Tutorial for open windows

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In progress

This tutorial uses FreeCAD 0.18.

This tutorial shows how to have Arch Windows and Doors open in the 3D model, and to indicate this in a 2D drawing (plan and elevation projection). It uses the Draft Workbench, the Arch Workbench, and the TechDraw Workbench.

Setup

1. Open FreeCAD, create a new empty document, and switch to the Arch Workbench.

2. Make sure your units are set correctly, Edit → Preferences ... → General → Units. For example, MKS (m/kg/s/degree) is good for dealing with distances in a typical building; moreover, setting 4 decimals is good to consider even the smallest fractions of a meter.

3. Use the Draft ToggleGrid button to show a grid with enough resolution. You can change the grid properties if needed, Edit → Preferences ... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Grid. For example, lines at every 50 mm, with major lines every 20 lines, and 1000 lines in total.

4. Zoom out of the 3D view if you are too close to the grid.

Create a simple building with closed walls, two doors and two windows.

Placing a wall

5. Use the Draft Wire tool to create a closed wire. Go counterclockwise.

5.1. First point in (0, 0, 0); in the dialog enter 0 m ENTER, 0 m ENTER, 0 m ENTER
5.2. Second point in (3, 0, 0). Press x to constrain the movement to the X axis; enter the value 3 m ENTER
5.3. Third point in (3, 4, 0). Press y to constrain the movement to the Y axis; enter the value 4 m ENTER
5.4. Fourth point in (0, 4, 0). Press x to constrain the movement to the X axis; enter the value - 3 m ENTER
5.5. Press o to close the Wire, and close the tool.
5.6. In the number pad press 0 to get an axonometric view of the model.
Note: the points can also be defined with the mouse pointer by choosing intersections on the grid, with the help of the Draft Snap toolbar and the Draft Grid method.

6. Select the DWire and change the property DataMake Face to false

7. Select the DWire and click the Arch Wall tool; the Wall is immediately created with a default width (thickness) of 0.2 m, and height of 3 m.

Note: if the property DataMake Face of the DWire is true, this step would create a solid block, instead of using only the contour of the DWire.

Placing doors and windows

8. Click the Arch Window tool, as preset select simple door, and change the height to 2 m

8.1. Change the snapping to Draft Midpoint, and try selecting the lower edge of the frontal wall; when the midpoint is active, click to place the door
8.2. Click the Arch Window tool again, and place another door, but this time in the midpoint of the back wall; rotate the view if necessary

9. Click the Arch Window tool, as preset select Open 1-pane, and change the still height to 1 m

9.1. Keep the snapping to Draft Midpoint, and try selecting the lower edge of the left side wall; when the midpoint is active, click to place the window
Note: the still height is the distance from the floor to the lower edge of the element; for doors the still height is usually 0 m as doors are normally touching the floor; on the other hand, windows have a usual separation of 0.5 m to 1.5 m from the floor.
9.2. Click the Arch Window tool again, and place another window, but this time in the midpoint of the right wall; rotate the view if necessary. This time make the window's width (length) 1.5 m, and the still height 1 m
Note: when placing a windows or a door hover the element over the Arch Wall, and wait for the element to rotate so that it is parallel to that wall. Use the Draft Near method from the Draft Snap toolbar to easily select a face of the wall; aim for the lower edge of the Wall, and use the still height to adjust the distance from the floor. Having many snapping options active may cause some issues with placing the element, so try with only one option at the time.
Note 2: if the window or door was placed parallel to the Arch Wall, but not exactly in the position that you want it, you can adjust the position of the underlying Sketcher Sketch from the Property view. For example, if you want to move the Window001 a bit higher, select the underlying Sketch004, and change its position to [3.1 m, 2.0 m, 1.8 m]. The entire Window001 should move up.

Opening the doors

10. Select Sketch underlying Door, and press SPACE, or change the property ViewVisibility to true.

11. Double click Door in the tree view to start editing

11.1. Inside the Window elements frame there are two panes, Wires and Components.
Note: with a simple door preset there are two wires, Wire0 and Wire1, and two components, OuterFrame and Door. With a custom designed Arch Door, there may be more wires and components.
11.2. Click on Door, and click the Edit button. This shows the properties of the Door component like Name, Type, Wires, Thickness, Offset, Hinge, and Opening mode.
11.3. In the 3D view, select only one vertical edge in the visible Sketch of the Door, then click the Get selected edge button. The button should change to an edge name, for example, Edge8.
11.4. Change the Opening mode to Arc 90, or any other option.
11.5. Click the +Create/update component button, and then the Close button to finish editing the Door. The Sketch may become hidden again.

