problem with adding window to multilayer wall

[MIngB]

Hi,
having a Wall with two additional walls for outer layer, both having offset set as a formula of middle wall.Width by half, gives a nice Multilayer-wall.
Adjusting middle wall.width let outer layers keep sticking on its sides.
Problem occurs when a window is added to such a middle wall: The new generated parent middle wall gets the default width and the outer layer walls don't stick any longer nice to their middle Wall.
Is that a bug?
Strange thing by the way: all parent walls get default width but are displayed with child width...

with regards,
MIngB

[agryson]

Hi, it might help if you upload a file displaying the issue, people might have an easier time helping you out that way.

[MIngB]

here is an example of a multilayer wall before (multilayerwalldoor1.fcstd) and after (multilayerwalldoor2.fcstd) adding the window. Check the offset of wall001 and wall002. After adding the window the formulas changed from "wall.width / 2" to "wall003.width /2".
For this example I used Freecad git revision 33a3c5fcf09bb0f0bf43857024a8994e6c41e43d of 2017.01.28.

[yorik]

Hi,
The "father" wall that gets created when inserting a window into a wall is a rather new, experimental feature. We tried that to solve the circular dependency problem that arises if we dont do it (the window depends on the wall, which depends on the window). You can turn that behaviour off in the Arch preferences, then no parent wall will be created, and the window will correctly detect the "siblings" walls and create a hole in them.

We need to think of a good way to handle this case... Maybe the parent wall should be a compound of the different layers... I think that is doable, I'll experiment. a bit with this. -> issue #2880

[Roy_043]

Looking at the Arch preferences in V0.17 I do not see this 'father wall' setting. Is it still available?

Code: Select all

OS: Windows 8.1
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.17.13541 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-17
Hash: 9948ee4f1570df9216862a79705afb367b2c6ffb
Python version: 2.7.14
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: Dutch/Netherlands (nl_NL)

[yorik]

No, the problem that originated that concept vanished, so it never went any further.
But you can perfectly well still use that concept. Just make an "empty" wall:

import Arch
Arch.makeWall()

then you can add child walls to it.
We could actually ad the possibility to create those empty walls to the interface...

[Roy_043]

Thanks Yorik. I was able to create such an empty wall. It seems that the IFC export does not handle nested walls very well however? In the image the left wall is not nested in another wall, all others are. Note the overlapping corners and loss of window openings in the nested walls.

[yorik]

Hm good find. We probably need to export these multilayer walls in a different way...

[Roy_043]

There is also an issue with the icons used in the tree for such a 'father' wall. If you create one and add walls, the father wall has the same 'straight wall' icon as the nested walls. But if you save and reopen the file the father wall has a special icon: a wall corner with crumbled ends. A small issue but very confusing for an inexperienced user.

[yorik]

But if you save and reopen the file the father wall has a special icon: a wall corner with crumbled ends.

Indeed.. That's a leftover from previous experiments. I just changed this behaviour to this (git commit 9a7287113):

- If the wall has no base shape (empty wall) but has Additions (children walls): crumbled ends icon (means the wall is an "assembly")
- Otherwise: normal icon

Since 99.9% of users will never use empty walls, they will get rid of that icon. But I think it's still useful to see that a wall is not a proper wall itself, but acts as a container. Later on there could be interesting functionality to build on this.