Creating Variable Curtain Walls

Variable Curtain Wall lets you have more control and flexibility on the design of curtain walls.

This task shows you how to:

 

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Create Regions and Bands

  1. In the 3D area, select the face where you want to create a curtain wall.

    You can select multiple faces only if the faces are tangent continuous to each other.

  2. To create horizontal bands:
    1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Horizontal Bands .
    2. In the 3D area or from the tree, select reference planes to position the horizontal bands.
    The system places horizontal bands where the reference plane meets the selected face.
  3. To create vertical bands:
    1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Vertical Bands .
    2. In the 3D area or from the tree, select reference points to position the horizontal bands.

Edit Regions and Bands

  1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Area Pattern to activate the selected faces for editing.

    Alternatively, select a band or region in the 3D area.

  2. To edit vertical mullions in a region or a horizontal band:
    1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Vertical Mullion Pattern .
    2. To create a number of equal horizontal panels, click Horizontal Count . In the 3D area, enter the required number of panels in the value box.
    3. To create equally sized panels with a horizontal size as close as possible to an optimal value, click Optimal Width . In the 3D area, enter the optimal horizontal size in the value box.
    4. To create equally sized panels with a horizontal size that are as large as possible, but not larger than a maximum value, click Maximum Width . In the 3D area, enter the maximum horizontal size in the value box.
  3. To edit horizontal mullions in a region or a vertical band:
    1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Horizontal Mullion Pattern .
    2. To create a number of panels of equal vertical size, click Vertical Count . In the 3D area, enter the required number of panels in the value box.
    3. To create equally sized panels with a vertical size as close as possible to an optimal value, click Optimal Width . In the 3D area, enter the optimal vertical size in the value box.
    4. To create equally sized panels with a vertical size that are as large as possible, but not larger than a maximum value, click Maximum Width . In the 3D area, enter the maximum vertical size in the value box.
  4. To copy dimensions, patterns, or display properties from a region or band:
    1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Match .
    2. In the 3D area, select the region or band from where you want to copy a pattern or property.

Match, Make Unique, or Make Similar

  1. To create a unique pattern definition in a region or band:
    1. From the 3D area, right-click the region or band.
    2. Click Make Unique.
  2. To share a pattern definition across multiple regions or bands:
    1. Activate the source region or band.
    2. From the 3D area, right-click the region or band that receives the pattern.
    3. Click Make Similar.

      Important: Make Similar shares the same pattern definition between two regions. After using Make Similar, if you edit one region, the pattern definition is followed in other similar regions.

  3. To copy a pattern definition from one region to another:
    1. Activate the target region or band.
    2. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Match .
    3. In the 3D area, select the region or band from where you want to copy a pattern or property.

      Important: Match creates unique pattern definitions for both regions. After using Match , if you edit one region, the pattern definition is not followed in other regions.

  4. To copy an entire variable curtain wall to a new host surface:
    1. From the Building section of the action bar, click Variable Curtain Wall .
    2. In the 3D area, select the new host surface.
    3. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Match .
    4. In the tree, select the variable curtain wall.
    5. Click .
  5. To copy a variable curtain wall to the same host surface:
    1. From the Building section of the action bar, click Variable Curtain Wall .
    2. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Match .
    3. In the tree, select the variable curtain wall.
    4. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Curtain Options .
    5. In Surface Offset, enter the curtain wall offset.

      Curtain wall offset is measured perpendicular to the panels, away from the building mass. Negative values flip the direction of the offset.

    6. Click .

Set Curtain Options

  1. In the Variable Curtain Wall dialog box, click Curtain Options .
    The system displays curtain wall options.
  2. To set vertical mullions to follow isoparametric lines on the surface instead of lines formed by vertical plane cuts, click the Isoparametric vertical mullions check box.
  3. To orient the horizontal mullions parallel to the xy plane instead of normal to the surface, click the Horizontal mullions parallel to ground check box.
  4. To merge triangular cells formed by vertical lines intersecting a side of the curtain wall, click the Merge triangular cells check box.
  5. To join mullions, click the Join Mullions check box.
  6. To create mullions on the edges produced by cutouts, click the Mullions at cutouts check box. The system creates mullions at the edges of doors, windows, openings, glazed panel walls, and other cutouts.
  7. To flip the side of the input faces on which the system creates the curtain wall, click the Opposite side check box.
  8. In Surface Offset, enter the curtain wall offset.

Set Area Properties

  1. Select the Horizontal mullions check box to create horizontal mullions.
    1. In the Width box, enter the width of horizontal mullions. Mullion width is measured parallel to the surface of the panel.
    2. In the Depth box, enter the depth of horizontal mullions. Mullion depth is measured perpendicular to the panel, toward the building mass.
    3. In the Offset box, enter the offset of the horizontal mullions. Mullion offset is measured perpendicular to the panel, away from the building mass. Negative values flip the direction of the offset.
  2. Select the Vertical mullions check box to create vertical mullions.
    1. In the Width box, enter the width of vertical mullions. Mullion width is measured parallel to the surface of the panel.
    2. In the Depth box, enter the depth of vertical mullions. Mullion depth is measured perpendicular to the panel, toward the building mass.
    3. In the Offset box, enter the offset of the vertical mullions. Mullion offset is measured perpendicular to the panel, away from the building mass. Negative values flip the direction of the offset.
  3. Select the Ascending diagonal mullions check box to create ascending diagonal mullions and select the Descending diagonal mullions check box to create descending diagonal mullions.
    1. In the Width box, enter the width of the diagonal mullions. The mullion width is measured parallel to the surface of the panel.
    2. In the Depth box, enter the depth of the diagonal mullions. The mullion depth is measured perpendicular to the panel, toward the building mass.
    3. In the Offset box, enter the offset of the diagonal mullions. The mullion offset is measured perpendicular to the panel away from the building mass. Negative values flip the direction of the offset.
  4. Under Panel:
    1. In Thickness, enter the thickness of panels. Panel thickness is measured perpendicular to the building face, toward the building mass.
    2. In Offset, enter the offset of the panels. Panel offset is measured perpendicular to the building face, away from the building mass. Negative values flip the direction of the offset.
  5. Under Border Mullions, in Between regions, select the width of the border mullions between regions.
  6. Under Graphic:
    1. Click Panel color to select a color from the Color Picker dialog box. You can use the Color Wheel, Square with Hue, or Hexadecimal color codes to set the color.
    2. To set panel transparency, under Panel color, drag the Transparency slider.
    3. Click Mullion color to select a color from the Color Picker dialog box.
    4. To set mullion transparency, under Mullion color, drag the Transparency slider.