Wall endcaps

[calfcreek_2]

I have searched and found some complaints about endcaps but not many solutions. Neither could I find a solution to my problem.

I am making some firm standard wall styles and I typically use a pline to make an endcap style. Mostly this is needed for masonry returns at windows and doors. No matter the wall style the typical masonry component just needs to return 7 1/2". Seems simple enough. And it seems that the same endcap would work for all. However, every time I assign the endcap to a different wall, it is always off a bit. Then if I edit in place it wants to rename it. If I try to overwrite the original then it doesn't work for the original wall. I have ended up with multiple endcap styles with different names that are exactly the same. Very frustrating. I can usually 'work around' ACA's little quirkiness but this is just mind boggling. What could be so hard about returning one component 7 1/2"??

Surely I am missing some simple step or technique for assigning an existing endcap to a new wall style.

Any suggestions are as usual greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Keith D. Rodebush

RA

[David_W_Koch]

Any chance that your brick component widths vary from Wall Style to Wall Style?  For example, some nominal and some actual?  That will cause ACA to scale the "polyline" to get the width to match the component width.  I just tried something similar to what you describe, and with the brick component constant, I was able to use the same endcap on several different Wall Styles and the brick component worked fine for all of them.  The brick component is the first component in all of the styles; note that ACA assigns the "polylines" by the index number. 

Can you post a sample file with Wall Styles and Endcaps that exhibit the problem?

[calfcreek_2]

Here is an example. Note the offset in the endcap. This is the behavior that is typical.

Thanks for your input.

Keith D. Rodebush

RA

[David_W_Koch]

Ok, I see what the problem is, and I do not believe there is a solution, other than to have separate endcap styles.

The endcaps for the Msnry, Airspace and EIFS components still work properly, because the width of each component is the same.  But your Stud component is increasing from 6" to 8".  You drew the endcap for the 6" stud Wall, and applied it to both that Wall and the 8" stud Wall.  ACA is going to take the defining polyline, with its 5" projection and 6" width, and scale the entire thing up by 4/3, to get the width to work for the 8" stud component.  That makes the projection 20/3" long (6 11/16"), instead of 5".  The projection on the Msnry and EIFS components remains 5", and since they all align at the starting/ending points, the Msnry and EIFS components wind up 1 11/16" short.

In my test file, I was too lazy to project the adjacent components, so I did not see this effect.  I am afraid this would be considered "as designed".

[calfcreek_2 · Accepted solution]

Thanks David. I was afraid of that. I appreciate your time though.

Keith D. Rodebush

RA