Adding units to a door and window assembly

Tool

Tool set

Unit

Assembly Edit

In an assembly layout's object editing mode (see Editing a door and window assembly layout), use the Unit tool to add several different unit types, including windows, doors, panels, symbols, and window infills, to the layout, or to replace one type of unit with another. Unless an object's size is set by style, the unit constrains itself to the space between frame segments and mullions. Every enclosed space between frames and mullions (called a cell) must have a unit inserted; use an Open Type panel unit if you need a cell with empty space.

When a door or window is inserted in an assembly, its Interior Side parameter is disabled, and it uses the assembly's interior side setting. If the assembly's Use unit-provided frame option is deselected, the door/window's frame parameters are disabled, and their geometry is not shown.

Mode	Description
Unit Type	Select the type of unit to add to the assembly
Smart Insertion	Uses the existing assembly parts to insert the unit where indicated, to replace an existing unit or to add it to the edge of the assembly. When an unstyled unit is added to the edge of an assembly, the unit uses the default width, but the height matches the height of the adjacent frame.
Standard Insertion	Inserts a unit with the selected style or parameters specified in the preferences dialog box. When the unit's width isn't set by style, the assembly automatically fits it between the two frames/mullions. When the width is set by style, additional vertical/horizontal mullions are placed to accommodate the new unit.
Interactive Sizing Insertion	Draws a unit manually, with the size and location indicated
Alignment modes	For Standard Insertion mode, these modes change the alignment of the insertion point along the X axis of the object; see The Symbol Insertion tool
Corner to Corner	For Interactive Sizing Insertion mode, defines the object by clicking two diagonal points
Center to Corner	For Interactive Sizing Insertion mode, defines the object by the distance from the center to one corner
[Object] Style/Symbol	Opens the Resource Selector to select an object style/symbol for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Preferences (for windows, doors, panels, and wall infills)	Opens the [Object] Preferences dialog box, to set default parameters; see Window settings, Door settings, Panel settings (below), or Standard wall preferences. Some parameters aren't available for units in an assembly.

To add a unit to an assembly layout:

Select the tool and insertion modes.

On the Tool bar, select the Unit Type.

Do one of the following:

Click [Object] Style or Symbol on the Tool bar to select a resource from the Resource Selector.

Click Preferences to open the object preferences dialog box (for windows, doors, panels, and wall infills) and specify the tool’s default parameters.

The parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette; see Editing objects in a door and window assembly.

If Smart Insertion mode is selected, move the cursor over the assembly layout and do one of the following:

Click a highlighted unit to replace it with the specified unit.

Click a highlighted frame segment to add the specified unit (window, door, or panel) to the edge of the assembly.

If Standard Insertion or Interactive Sizing Insertion mode is selected, add the unit as described in Inserting doors, windows, and assemblies or Drawing doors, windows, and assemblies.

Assembly panel settings

These settings are available in the following locations:

Panel Preferences dialog box (creating an object)

Panel Settings dialog box (editing an object)

Object Info palette (editing an object)

Panel Style dialog box (creating or editing a style)

