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Walker Warner Architects – ArchiCAD Quick Tips

EDITING CADIMAGE DOOR AND WINDOW

When you edit multiple door and windows you can have unforeseen consequences. For example, if the window type and sash layouts are different, changes to the sash layout, surface or style may not be applied to all windows or all sash groups.

In the following screen shots you can see a change to the sash grid applied to a 2x wide sash window and a single width unit. Applying a sash grid to both window types simultaneously not only has no effect on the double width sash, but also causes an error message for degenerated polygons (The sash is part of the windows 3d script, but ArchiCAD basically doesn’t understand how to interpret it).

The solution is in the Find and Select function. By selecting all windows that are two sashes wide, or windows greater than 4′-0″ in rough opening width, and changing them first; then selecting all windows less than 4′-0″ in rough opening width and changing them separately you get all sashes matching. This is slightly more time consuming, but it does make the changes work the first time and avoids the error reports.

Also seen recently by project teams has been a universal change to the door hardware location in Cadimage doors, universally for all door types. The result was, unlike the windows, the hardware was correctly relocated, but the door frames adopted the frame settings of other doors. The solution is to change door or window settings by wall type as well as door or window type, when the wall type impacts the trim or reveal of the door or window settings.

This is yet another reason to become familiar with find and select and use it often. It is a great tool to speed up productivity as well as keep your model clean and error free.

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Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Builder

Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Builder #82943

Trying to build an interactive schedule with B&W Builder 3.5 (R15 MacTel). Obviously I need more than just the height and width. I’d like to tap into the rich set of parameters that can be assigned in the DWB interface.

However, when I try to include additional parameters there are a million different GSM files all with scads of individual parameters. Even just trying to get something as simple as the Leaf thickness seems impossible. In the D&WB Macros folder there are:
DWB_Leaf.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Rect.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Retangular.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Special.GSM

All of them have a parameter for «Leaf Thickness» but when scheduled they just show the default value, not the actual user inputted thickness (say 1 -3/4″).

Has anyone been able to figure this out? Any info -perhaps even from CadImage- greatly appreciated. —Chazz

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #82944

Now you might wonder why I don’t just use the Cadimage built in schedule.

1) It’s not interactive and therefore must be rebuilt every time a door is changed. Absurd.

2) Um. Because it doesn’t work anyway. I have never been able to get it to work under AC 10. Cadimage, what in blazes is going on?

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #82978

Attachments

Josh Osborne — Central Innovation

HP Zbook Studio G4 — Windows 10 Pro, Intel i7 7820HQ, 32Gb RAM, Quadro M1200

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henrypootel

Rank: Active member Posts: 341 Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:34 am Status: Off-line Location: New Zealand ARCHICAD user since: 2004

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #82985

henrypootel wrote: Hi Chazz.
I have attached the section from the help file which deals with the Door and Window Scheduling.

What if you want to use Graphisoft’s Interactive schedules as Chazz is trying to do.

I’ve always been curious about Door & Window Builder and have recently considered purchasing it. but not if you can’t easily use Graphisoft’s IS.

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Dan Kunschik

Rank: Active member Posts: 413 Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:34 pm Status: Off-line Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #82988

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TomWaltz

Rank: Senior member Posts: 4490 Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 8:27 pm Status: Off-line Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #83022

henrypootel wrote: I have attached the section from the help file which deals with the Door and Window Scheduling. It is a straight walkthrough of the process, so you shouldn’t have nay trouble with it.

However, I’ve referred to the PDF several times in the past but as stated above:

1) It doesn’t work reliably for me on my setup (for a commercial building with 60 doors in it, the DWB schedule object, after import shows exactly 1 door, etc.).

2) I need the power, flexibility and automation of AC’s Interactive Schedule (IS).

When I first started using DWB a million years ago (at that time by Theometric) and there was no such thing as IS, the DWB schedule object approach was a step up. However, the times have changed and IS —for all it’s limitations— is clearly the only way to go and DWB must address this reality.

It seems a little absurd to go to such heroic lengths to give users such fine-grained control of an object (as DWB does) and then not let them schedule all that hard-erned data input. There must be a way to do it.

I would love to hear what your development team has to say and I await their response with optimistic anticipation. —Chazz

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #83024

Dan Kunschik wrote: I’ve always been curious about Door & Window Builder and have recently considered purchasing it. but not if you can’t easily use Graphisoft’s IS.

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #83442

The silence is deafening.

CADImage, any news on a method to employ interactive schedules with D&W Builder? I remain pretty confident that it CAN be done if I can just find the right parameters in the right GSM file.

Please please please speak up. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is interested in this.

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #83455

Sorry, but the CADImage schedule relies on their own custom programming that creates a text file of information that then generates their own schedule.

No matter how many styrofoam wings you glue on, that pig ain’t gonna fly.

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TomWaltz

Rank: Senior member Posts: 4490 Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 8:27 pm Status: Off-line Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Bui #83498

Tom, say it ain’t so.

