Version 1.3.1 - 06.16.2021
- Updated the wiring module/algorithm to improve performance and overall robustness.

The next few weeks is going to be primarily focused on the estimating module as it applies to truss and rafter assemblies.

With truss assemblies it is fairly cut and dried, I just need to report on basic items such as sheathing, cladding, drip edge and maybe listing how many common and gable trusses are in an assembly.

With rafter roofs however it becomes a lot more interesting (especially with an asymmetric hip roof) wherein each rafter length and quantity needs to be accounted for.  Take for example the hip rafter roof below:



The various rafter/member types are:

Common, Hip, Hip Jack, Common (End), and Ridge Board

With a large roof the full listing will be quite large, especially when symmetry is not maintained.

My algorithm for determining the lengths of all the rafter types is fairly well defined and robust however the exact length of the hip rafter still eludes me.  Since the primary concern is to determine the minimum length of the lumber required to construct the member I may just add on a simplified fudge factor so that it reaches this number however if possible I would prefer the exact length be calculated, as a matter of principle.

Based on my roof plane naming convention I can assign a label to each hip jack rafter (ie. JACK-BC1, JACK-BC2 etc...)  The first letter will indicate the roof plane the jack is on and the second letter will indicate the roof plane that is adjacent to the jack.  The number will indicate the order by length where #1 will be the longest jack in that series. 

Each hip can also be labeled with two letters where the first letter indicate the roof plane to the left of the hip rafter and the second letter indicates the roof plane to the right of the hip rafter (ie. HIP-AC, HIP-CB etc...)

Common rafters will be designated similarly by roof plane: (ie. COMMON-A, COMMON-B, COMMON-C etc...)  On roof planes C and D there will only be one common (end).

In a nutshell that will be my naming and counting convention for hip rafter roofs as far as the Medeek Estimator is concerned.   If there are any problems with it then further refinement will be necessary.  This same convention will be adopted for other rafter roof types as well as complex roofs.

Thoughts or concerns?

Version 2.1.8 - 06.14.2021
Added roof cladding to the Medeek Estimator (common and monopitch truss assemblies).
Enabled net area calculations for roof sheathing and roof cladding.
Fixed a minor bug with in-wall columns and layers/tags.

To take advantage of the updates to the Medeek Estimator for roof truss assemblies listed above you will need to upgrade to this latest version of the Wall plugin.

Version 2.8.5 - 06.14.2021
- Added stats (roof cladding) for common and monopitch truss roofs which can be analyzed within the Medeek Estimator (Wall Extension) module.
- Enabled net area calculations for roof sheathing and roof cladding statistics.



If cladding and/or sheathing is removed by subtractive geometry or features such as skylights, this information/data will be recorded and accounted for within the assembly.  When the Medeek Estimator runs it will pick up the net and gross areas for cladding and sheathing and report the correct amounts.  Previously only the gross areas were reported by the estimator.

Some recent questions on shed walls from users of the Wall plugin.

Here is a very basic example of a shed wall application:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/33c80821-ce90-468c-abc9-499bb72eef16/Small-Shed-1

Notice that the rectangular walls are set to "inset outside" corners and the shed walls are set to "outside" corners.  It could be vice versa but I think this configuration is more common.

If you look closely at the model you will notice that the upper rectangular wall doesn't quite match up with the upper shed wall height.  This is because I rounded the wall height to the nearest 16th of an inch, however there is no reason why I can't take it to the 5th or 6th decimal place if I wanted it to be more exact, it's really up to the user.

Version 2.8.4b - 06.13.2021
- Subtractive geometry can be constrained to only subtract from Sheathing and Cladding by setting the subtractive geometry parameter to "SHEATHING" in the global settings.



... and this is why feedback is important.

Version 2.8.4 - 06.13.2021
- Added a "Regen" context menu item for all truss assemblies (eg. Common Trusses, Scissor Trusses, Timber Trusses etc...)
- Added an option for subtractive geometry into the General tab of the Global Settings.
- Sub-groups within truss assemblies can be made persistent and "subtractive" by naming these groups to (subtract1, subtract2, subtract3, etc...)
- Components within truss assemblies can also be made persistent and "subtractive" by naming the component instance to (subtract1, subtract2, subtract3, etc...)







Once I've tested this a bit a further and received more feedback I will enable the same subtractive option/feature for rafter roofs and complex roofs.

Version 1.7.3 - 06.12.2021
- Added a "Regen" context menu item for the following foundation assemblies: Polyline Stemwall, Strip Footing, Interior Bearing.

Version 2.1.7 - 06.11.2021
- Enabled holdowns for portal framed garage door openings.





View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/d8924047-31a1-4b8b-8902-7fd70fcdf2aa/Garage-Portal-Frame-with-Holdowns

Version 2.1.6d - 06.09.2021
- Fixed a minor bug with the custom beam and header libraries (status, edit and delete functions).

This issue affected beams or headers that included brackets in the name, "(" or ")". This particular bug has been around for months but I guess no one noticed (myself included) that you could not delete, edit or change the status of beams or headers with brackets in the name/description.

Version 2.1.6c - 06.09.2021
- Enabled boxed headers (2 ply) for windows, doors and garages by using the key word "BOX" in the header description.





*Note that this type of header works for both wood and steel and one can create boxed headers within the custom header library in the global settings.  The only stipulation is that the header must be a 2-ply header.

Version 2.1.6b - 06.08.2021
- Steel framing indicated (by color) in 2D or 3D "No Framing" mode.
- Enabled steel framing for gable, shed and hip walls.
- Fixed a bug within the window edit menu regarding window presets.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/abc0b628-bef4-429a-b67a-3262544165d7/CFS-Framing-2

Version 2.1.6 - 06.07.2021
- Enabled an option for a steel framing (Cold Formed Steel) texture for lumber/studs in the global settings.





In the 2D mode the steel framed walls will appear a grey color as shown:



I was about to dive into the estimating module this morning but I received yet another email regarding steel framing.  This update only provides what I like to call a "cosmetic" steel framed wall.  All I am really doing is applying some textures (and hiding one face) to the otherwise standard wood studs so that they resemble a steel stud.  These are not proper steel framed walls in my opinion.

This option in the Materials tab of the global settings is somewhat experimental and I am sure further improvements can be made so please send me any feedback, but realize that dimensionally these are not "real" steel framed walls.  To take it to that level would probably involved creating an entirely new plugin devoted only to steel framing (CFS).

Please see model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/f1595258-f8b7-48cd-93c3-ff3cbf095b4f/CFS-Framing-1

Version 2.1.5 - 06.06.2021
- Updated the Medeek Estimator to include lumber/member lengths in both feet-inches (fractional) and decimal inches when using imperial units.
- Further optimized and organized the Medeek Estimator code base in preparation for expansion of its functionality.

Version 2.8.3 - 06.04.2021
- Added four additional parameters to the "User Interface" section of the General tab of the global settings. This allows the customization (colors) of the HTML menus and buttons.



This completes the user interface upgrade for all the major Medeek plugins.  The Truss, Foundation and Electrical plugins are now up to par with the Wall plugin.  Now on to bigger and better things, that task was very tedious but necessary.