Story sensitive "Gravity" option for top of Walls

[David Larrew]

I've seen this functionality in an early version of AllPlanFT...

With the "Wall Top Gravity" turned "On" you would not need to assign a Wall height. The top of Wall reference would automatically follow the height of the Story above.

So if/when the heights between Stories change you don't have to go back and change all of the wall heights.

Of course, you could always turn the feature "Off" and work like you always have in AC, definining the Wall height for every Wall.

To take it a step further...

I would like to see the ability to assign varing elevations and heights to individual composite skins. That would allow brick ledges and other usable wall components. - Maybe that should be defined as a separate wishlist item.

[Geoff Briggs]

Rules based dependencies like you describe could be very powerful but are also tricky to design in a way that makes managing them less work than the current one-by-one method.

For example, if all my interior walls stop at the ceiling but my story level is set to the finish floor above, then I'd need the ability to include an offset for these wall to properly follow a story height change.

Perhaps a better approach is linking objects. In my example the walls could be linked to the slab forming the ceiling. If the slab changed elevation or thickness the walls would stretch. If the slab also forms the floor above then all the walls above would also respond to the change.

Linking objects is more representative of real construction assemblies, which is what we're modeling in the first place.

But it's still tricky, especially given the fact that real assemblies penetrate one another. If my slab thickened because my flooring material thickened I would not want my upper walls to adjust if they were already sitting on the sub-floor. So this necessitates the ability to link selected core elements of composite structures, which introduces a whole new level of sophistication and complication.

[Anonymous]

I think David and Geoff both have some ideas, wall heights and how they relate to elements around them need to be much more intelligent. From the first time I've used Archicad ( years ago or so), I have not ever figured out why walls had to be taller than the roof that you're trimming them too. Why can't they grow? Always been a pain in the butt. Can anybody explain the logic that Graphisoft used for this shortcoming?

I've always thought that walls adapt to the roofs (or slabs) that they are trimmed to. If you raise the roof, the wall simply grows with it. This seems like it would a simple addition, but I'm not programmer. And of course, it should have an over ride.

[Geoff Briggs]

Solid Element Operations give us the basis for these kinds of relationships. So you can do as Brian suggested and move a roof and have a wall stretch with it. But at this point it's somewhat crude and has shown limitations on how widely it can be stably implemented.

I haven't received 8.1 yet, but the new wall cavity options look promising. The same functionality needs to come to sections. If my wall height is such that my stud extends through the ceiling plaster to meet the joist then I'd love to have the plaster layers join like they do in plan view without having to solid opp every intersection.

Walls need to be smarter in plan too. How about a connected wall mode such that offsetting one wall stretches all connected walls?

If it is easy to establish a relationship between sub-components then adding the rule that the relationship be maintained when the assemblies are moved seems a logical step. That of course from a user's perspective, I'd love to hear form the programmers.

[Laci Neda]

Added to wishlist

[Anonymous]

This was (is?) a feature of speedikon, in which walls could automatically extend upward to the nearest roof(s). It is very simple and doesn't require complex dependent relationships. It there is a roof the wall trims to it, otherwise it just extends to its default (maximum) height. AFAIR it also worked in the downward direction fitting to multiple slabs and ramps.