Screened Deck Panels

[rookwood]

Does anyone have a process, or files they are willing to share, for designing parametric screen panels for residential screened decks?

I suppose you could create 'WINDOW' families but what do you use for the screening in lieu of glass?

[beegee]

One method would be to make the panels as a railing - combining balusters and rail profiles to achieve the result.

Another is to nest the screen components family into a frame family and array them.

Yet another possibility is a curtain wall with the mullion profile set to the screen member and the system panel made as a blank.

I don't think a window family would work very well, since you would need to deal with the host wall as well.

[studioCJF]

beegee

I have used the curtain wall tool successfully but it is the panel setting that is very difficult to achieve. I tried several times to get a screen material to look right in the many view types (ie: hidden line, shaded, rendered). I created a material that was based on one of the AccuRender screen/mesh patterns then adjusted the shading settings and applied a fine dot screen as the surface pattern. I tried a lot of different combinations and never quite arrived at one I liked... Maybe one of the rendering/material experts out there could give us a hand.

[beegee]

It depends what type of screen you are looking to make. You are talking about a mesh screen panel.

I was thinking of an open screen made with empty system panels and small mullions for use as a decorative screen.

For your application , I would try mapping a photo of the real thing as an Accurender material.


beegee

I have used the curtain wall tool successfully but it is the panel setting that is very difficult to achieve. I tried several times to get a screen material to look right in the many view types (ie: hidden line, shaded, rendered). I created a material that was based on one of the AccuRender screen/mesh patterns then adjusted the shading settings and applied a fine dot screen as the surface pattern. I tried a lot of different combinations and never quite arrived at one I liked... Maybe one of the rendering/material experts out there could give us a hand.

[studioCJF]

It depends what type of screen you are looking to make. You are talking about a mesh screen panel.

I was thinking of an open screen made with empty system panels and small mullions for use as a decorative screen.

For your application , I would try mapping a photo of the real thing as an Accurender material.
beegee... Correct I was trying to make a panel representing bug screen.

[aggockel50321]

As another method, try setting up a screen family, whether it be wall hosted, nested in a window family, or a stand-alone family as a solid. Then map the material for the screen as a screened (copper comes to mind) metal & set the metal's transparency to 100% (I think Scott B. explained this method a few years ago) . Add a model surface pattern of crosshatched lines at a distance where revit stops hollering (~ 1/2") and you'll get a reasonable representation in elevation & 3d views. When you render, the screened metal with the high transparency will give you a faux screened effect.

Take a look at the chain link fence families to see how this works... If you can't find one, sayso.