What features would you like to see added to a future version of DataCAD?
#73206 by Mark Bell
Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:26 pm
Over the years of adding to the smart entity database naming of smart walls, doors, windows has become longer as more smart entity combinations have been added. Many of the names are now too long to be see in the menu which has a fixed width.

Wishlist - allow the menu where the entity names are to be stretchable so it can be widened using the mouse.
#73207 by Roger D
Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:44 pm
I wish the smart items be expanded.
Would like a single swing casement
Would like a rolling or coiling door, where you can define the hood depth (instead of makeing a Overhead door only 16" or 24" tall)
Have a double door with center mullion
Have multiple storefront windows where the mullions are the same size as the ends
Patio Door with different slide dirrections options, and option for slider to be inside or outside.
French Patio door with different swing options
#73208 by Mark Bell
Sun Feb 04, 2018 6:00 pm
I do too :D
I also think there's scope to further develop how a smart door, window or void is put together to give more flexibility:

1. Assign each door and window its own tag on placement so that they can be scheduled,

2. Allow optional separate symbols to be used for the door frame, door leaf, door handles (separate toggles for inside and outside - this is good for say fire doors where there's no hardware on the inside at upper floors but the same door can be used elsewhere which does have handles both sides), plus extra fixtures such as kickplates, handplates, door closers, viewing panels, seals, signage, etc. Same methodology for smart windows and voids/openings,

3. This then allows the Door Type Manager to create a series of door types with greater flexibility on each component. It would also allow the current use of dynamic door swing to insert a door made of symbol components where the door can swing at any angle and be edited to change the door swing angle. The current limitations are the entire door becomes a fixed symbol compared to the generic parametric entities which can be stretched in size and the door freely rotated,

4. The benefit of using the symbol approach, is the smart door can use DataCAD's scale dependent symbol feature so that the door frame is a simple rectangle at a larger scale but changes to the actual door frame assembly at a smaller scale. This can be applied to the other components as well. We have already used this on some of our smart doors/windows which allows the drawing 'model' to continue into documentation and it becomes a great time saver. The current drawbacks of having a fixed symbol for the whole smart door/window make the required combinations of door and window types too great to make them workable. Splitting the door/window into components would fix this,

5. Add the ability to dynamically stretch parametric components made of sub-symbols. This might be a hard one(?) but it would allow a lot of combinations to be created from a single door or window type,

6. Add the ability for the sub-symbols to auto-hide when in an elevation/section view - this allows them to be used for d/w schedules. The auto-hide is mainly for the hardware so it draws cleanly,

7. Add more options for door and windows types in the generic tabs - 1 + 1/2 leaf (hospitality, medical etc.), pivot doors where the hinge is offset along the plane of the door, 3 + 4 slider styles used on apartments, allow double sliders to remove the segment of wall at the strike (centre of opening),

8. Show more detail in the tabs of the DT/WT Managers that references the settings selected so we can see what the door/window will look like in 2D before save and exiting and then going back into the DTM to make changes,

9. Allow the name of D/W Type to be edited in the Manager,

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