Frame configurations and sources

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The frame browser reads configuration metadata embedded in each koala.window-section JSON file. Compatibility is based on the specific configuration's overall glazing thickness, not its material family, pane count or filename. The configuration selects geometry already drawn for that thickness; it does not stretch a 24 mm rebate around a 44 mm unit.

The starter catalogue contains 19 illustrative configurations:

System	Glazing thicknesses	Profile size
PVC	4, 6, 8, 20, 24, 36, 44 mm	80 × 70 mm for single/double; 80 × 90 mm for triple
Timber	20, 24, 36, 44 mm	80 × 70 mm for double; 80 × 90 mm for triple
Timber + aluminium	20, 24, 36, 44 mm	80 × 70 mm for double; 80 × 90 mm for triple
Aluminium with thermal break	20, 24, 36, 44 mm	80 × 70 mm for double; 80 × 90 mm for triple

These sections use generic materials, retaining lips, gaskets, spacers and supplied cavity values. They represent thickness fit. Product-specific size, sash weight, hardware and structural approvals are not supplied. No manufacturer-derived or independently validated frame models are bundled.

Source classifications

FrameConfiguration.Source.Kind records the provenance of the supplied section:

Kind	Required evidence
Illustrative	Source reference identifying the drawing, generator or design assumptions.
ManufacturerDerived	Source reference plus manufacturer and product identifiers. Geometry and thermal inputs should be traceable to the specified revision of the manufacturer's documentation.
IndependentlyValidated	Source reference, validation report reference, and explicit validation scope describing the geometry, quantities, method and reference conditions checked.

The loader rejects incomplete source records. Recording evidence does not authenticate it or confer certification. A validated jamb section does not validate synthesized head/sill features, mitered corners, a complete window or a changed installation. Existing sections without metadata remain readable and unclassified.

Adding a sourced configuration

Prepare an actual section with its materials, cavities, gaskets, glazing edge, anchors, boundaries and reference cases. Add its JSON file under KOALASolver/Windows/Library; the project embeds it automatically. Rebuild the catalogue. There is no raw CAD, native THERM or manufacturer-site importer in this workflow.

Add a FrameConfiguration object to the section's Data:

• Id: stable identifier for this exact profile/bead/gasket configuration.
• SystemId, SystemName: identify the selectable system; all configurations of a system share its name.
• Family: descriptive material family, independent of compatibility.
• ProfileId: must match the section's frame component ID.
• ProfileName, GlazingBead, GasketSet: identify the actual components or describe illustrative equivalents.
• GlazingThickness: overall unit thickness in metres; it must match the section's glazing geometry to within 0.01 mm.
• Source: Kind, Reference, and the applicable Manufacturer, Product, ValidationReference, ValidationScope and Notes fields.

Use distinct systems when two alternative configurations fit the same thickness; the catalogue rejects ambiguous selection. Changing the glass/coating/gas recipe at the same total thickness retains this geometric configuration. It does not establish a product's approval for that combination. An imported glazing thickness with no available configuration remains inspectable with placement disabled.

The browser's Source details…, the placed section snapshot, and the exported study preserve this metadata separately from the glazing's source. Changes to a library file do not relabel existing placements.

Obtaining product data

Source	Use
Manufacturer technical libraries, for example Schüco AWS 75.SI+	Obtain exact profile, bead and gasket sections; supported infill configurations; materials; thermal reports; size and hardware limits. Record the document revision and component IDs.
Berkeley Lab IGDB, WINDOW and THERM	Obtain reviewed glazing optical data, calculate glazing stacks, and model frame sections. A WINDOW frame-library entry still needs its own provenance.
Passive House Institute frame database	Find certified products and reference performance. Obtain the detailed section and material inputs separately where needed.
NFRC Certified Products Directory	Check rated product configurations and whole-product performance; obtain the underlying thermal model from its owner.

Published Uf or Uw alone cannot reconstruct a section's local temperature field. Preserve the actual modeled spacer/glazing/frame combination and the thermal calculation's reference conditions when comparing results.