Curtain Walls - random behavior

[DanielleAnderson]

Okay - now I am a big fan of using curtain walls as "system" walls to build more complex wall patterns like precast - BUT - today I need to vent, because I have been dealing with this for at least a year and it still gets me. Doesn't help that this building has quite the pattern going on with precast and brick-faced-precast...
What is with the random behavior of curtain walls?
Example 1: The wall is all in place, panels replaced with whatever they are supposed to be, and then, when something changes and I have to add more grids, all of a sudden random panels revert to glazed. This is SO irritating.
Example 2: Perhaps a change is made and a horizontal grid goes away, all of a sudden vertical segments that are removed spontaneously return causing me to have to go through the hassle of re-removing them over again.
Example 3: Defaults for inserting mullions: why does it always have to default back to "entire grid line" from "grid segment"? It would be SO great if it could remember the previous choice.

<deep breath> Thanks.

[aaronrumple]

Example 1 and 2 are directly related to the rules you have applied to the curtain wall. If you want the grids to stay put - then switch the type to one with no spacing rules.

[DanielleAnderson]

Example 1 and 2 are directly related to the rules you have applied to the curtain wall. If you want the grids to stay put - then switch the type to one with no spacing rules.

Hmm...not to sound dumb after all these years, but where are those rules?

Edit: okay, I found the spacing dialog box, but I can't do anything with it...perhaps I should just post up an elevation here so that there's a visual to match what I'm talking about...

[aaronrumple]

Hmm...not to sound dumb after all these years, but where are those rules?

Edit: okay, I found the spacing dialog box, but I can't do anything with it...perhaps I should just post up an elevation here so that there's a visual to match what I'm talking about...
Don't bother changing the spacing rules for what you have now. Make a new type with no spacing rules, mullion rules or panel rules (you have that all set up it looks like.)

Select the curtain wall. Change the type to your new type with no rule. When Revit asks you to delete stuff - say no thanks. You'll now have a curtain wall with no rules applied.

I keep several types around:
XxY - which lets me space based on number of mullions each way
Xx - which only spaces across based on number of mullions
xY - which does the same but up.
Standard - which has no rules.

[cphubb]

Also make sure your curtain panel parameter is set to none

[patricks]

Also make sure your curtain panel parameter is set to none

In the case of Danielle's example 1, would setting the panel parameter to none cause various panels to stay as what they are when things change, or would it cause them to change to Empty panels? If the latter, it would be just as annoying as them changing to glazed.

*edit* we have a standard Curtain Panel type with no rules, and the panel parameter is set to None. Yet when I first draw a curtain wall using that wall type, it automatically puts in a System Panel - Glazed panel. Is this like a default system behavior that is hard-coded in to Revit and can't be changed?

[cphubb]

Patrick,

Yes the default panel will be placed when you first create the wall. You can change that by making a system panel that you like and deleting the glazed.

However if you change the panel when you create the wall, the new panels after adding grids will be the same as what was divided. If you use the parameter all new panels will follow the rule. We keep an open un-ruled curtain wall style in our template for that purpose.

You could use the empty panel as the default and then you curtain walls when first drawn would be invisible. That would be cool (Not)

[DanielleAnderson]

I went back and checked my settings and they are all set to none already...maybe I am missing something here...

[cphubb]

Check to see if the panels are pinned. By default when rules are set, all the sub-items in the curtain wall are pinned. If you un-pin them they should change as expected.

[captainbunsaver]

I assume you mean this (see attached image)?

It appears in RA2008 that "storefront" panels are pinned, and that "exterior glazing" is not.

TC