Placing a window/door between split walls?

[elshareef]

Hi everyone,

I am currently working on a project that features an ellipsoidal floor plan. I am running into a geometry and hosting issue that I’m hoping someone has found a workaround for.

The Issue: Because Archicad does not support a native "Ellipse" geometry method for the Wall tool, when I trace the ellipse (using the Magic Wand or through Grasshopper), Archicad generates the wall in multiple arc segments rather than one continuous element.

The problem arises when I need to place a window or door at a location where two of these wall segments meet.

• If I place the window, it anchors to only one of the wall segments.

• The opening does not cut the adjacent wall segment, leaving the window partially blocked by the second wall.

I am looking for a solution to either:

1. Create a truly continuous elliptical wall (single element) so I can place openings freely.

2. Make two adjacent wall segments "host" a single window together so the opening cuts through both.

 It feels like a fundamental condition that should be solved in the earliest versions, but I am stuck with these segmented arcs. 

I understand that Archicad Walls are parametric elements based on a Reference Line. A reference line can only be a straight line or a circular arc. An ellipse is mathematically complex and has a constantly changing radius, so Archicad must break it into multiple circular arcs to create walls. Since a Window must belong to one specific Wall (and one reference line), it cannot straddle two.

I also tried the "Empty Opening" Trick, however it only works in straight lines, as in the ellipse geometry it still shows part of the wall in where the two walls split

Has anyone successfully managed openings in elliptical walls without resorting to complex solid element operations (I cannot add windows/doors as operator) or morphs?

Any tips or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

Elshareef

Operating system used: Windows 29.01 (3100)

[Kevin Lee]

Similar to the empty opening trick, you can incorporate an opening and associate any walls that should be part of the opening.

This is a workaround. What we require is a door and a window to be able to linking of other walls (or slabs, roof). 

[Lingwisyer]

Related wish: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/Opening-Tool-as-Standard-Wall-Penetration-Tool/idi-p/26...

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

Related: except for the quickest-dirtiest preliminary sketch, and given the ellipse will be approximated with arcs, it makes sense to define that oval geometry yourself with axes, arcs and centers that will be useful for setting out other elements –you decide the arc lengths etc. The moment you have an eave or cornice or a “parallel eliptic” wall, a floor slab or ceiling, you will need that. 

On a single-story building, or a multistory building with stacking windows, that may help for simplifying the window problem too; if windows are sprinkled across the wall then you will still have the problem of windows spanning across two walls. 

[Diseno14]

I've used the polygonal wall option to create up to half an ellipse at a time to avoid the problem of doors and windows interfering with wall segments. First, I draw a closed polygon of the ellipse section with the final wall thickness using circles and lines, and then I use the magic wand tool with the polygonal wall tool. It does have its limitations.

I hope this helps.

 

[Barry Kelly]

Good work around.

Don't go more than half way because the window will cut a hole in the opposite side, as the wall is all one element.

Barry.