Granted, they have a different suggested methodology for getting a schedule (vastly inferior for my needs as it turns out) but they have still created a bunch of GDL parts and those parts have parameters and those parameters should be accessible via Interactive Schedule —no? My knowledge of GDL is rudimentary but in creating IS’ in the past it was always just a question of finding the parameters for the individual parts (frequently kludgy ones I cobbled together myself) and adding them to the schedule. My assumption was that the same would hold for D&WB if you could just figure out where the parameters where hidden.

I’m feeling more and pessimistic about this and if my pessimism is warranted, I’m sort of depressed. How could GS set up the whole GDL workflow and have the result be unschedulable? Worse, how could CADimage sell an expensive tool like D&WB and have it be largely incompatible with IS?

An earthbound pig? Gosh, all I want is to schedule a dozen little factoids I’ve taken the time to input.

I hoping for something more like shrub-hopping rodent.

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!Restored: CADImage Door and Window Builder

CADImage Door and Window Builder #110928

So I went to a seminar with Rex Maximillian- he mentioned door and window builder- and I think he suggested buying it. But, I was part of a webinar from ArchVista last week on ArchiCAD add ons and they said that they cannot recomend door an window builder-
I am interested in purchasing it, but now I have two opposite opinions on it.

And other opinions are appreciated!
Thanks.

Jessica McCloskey-Warner
Entrepreneur:
Draw It Home 3D Drafting & Rendering

Drafter, Designer, CAD Manager, vice President:
Andrew Chary Architect P.L.L.C

I MAC
El Capitan 10.11.6

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Jesikuh123

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 586 Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:22 pm Status: Off-line Location: Lake Placid, NY

Re: Cgraph Door and Window Builder #110936

Door and window builder (DWB) is by cadimage tools not Cgraph (what the heck is Cgraph?).

People feel differently about these add on things. They allow you to create stuff that you could never do with AC out of the box but they reduce the portability of your files and require maintenance and upkeep. I have used DWB (and lots of other cadimage tools) for years and love it but it’s no fun when you need to upgrade it ($) or share your project with someone who does not own it.

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Chazz

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 800 Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:30 pm Status: Off-line Location: USA ARCHICAD user since: Version 4.5 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Cgraph Door and Window Builder #110937

Cgraph- is actually Cigraph, and it is another plug in or add on site.

You’re right, I meant Cadimage. Thanks for the correction.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Jessica McCloskey-Warner
Entrepreneur:
Draw It Home 3D Drafting & Rendering

Drafter, Designer, CAD Manager, vice President:
Andrew Chary Architect P.L.L.C

I MAC
El Capitan 10.11.6

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Jesikuh123

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 586 Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:22 pm Status: Off-line Location: Lake Placid, NY

Re: Cgraph Door and Window Builder #110958

I have used DWB for the past 5 years, and apart from the points Chazz has made I think it is a fantastic product. It is so much more versatile that the standard AC doors and windows, and once you get used to the multitude of parameters (and realise that there are only so many of them that you have to alter once you have the basics set) it really makes creation of doors and windows easy. You can have almost any configuration, curves, slopes, repeating patterns, curtain walls, internal and external glazing, any level of detail you want, internal and external trims, facings and sills, all with one «object». Having recently started with a company who sometimes use AC doors for interior doors, I’m slowly changing them all over to DWB doors.

It may be an advantage to us that we are in the same time zone as CadImage, but I’d see this as a minor consideration.

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s2art

Rank: Senior member Posts: 3430 Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:07 pm Status: Off-line Location: New Zealand ARCHICAD user since: 2003 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: Cgraph Door and Window Builder #110984

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rwallis

Rank: Active member Posts: 413 Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:53 pm Status: Off-line Location: Southern hemisphere

Re: Cgraph Door and Window Builder #110988

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s2art

Rank: Senior member Posts: 3430 Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:07 pm Status: Off-line Location: New Zealand ARCHICAD user since: 2003 ARCHICAD version: 22

Re: CADImage Door and Window Builder #111405

We’ve been using Cadimage Door and Window Builder from its beginnings, and its predecessor by Theometric since 1998. They are excellent products. The drafmanship is emaculate and scheduling is particularly good and versatile. Yes, there is now a regular upgrade cost.

We haven’t used the standard ArchiCad 11 Door and Window modules enough to compare them — they have improved greatly and might do everything you need — except schedules which are definitely inferior to CadImage’s products.

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KeesW

Rank: Veteran member Posts: 784 Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2003 12:12 pm Status: Off-line Location: Hobart Tasmania

Re: CADImage Door and Window Builder #111418

KeesW wrote: . and scheduling is particularly good and versatile. the standard ArchiCad 11 Door and Window. have improved greatly and might do everything you need — except schedules which are definitely inferior to CadImage’s products.

Really? To my mind the best schedules are those built using Interactive Schedules (IS) which is something that DWB is at a surprising loss to do. In fact, the inability of DWB to play nice (hate that expression) with IS is the #1 drawback of DWB. Yes, you can schedule the basics (size, location, etc) of DWB doors and windows with IS but you CANNOT schedule all of the minutia you spent so much time getting just right: things like frame dimensions, leaf sizes, thresholds, hardware, bla bla bla. All that info is in there but it is invisible to IS. You can read about my frustrations with this here

The DWB schedules are OK in their way but the fact that are not interactive and do not update automatically is a fatal flaw IMHO.