Replace window with wall

[KeesW]

Here is a wish for GDL gurus. Is it possible to write a routine to replace a window, or door, with a patch of walling to match existing wall? This is often require with alterations, when windows are removed or shifted, and the space previously occupied by the window is replaced by an infill wall panel - usually to match existing adjoining walls. There should be an option to show an outline on the wall elevations showing where the window was. An option might also include making the infill wall to match adjoining walls, or to make it different.

Any clever takers out there? What do you think?

[David Maudlin]

Kees:

Yes, it is possible, as the door or window can pick up and use the fills, materials, etc of the wall to fill in the opening. So rather than looking like a window or door, the opening fills in the wall in 2D and 3D; the Niche type windows are an example. But it will remain a door or window, GDL cannot transform one element type into another.

David

[KeesW]

Thanks David. I wasn't thinking of converting the door or window. What I thougt was replacing the door or window with an empty opening and then creating a wall patch to fit inside the empty opening.

[Dwight]

Not wishing to propose another time-consuming work-around, but: how hard is it to draw a bit of wall in the empty opening?

[KeesW]

Hello Dwight

You are right - it doesn't take much effort but anything that makes Archicad more productive is worthwhile.

There are other problems with filling in windows and doors. When widows or doors are shifted a small distance, and the new position overlaps the filled in portion of the existing, the new door/window will not be cut out in the filled portion. This requires quite a lot of remedial work-around time. Not much for one window but a lot of time when one does a lot of work with alterations.

[Dwight]

I see your point. It gets complex if the opening gets "L" shaped.

What I've been doing the rare occasion I need this feature is to put an invisible wall in the new window opening and SEO the old opening wall plug. Plenty of work.

[Barry Kelly]

David wrote:
Kees:

Yes, it is possible, as the door or window can pick up and use the fills, materials, etc of the wall to fill in the opening. So rather than looking like a window or door, the opening fills in the wall in 2D and 3D; the Niche type windows are an example. But it will remain a door or window, GDL cannot transform one element type into another.

David

As David says yes it is possible.
Use WALL_SKINS_PARAMS to get the values of fills, pen colours, line types, skin thickness, etc. from the wall.
These can be put into an array parameter.

DIM wallarray_skin [8][16] !!put skin properties into array
PUT WALL_SKINS_PARAMS

FOR k=1 TO 8 !Main array
FOR x = 1 to 16
wallarray_skin =GET(1)
NEXT x
x = 1
NEXT k

You can then use these values to add fills in 2D.
In 3D you don't need to do anything (i.e. no WALLHOLE) so you are left with the original wall.


Here is an image of an object I use to add a horizontal control joint into a wall (hence the line you can just see in plan).
The plan is filled with the correct fills and in this case a small niche is cut in the wall surface in 3D.
I have added the line in plan so I can see where it is and because my walls are solid fills it doesn't print any different.
But you could alter the pen colours of the fills or the wall skin lines also.

Barry.

[Barry Kelly]

Also you would be able to script this into your existing windows with a boolean (on/off) parameter switch so you could just swap from the standard window to a fill rather than replacing with a separate object and losing all the window settings.
Barry.