How can I insert door or window into the wall in 2D view?

1mi8
edited September 2021 in BricsCAD BIM

Hi.
I'm a beginner.
How can I insert door or window into the wall in 2D view?
I'm used to insert door or window into the wall in 2D view, like work in Revit or AutoCAD Architecture.
Does BricsCAD have that function?

Comments

  • No, not really.
    BricsCAD BIM is strictly 3d, 2d-drawings are derived from the model, they are not a 2d-representation of the model that you could edit to propagate changes back to it.
    If you are not interested in BIM and merely looking for convenient AEC-related drafting, you might want to take a look at the CopyGuided command (I must admit that I never checked that one out for myself).

  • Michael Mayer
    edited September 2021

    ^ I still waited to say this and disappoint @1mi8 ...

    Yes, I also see no way in 2D Top Plan View.
    And that is not that attractive.

    I personally can live with the 3D-only approach.
    But the need to always define the Opening's Z every time again from the
    outer Wall's Face - while the interesting Z Offset may be the Z from
    Finish Floor instead - mostly for any new insertion,
    isn't that comfortable.

    That is why I usually still stick with my Vectorworks for that kind of BIM Work.
    Window Sill or Top Height is defined in a Window Style (or local).
    So I can place Windows repeated very easily from a 2D Top View and just
    concentrate on my openings XY Positions in the Walls.

  • @Michael Mayer said:
    ...Vectorworks...
    Window Sill or Top Height is defined in a Window Style (or local).
    So I can place Windows repeated very easily from a 2D Top View and just
    concentrate on my openings XY Positions in the Walls.

    That'd be useful!
    BricsCAD lists a "Sill height" BIM property for window components that is set to zero, but seems decoupled from the actual z position.

    For components in general, wouldn't it be nice to have an option with _BmInsert, to facilitate insertion in a 2D view, to force the z position to some sticky value, with default z = 0 w.r.t. (dynamic) UCS? Or w.r.t. a "current" floor elevation?

  • I think the problem is that Bricscad hasn't any kind of Story binding.

    But I think though that there could be a way to just select the Wall's Face in 2D Top Plan View,
    and the 4x numeric distance input is just projected on Layer Plane.
    As, as it is from top or bottom of the Face to set Window Sill/Top height, we mostly have to
    manually calculate anyway, what to input to get a certain Sill Height from Finish Floor.

  • Checkout V23 - Top View Mode. When you've defined your stories they appear as discs on a tool called 'story bar' on the left of the drawing area. Clicking on a disc cuts the model at 1m above the story elevation and rotates the view to top view. Elements below the story elevation are visible but greyed out, down to 1m below story elevation. In this mode you can more easily do the basic floor layout editing: placing walls, windows and doors. (side note, also try BIMTRIM and BIMEXTEND on walls) While placing windows, a command panel allows to specify the sill height which is measured relative to the story elevation. Another side note: if you now rotate the view to have a 3d view to do more involved modeling, the model will still be sliced around the story elevation. Bottom and top of this slice can be adjusted by using the sliders on the story bar. Navigate between different floors by clicking the story discs.
  • Hi Pieter,

    my post was from september 2021. :smiley:
    Yes, found this already in V23 Beta and am very excited about Top View Mode
    and everything that came with it.
    This is an absolutely great new Feature Set that has a giant impact on BIM UX.
    It covers or solves a large number of former weaknesses.

    Unfortunately I had go back to V22 as my project makes V23 freezing all the time.
    I have to wait for the fixes in V23.1.08
  • It's funny how you often find someone has asked the same question you were looking for. Great that this is a possibility in V23
  • That Top View Mode solved a lot of Bricscad BIM weaknesses.
    - ability to spread Doors and Windows quickly in 2D Top View.
    - ability to switch quickly between Story visibilities
    (without the need to give up other visibilities states by Layer or Structural Panel on object level)

    And all in a new fresh Bricscad's own way and already great in its first release.
    So you can also adjust the upper and lower cut heights by the sliders, have a great
    suitable visual style and a reliable 2.5D top plane working modus without the risk
    of accidentally moving things in (not visible in 2D top view) Z height !
    To be able to view neighbored Story (partly), but not risk to accidentally select or
    edit parts of them
    Together with new Insertion and Wall Editing Tools.
    And even greater that you can switch the View to 3D nevertheless.


    Just 2 things that I do not really like.

    1.
    As Bricscad often has an active Preview when trying to change settings when hovering
    (e.g. Visual Style's dropdown list, which can irritate if the file is crowded and Preview
    generation will take minutes and freeze and therefore not register your click)
    When I hover over to my Structure Panel and accidentally cross the "Top View" activation
    areas, the view will highlight a blue Story Plane and stay in that state when I hover my
    Structure Panel - until I reach back to a blank drawing view area.
    (I think, all temporary View Highlight actions should reset, as soon as the cursor leaves
    the drawing area ....)

    2.
    I am used to set my Story heights to finish floor's top height and see Slab, Floor packages
    part of my Story, while Ceilings, Slab/Floor above are part of the Story above.
    So that I can view inside from Top or Iso Views.
    In this case, some of my Story's parts are below the Top View Mode's cut plane,
    therefore grayed and unfortunately non editable or locked.

    I think the difference, if Objects being grayed vs editable, should be derived from
    Object's Story Setting only - not from "above Story height Plane's definition".
    So objects being able to exceed the Story level plane downwards.
    While the top and bottom Cut Planes are just defining a selected, absolute Cut Depth,
    no matter if Objects are grayed/locked vs editable, active Story objects.
  • If we can add windows in 2d. Can they later be manipulated in the elevation view? Style changed size etc etc
  • Ahm, interesting question.
    I would say yes.

    It is just that I currently (still) have all Windows and Doors imported from IFC.
    So they are not really parametric and somehow maybe, by import, inserted
    from the wrong Wall side (?)
    And I see that some of them do not show DynDims at all. Those who do, often
    only show horizontal DynDims.
    The Walls are, like all geometry, coming from IFC Import too.

    I did not replace the Inserts so far as they can't be created/setup by Bricscad's
    Library Inserts. And I am not competent enough to produce my own parametric
    Doors and Windows.
    So for now I saved my Windows to external Files - to edit/adapt them externally.
    But that is a) quite tedious to edit one at a time and do all changes for all again
    and b) I do not seem to have full control, e.g. extending BIM_SUBTRACT
    cut Volumes still does not reliably cut all Walls and such.


    So not the best test case here.

    I think that would need a test in plain new Bricscad geometry and Bricscad
    Library Inserts.
  • Ok thanks! Not sure I entirely understand the answer though! But that's probably my lack of knowledge at the moment
  • Ahm yes, I am not able to give a simple answer somehow :)

    If you have Bricscad V23 or Bricscad Trial, draw a simple plan by "Quickdraw"
    and insert some Windows to test.

    (I can not do currently unfortunately, as I have currently an unofficial Bricscad
    Version which overwrites the official version .... and pretty crappy geometries)
  • Hahaha thanks Michael I will try! Yes bricscad BIM
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