Topic Title

Smart windows do not have the ability to cut an opening in more than one wall. If your design includes a situation where one window extends through two walls, you can obtain the desired result by adding two windows, one in each wall. Both windows will have the same coordinates in the model, but one will have no components checked in its definition, resulting in just the opening.

In this example, we have a brick wall which extends from Z-Base (ZB) of zero to a Z-Height (ZH) of 3', and a shingle wall which sits on top of it extending from ZB=3' to ZH=8'. The goal is to insert a window which has a sill height of 2'-2" and a head height of 6'-8", which would place it in both walls.

Start by adding the two walls to the drawing, placing them on separate layers.



Open the Window Type Manager and load the window type that you wish to insert into the walls. In this example, we will use a window type named "Double Hung" that has a unit height of 4'-6", and a corresponding Head Height of 6'-8" and Sill Height of 2'-2".



In the Windows menu, toggle [F4]At Sill on. Click [F5]One Layer and choose the layer on which the lower wall section is drawn. Place the window in the wall. Note that the window cuts only the lower wall.



Open the Window Type Manager again. With the same window type still active, click the "Save As" button and enter a new name (in this example, "Double Hung_opening") to create a window with the same settings and dimensions as the existing one.

Next, adjust the unit height and head height of the second window type. Take the value currently shown in the "Head Height" field and subtract the Z-Base of the upper wall. In this example, the Head Height of 6'-8 minus the Z-Base of 3', results in a value of 3'-8". Enter this new value in both the "Height" and "Head Height" fields on the "Unit" tab of the Window Type Manager. The "Sill height" will automatically change to zero.



Next, activate the "Trim Out" tab and un-check "At Head," "At Jamb," and "At Sill." Do the same for the "Trim In" tab. On the "Header," "Jambs," "Sill," "Sash," "Muntins," and "Glass" tabs, un-check "Include." On the "2D Options" tab, un-check "Include Sill," "Include Sash," and "Include Glass." The result is a Smart window that does not have any components included. The o2c preview on the Window Type Manager should be blank.



Make sure to click "Save" to save the changes to the window type definition file. Click OK to dismiss the Window Type Manager.

In the Windows menu, toggle [F5]One Layer off and then toggle it back on again. This time, pick the layer which contains the upper wall as the layer to search for walls. Leaving "At Sill" on, insert the window into the wall. DataCAD will insert the blank window opening into the wall.

The result is two windows cutting two walls in the same location. Since one window has no components included in its definition, you only see one window cutting the two walls in the 3D Object Viewer.