Door / Window wizard – ARCHLine.XP

1.1. Door / Window wizard

ARCHLine.XP comes with a very detailed parametric library of doors and windows. Beyond these build-in doors and windows ARCHLine.XP offers custom door and window designer tool that guides you to design openings to your own specification.

The doors/windows created with the Door/window wizard command are saved in the door/window catalogue, so they can be used in any other drawing.

Location:
Building> Door > New doors-> Door wizard

Building> Window > New window -> Window wizard

The Door / Window Wizard is designed to provide easy-to-use tools for creating a new door or window.
It is possible to decorate the surface of the door by specifying the handles, materials (even a photo of the original element), profile frame, profile threshold, and other accessories.

The new custom door and window can be saved in the appropriate library category to use it later on any project. Doors and windows can be drag and drop on place on wall either in 2D or 3D from their category within the Design Center. The wall openings automatically created on the fly. Clicking on a door or window and selecting the “Opening properties” command you can reopen the door and window wizard to edit the structure and redefine the current opening or create and save a new type in the library.

The wizard contains different parts: the left side Control bar, the middle Properties panel, the right side 3D preview.

Control bar	Properties	3D preview

1.1.1. How to use the Door / Window wizard

Open the Door Wizard and edit the properties. When a value is changed, you can build it in 3D by pressing the Refresh button at the top of the 3D Preview. When you are done with the settings, you can create a new door type in the Save button.

1.1.2. Control bar

On the control bar you can navigate between pages of the Property panel. Some features like handles, accessories etc. can be enabled or disabled by using the corresponding checkbox.

1.1.3. Scheme

On the scheme page, you can select a starting scheme. Other settings in the wizard depend on this choice.

1.1.4. Main parameters

On the General page you can set the main sizes of the opening. Depending on the selected scheme you can see different values here.

Horizontal and vertical sizes are grouped into two different groups. You can mark a single parameter in each group as “stretched” by pressing the button. Once a parameter is marked this way, this value will follow the changes while other parameters remain unchanged.

For example, if the left panel is marked as ”stretched”, it will be compressed when we change the full width from 1.8m to 1.5m. The wing width remains unchanged.

1.1.5. Representation

On the Representation page you can set some options related to the 2D and 3D representation of the opening.

Show threshold in 2D

If enabled, a simple threshold symbol appears on the floor plan. (The 3D threshold can be adjusted on the Threshold page separately.)

Threshold in 2D disabled Threshold in 2D enabled

Show frame profile bounding box on 2D symbol

If enabled, the frame profile is represented as a rectangle on the floor plan instead of the real profile shape.

Frame profile bounding box disabled Frame profile bounding box enabled

Opening direction symbol

You can choose one of the available symbols to represent the opening direction on the floor plan. The shape of the symbol depends also on the “Opening angle in 2D” setting of the Panel page.

Arc Triangle None

Show opening direction in 3D

If enabled, opening direction symbols appear on the 3D views.

Opening direction disabled Opening direction enabled

Open panels in 3D

If enabled, panels are represented as open on the 3D views according to the “Opening angle in 3D” setting of the Panel page.

Open panels in 3D disabled Open panels in 3D enabled

1.1.6. Frame

On the frame page you can edit different frame parts of the opening separately. On the top of the page you can see the available frame parts; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All of the settings below concern the selected frame part only.

and

buttons serve for copying and pasting frame data. For example, to make the top frame similar to the side frame, first select the side frame, press

button, select the top frame and then press

button.

By pressing

buttons you can switch between profile and material list.

Width and Height

These values define the width and height of the chosen profile (size in the X and Y direction). These values override the corresponding profile settings. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

X and Y Offset

The offset value changes the position of the profile horizontally and vertically. X and Y directions are interpreted in the plane of the profile; see the related figure on the dialog. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

1.1.7. Threshold

On the threshold page you can assign a profile and a material to the threshold. .

By pressing

buttons you can switch between profile and material list.

Enable threshold

You can enable or disable the 3D threshold. The threshold lines on the 2D symbol can be enabled or disabled on the Representation page independently.

Width and Height

X and Y Offset

The offset value changes the position of the profile horizontally and vertically. X and Y directions are interpreted in the plane of the profile. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

Additional Length

The Additional length extends the original length of the threshold. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

1.1.8. Panel

On the panel page you can edit different panels of the opening separately.

