Slanted Glass Structures

Slanted Glass Structure on a Line

Using the ARCHICAD Line tool, draw both the baseline and a contour gradient for the desired glass structure. To differentiate the baseline from the contour gradient, ArchiGlazing needs the addition of a point of reference (hotspot) to the end of the contour gradient. The hotspot also marks the glass structure spot height. Select all the elements specifying the glass structure.

Select ArchiGlazing in the Design > Design Extras menu and choose the tool for slanted glass structures. The dialog box for slanted glass structures will appear.

In the Slanted Glass Structure dialog box, specify the remaining parameters for the desired glass structure.

Saving a New Slanted Glass Structure

Use the Choose Folder button to specify where the new glass structure is to be stored.

Also give the new glass structure a name, preferably one that indicates its intended use, e.g., “Glass structure sculpture hall”. If you select the Numbering function, all subsequently created glass structures will be numbered in sequence.

On completing your entries, confirm them with OK.

The glass structure will automatically be positioned in the floor plan along the specified baseline.

Note: The saved structure is an ARCHICAD Library Part of Object type and will behave as such. It does not create an opening in a wall, will be listed as an object (and not as a window) in calculations and can only be opened with the Object tool.

Slanted Glass Structures on Line Combinations

On the floor plan you can combine all kinds of lines into a common path to define the slanted glass structure baseline using ARCHICAD's line type tools (Line, Arc/Circle, Polyline, Spline).

   Example 1: Several lines form a baseline path

Example 2: Line and arc form a baseline path

Example 3: Baseline path using spline tool

Note: Make sure that the number of horizontal fields (glass surfaces) selected in the Slanted Glass Structure dialog box are equally distributed over the entire path. Where necessary, create the glass structure separately for individual lines in order to maintain corner profiles at points of direction change.

Conic Slanted Glass Structures

Conic glass structures can be created by specifying two contour gradients. Both contour gradients must be given a hotspot. The hotspot point at the end of the contour gradient specifies the slanted glass structure spot height.

Example: Baseline path with two contour gradients

Slanted Glass Structures on Rising Walls

Walls laterally adjacent to the baseline path can be selected instead of contour gradients. Here, only one height hotspot needs to be specified on one wall.

Example: Baseline with adjacent wall

If the hotspot is outside the baseline contour, ArchiGlazing will create a glass structure that widens at the top.

If the hotspot is inside the baseline contour, ArchiGlazing will create a glass structure that narrows at the top.

Example 1: Baseline as arc on a wall with spot height hotspot outside

Example 2: Baseline as spline on a wall with spot height hotspot inside

Example 3: Baseline with two adjacent walls

Formation of End Profiles

The end profiles for slanted glass structures are automatically adapted to the contour gradients or to the wall course.

Controlling the Floor Plan Display

Under Floor Plan Attributes, select the desired section height for the floor plan symbol. Switch off the Show Upper Part option if the floor plan symbol is only to be shown as far as the section height.

Slanted Glass Structures with Wall Section

In the Slanted Glass Structure dialog box, select Trim Walls selected on the Floor Plan, in order to fit the selected walls to the slanted glass structures.

Click the Options button to choose individual settings for wall intersection in the Wall Trim Options dialog box.

Example 1: Arc as baseline with wall adaptation

Example 2: Spline as baseline with wall adaptation

Slanted Glass Structures with Own Angle of Inclination

Depending on the story's overhead, the architect often defines the glass structure inclination by the position of the upper edge of the glass structure in order to then calculate the resulting angle of inclination of the glass structure.

ArchiGlazing works according to the same principle in its default setting: the angle of inclination to be expected from the positions of the baseline and the spot height hotspot is calculated and displayed in the Slanted Glass Structure dialog box.

If you wish to create the slanted glass structure with a particular angle of inclination (1-90°), you can overwrite the value given by ArchiGlazing. The position of the spot height hotspot will then be ignored and the position of the upper edge of the glass structure will be calculated again according to the angle entered.

Example: Slanted glass structure with own angle of inclination

Note: it is still necessary to select a spot height hotspot when creating glass structures with their own angle of inclination.

Wall Adaptations with own Angle of Inclination

In the Wall Trim Options dialog box, deselect Automatic Trim Angle (active by default) to define your own cutting angle (1-90°).

Result with individual section angle

Slanted Glass Structures from Closed Contours, Centered Design

ArchiGlazing can create closed slanted glass structures from regular, closed contours (circle or ellipse).

On the floor plan specify the baseline contour and, in scaled dimensions, the slab line contour for the desired glass structure. Give the slab line contour a spot height hotspot.

In the Slanted Glass Structure dialog box, you can use the number of horizontal fields to control whether the slanted glass structure should follow the curve of an ellipse or circle, or form an n-angled structure.

Example 1: Closed slanted glass structure with four horizontal fields

(Spot height hotspot on the inner contour)

Example 2: Closed slanted glass structure with 12 horizontal fields

(Spot height hotspot on the inner contour)

Example 3: Closed slanted glass structure with 12 horizontal fields

(Spot height hotspot on the outside contour)

Slanted Glass Structures from Closed Contours, Eccentric Design

If the baseline contour and slab line contour are not positioned centrally to each other, ArchiGlazing will then create a closed, eccentric slanted glass structure.

Note: Eccentric glass structures can only be created from circles or ellipses. When creating eccentric glass structures, the slab line contour MUST be a scaled copy of the baseline contour.

Example: Eccentric glass structure from two circles

Modification of a Slanted Glass Structure

Select the glass structure in your project and open ArchiGlazing from the Design > Design Extras menu. Change the material settings for the profiles and glass surfaces and click OK. ArchiGlazing recognizes the path through which the glass structure has been created and makes the changes automatically, according to the construction path you have formerly defined.

If you pass your project as an archive document to another ARCHICAD user without an ArchiGlazing, the glass structure can be opened with ARCHICAD’s Object tool. Although the glass structure appears only as a binary structure, do not alter its dimension settings as this can lead to distortions. You can now change the material settings for the profiles and glass surfaces.

Slanted Glass Structures in Roof Apertures

Select a rectangular roof aperture defined with the ARCHICAD Roof tool. Then, choose the ArchiGlazing command in the Design > Design Extras

menu and click on the Slanted glass structure tool. After the desired division/distribution has been set and then confirmed with OK, the slanted glass structure will automatically be positioned in the roof surface.

Note: Make sure to select ONLY the hole, not the whole roof to use this function.