Doors and windows, cutting multiple walls

[Anonymous]

Hi people, as part of an architecture project I need to make specific doors and windows, items yet to be made, my problem is the next one.

As part of the architecture, I create 3 walls, the one in the middle defined as brick, and the other two, (one on each side) represents the material defined by the architect.

Since I place the windows and doors in the core wall (brick) I still need to cut the walls that represent the finishes of each wall, I have managed to use family voids to cut those extra walls.

But I have to go wall by wall, which is really time-consuming and may lead to a mistake where I miss to cut an extra wall. Is there a way to do command the family to do it automatically.

Please find the door I used in the image attached below, if anyone has any idea I would truly appreciate it.

As an extra note, I have the same issue with the windows and some families that are attached to the wall.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

Join geometry the walls together and doors and windows can cut through all of them.

[Anonymous]

ok, I had no idea about that, some issue is I already have all the building worked this way, and while experimenting with the join solution, I found that I would have to go wall by wall, I mean I tried to apply join to a whole level (only selecting walls) but since they do not intersect, it only joins 1 wall with their respective finishes, leaving the rest of the level unjoined.

[ToanDN]

You cannot select a bunch of walls and join. However you can initiate the Join command, tick Multiple Join box and start picking the walls to join, one by one.

Any reasons you didn't create the walls with multiple layers?

[Anonymous]

yeah, it seems that will be the solution, and it was to avoid the creation of several wall types due to finishes on each side. I have 5 types of wall, brick, tablaroca, durock, concrete and precor, and a list of 17 wall finishes, so it seemed the best way to do the modelling.

[barthbradley]

Sounds an lot like your are creating each LAYER in a wall as an individual Wall Type, instead of defining multiple layers in Wall Types.  Do you know that you can make compound layered Wall Types? Additionally, did you know that you can use the Parts tool to "break" up those compound-layers Wall Types into individual wall layers -- without disturbing the source Wall Type?  In other words, you can have both conditions represented by one Wall.  

[David_Knight]

There are reasons to use multiple layers for wall conditions.

Recently we had a structural model that i copy/monitored the first floor walls (which were flood walls).

structural controlled them.

I had my exterior skin (brick, air, insulation) as a wall type, and my interior skin (1/2" gap, stud, and drywall) as a wall type.  Then I had to join all 3.

Its clunky but its the best way to handle it when your structural consultant is making lots of changes to the building.

[barthbradley]

It's not uncommon for us as well, @David_Knight.  In fact, when it comes to roofs; layers are almost always modeled as separate types.  So, yes, I totally get your point and agree.  

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I know those kinds of walls can be created and the split into layers, but all have to be created in the main wall type, and then it comes again to create a type for each wall material, and then create more types depending on which material goes on each side of that wall, and more time splitting long walls that have 1 material on 1 side and several types on the other

I guess joining them will be the way to go in the end, thanks for the help and advice.

I will mark that as the response.

Thanks a lot.