On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All the setting below is related to the selected panel only.

and buttons serve for copying and pasting panel data. For example, to make the right wing similar to the left one, first select the right wing, press button, select the left wing and then press button.

Opening direction

You can specify the opening direction by selecting an opening direction from the list and setting the on / off and left / right direction. To display the setting, Open panels in 3D or Show opening directions in 3D on the Representation page.

You can define the opening angle in the 3D window here. Note that if Open panels in 3D checkbox is not checked, the Opening angle 3D setting has no effect. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

You can use the material buttons to adjust the front, back and edge materials of the door panel.

1.1.9. Geometry

On the geometry page you can find the detailed geometry settings of the panel.

On the geometry page you can edit different panels of the opening separately. On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All of the settings below concern the selected panel only.

Thickness

The thickness value defines the door panel thickness, without decorations and handles.

Offset

The Offset option is for setting up a distance between the door panel and the framing, if necessary. If the value is 0, then the door is perfectly aligned to the primary plane of the opening. If the value is different than 0 then the door panel will be shifted perpendicularly to the panel surface in a positive or negative direction face (forwards or backwards), depending on the sign of the value.

Edge offsets

The Edge offset option is for setting up a distance between the door panel edges and the framing. If the value is 0, then the door is perfectly aligned to the reference line of the corresponding frame profile. If the value is different than 0 then the door panel will be reduced (positive value) or enlarged (negative value) at the selected edge.

1.1.10. Edge profile

On the Edge profile page you can customize the edges of a selected panel. .

On the Edge profile page you can edit different panels of the opening separately. On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All of the settings below concern the selected panel only.

Once a panel is selected, you can customize the edges together or separately.

Enable

If you would like to customize the panel edge by a given profile, enable this checkbox.

Profile and materials

By pressing or buttons you can switch between profile and material list.

Width and Height

X and Y Offset

The offset value changes the position of the profile horizontally and vertically. X and Y directions are interpreted in the plane of the profile, see the related figure on the dialog. After modifying a value press the Refresh button to apply changes.

Align profile and Subtract profile

You can align the selected profile to the middle, to the front or back face of the panel or stretch it to the panel width. If you enable Subtract profile, the selected profile will be subtracted from the panel, otherwise the panel will be reduced by the edge profile width and the profile itself will be added to the panel. See the eight combinations in the table below:

1.1.11. Define panel profile for doors/windows

Before creating holes or insets in a panel, you may need to add new panel profile to your existing panel profile library. You can do it with the Building menu – Accessories – Define panel profile for doors/windows command.

* Start the command and read the necessary steps of the procedure on the Additional information dialog. Click Ok to start the procedure.

* Use the Profile definitions commands to draw a closed chain (e.g. Rectangle). This will be the outline of the hole in the door panel.

* Once you have the hole outline, you can draw opened chains into it with the Profile definitions commands (e.g. Polygon). Press Enter to close the definitions.

* In the Create new 2D group/object dialog specify the name of the new panel profile and select Opening panel frontal profiles category.

* Click Ok to save the new panel profile in the library.

1.1.12. Inset

On the Inset page you can create holes or insets in a panel.

On the inset page you can edit different panels of the opening separately. On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All of the settings below concern the selected panel only.

Once a panel is selected, you can add, remove inset profiles. All the setting below is relative to the selected profile only.

Use offsets for all 4 sides

If enabled, you can define the position and side of the selected inset profile by setting the distances between the panel and the inset, otherwise the midpoint coordinates and the sizes of the profile must be defined.

Use offsets for left/right/top/bottom side

If “Use offsets for all 4 sides” is enabled, here set the distances between the panel and the inset. In case of complex geometries, the offset is interpreted as the distance between the bounding boxes of the panel and the inset.

Inset width/height/X offset/Y offset

If “Use offsets for all 4 sides” is disabled, you can set here the midpoint coordinates and the sizes of the profile.

Inset thickness

The setting this value to zero results an empty hole in the panel.

Profile and materials

By pressing or you can switch between profile and material list. The first object in the profile list is a custom one: Automatic profile is created by shifting the sides of the original panel profile with the offset values of the 4 sides, separately.

1.1.13. Inset edge profile

On the Inset edge profile page you can customize the edges of a selected panel’s insets.

On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All the setting below is related to the selected panel only.

