@medeek I have a question about wall presets. In my mind, I would like to assign a wall preset to specific walls, and then if I need to make a change, I can just update the wall preset parameters, and all walls that are assigned to that preset get updated.
It doesn’t seem like the plugin works this way though? You have to update each wall one at a time? Is there no way to make global changes?
I wish I could do that with doors and windows too. Have specific door/window types throughout the model, and update all of them in one go by changing the saved preset. Is that possible currently? Or does everything need to be updated one at a time?
Currently the way presets are setup is that they basically are a certain configuration of parameters for a given construction assembly (wall, window, door, garage door etc…). However, once you create a window, door or wall etc… it is not associated with any preset.
You can always edit one of these assemblies and choose a new preset from your list, load it and then update the assembly you are editing. It will then acquire all of the parameters from that preset. However, the assembly does not stay dependent on the preset.
If you then modify that preset (change it’s parameter settings and then save as the same name) it will update but again no existing assemblies within the model will be modified by these changes since presets are kind of a “fire and forget” type of system.
I see what you are getting at though. I will give this some additional thought. It may be something I can do but it would significantly change the way presets work within the plugin.
Regardless of how the presets work there is also the global change thing which is a topic unto itself.
I have given this some thought for a few months now. It would be useful to have some sort of tool which allows one to select a group of walls and globally change certain parameters like sheathing, cladding, wall height etc…
Related to this would be what I call an “eyedropper” tool. One would select the “template” wall first and then proceed to select as many “target” walls as one desires. Once the initial wall is selected an HTML menu would pop up which would allow the user to select exactly which parameters should be duplicated for the target walls. I actually prefer this sort of tool over the global edit tool described in the previous paragraph.
Obviously some parameters make more sense to copy from one wall to another. Certain parameters like the wall length or corner configurations probably don’t make a lot of sense.
Any feedback on this sort of functionality would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. Another variation on the eyedropper tool would have the HTML menu pop up with the ability to not only select which parameters to copy but also the ability to edit each parameter as desired. (I think we just figured out the new eyedropper tool and the form it will take.)
In my Building Creator extension I allow multiple selections. Any common properties are displayed, and properties that are different are displayed as blank. This allows changing common properties on objects that are not the same.
!!! CAUTION !!!
Installing this update will require that you delete and recreate any HIP or SHED wall presets that you have previously configured. This update will not affect any rectangular or gable wall presets.
Yes, this completes all of the upgrades necessary to enable the 2nd sheathing layer for all wall types. A tedious but necessary process, over 30 files where updated in the code but only four actual parameters added to the wall types.
Some minor cosmetic updates to the draw and edit menus of all the wall types. Hopefully the advanced options section is a bit easier on the eyes now and a bit more organized. All of these parameters can get a bit overwhelming at times even for myself, however each one is necessary so we can’t just wash our hands of them.
I may take a bit of a break today from the code but at the same time I’m chomping at the bit to at least get some sort of “Wall Dropper” tool up and running since I don’t think it would be that hard to implement and I do think it would be very useful.
The pocket door algorithm is based on the 1500 series Johnson Hardware Pocket Door Frames:
I am not modeling all of the details of the door assembly such as the steel studs or the track and jamb brackets, however I am modeling the prefabricated (wood) frame header assembly.
View model here:
Honestly, I’ve never been a big fans of pocket doors. We had a few of them in our house in Copalis Beach and they always seem problematic, but I also recognize that they are sometimes a necessary evil when geometric design constraints leave the designer/architect with no other choice.
I have received numerous requests for pocket doors the last few months so it was finally time to add them to the toolbox.
I still need to come up with the 2D symbol at the base of the door and even a more interesting problem is the opening algorithm for this door type.
The two outer panels are simple, they are merely a rotation just like a standard swing door. The inner panels on the other hand not only rotate but they also translate in relation to the outer panels since a hinge constrains them at that point. I like these kinds of “hard” problems.
You can also add a threshold if used as an exterior door however I don’t have a lot of options yet for exterior applications (ie. full glass). For now these are primarily for closet doors.
You can also switch which side the doors face by choosing LH INT or LH EXT. For the four panel bifold it doesn’t matter whether you choose LH or RH, it essentially ignores the handedness of the parameter.
I still need to add in the 2 panel variant and then I think we will have most of the basics covered as far as doors are concerned, at least for now. Really exotic stuff will be up to the user to add into a framed opening (which I can provide).
The door opening algorithm was a bit more challenging than everything encountered thus far but after a couple of hours tinkering it finally came together.
Ok, here’s my opinion. Keep in mind, I’m not saying you should do this, or that it’s feasible, it’s just what I imagine as the optimal solution for how I would build a wall tool like Medeek Wall. Also, some of these ideas aren’t fully thought out, so maybe some of them are logical dead-ends. This is more just a brainstorm
Each wall configuration should be saved as a “definition”.
Each wall should be associated with a definition.
You should be able to override a wall property on any individual wall without losing the association with the definition for all the other properties.
In the wall definition, you should be able to configure conditional properties based on Tag inheritance or other creative parameters (size, position, material, idk). Example: A wall definition might define stud spacing as 12"OC if nested in “First Floor” tag, and 16"OC if nested in “Second floor” tag.
When you update a wall definition, it should update all the walls in the model associated with that definition.
Certain properties should be able to be associated with several wall definitions by using custom, user-defined global properties. For example, siding or sheathing might be a global property that is assigned to multiple wall definitions. When you change the global siding property, it should update all wall definitions that have that global siding property.
Anyways, to provide more specific feedback about the eyedropper tool idea…
Editing Multiple walls: I think if you could just preselect multiple walls > Right-click > Edit Walls, then the wall parameter window appears and you just change whichever parameters you want and apply them (while leaving dissimilar properties as is), that would be great. Also make it so you can pick multiple walls after the Edit Wall dialog pops up. Both ways should work.
Sampling walls: Hmmm, I kind of like what you’re saying. But maybe instead of having a dedicated dialog for sampling properties, just add a “sample” button to your existing “Edit wall assembly” window, and when you click that, have unchecked checkboxes appear on all the properties and make all of the properties greyed out. Then, the user checks which properties she would like to enable for sampling. Then, she can sample a wall in the model, and all the “checked” properties will be updated for the walls currently being edited.
(pictures are better than words, lol) Maybe it could look something like this once the user clicks the Sample button and enables sampling for Stud depth, for example:
It’s going to take me half a day to completely digest all of these excellent suggestions and compare and contrast with my own notes.
Thank-you, I usually don’t get this kind of high quality feedback, your attention to detail is something I really appreciate.
As I mentioned before certain properties probably don’t make much sense as far as sampling is concerned so these would simply be grayed out without a checkbox or removed entirely (ie. Wall Name, Wall Length etc…)
I think I’m going to the call the “eyedropper” tool the “Copy Wall” tool. One additional icon will be added to the “Medeek Wall Tools” toolbar:
I know, I will hear it from everyone about the proliferation of more icons. However, there is an extension out there that allows you to customize the actual toolbars if you feel the need to:
