Radiused Curtain Wall

[Joshua Kohl]

Can anyone tell me how I would go about drawing a RADIUSED (not segmented) curtainwall (or a frameless glass partition) panel? Is it even possible?

Thanks in advance!

[cliff collins]

You will need to create a Wall Type with a Glass material, which you can draw with the wall tools in an arc or radius in plan.

Then add mullions as families.

Can't do a true radiused curtainwall--it will remain segmented.

cheers

[bregnier]

If it's truly frameless you could just define a glass wall type and draw that in a curve (or apply it to a mass). The mullions are more difficult- they'd probably have to be applied using a separate family or sweep. Also, you are going to need to apply a filter in your plan and section views to ensure that the glass wall cuts at the same lineweight as other windows in the project.


ooops...beaten to the punch.

[rkitect]

In 2011, you may actually be able to create a curtain panel type with a listening radius parameter. Haven't thought about the specifics (cause there's not a radius parameter for walls) on how it would work, at the very least you could create a manual radius parameter in the curtain panel that allows you to control the radius of the segment. I'll see if i can' post an example. Which version are you using?

[Joshua Kohl]

We just started using 2011.

[d.stairmand]

Josh
Easiest way we do it, is to start a new Curtain Wall Style, Make the Panel a Glass Wall - Not a Panel, and then just draw the Curved Curtain Wall. The Curtain Panel(the Glass Wall) will bend to whichever shape you want, and you can then add in mullions & transoms lines/grid as required. Only issue in doing this is that you cannot have mullions or transoms of a specific profile in the curtain wall - as these wont be curved, but segmented. Inplace family it may be its only way to construct.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

You can create a radiused curtain panel that will provide a curved glass infill panel. See attached family.

[Joshua Kohl]

Thanks guys, those look like some pretty interesting suggestions. I will have to try them all out and see what works best for certain situations.

Thanks again!!

[Joshua Kohl]

Would I be able to create a radiused mullion to match my radiused curtain panel?

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Are you wanting a mullion with the exterior face radiused... sides tapered to match the radius?
Either way, then you just need to create a new mullion profile family and apply it to a mullion type.

[Joshua Kohl]

I was looking for the horizontal mullions to be radiused in plan to match the glazing radius, I really don't need the vertical mullions at all.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

You won't be able to do that using mullions. You can create your horizontal mullions as part of your curtain panel family to emulate the horizontals.

[Ning Zhou]

You won't be able to do that using mullions. You can create your horizontal mullions as part of your curtain panel family to emulate the horizontals.

that seems to be a good solution, but schedule / material takeoff won't be correct for both panel and mullion.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Creative use of naming conventions and scheduling will allow you to easily figure it out.
## panels of this type * length of horizontal edges = total length of mullion (OK, I'm simplifying but you get the idea, right?)

[Ning Zhou]

right, combination of subcategory and API is also a way out.

[mthurnauer]

I have to ask.....is this really how you are going to build this? No vertical mullions, but only horizontal and they are rolled to radius and the glass is formed to curve. What is the structure? Granted, curved glass is very strong, but interrupting it with horizontal mullions breaks the ability to use the glass as the structure. I sometimes think we want to make software model something and think if it can do it then it is real, but it isn't. Just food for thought.

[Joshua Kohl]

I have to ask.....is this really how you are going to build this? No vertical mullions, but only horizontal and they are rolled to radius and the glass is formed to curve. What is the structure? Granted, curved glass is very strong, but interrupting it with horizontal mullions breaks the ability to use the glass as the structure. I sometimes think we want to make software model something and think if it can do it then it is real, but it isn't. Just food for thought.

it's for a frameless glass partition wall (I.e. Avanti Solare) the only horizontal mullions I would have would be the top and bottom rails. The glass between them would be full height floor to ceiling.