Place the Windows
using AutoCAD Architecture

You will continue working on the Basement drawing, adding the necessary windows in the plan you've created so far.

The windows are placed in the project as objects with three dimensional attributes. After these mounted on a wall, the wall will be automatically cut and processed, and the windows remain anchored on the wall.
These are held on the wall and can’t be moved away. When the wall is moved or resized, the position of the window on the wall remains stable. To delete a window, select it and click Delete.
Open drawing Place Doors-1, that you created in the previous tutorial,as shown in Fig.2.1.6.1.
You will place the five double hinged windows, which have the style Casement - Double, setting for width =  0.80 m, height = 0.60 m, and head height =  2.60 m, with the layout, dimensions, and the distances from the edges of the walls, as shown in the sketch 'Basement - Doors - Windows' (Fig. 2.1.5.1).

You can select the Window tool on Ribbon > Home tab > Build panel > Window fly out menu (hover on ►)  >select Window , or you can select it from Tool palette - Design (Fig. 2.1.5.2).

• In the Tool Palette - Design, click the Windows tab to activate Windows tool palette (Fig.2.1.5.3).
  In Windows tool palette you can see the window styles that are available for use, and you can choose the style of window you prefer. For this project select the style 'Casement - Double'.

• When you select a tool window, the properties palette (Fig.2.1.5.4) of the selected window style will open. In the fields of Properties palette you can see the properties, such as style, height, width, head height, and others, which you can edit.
• For the windows of your basement plan, select on the Windows tool palette (Fig.2.1.5.3) the window style Casement - Double.
  In the Properties Palette which will appear (Fig.2.1.5.4), you will see the style properties of the window you just selected.
• In the Properties palette edit the properties as follows: In category Dimensions, enter for Width = 0.80, Height = 0.60, Measure to = Outside, Swing angle = 0.
  On Category Location select Position along wall = Unconstrained, Justification = Center and Sill height = 2.00.
  The choice Unconstrained enables you to set the window position typing values using the 'dynamic dimensions' (Fig.2.1.5.5) or define the location with the mouse.
• With selected the window style Casement - Double, appears the prompt:
  Select Wall, grid assembly or Enter: select on the exterior wall [ah] a point, that is close to the point(a), at top left corner of the basement.

It is possible to notice that the windows don’t appear in the plan. This is because the plan view is a horizontal section of the model to a certain level. It displays anything found at this level and in a distance above and below it, as defined in Cut Plane.
The tool Cut Plane, is located on the lower right side of the screen (Fig. 2.1.5.6), and shows the level of the Cut Plane. Clicking on it the Global Cut Plane work sheet will open, where you can change its height (Fig. 2.1.5.6).
For the basement set the height of cut plane to 2.20, to be above the sill of the window that is at a height of 2.00, and thus show the horizontal section of the floor plan windows, and click OK.

• After selecting the wall, the dimensions are displayed dynamically indicating the position of the window (Fig. 2.1.5.5). Move the cursor from left to right or from right to left to determine the position of the window along the wall you have chosen.
• At the prompt on dynamic dimension: Insert point or : in the left box type 1.70, which is the distance of the window from the left edge of the wall (ah), as shown in Fig. 2.1.5.5, and press ENTER to accept this dimension and then press Esc or Enter again to leave the command.
• The dynamic dimensions, as shown in Fig. 2.1.5.5, indicate the distances of the door from the ends of the selected wall. The active dynamic dimension is indicated by a blue background.
  Using the TAB key you can switch between activation of dynamic dimensions.
  You activated the left dynamic dimension (the background of the box was blue) and entered 1.70, which is the distance of the door you entered from the internal left edge of the wall [ah], is the distance from internal corner [a].
• Selecting the window you will notice the grips (Fig. 2.1.5.7).
  You can use the handles to move the window along the wall, to change the position of the hinges - in the case of a single window -, the opening direction and change the width of the window.

• Place the five windows and set their properties for location, width, height, swing and sill height, according to the information shown in the sketch "Basement - doors - windows" (Fig.2.1.5.1).
  It is assumed that all the windows of the basement have : for Sill height = 2.00, for Head height = 2600 , for Width = 0.80 , and for Height = 0.60.
  After placing all the windows, the plan of the basement will be as shown in Fig.2.1.5.8.

Save the drawing under the name h21_windows in the folder house21, you have created earlier.
Its full path is: C:\ACA\tutorials\house21\h21_windows.

3D View - Doors - Windows

To have a 3D isometric view of your project, on the View Cube tool, at the upper right corner of your screen, click on the corner WS of the Cube.

You can apply a Conceptual style view in your drawing to have a more artistic view.

• To set the Visual Style of the drawing, on Ribbon > click on View tab click the arrow on Visual panel (hover on ►), the drop-down which will open provides a choice of visual styles defined in drawing to make current (for the moment the current visual style is the 2D Wireframe) > select Conceptual, to make this visual style current.
  The result is shown in Figure 2.1.5.8

At the next lesson  Create the Slabs-1, you will create the two slabs (at level-1).

These tutoriasl are published in sequels and are written by the author of Βook:
" Design a House with AutoCad Architecture 2021"