Opening Designer

Module(s): Special: Walls, Openings, Components

You can use Opening Designer to design door and window openings by entering parameters for facing blocks, rabbet shapes, roller blind housings, lintel and header elements and so on. You can save these openings and retrieve them whenever you need.

To design an opening

1. Click Opening Designer (How).
   

   Activate Opening Designer in one of the following ways

   • Menu bar: Create Architecture Special: Walls, Openings, Components

   • Palette: Tools Create area in the following module(s):

   Special: Walls, Openings, Components

   • Configuration: Architecture Architectural Openings flyout
2. If you want, you can use Match to copy the settings of an existing opening.
3. Set the opening's anchor point.
   

   In the icon, click to place the transport point.

   The following options are available:

   

   

   

   With openings (for instance doors and windows) only the following options are available:

   

   A preview of the opening is attached to the crosshairs. The direction of the opening is also displayed. (This is important for openings in walls with multiple construction layers where the offset value in each layer is different.)

   

   Wall line clicked = exterior side of opening

4. Click the wall. The system will automatically display the offset between the point you clicked and the nearest reference point (represented by a small arrow). You can accept or change this value.
5. Enter the width of the opening.

   The Opening Designer dialog box appears.

6. Specify whether you are designing a window or a door by clicking the relevant radio button. Then click Apply Element.

   This enables the tools for defining the components.

   Note: If you click Window or Door directly, the relevant Properties dialog box is displayed and you can modify the opening's parameters.

7. First, click the icon for a component to be used in the opening.

   You can select the following tools:

   • Facing
   • Rabbet
   • Roller Blind Housing
   • Lintel/Header
8. The relevant Properties dialog box is displayed. Enter the parameters for the selected component here and click OK to confirm.

   Note: If you have already defined components, just click the component you want to modify with the right mouse button in the graphics area of the Opening Designer dialog box. The Properties dialog box of the component clicked is opened and you can change the parameters according to your demands.

   Tip: When you click a smart symbol with the right mouse button, you can use the shortcut menu to delete or replace the smart symbol or to modify its reference point.

   Tip: Select a suitable elevation or isometric view if you want to click a lintel/header or roller blind housing.

9. You can also click in the image to define the layer and the side of the opening in which the component is to be created. A border in the selection color is applied to the current layer.
10. The following options are available in the Opening Designer while you are entering data:
    • Undo and Restore let you undo design steps and restore them if necessary.
    • In the preview, the wall and the opening are displayed true-to-scale. Every step you make and apply is displayed.

      The preview can be controlled as follows:

    • You can use Enlarge View and Reduce View to enlarge or reduce the section displayed in the preview step by step.
    • In addition, you can display the opening in plan, isometric view or other views by clicking the relevant icon.
11. When you have finished defining the parameters, click Apply Element to apply the component and its settings to the opening.
12. Click the icons for other components one after the other and repeat steps 7 through 11.

    Note: Only one facing, roller blind housing or lintel/header can be created per construction layer. The rabbet can be created on each side of a construction layer (i.e., two per layer).

13. When the design of the opening is complete, click OK to confirm the Opening Designer dialog box.

    The Save dialog box appears.

14. Enter a name and path for the opening and click OK to confirm.

    This saves the opening as a favorite and inserts it in a wall at the same time.

    Note: Use Open Favorite File to retrieve openings you have already designed and saved as styles.

    Note: If you exit the Save dialog box with Cancel, the opening is inserted in the wall but not saved.

    Note: Door and window openings are saved in separate folders.

Note: For quantity takeoff operations that are compliant with German building regulations, check that the openings are within the components.