Curtain Walls
Set any wall to Curtain and it becomes a frame of mullions and transoms filled with glass or spandrel panels. The grid divides the wall into equal bays no wider than you ask, and the wall still bounds its room and carries the floor above.
Examples
Two curtain walls built by the editor. Switch between them, and between the 3D model and the plan, in the bar above.
A glazed front on a room
One wall of a room set to Curtain: 1500 mm bays, 2400 mm courses.
A glazed corner
Two walls meeting at a glazed corner: 1200 mm bays, 1500 mm courses.
Every property, and what it does
Select a wall, set Curtain wall to Curtain, and these are its rows: the grid first, then its corners, then its materials.
The grid
How the wall is divided into panels. A curtain wall is still a wall: it bounds rooms and carries the plate.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Curtain wall | Turns a solid wall into a curtain wall, or back. | Solid, Curtain |
| Panel width | How wide a panel is. Under Fit equally it is the widest a panel may be, and the run divides into equal bays no wider; under Exact it is the width, with one narrower bay left over. | Millimetres; default 1500 |
| Panel height | How tall a panel is. Under Fit equally it is the tallest, under Exact the height, with one shorter course left at the head. | Millimetres; default 2400 |
| Panel sizing | Whether the two sizes above are a maximum the run divides equally under, or the panel size itself. | Fit equally, Exact |
| Mullion | The frame's width across the face. Its depth is the wall's own thickness. | Millimetres; default 50 |
| Panel | The infill's own thickness: glass, or a spandrel panel. | Millimetres; default 24 |
Corners
How each end of the run finishes, so a glazed corner meets cleanly.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Start corner | The end the wall was drawn from. Mullion is a full end post; Shared post is half of one, so two runs meeting make one; Butt glazed has no post and the joint is silicone. | Mullion, Shared post, Butt glazed |
| End corner | The far end of the run, with the same three choices. | Mullion, Shared post, Butt glazed |
Materials
The two products a facade is bought by, priced apart in the takeoff and exported as their own layers.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Mullions and transoms | The frame; undressed, it takes the wall's own finish. | Any project material |
| Panels | The infill: glazing unless dressed with another material. | Any project material |
How to make a curtain wall
Draw the wall
Draw it as any wall, with the Wall tool (WALL, WA).
Set it to Curtain
Select it, and set Curtain wall to Curtain in its panel. It is built as a grid of mullions and glass at once.
Size the grid
Set the panel width and height, Fit equally or Exact, and the mullion and panel thickness.
Finish the corners
At a glazed corner, set both runs to Shared post or Butt glazed so the two meet as one.
Curtain wall questions, answered.
Is a curtain wall still a wall?
Yes. It bounds its room, carries the floor above, and shows in sections, schedules and the takeoff like any wall.
How is the grid sized?
Under Fit equally the panel sizes are a maximum and the wall divides into equal bays and courses under them; under Exact they are the sizes, with a smaller panel left at the end.
Can I put a door in a curtain wall?
Not yet. A door in a curtain wall is a panel of its grid, which is not supported, so the Door tool places nothing there.
Can two curtain walls meet at a corner?
Yes. Set the meeting ends to Shared post, so the two make one post, or Butt glazed for a silicone joint with no post.
Read on
- Wall Design: Draw walls in 2D and get rooms and the 3D model.
- Window Design: Windows set in solid walls.
- Walls and rooms docs: Drawing walls, build ups, rooms, slabs and shafts.