Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Wall Openings and Room Area

Fwiw, I wrote these related posts: this one in 2005 and this one in 2006. This is ONE Too, it's about creating openings when we use Copy/Monitor (it's still not a good idea unfortunately).

A recent thread at RFO started off by asking which method is best to create openings in walls. There are a few options: Family (like a door, window or generic model opening family), Wall Opening, Wall > Edit Profile, Automatically Embed feature of Curtain Walls or even an in-place wall with a void.

Like anything understanding their differences is important. For example if I need a round hole in a wall I could use a jigsaw, sawzall, Xacto knife, sledgehammer, hole saw, drill bit etc (or dynamite). Depending on the size of the hole I need any of those could provide a hole with varying degrees of accuracy, success and effort.

Revit's Wall Openings, apart from being a bit weird to use, affect room bounding differently than other techniques that cut a wall. In the attached image:
  • Left side of Image: a Wall Opening doesn't respect (alters/affects) the bounding nature of the dividing wall and using Edit Profile affects room bounding of the wall too
  • Center of Image: a opening family does respect the wall's room bounding
  • Right side of Image: A wall opening allows area to extend "into" a host wall where a curtain wall needs to go while a curtain wall (top wall) that uses Automatically Embed (bottom wall) instead does not
  • Added image (right image) shows same conditions but with using Edit Profile on the wall in the left side of the image


Here's what the model looks like in 3D, the view range cut plane for the plan view above is the typical 4'-0" (1200mm ish). If the wall opening comes into contact with the Computation Height of the host level it "affects" the room bounding. Added a wall opening (like a window) to the middle building.


By the way for trivia fans, Jeff Hanson (Autodesk SME, User Experience) wrote: "... the wall opening tool was created specifically for creating a wall opening in a wall that is curved in plan. There is no way to edit the profile of a wall curved in plan..."

Added this image in response to a comment from Rob (1/3/2017). I used Edit Profile and Wall Opening to create the openings and then placed Room Separators to decide which room should get the area between them.

2 comments:

Rob said...

building number 2... is there a way to calculate to finish face, but also include the space made from the "door" opening between the two?

I'm sure there is, i'm not remembering it though! :(

cause the reality is, now you aren't counting that area, but it CLEARLY still exists. We have a similar condition and the wall in question is 24" thick with a 6' wide opening, that's about 12sq.ft. of missing area/space to be calculated and shown.

thanks!

Steve said...

Rob - You could either Edit Profile or use Wall Opening to create the opening and then place a Room Separator within the opening on the side of the wall you want the area to stop at...or in the middle to divide it in half.