curved curtain wall transoms

[crispin.schurr]

I have a curved wall (simple radiused in plan) that I have modelled as a curtain wall.
It is composed of steel fins as structural members, and thin metal sheet rolled to radius as infill panels.

Is there a way to get the fins (as transoms) to follow the curvature of the wall - I can only get them to facet.

Interestingly for the infill panels, a system panel facets, but substituting a wall type for the panel forms a radiused wall panel.

Crispin

[bal]

Would it be possible to get a screen shot or a post of the model to see the problem?

[AP23]

You will need to use the new curtain panel pattern based to get curved mulliions. Use the spine by points to create the sweep for. So, don't use the already placed reference lines in the curtain panel template. The spline will curve on a curved mass.

[cliff collins]

Good suggestion on the new massing tools--

However, I must ask:

Will you really be specifying curved glass and mullions?

This is extremely expensive........

So before going through all the complexity in Revit to achieve this, perhaps a trip
through the estimating department would be in order.

just a thought........

cheers

[AP23]

This is extremely expensive........

I think it depends in which area the projects is being built. We generally import the curved glass and mullions from abroad as the labor cost there is much cheaper.

BTW, let's not talk too much about cost here. Autodesk has a tendency to use that as an argument to not implement certain tools in Revit.

Here is a sample file from www.buildz.blogspot.com

[cliff collins]

Agreed. Good dialogue.

OK--so you may go ahead and spend quite a bit of time making a Mass, converting it to curtainwall, detailing it, making custom mullions, and producing documents from which shop drawings can be derived, etc.

Then--( unless you are in a "Real IPD" scenario--which is highly unlikely, )
at a much later date, the GC says, "The glazing package is 250% over budget,
what do you want to do?

Response: "Well, we can use segmented glazing, which will give the same curved effect, and meet the budget requirements. It can also be delivered to the site from a local source on schedule so we can close in the building before sub-zero temperatures arrive."

Blah Blah Blah--Been, there, done that. Or perhaps, "BIM there, done that"?

I understand that this forum is mainly about "How do I achieve this in Revit?"
which is great. But it can also be a bit more than purely a technical discussion.
There is more to architecture than a limited discussion about which Revit method to use.

So--It's OK to talk about cost--because it gets right to the issue of design intent,
which directly affects the Revit modeling technique and amount of design fee
spent to provide the correct solution and resulting documents. A business decision.
Architects who do not consider it this way will soon go out of business.

Design is a solution to a problem. The budget is a major parameter of the problem definition. So--define the problem first, then provide a solution--not the reverse, which all too often is the norm.

If the problem states that "Curved glazing is required"--then ignore this post, and model away!

Just sharing some real-world experience....

cheers

[greg.mcdowell]

It should be possible to make a curved curtain panel family with a parametric radius. I think I saw an example of this in the content that comes with Revit... or am I imagining things again.

[AP23]

It should be possible to make a curved curtain panel family with a parametric radius. I think I saw an example of this in the content that comes with Revit... or am I imagining things again.

Yes, it's possible, but you will have to manually enter the radius. And curvature can only be singular, not double.

[greg.mcdowell]

Sounds like it will work for the crispin.schurr then since all he needs is a simple curve in plan.

If it were curved in 3D, like on the surface of a ball, then he'd need the new curtain panel patterns as you suggest. I think that's overkill for a 2D curve but that's me.

[opesch]

Yes, it's possible, but you will have to manually enter the radius. And curvature can only be singular, not double.

It's exactely what I need also for a project (the buliding has rounded glazed corners with the same design/radius as the one I've attached hereby)

Helas, in our case, the corners angle and pannels lenght are different because each corner has a different "aperture" !!! it's why I absolutely need a parametric radius

could you please tell me how to do it or event where do I find a tutorial to create that kind of parametric family ?

[sbrown]

I would just make a wall type called Glass Wall, the structure set to Glass - 1" thick, then make a wall hosted sweep for your mullions, it will follow the curve. Use Generic Wall hosted families for the vertical mullions.

[opesch]

Right, lot easier, thanks for the quick answer !

But... that's what I've done for the "presentation" purpose... 'coz what we've received was a single inplace familly which was build of 100s swept elements as windows & mullions... that's an Autocad/Sketchup manner of work, not a Revit powered manner ;o)

Now we need a real curtain wall with all its separated dubble-glazed pannels + isolated blind glazed pannels + glazed doors + contractuals steel mullions which protrudes also around the terrace without half of its glazing pannels (only one continuous glas barrier left)

In facts we need a complete simple model which works for mass loads annalisys, estimating scheddule, shop drawings, furniture scheddule... etc...

My company is moving to Revit and asked me to get the same shop drawings/data results as our standard autocad team does on this small 3 stories building... (they plan to get a "BIM capable" label with it)

So as its a "comparing capacity test" I cannot say them... "it looks good but in 3D but it's only a trics" if there is a "clean" renewable solution that I can put in the library whatever the time it takes for !

[sbrown]

Then making your own curtain panels with the mullions in them. You'll need multiple panel types for different edge conditions. I think there is a curved glass panel in the metric library you could start with. But with any of the solutions you will still need to create your shop drawings with detail components.