Assign Window Components
Windows and Glass Doors panel: assign window components from the database, link interior windows, replace, and select sub-surfaces with the same window component
Overview
In the Windows and Glass Doors panel you assign a window component from the database to the transparent sub-surfaces of the building (windows, glass doors – called sub-surfaces in the data model). A window component bundles the glazing system, frame and glazing bars; the records themselves are maintained in the window database. The assignment is stored in a sub-surface component instance, which links one or – for interior windows – two sub-surfaces with the window component. Only once a window component is assigned does a sub-surface enter the dynamic simulation as a window model.
Drawing and placing the window openings themselves is described in Inserting Windows and Doors.
Opening the panel
Building workspace, 
Building button in the left toolbar, then the Windows and Glass Doors page (group of opening pages). When the page is opened, the 3D scene automatically switches to the corresponding false-colour mode.
False-colour display and legend
The panel table (column heading Window component) also serves as the legend for the scene colouring. Each row groups all visible sub-surfaces with the same state:
| Row | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Unused windows (not connected/assigned) | Dark grey | Sub-surfaces without a sub-surface component instance |
| Surfaces without a component | Reddish brown | Sub-surfaces with a component instance but without a valid window component (e.g. deleted database entry) |
| Name of the window component | Colour of the database element | Sub-surfaces with a valid window component |
In the 3D scene, sub-surfaces with a valid window component are shown semi-transparent in the colour of the window component; unassigned sub-surfaces keep the neutral default colour. During the screenshot export, the table is included as a legend titled Sub-surfaces.
Hidden sub-surfaces are considered neither in the table nor in the colouring – see Selection and Visibility.
Good to know:
Since only visible sub-surfaces are included in the table and colouring, you can narrow the overview deliberately: hide all storeys except the one currently being worked on, for example, and the legend then shows only its window components – missing assignments immediately stand out as a grey row.
Assigning a window component
The Selected surface(s) area is active as soon as at least one sub-surface is selected in the scene. The Selected window component: line shows the current state of the selection: None (no component assigned), name and ID for exactly one component, %1 different components for a mixed selection, or Component with invalid/unknown ID.
Behind Assign window two ways are available:
DB… – opens the database dialog for selecting a window component (also accessible via Databases > Windows…). After confirmation, the chosen component is assigned to all selected sub-surfaces.
Table – assigns the window component highlighted in the table directly, without a dialog. The button is only active when a row with a valid component is highlighted and at least one sub-surface is selected.
During assignment, existing sub-surface component instances of the selected surfaces are updated; for sub-surfaces without an instance, a new one is created. The action can be reversed via the undo function.
Linking interior windows
The Link… button creates an interior window between two rooms: it is only active when exactly two sub-surfaces are selected. After choosing a window component from the database, both sub-surfaces are connected as side A and side B of a shared component instance – analogous to the component links of opaque surfaces. If both sub-surfaces belong to the same room, the action is aborted with the message Both surfaces belong to the same room. If a component instance already exists on one of the two sub-surfaces, it is reused and supplemented with the second side.
Editing a window component
Edit… opens the window component highlighted in the table in the database dialog; a double-click on the table row has the same effect. Changes affect only the database entry, not the project assignments. A double-click on a row without a valid component instead opens the assignment dialog.
Replacing a window component
Replace… replaces all project-wide assignments of the window component highlighted in the table with another one (note dialog Replace window: This replaces all assignments of window ‘%1 [%2]’ with another window.). Edge cases:
- If the Surfaces without a component row is highlighted, all component instances with a missing or invalid window component receive the newly chosen component.
- If the Unused windows row is highlighted, the button acts like a new assignment to these sub-surfaces.
Selecting sub-surfaces with a window component
Select selects all sub-surfaces of the highlighted table row in the scene and navigation tree – including for the rows without or with an invalid component. This allows, for example, all still-unassigned windows to be grabbed in one step and then assigned together.
Good to know:
The fastest workflow for large models: highlight the Unused windows (not connected/assigned) row, use Select to select all affected sub-surfaces, and then assign a standard window component via DB…. Correct deviating windows (e.g. mullion-transom façades) afterwards in a targeted way via individual selection and Table.