Window vs Library Window - What's the Diff.?

[JKEdmo]

This is maybe out of curiousity and for my own education...

 

I added this fancy circular window from the core catalog after I could not create a circular window with a muntin pattern from the window DBX.

 

However, I see that the library window seems to be a "true window" according to its specification.

 

It got me wondering:

 

1. how come I cannot create fancy muntin patterns for a "regular" window?  Or, shouldn't I be able to recreate a library window using regular window specs?
2. how are these library windows different -- if at all -- from regular windows?  Are they leftovers from older Chief versions?  What are these creatures?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

 

 

 

 

[Chrisb222]

23 minutes ago, JKEdmo said:

how come I cannot create fancy muntin patterns for a "regular" window?

 

You can. Just type Custom Muntins into "Help":

 

Custom Muntins

You can design your own muntins for the glazing of a window or door. Muntins are formed from a CAD block composed of lines and arcs drawn over window or door glass in a cross section/elevation view. The CAD block should cover at least half the glass horizontally and one quarter of the area vertically, but should not overlap it in either direction by more than five percent. Nested CAD blocks cannot be used. See CAD Blocks.

Creating Muntins

Custom muntins are created by drawing their pattern using the CAD tools, blocking the pattern to create a CAD block, and then selecting the window and clicking the Load Muntins edit button.

To create custom muntins

1. Create a Cross Section/Elevation  view of the wall the window or door is in and Zoom  in on the window or door.
2. Use the Draw Line  and Draw Arc  tools to design the desired muntins. Try to make them start and end as close to the edge of the glass as possible.
3. When the muntin design is complete, group-select all lines and arcs and click the Make CAD Block  edit button. See Selecting Objects.
4. Select the door or window and click the Load Muntins  edit button to convert the CAD block into custom muntins.

• If the window in question is the component of a mulled unit, bay, or box window, click on it and, then click the Select Next Object  edit button.
• If the window in question is the component of a bow window, the custom muntins will load onto all of its components - not just one of them.

If your window has more than one sash (a double-hung window, for example, has two), you must create a separate CAD block for each pane. When you click Load Muntins , all CAD blocks are loaded.

Custom muntins move with the opening and copy with their opening. They also stretch or compress when the glass area is resized. This stretching may not be perfect for non-rectangular glass areas that are resized by a large amount.

Custom muntins can be created for the components of Bay Windows , Box Windows , and mulled units. To create custom muntins for a Bow Window , you must draw them on the one component that is selectable. When the muntins are loaded, they will be applied to all of the components See Component Windows.

The Load Muntins  edit tool can also be used to add custom muntins to glass doors. See Special Doors.

[JKEdmo]

1 hour ago, Chrisb222 said:

You can. Just type Custom Muntins into "Help":

Brilliant!  What a cool tool.

 

Thanks!

 

[DBCooper]

Just as an FYI, custom muntins are great, but there are a lot of specialty designs you can do without them. Check out the help section about the window lites panel because it goes over some of the options. 

 

I think the main reason they had to use custom muntins with the round window from the library is because the normal ones don't play well with the reflected arches.  I tried using the concentric rays and I couldn't get them to work with them.

 

 

[JKEdmo]

3 hours ago, DBCooper said:

Just as an FYI,

Thanks DBC.

 

Jim