I am currently inserting windows into the home and using a window model from the 3D warehouse. I intersected the window with the interior sheetrock (1/2" thick rectangle). This required moving the windows inwards in the jamb to allow me to use the intersect faces with selection tool and remove the segment where the window is. Now I cannot move the windows back out to be flush with the exterior wall.
Is there a better way to go about making cutouts in this situation or is there an obvious error in my approach? 32x32HomeDraft.skp (8.0 MB)
First thing to say is that the window you chose must have cutting ability because when you move it off the wall, the wall repairs itself.
One odd thing that I don’t think I have seen before is that when you constrain movement to the green axis, the window does not actually get constrained. The green dotted line highlights to indicate constraint but it behaves as if there were no constraint. Very odd.
Personally, I don’t much bother with cutting components. I make the hole in the wall to the size I want and where I want, and then just drop my chosen window into it.
I see the cutting component would not be right with the way you are building this model, but using the window for “intersect faces” of your interior wall finish is creating a mess of unneeded edges.
The window on the left is constrained to a Red/Blue plane that it is glued to. Constraining to green when moving the window doesn’t work (@simoncbevans). Although the green dotted line makes you think so.
You have different window conditions here and some appear to be glued to the inner face. You can select it and choose Unglue in the contextual menu. As you may be able to see, using the window to intersect faces is not a good idea. The windows that worked this way have created many edges based on all the window elements that are useless and have to be deleted.
Since you are modeling all the framing in this case, why not do as the builder will, and base your drywall opening on the framing, not the window unit? You should be able to draw a rectangle based on the framing on the outer side of the drywall (lath) and pushpull an opening in it. Add casing as a separate component or a drywall return in the framing opening… You could make a component of this interior portion of the opening and reuse it for all the equivalent windows. The simplest way depends on what the interior finish is. If you are doing wood casing. I’d just cut the drywall clean first, then place the wood casing component at the opening. Assign the windows to a tag to be able to hide them while you work on the rest, probably assign the casing to that tag eventually or an interior trim tag.
I usually work out the exterior trim and apply that in the window component rather than putting all the windows in then go around again and apply trim to every window separately, but one can do it either way, I guess. Whatever feels right for you.
I’d suggest you make a component of your drywall, either all together or wall by wall. And make both faces to be “front face” facing out, the white default color, as in the picture attached.
I will avoid using complex components to cut. I can see some of the issues with pieces of the components separating as you said, and how it is now glued within the drywall group, and bound to those axes.
Adding the trim to the window component externally first is very wise. I will give this a shot.
What is the purpose/benefit of making the drywall a component instead of a group?
I’m trying to grasp the use of components.
Definitely make it a group or component, but…
Using a component instead of a group is not critical in this case. but a component has some advantages in model organization, as it can carry more metadata. It is also saved in the model’s component library, even if you lose the one in the model. For some other elements that may have multiple copies you have the added advantage of keeping them identical in composition. Sometimes working on a copy of the component away from the rest of the house can be helpful, when the copy in the house updates along with the other. I find the components’ control of axes and the use in the Outliner a little better myself. You get prompted to name the component where as you may not name groups and consequently can’t locate them in the Outliner etc.
On the other hand, the advantage of using groups and not making everything components keeps the component browser from becoming too extensive when you are trying to use it.
Google “glue to” components" or "gluing components " or “cut opening component” , to see how they are made and used. And try here, among other places: https://learn.sketchup.com/.
