window arrays in curved wall

[Steve Jager]

I am trying to array several windows in a curved wall, 36 x 48 four storeys high, 10' 8" oc.

When I click drag to 2nd it says, "Some of your openings are outside your wall". Has anyone else had any luck putting arrays in curved walls?

I have had to resort to just copying one group after another. The other thing that happens to the spacing of the window openings is they change their spacing dimensions as they go around the wall. The distance keeps getting smaller between windows.

Any thoughts?

[jbalding48677]

Are you using radial array?

[Steve Jager]

Radial arrays don't work on objects in walls unfortunately.

I just started grouping and copying them along the intended wall line.

[Scott D Davis]

sure they do! What are you trying to array? I've array'd windows in an arc wall before.

[Steve Jager]

I am using a simple masonry wall 4 levels high. I am trying to space windows 10'8" o/c along the curved wall. It rhows them outside of the wall for some reason and I am not probably doing something right.

when I use the array and set the 2nd point to 10' or so it places the windows at an ever increasing distance from each other.

[hand471037]

The key thing to using an radial array with windows/doors in a wall is where the center point for your array is. Are you certain that it's dead-center to the curve of the wall? I typically draw some ref. planes to mark that point, so that I can drag the rotation anchor to it and know that it's right.

Also I had issues with this in 5.1, but in 6.0 those problems went away... so if you're not on 6.0 or 6.1, try upgrading and see if it helps!

[jbalding48677]

Thanks Scott and Jeff

[Steve Jager]

Thanks for the input, but still just not getting it to work. I just don't get it.

I would like to just simply pick a grouped set of windows or doors and set a non-constrained dimension to centerline of openings/objects along my curved wall and viola! Neatly spaced!

I will just keep doing my workaround. It is kinda of embarassing when the owner is looking over your shoulder and you have sold him a bill of goods that can't react as fast as he would like it to.

[Scott D Davis]

Have you tried the new 6.1 "Arc Length" dimension? In the example below, I drew an arc wall, placed a window, and arrayed the window 3 times to a somewhat arbitrary angular degree. (in radial arrays, you are picking the angle between objects, not the enire angle to fill with objects).

Then I clicked on the array, and changed the number of arrayed windows to 9. Then, I chose the dimension tool, and clicked the Arc Length option from the option bar. With this dim type, you first pick the arc to measure along (the outside of the wall) then the objects (all the windows). I then set this dim string to EQ. I then place one more Arc Length dimension, which became my 'controlling' dimension. I set this to 4'-6", and it forced all my windows to be 4'-6" apart along the array.

I think this is what you were trying to do. Let me know if you need any more help!

http://www.zoogdesign.com/forums/phpBB2/download.php?id=2102

[Steve Jager]

Thanks Scott,

That is what I did but not all of how you did it. Your version seems more streamlined than mine.

Try try again!

[jmarchese]

Hi all,

I realize this is a very old thread, but I'm trying to do something similar with curtain wall grids on a curved surface. What I've done is drew a curve that mimics the path of the wall and then arrayed lines along that curve. i need to have the lines at 10' apart, but when I use the Arc Length dimension tool, I'm unable to edit the controlling dimension. Any idea what may be happening?

Thanks,
Jim

[cliff collins]

I am trying to understand what you are after..

I think if you are trying to get the vertical mullion spacing at 10' apart, along a curved
curtainwall, you can just set the max. distance to 10', and draw the curved curtainwall,
instead of trying to manually layout the curtain grids.

Depending on the radius of the curved curtainwall, it may be a challenge to get the centerlines of the mullions to be exactly 10' apart--I'd have to try modelling this........

Does that help at all?

Maybe post an example?

cheers.................

[jmarchese]

Hi Cliff,

Here's a sample of what I'm talking about. You'll see an arc subdivided by a number of line segments. I'd like those line segments to be at 10' apart. The number of line segments doesn't matter, nor does it matter if they land exactly at the bottom end of the curve. The cutrain wall that I'd like to create will mimic that spacing, and be embedded in the curved wall you see in the sample.

Part 2 of this will be then subdividing the 10' grid with mullions spaced 2, 3, and 5 feet apart.

Thanks,
Jim