topic Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object in AutoCAD Architecture Customization Forum

Moving window sash in AEC window object

maurotrotta — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 10:50:17 GMT

Hi,

I need to have a specific type of casement window that doesn't appear in any of the AEC windows of Autocad by default. It looks pretty simple in floorplan so I think would be possible to edit an existing window style, but can't figure it out. I included a picture of how it look in floorplan(window.jpg). The swing lines are not necesary.

So, when I get into the style properties of the existing AEC window to edit it, I don't have an option to make the sash in different shapes and make it as I need. I look around in the stylemanager, the material of the sash, but none of that seems to go in the direction I need to solve this. What am I missing?

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

pendean — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:39:31 GMT

Nothing attached or included in your post.

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

maurotrotta — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 13:31:28 GMT

Here the attachments

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

David_W_Koch — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 15:03:07 GMT

You will likely need to use custom display blocks to achieve what you want.

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

maurotrotta — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 10:36:02 GMT

Hi David,

I am trying to make the custom display block for the window object but other problems came out. I draw in 2D the window how I need it to be represented and made it into a block, then I assign it to the window object as a custom block display. First problem is that I still can see the "old" representatio of the window object overlaping with the block I created. Second problem is that I would like that the "new" window representation to be editable, so when I change the frame dimension in the style property of the window, it also adjust the custom block. I selected the option scale to fit the witdth in the custom block in order to achieve this, but apparently doesn't work that way. I am not even sure if this is possible, because it seems like I have to create a block for a specific dimension of window, so 1 block for each different size of window, am I right?

I hope my problem is clear 🙂

Attached pics shows in blue lines the window, black lines the block.

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

David_W_Koch — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 12:24:54 GMT

Custom display blocks, particularly in plan view, where the only available component to which they can be attached is the frame, can be tricky, particularly if you want one style to cover a range of sizes. Depending upon the desired final graphics, and just how precise the result needs to be, you may be able to create a style that works for any size, for a limited range of sizes (with multiple Styles to cover the full range needed) or a separate Style for each size.

That last situation is the easiest to create, because you can make a block of exactly what you want to see, drawn at the actual size. But then you need a Style for each size you have, and you have to make sure that you do not change the size of a placed instance of the Style. This works great if you have a specialty situation where there is only one size in a project (like a radiation vault door).

I will see if I can find some time to put something together that gets close to what you showed (plan view only - I know I will not have time to do 3D blocks). As for the regular components also showing, I assume that you have added the custom display blocks to a style-level display override (at drawing-default level, they would show on all Windows that do not have an override); in that override, you can turn off the display of the out-of-the-box components you do not want to see.

Re: Moving window sash in AEC window object

David_W_Koch — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 16:04:52 GMT

@maurotrotta

I got pretty close to your original image, and it is fully resizable, as is. The attached sample file, done in ACA 2022, in imperial units, can be used to reverse-engineer what I did. I made up dimensions, as you did not post a file, so you may not be able to use this "as is" - just as a guide for creating your own.

I did not show the two additional lines running the width of the exterior opening (on the sill?), because those do not start/stop at either the outside of the frame or the inside of the frame, due to the overlap of the exterior Wall component. You can build a gap at the end of the block, but when scaled to the width of the Window, that gap would get scaled as well, and would only be exactly at the exterior Wall component for one specific size. I suppose you could add a non-scaled block to get a starter line at the right offset on each side of the Window, and then add a scaled line set up to always meet or overlap those starter lines, but that would take more time than I have at the moment.

I chose to keep the out-of-the box Sash and Glass Components, to avoid the issue with scaling the Glass line, which is offset from the inside frame. I turned off the out-of-the-box Frame component, and added two Custom Display Block instances of a block called Casement_Inswing_Frame_P, which is "L" shaped as shown in your image, that are associated with the outside of the frame component. There is a 7/8" offset to push the overlapping part beyond the Sash. The Frame Width of the Window is set to 1.5" on the Dimensions tab, and the block is sized to match that (at the part adjacent to the Sash). These blocks are not scaled.

The line across the width of the Window at the outer face of the Frame blocks is a separate Custom Display Block, called Casement_Inswing_Frame_OuterLine_P. It is a unit block with a single horizontal line in it, one unit (1" long), with the insertion point at the left end. It is associated with the outside frame component, and is scaled to the Width of the Window. It is also pushed out 7/8" so that it aligns with the out face of the Frame custom blocks. It overlaps the outside face line of the Frame custom blocks; if it is plotted at the same or thinner lineweight as the Frame blocks, that should not be a problem.

The swing graphics are created by another Custom Display Block, called Casement_Inswing_SashSwing_P. It too is a unit block, with a vertical line 1" long and a 90-degree arc with a 1" radius. The insertion point is at the top of the line and the center point of the arc. It is associated with the inside frame component, which puts it at the outside of the Sash, where we want it. It is scaled to the Width of the Window, and the XY Ratio is Locked, so the block is scale uniformly. The linetype is set on the Layer/Color/Linetype tab, where all of the Custom Display Blocks are listed. The linework in each block is drawn on Layer 0 and has its properties set to "ByBlock" for Layer, Color, Linetype, Lineweight, etc. That allows the settings on the Layer/Color/Linetype tab to control.