12. Select Door, and give the property DataOpening a value of 45. The solid panel of the door should open to the inside of the building.

13. Select Door, and change the property DataSymbol Elevation to true; a wire starting from the door frame should indicate where the door opens, if the door is viewed from the front; change the property DataSymbol Plan to true; a circular arc should indicate how the door opens, if the door is viewed from the top.

14. Repeat the steps with Door001 and the underlying Sketch002 to make it open 75 degrees. Also show the elevation and plan symbols.

Opening the windows

15. Double click the Window in the tree view to start editing

15.1. Click on the InnerFrame component, and click the Edit button.
15.2. In the 3D view, select only one vertical edge of the InnerFrame. The OuterFrame and the InnerFrame are very close to each other, so zoom in as close as possible to the visible Sketch of the Window to select the appropriate wire; also try using Wireframe mode to remove the solid Wall, and see only the wires. then click the Get selected edge button. The button should change to an edge name, for example, Edge12.
15.3. Change the Opening mode to Arc 90 inv, or any other option.
15.4. Select Window, and give the property DataOpening a value of 45. The inner frame containing the transparent glass should open to the inside of the building.
15.5. Select Window, and change the property DataSymbol Elevation to true; a wire starting from the window frame should indicate where the inner frame opens, if the window is viewed from the front; change the property DataSymbol Plan to true; a circular arc should indicate how the inner frame opens, if the window is viewed from the top.

16. Repeat the steps with Window001 and the underlying Sketch004 to make it open 75 degrees. Also show the elevation and plan symbols. In this case, don't pick a vertical wire of the InnerFrame but pick the top horizontal wire.

Making a floor plan of the building

17. In the tree view, select all components, the Arch Wall, the two Arch Windows, and the two Arch Doors, then use the Arch SectionPlane tool to create a Section element.

18. Change to TechDraw Workbench and insert a new page with the TechDraw New Default tool; a new Page object is created, and the view switches to this page. The page inserted is a standard A4 sheet in landscape orientation, with a basic frame around it. Use the TechDraw New Pick tool if you need to create a new page using a particular SVG template.

19. Select Section, and use the TechDraw NewArch tool to create an ArchView object in the page. Most probably the new object won't be visible in the page because it has a very large scale of 1, that is, 1:1.

20. Select this ArchView object, and change the property DataScale to 0.02, which is equivalent to 1:50, a scale suitable for typical buildings. The object should appear in the center of the page, and can be moved to a better position on the page. The two doors should look like they are open, but only the left window looks open; the reason for this is that the Arch SectionPlane is not high enough to cut through the right window, as can be seen from the 3D view.

21. Select the Section element, place it higher over the floor, by changing the property DataPosition to [1.5 m, 2.0 m, 1.9 m]. Now it barely touches all elements. The updated view in the TechDraw page now shows all openings in the Arch Wall produced by the doors and windows.

Making an elevation projection of the building

22. Go back to the Arch Workbench. In the tree view, select all components, the Arch Wall, the two Arch Windows, and the two Arch Doors, then use the Arch SectionPlane tool to create a second Section001 element.

22.1. Rotate the second Section001, so that it cuts vertically through the building. Change the properties DataAxis to [1, 0, 0], and DataAngle to 90.
22.2. Create one more plane Section002, and position it vertically in front of the building. Change the properties DataAxis to [1, 0, 0], DataAngle to 90, and DataPosition to [1.5 m, -1 m, 1.5 m].
Note: you can adjust the ViewArrow Size of the planes to 200 mm, to quickly recognize to which side the planes are pointing.

23. Go back to the TechDraw Workbench, and the Page, and use the TechDraw NewArch tool on each of the Section001 and Section002 planes; remember to adjust the scale to 0.02 (1:50). Change DataRotation to -90 for both, to correct the appearance of the projections. Arrange all views in the page.

Note: for the TechDraw ArchView objects it's advisable to set DataAll On to true, so that all elements cut by the plane are visible, regardless of their state in the 3D viewport. The option DataShow Fill can also be set to true, to shade the solid cuts.