How to Add and Change Windows and Doors

Placing windows and doors accurately in a room is necessary to define the space where you have to work. KCD Software lets you locate and size windows and doors precisely, using your favorite method.

 

View a Wall

This how to assumes that you already know how to add and change walls in KCD. We’re going to start with the floor plan for a room like this:

NOTE: You must leave one side open (without a wall). If you create a closed box, you will not be able to see the room in 3D. At this point, you may want to turn on the grid (click on View in the main menu, then click on Show Grid).

1. Click on the wall where you want to add a window or door. In this case, let’s assume you’ve clicked on wall #2.

2. Double click on any open space to change to an elevation view of the wall you chose.

Add a Window

Now that the wall is on the screen, it’s time to add a window.

1. Click on Window in the units menu. A picture of a window appears.

2. Click anywhere on the wall to show a window outline and bring up the Window

The Window menu below shows some of the standard defaults in KCD Software.

The Window menu gives you lots of options for specifying a window. You are welcome to experiment with the options; to see them all, click the More button. For now, let’s stick with setting the window’s width, height, location, and style.

1. To set the width and height of the window, type the correct numbers (in inches) into the Width and Height
2. If you want the KCD Software to exactly center the window in the call, click on the C next to the Location You can then skip steps 5 and 6 below.
3. If you want more control over the window’s location, click on one of the options in the Location From list at the top of the Window If you regularly measure window placement from the left wall to the left edge of the window, select L to L. If you regularly measure window placement from the left wall to the center of the window, select L to C—and so on.
4. In the Location box, type the distance (in inches) from the wall to the window. If you chose L to C, the distance is from the left wall to the center of the window.
5. Select the type of window by scrolling down on the box above the OK

In the Window menu below, we’ve selected L to C under Locate From; a Location of 30 inches (measuring from the left wall to the center of the window); a window Width of 41 inches, a window Height of 21 inches, and a Sliding Window.

3. When all your choices are ready, click OK to view the window in the wall.

The wall measurements on top show 25 inches from the left wall to the left edge of the window, 30 inches width for the window, and 20 inches from the right edge of the window to the right wall, for a total of 75 inches.

This is a good time to check whether your onsite measurements align with the calculations made by KCD Software.

4. If you need to change any of your choices, double click on the unit number at the center of the window. In this case, double click on The Window menu for that window will reappear.

The menu allows you to change any measurement, erase the window entirely, copy the window, and so on. If you have been following along on your computer, you may want to save your work (click on File in the main menu and then click on Save).

Place a Door on a Wall

Let’s assume we want to place a door on wall 1 of our room.

1. Click on the striped area to the right of the window, which represents the wall to the right of Wall 2 (in this case, wall #1 in the original floor plan).

The elevation of the Wall 1 appears.

2. Click on Door on the units menu. A picture of a door appears.

3. Click anywhere on the wall to show a door outline and to bring up the Door

The Door menu gives you lots of options for specifying a door. You are welcome to experiment with the options. For now, let’s stick with setting the door’s width, height, location, and style.

4. To set the width and height of the door, type the correct numbers (in inches) into the Width and Height
5. If you want KCD Software to exactly center the door, click on the C next to the Location You can then skip steps 6 and 7 below.
6. If you want more control over the door’s location, click on one of the options in the Location From list at the top of the Door If you regularly measure door placement from the left wall to the left edge of the door, select L to L. If you regularly measure door placement from the left wall to the center of the door, select L to C—and so on.
7. In the Location box, type the distance (in inches) from the wall to the door. If you chose L to C, the distance is from the left wall to the center of the door.
8. Select the type of door by scrolling down on the box above the OK

In the Door menu below, we’ve chosen a Width of 40 inches for a Sliding Wood Door and  also clicked on the C button.

Doors are not as critical to cabinet placement as windows. Therefore, KCD Software lets you specify where the door handle is located (left or right) but it provides fewer options for doors than windows and it doesn’t calculate the swing of the door.

9. Click on OK.

The door is automatically centered in the wall.

This is a good time to check whether your onsite measurements align with the calculations made by KCD Software.

10. If you need to change any of your choices, double click on the unit number at the center of the door. In this case, double click on The Door menu for that door will reappear.

The menu lets you change any measurement, erase the door entirely, copy the door, and so on. If you have been following along on your computer, you may want to save your work (click on File in the menu bar and then click on Save).

Remove a Door or Window

Remove a Wall

The easiest way to remove a door or window (anything else on your workspace) is to drag it to the trash bin in the lower left corner of the screen. You can retrieve an item from the trash bin within the same session by pressing Ctrl Z on your keyboard.

We hope this how-to has been helpful. At KCD Software, we always welcome comments and suggestions for making our Cabinet Suite, Closet Suite, and Doors Plus better—and easier to use—than ever.