How to add open wall openings, arches and hatches

Add a pass-through

1. 1

   Open Pass-Through Styles

   Press P, or click Open pass-through in the left toolbar under Openings & circulation. The Pass-Through Styles gallery opens with Square and Arched tabs.

   

2. 2

   Pick a style

   Square styles: Plain Opening, Cased Opening (with trim) and Counter Pass-Through (a half-height hatch with a ledge). Arched styles: Round Arch, Elliptical Arch, Segmental Arch, Gothic Arch and Tudor Arch. Picking one closes the gallery and keeps the tool on.

3. 3

   Click a wall

   Hover a wall to preview it and the lengths on each side, then click. Each click places one opening and the editor goes back to Select. Press P again for the next one. Clicking a wall with no style picked adds a plain opening.

Change the opening

1. 4

   Select it

   With Select (V), click the opening. The panel on the right is titled with its style name.

   

2. 5

   Set width and height

   Type the Width and Height. For an arch the height is Height (crown), measured to the top of the curve.

3. 6

   Change the style or the arch rise

   Pick another Opening style. For an arch, set Arch rise: the height from where the curve starts to its crown. Clear the box to go back to the style default.

4. 7

   Set the counter height

   For a Counter Pass-Through, set Counter height (sill), for example 90 cm for a kitchen counter.

5. 8

   Pick trim or ledge colour

   A cased opening has a Trim color. A counter hatch has a Ledge color.

6. 9

   Turn it into a window

   Changed your mind? Click the three dots in the actions bar beside it and choose Replace window.

Tips

• An opening is exactly as thick as its wall, so arches look right in 3D and in elevations.
• Select two or more pass-throughs (or windows) on one wall and use Equal spacing or Across wall in the selection panel to give them equal gaps. See Doors & windows.
• Use Change opening style in the actions bar to swap styles without removing it.
• Picking a style closes the gallery and keeps the tool ready for one click on a wall. After that the editor goes back to Select.

Common problems

The arch looks flat

Increase Arch rise, or pick a taller style such as Round Arch or Gothic Arch. A Segmental Arch is shallow on purpose.

The counter hatch reaches the floor

You placed a Plain Opening. Select it and set Opening style to Counter Pass-Through, then set Counter height (sill).