First look at that stemwall steps with FPSF insulation:



Not sure if an additional piece of insulation should be added at the actual step, any thoughts on that?

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/e41f6782-d058-4743-a402-9dd6eded3b99/Stemwall-Steps-FPSF-Insulation

First look at stemwall steps with drain pipe:



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/28d6d875-9680-4108-99c0-bb2add7c511e/Drain-Pipes-with-Step-Foundation

I don't know why but just looking at this model makes me very happy.  I guess I've been trying to do this sort of thing with foundations since I began programming the foundation plugin about three years ago and I am now finally arriving at a viable solution.

Note, that the hide edges option will hide the concrete lines at the end of each assembly and the entire foundation will appear as monolithic.  I have not enabled this option in this model because I want to show the three different steps types distinctly.

Version 1.3.9d - 09.02.2019
- Enabled rebar for stemwall steps (bottom step and double step).





Rebar was a bit a of a pain especially the double step, the rest of the advanced options should be relatively simple comparatively.

Version 1.3.9c - 09.01.2019
- Enabled rebar for stemwall steps (top step only).
- Added an option for additional horizontal and vertical bars in the draw and edit menus for stemwall steps.



I rolled the revision a little early since I noticed there was a bug in the edit function for stemwall steps.  If you've recently installed 1.3.9b, I would highly recommend updating to this latest version.

I just need to work out the rebar for the other two step configurations and then rebar is complete.

I will then attack anchor bolts next, then the drain pipe and then the FPSF insulation.  I will probably leave the vents disabled for now or at least until someone gives me more feedback on how they would like to see this configured.

The nice thing with the rebar is that you still have the option to install top and/or bottom bar with or without the horizontal bar, so lots of design permutations.

Version 1.3.9b - 08.31.2019
- Added an option for vertical bars in the draw and edit menus for polyline stemwall foundations.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/086fa437-c1fa-410d-8969-9540fa909302/Stemwall-with-Horz-and-Vert-Rebar

The top of the vertical rebar is 3" below the top of the stemwall and extends into the footing by half the footing depth.

These various foundation assemblies are starting to rival the wall and truss plugins assemblies in complexity and details, exciting stuff.

I still need to work on a module that will allow for brick ledges on stemwalls as well as another module for adding in windows and doors.  A CMU option would also be nice.  No matter how hard I work on this stuff it always seems like there is more, its a moving target I guess. 

Quote from: jslomka100 on August 31, 2019, 09:20:40 AM
Nathan,
I hope you daughter's recovery is going well and she is keeping her spirits up. I'm new to the Medeek Forum and a new user of the Medeek BIM tools. I'm in the process of modeling my house in SKetchup 2017 make (I'm not a professional contractor or designer, just a home owner having some fun with Sketchup. I would like to know if the Medeek Foundation plug-in can do a stepped foundation where the foundation floor is level and the foundation walls are stepped based on grade of lot (walk out basement) I've attached a pic of what I would like to be able to replicate. I've noticed you are working on stepped foundations for crawl space type foundations but I did not see a stepped foundation for a walkout basement type of foundation. It may be that I'm just not familiar with how to combine the different types of foundations to create the type of foundation pictured in the attachment. Any help would be appreciated.

The upcoming step tool and polyline tool should be able to model this foundation.  My only problem might be the steps that are shown that terminate at the corners, I will need to think about these more.

Version 1.3.9 - 08.30.2019
- Added an option for additional horizontal bars in the draw and edit menus for polyline stemwall foundations.



Now we just need a few more options that will allow for vertical bars.

For the drain pipe with a step I'm looking at three possible ways to model the vertical transition:



The first model just follows the concrete step and makes a vertical jump.

The second model transitions with a couple of 45 degree elbows.

The third makes a more gradual transition with 16" of lead in before beginning the slope.

Which is the preferred way to model the drain pipe?

This is kind of what I have in mind for the rebar for a top step:



Note the typical 3" clearance for the very top bar.  Also note how the other top bar extends beyond the step by 12".  I can provide another parameter that allows the user to specify the length of this lap/extension.

I apologize that the dimensions are so small in the image, I should have increased the text size to make it more readable.

The bottom step and double step would be similar.  Thoughts or a different rebar configuration?

Version 1.3.8 - 08.29.2019
- Enabled the "Draw Stemwall Step" tool with the following step types: Top, Bottom, Double.
- Enabled the "Edit Stemwall Step" function/menu for stemwall steps.
- Added a "Hide Edges" option in the draw and edit menus for stemwall steps.



Currently the other  options are not yet enabled (anchor bolts, rebar, insulation, vents, and drain pipe).  I will work on these this weekend and try to wrap up the stemwall step module by Monday.

After that I will put together the Interior Bearing tool and then move back to the Truss Plugin development for a while.  However, if there are specific requests for features or bug fixes I will continue to address those in the next few weeks.

First look at some bottom steps with 24" steps:



Notice that the optional footing transition has been toggled on. 

Now I just need to wrap up the concrete for the double step and then I'll release a new version so that everyone can test out this new feature.

First look at a Type A (Top Step) concrete, with and without hidden edges:



Haven't really had much feedback with regards to the rebar for a step. For now I think I will just terminate it at the step. We can always talk about lapping and turned up or turned down rebar later as I'm sure the discussion will come up.

First look at the wireframe preview for a stemwall step:



Tomorrow I start in earnest to code the concrete portion of the module now that all of the supporting infrastructure is in place.  Then from there it is rebar, anchor bolts etc...

Hopefully this module combined with the polyline stemwall module will give designers the flexibility they need in order to model any type of stemwall or basement foundation.

After some serious head scratching and tossing around various parameters I've managed to boil it down to this:



Three different step configurations:  Top, Bottom, Double (see previous drawing for details)

The Double Step has three additional parameters as well as the option for the Ftg. transition.

As you can see it gets rather complicated, or at least appears so.  In actuality it is fairly simple once you understand what each parameter does.

As some of you are aware the Wall plugin includes a number of connectors and hardware, primarily Simpson Strong-Tie but a few others vendors as well.  The full list is available here:

http://design.medeek.com/resources/wallpluginvendors.html

Mitek also provides a comparable line of hardware with their USP Structural Connectors.  I'm considering adding in the equivalent product lines from Mitek and then allowing the user to specify in the Global Settings which vendor they prefer so that the menus populate with the appropriate vendor's products and thereby give the user more options and control over their hardware choices.