Windows - No Glazing Line

[EmmaCox]

Is there a way to show the windows on plan view with no glazing line in the middle? Just wanting a rectangle / space in the wall to depict a window opening, attached example. 

 

I could convert the file to CAD lines and erase them, or show white rectangles over each window to cover the glazing lines, but wasn't sure if there was something in the settings to make it easier. 

 

I know this is an odd request, but this is how we show the drawings on our website as presentation drawings. They usually do them in CAD but want me to try and replicate it in chief so we can do it this way moving forward. 

 

Thanks in advance! 

[GeneDavis]

I don't see a way to do that.  You can show windows with the exterior casings on or off, with the interior casings on or off, but you get the Chief-hard-coded double "glazing" lines you want to see represented differently.  If you turn off the windows layer, you get a blank space in the wall wherever there is a window.

 

I think what you want merits a clearly written feature request in the Suggestions part of the forum, and you might want it patterned like the way the WALLS - MAIN LAYER ONLY thing works.  In fact one might want that windows-shown-as-a-simple-box feature to enable and display always when you select the WALLS - MAIN LAYER ONLY layer to be on.

 

My way might be for that new display thing to work might be that it would yield the look exactly as you show, that being windows as blank boxes same thickness as mail layer walls, and (here is the extension of that) doors to display not as boxes with thickness but as fat-single lines, opened at 90 degrees, and showing the swing arcs.

 

What you show in your post above, is pretty much the standard look for floor plans at every online plans-for-sale site.

 

OK, and now do the roof lines in plan view like what you displayed.  Edges of any roof planes that bear on the walls of the floor shown, should be shown in the plan view.  That would be a separate Suggestion request.  I believe it's already been requested (maybe this one about windows, too) but it never hurts to request it again.  

[tundra_dweller]

One way to do this is to find the layer called "Opening Header Lines", turn it on and make sure it's layer line style is solid, then turn off the windows layer. This will give you the look you're after on the windows, the downfall being these lines will also show on all your doors.

[GeneDavis]

Very clever, Brett @tundra_dweller, I had not thought of that.  I then thought, but I gotta turn off the windows layer to remove the offending glazing lines and jamb boxes, which I did to get the look that @EmmaCox wants, but of course that drops out any window label with it.

 

But then again, Emma's desired plan-view look has no window labeling, so your solution works, once you change the default line to solid for the opening header lines from the OOB dashed lines.

 

Just one more baby step from Chief, and we can get the look for the doors Emma is after!  Needs a suggestion.

[tundra_dweller]

Thanks @GeneDavis, I've played around quite a bit in the past trying for a look similar to what @EmmaCoxis after, in my case trying to clean up my roof plan view.

If we could get Chief to allow for separate header line layers for doors and windows, we could get pretty much exactly the look she's after.

 

The roof plane lines are another matter, would love to have more control over how they display in plan view as far as overlapping planes etc., but that's another one that's had numerous suggestions over the years I think.

[ValleyGuy]

On 4/5/2024 at 3:23 PM, EmmaCox said:

Is there a way to show the windows on plan view with no glazing line in the middle? Just wanting a rectangle / space in the wall to depict a window opening, attached example. 

 

I could convert the file to CAD lines and erase them, or show white rectangles over each window to cover the glazing lines, but wasn't sure if there was something in the settings to make it easier. 

 

I know this is an odd request, but this is how we show the drawings on our website as presentation drawings. They usually do them in CAD but want me to try and replicate it in chief so we can do it this way moving forward. 

 

Thanks in advance! 

Brett is definitely on the right track for the white windows showing in a floor plan. It isn't that hard to get the window look that you are after while maintaining a dynamic plan should you move a window. Two things that may be of concern: the white rectangle is the header and the header is larger than the actual window size. Secondly, this method has a solid wall width header size that may mess with the material take off, if you use that feature.

This should get you close

 

.

 

 

[ValleyGuy]

5 minutes ago, ValleyGuy said:

Brett is definitely on the right track for the white windows showing in a floor plan. It isn't that hard to get the window look that you are after while maintaining a dynamic plan should you move a window. Two things that may be of concern: the white rectangle is the header and the header is larger than the actual window size. Secondly, this method has a solid wall width header size that may mess with the material take off, if you use that feature.

This should get you close

 

.

 

 

I forgot a couple of points: 

I turned the window layer line colour to white - this removed the glazing. (I suspect that you may already have a specific SPV and layer set for this particular drawing.)

I believe that I had to adjust the view draw order of the header to make sure that it was on top. 

[EmmaCox]

Thank you for the suggestions!

 

1) @GeneDavis@tundra_dweller Turning off the window layer and turning on the "opening header lines" layer seems like the perfect solution other than it adding it over the doors, which also adds it over the interior doors. I will add this to the suggestion forum to seperate windows and doors.

 

Also FYI I asked about the roof plane lines in another forum post and we came up with a couple solutions, link here:

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/41832-roof-plane-lines-hidden-past-exterior-walls/

 

2) @ValleyGuy Thank you for the detailed screenshot, I don't use chief for the material take-offs so this won't be an issue. I tried to follow your steps but my settings were different with PC vs mac so I couldn't find the framing specifcation for header only, is this under framing defaults (attached)?

 

I feel the easiest way might be to just turn off the window layer and draw a couple lines on the outside / inside layer of the wall. 

[ValleyGuy]

14 minutes ago, EmmaCox said:

 

2) @ValleyGuy Thank you for the detailed screenshot, I don't use chief for the material take-offs so this won't be an issue. I tried to follow your steps but my settings were different with PC vs mac so I couldn't find the framing specifcation for header only, is this under framing defaults (attached)?

 

I feel the easiest way might be to just turn off the window layer and draw a couple lines on the outside / inside layer of the wall. 

In the window defaults, under framing. The actual individual window framing header will then need to be placed on the new layer set line, and this will need to be selected individually in plan view once the wall is framed.

 

 

 

[EmmaCox]

@ValleyGuyThanks, I found those settings and changed. Sorry to ask, but how do I now change the header to be on a seperate layer?

[ValleyGuy]

1 hour ago, EmmaCox said:

@ValleyGuyThanks, I found those settings and changed. Sorry to ask, but how do I now change the header to be on a seperate layer?

There are a couple of ways, 1) Select the header from the plan view. With the headers toggled on, select the window, then tab to get to the header (bottom left corner will say what you have selected... window, wall, header...). Open it up and you will see the 'Framing Specification (Header)' as shown in my first post above. 2) choose the wall and open the wall framing, choose the header and open it up.

 

[glennw]

Why not use Pass Throughs instead of windows?

No casings, no frame, no sill......

 

[EmmaCox]

@ValleyGuyI'm still not seeing these options, it won't allow me to open the header specifically, maybe it's because I don't typically use the framing features? I'm going to use the pass-through idea, I think this will be the easier route for now. Thank you for your time, I appreciate the screenshots!

 

@glennwsmart thinking, I will go this route!

 

Thanks everyone!