Once a panel is selected, you can select one of the inset profiles defined on the inset page. You can customize the edges of the selected inset profile together or the outline and splitters separately.

Enable

If you would like to customize the inset edge by a given profile, enable this checkbox.

Profile and materials

By pressing or you can switch between profile and material list.

Width and Height

X and Y Offset

Align profile and Subtract profile

1.1.14. Inner and outer handle

On the Inner handle page you find the geometry settings for the door handles and knobs.

On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All the setting below is related to the selected panel only.

Enable handle

The Has Handle option enables the handle and lock for the current door panel. Enable this option if you would like to use handles and locks.

Handle type

The list allows you to select a handle and also to choose any object you can access with the Design Center. Click on the combo box to open the dropdown list and choose Standard, Circle Shaped, Sphere Shaped or Custom. Each choice will define a different door handle with lock.

To define an object for the door handle, select Custom from the list, and click on the Browse button. When you do so, the Insert objects dialog will appear, in which you can use the Object Selection button to browse a new object.

Rotation around X/Y Axis

You can rotate the selected handle by changing the values of the Rotation around X/Y/Z Axis. The default is 0, 0, 0 and the unit is degrees. Select the desired angle to rotate the handle by a specific angle.

X/Y/Z Offset

The X/Y/Z Offset values of the door Handle properties let you to define a free offset of the selected handles in every direction. The left bottom alignment point is the origin (0,0,0). The three values are the X, Y, and Z directions.

Handle and Lock Together

The Handle and Lock Together option will weld the handle and lock object into one object if Standard, Circle Shaped or Sphere Shaped handle was selected. If Custom handle is selected, the Handle and Lock Together option won’t change anything.

Mirror handle

You can mirror the handle by this setting to position the handle correctly

Material

You can set the material of the handle here. This setting has no effect if a custom handle (an object) is selected.

1.1.15. Accessories

On the Accessories page you can add accessories to the door and you can define the geometry settings of the accessories.

On the top of the page you can see the available panels; the content of this list depends on the current scheme. All the setting below is relative to the selected panel only.

Accessories list

The Accessories list shows list of added objects and lets you select one to edit. If there is no object added yet, this list is not visible.

X Offset

Change the X Offset value to displace the current accessory to the left or right direction.

Y Offset

Change the Y Offset value to elevate the current accessory up or down.

Z Offset

Change the Z Offset value to displace the current accessory perpendicular to the door surface. 0 (zero) means that the object is on the surface.

Rotation around X/Y/Z Axis

Change the Rotation around X/Y/Z Axis values to rotate the current accessory. 0 (zero) is the default position. The values are the X/Y/Z rotation angles in this order.

Side

The Side list has two options to define the placement side for the actual accessory.

Object – Select Object

Use the Add Object button to add a new accessory. By pressing the Add Object button, the Insert object dialog window will open, to let you browse any object. When an object is selected, you will return to the Door wizard Accessories page and you can set the properties of the accessory. The selected object name will be visible at the top of the page in the Accessories list with a numbering..

Positioning

The Accessories Positioning grid helps you to set the alignment point of the actual accessory. Tick the desired radio button to set the accessory position to one of the alignment points.

Remove Object

Use the Remove object to remove the current accessory object. Note that this operation cannot be undone. If you accidentally remove an accessory object, you might need to browse it again.

1.1.16. BIM Parameters

Setting up the BIM values will guarantee that even when you export the building into an IFC file the information about the opening won’t be lost.

1.1.17. 3D Preview panel

On the right side of the Door wizard dialog you can find the 3D preview panel. Use this panel and its controllers to examine the changes during the design process in the wizard.

Refresh button

On the top of the 3D preview panel you can find the Refresh button. This can be used to refresh the 3D preview content after changing certain values in the Door Wizard. When you press the Refresh button, the software will update the door preview by using the current values.

Presentation settings button

The Representation settings button can be used to switch between Wireframe, Hidden lines and textured views. Click on the button to switch to the next view. When you reach the last view, click on it again to set the first visual style again. On slower machines, this button can be used to turn off the 3D preview also, by setting the “X” state on it.

3D Preview area

Click and hold your right mouse button and move your mouse to rotate the preview content. Use the scroll-wheel of the mouse to zoom in or out and pan the 3D preview content.

1.1.18. Save new door/window

Save the new door/window created this way in the given category of the Door or Window.

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