CW Settings -> System settings -> Element Placement).

Dennis wrote:
Third, I cannot find a solid door option using the cw door object. What can I do?

I can't check it wight now, but as the last resollt create a solid custom panel and use it in the panel door panel

[kevin b]

gkovacsp wrote:

Dennis wrote:
Third, I cannot find a solid door option using the cw door object. What can I do?

I can't check it wight now, but as the last resollt create a solid custom panel and use it in the panel door panel

You could make the "glass" material the same as the "sash" material and then adjust the glass offset to make it flush with the sash.

[Anonymous]

1.- Is there a way to fix the mullions at the corners of a curtain wall? in AC11 there was the option (in the curtain wall object or the storefront) to set the angle you want to cut the mullion(frame) ,in order to connect with another curtain wall in a corner.
2.- I couldn't get the butt-glazed option work for the mullions at corners.
3.- Is there a way to use the already existing door leafs, in the AC12 lib,within the curtain wall?

Thanks in advance..

[gkovacsp]

mpoulis wrote:
1.- Is there a way to fix the mullions at the corners of a curtain wall? in AC11 there was the option (in the curtain wall object or the storefront) to set the angle you want to cut the mullion(frame) ,in order to connect with another curtain wall in a corner.

if they are separate CW's , then you can use the Create Common Frame command from Design->Curtain Wall menu.
If they are part of the same CW, then they are always in mitered position.

mpoulis wrote:
2.- I couldn't get the butt-glazed option work for the mullions at corners.

It should work. What is the problem you are facing?

mpoulis wrote:
3.- Is there a way to use the already existing door leafs, in the AC12 lib,within the curtain wall?

If the door leafs were created via the Create Custom Component processs, then select "Custom" leaf and pick the one from the list. The two doors are fully compatible.