One can go so far as to put all of the H1 ties in.  I could waste an entire day messing around in this software, way too much fun.

Version 1.1.0 - 11.08.2015
Added advanced roof options for Common, Scissor and Attic truss types.
Sheathing option enabled under advanced roof options.
Rake Board option enabled under advanced roof options.
Fascia (Flush, Dropped, Beveled) option enabled under advanced roof options.




2x6 fascia and rake boards with gable end trusses.  I would show the sheathing but it covers up the trusses and then there is really nothing to look at.

I have also been researching vent blocking for trusses and I've seen a number of ways to do this both in practice and what is available within the code books.  Specifically blocking over braced wall panels becomes more critical and necessary but even for non-braced wall segments there is the possibility of truss roll over and I would highly suggest blocking in all situations.

Raised heel trusses further complicate the matter.  A number of resources I have found online that were interesting:

The SBC has a fairly lengthy discussion on heel blocking at this paper:

http://support.sbcindustry.com/images/technotes/T-HeelBlocking08.pdf

Raised heel trusses with large heel heights are given a "truss block" treatment.

However, APA paper SR-103A (2014) goes into some detail about using only the wall sheathing extended over the top plate in low wind speed areas.

The USDA has done some testing here:

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fpl_gtr214.pdf

The heel blocking/bracing at heels of raised/energy trusses becomes more of an issue when a shearwall or braced wall panel is located beneath that segment of the wall line.

An article in the SBC Magazine:

http://www.sbcmag.info/article/2015/truss-blocking-panels

The 2012 IRC:

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2012/icod_irc_2012_6_par055.htm

A paper that sums it up quite nicely:

http://smartgreenbuild.com/blog/download/519/

This was an interesting paper I have never seen before even though I subscribe to this publication:

http://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/C-StructPerformance-Martin-Aug101.pdf

The link to the Medeek Truss Plugin is:


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


The link to the Changelog for the plugin is:


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

I think I will include the option for either of the 3 variants since it isn't too much more to code and I'm getting quite a mixed reaction from different builders and designers.  I guess everyone has there preferred method. 

Another quite common fascia treatment is to use a 2x6 sub fascia with a 1x8 finish fascia (primed spruce or cedar). 

However, I am mostly interested in the sub fascia and then I'll leave it up to the designer/architect to dress it up further as needed. 

I'm trying to make the roof framing as easy as possible and basic structural items such as trusses, fascia, outlookers are all automated, then the designer can concentrate on the finish work (ie. ridge caps, trim fascia, barge boards, cupolas).

As I've been contemplating adding gambrel attic trusses to the truss plugin I've had to give some thought to what constitutes a good gambrel design.  I've looked into this before but my conclusion is that no matter the lower and upper pitch of the roof a good looking design seems to be always achievable if the lower and upper legs of the roof are more or less equal in the length.  To that end I've devised a simple spreadsheet calculator that will quickly throw out the numbers and display a graphic of the gambrel profile:



I'm not saying this is a hard and fast rule but it seems to give decent results.  Minor variations (ie. L1 not equal to L2) are generally okay but if one leg is significantly longer than the other the gambrel profile becomes distorted. 

The math to come up with this equality and generate the coordinates of the overall roof height and the pitch break is rather interesting and for those mathematically inclined is given below.  Note that the equation ends up being a quadratic equation with the positive root extraneous:

I thought about multi-ply girder trusses but I think for now it is not too hard for the user to simply create another instance of the truss component and manually stack them up to create double or triple ply trusses.

Another interesting thought I had is what would it take to codify an algorithm for creating a typical dormer:



However, this may be a bit ambitious at this point but I think it could be done.