Panels are designed specifically to work within door and window assemblies, not as separate objects. To edit a panel in an assembly, see Edit Unit mode.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Use Style	From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it, or click Unstyled. If a styled object is converted to unstyled, the current values are retained, but all parameters are set to By Instance to allow editing.
By Style/Instance	A graphic indicates whether each parameter is set to By Style and given a fixed value or set to By Instance and editable in the dialog box. An object style may have a combination of both settings, to balance the need for consistency and flexibility. By Style/Instance settings are established by the style and cannot be changed from the settings dialog box. To edit the object style, see Editing plug-in object styles; editing the style modifies all plug-in objects in the file that use the style.
General
Type	Select the kind of panel to place between the frames. Glazed panels are typical glass panels, and spandrel panels are opaque. Spandrel with face panels are decorative panels. Open panels provide empty space between the frames.
Thickness	Enter the panel's thickness
Use infill (spandrel and spandrel with face only)	Allows the area to the interior and between the frames to be filled. The attributes of the infill panel are determined by the panel.
Infill Depth	Specifies the additional depth of the infill panel
Face Depth (spandrel face only)	Sets the depth of the spandrel face
Assembly Frame Depth	When the panel is inserted into an assembly, displays the assembly's frame depth
Unit Offset Reference	When the unit is inserted into an assembly, displays the assembly's unit offset reference
Unit Offset	Enter the unit's offset relative to the unit offset reference location. A positive value offsets the panel toward the exterior and a negative value offsets toward the interior
Panel Inset/Overlap	Enter the distance the panel will extend past the clear opening on all sides
Clear Opening Width/Height	Enter the clear width/height of the panel between the asembly frames and mullions
Overall Panel Width/Height	Displays the overall panel width and height
Attributes
2D Attributes	Sets the Top/Plan visibility and attributes for the object. To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. Select <Panel Class> to place the attributes in the same class as the panel object. Set custom pen and fill attributes, or select an option to control them by object (from the Attributes palette), by class, or select None.
3D Attributes	Interior and exterior sides can be set separately. Two By Style columns indicate whether the object's material is set by style or instance, and whether the class and texture are set by style or instance. Select a material from the Resource Selector. To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. Select <Panel Class> to place the part in the same class as the panel object. Select a texture from the Resource Selector, or click one of the buttons to use no texture, to use the class texture, or, if the material texture was previously overridden, to revert to the material's texture.
Energos	As part of the building envelope, assemblies and their units play a critical role in energy analysis calculations. Energy is lost through the panels and glass, but energy is also gained by solar radiation. Accurately determining the R-Value/U-Value and the shading factor is essential for the overall energy analysis. Vectorworks Architect is required to conduct an energy analysis; however, energy-related parameters can be specified here for informational purposes.
Include in calculations	When selected, the panel is eligible to be included in energy calculations, depending on the energy analysis settings for layer/class, element inclusion, and so on
R-Value
Automatic Calculation	Based on the frame and infill parameters, the panel's R-Value is calculated and displayed. This value, along with the panel shading factors, is critical for a correct assessment of the building envelope in energy calculations.
Manual Input	Select this option to override the calculated R-Value and enter a manual value for the panel instead. For complex or detailed panel designs, enter results from a third-party calculation here.
Frame	Select the thermal properties of the frame. Sets can be created and edited; see Specifying system sets.
Glazing	Select the thermal properties of any panel glazing. Sets can be created and edited; see Specifying system sets.
Shading	Select the level of shade for each type of shading near the panel, or select Custom from any of the lists. The Edit Shading dialog box opens, to manually enter a percentage for when the panel is in the shade.
General	Select the general shade conditions where the panel is located
Surrounding	Specify surrounding shade conditions that might affect the amount of solar radiation reaching the panel
Summer Shading	Specify special shade conditions that apply during the summer months (for example, when nearby deciduous trees shade the panel)
Additional Shading	Select any mechanical or passive shading mechanisms in place, or select Custom and enter a shading percentage in the Edit Shading dialog box
Summer Ventilation	Opens the Summer Ventilation Settings dialog box, to specify summer ventilation options. Type of usage: (ground floor, upper floor, night): Select the type of ventilation system usage, if any, for the panel. Operable opening width: Indicates the width of the panel opening gap for an operable panel (which affects the amount of ventilation).
Data
Include on schedule	Includes the object in schedule reports
ID Prefix/Label/Suffix	Enter a label to identify the panel, and optionally enter a prefix and/or suffix for the label value. This ID information is for data only and can't produce a panel label; use a data tag instead (see Adding data tags and labels).
Field Name/Field Value	Data fields are listed under Field Name. Click the Field Value column to enter data for use in the panel schedule, as needed.

Editing a door and window assembly layout

Creating doors, windows, and assemblies

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