This is unrelated to the functionality of the plugin but I managed after two days of pulling my hair out to somehow get the PayPal Express Checkout to work on the site.  A number of clients had been requesting the PayPal option rather than use their credit cards over the internet.

Testing out the hip roof feature with some more complex roof lines:







The thing that jumps out at me right away is the ease with which I can generate the basic roof lines and most of the rafters.  This particular roof required (4) rectangular roofs to generate all of the lines.  The only thing that is missing is the valley rafters.  To make this feature more functional for complex roofs I only need to have a tool that can generate valley rafters and trim back members to create the cripple rafters.

The roof planes line up perfectly, which was expected but pleasing none the less.

A more complex hip roof combined with some trusses.  Note I have not trimmed back all of the rafters in the top image.



I initially generated the hip roofs (two rectangles) and then deleted the appropriate members and trimmed the common rafters to create the valley jack rafters and cripple jack rafters.  The valley rafter was created by copying an instance of one of the hip rafters and moving it into place.  The end result is:



Overall the process has been simplified by having the hip roof feature in the plugin.  Trimming the members is the most time consuming, perhaps a more efficient trim tool can be devised so that intersecting members can be easily trimmed back to clean up a complex roof.  Ultimately it would be cool to have the plugin automatically handle even more complex roofs such as this but that would take some serious programming.

Also note that I used a raised heel for the trusses so that the heel height and gutter line of the trusses matches that of the rafters.

Version 1.2.3 - 12.29.2015
- Added Hip Rafter Roof.



A square hip roof (pyramid):



I still need to add in the advanced options for this roof type (sheathing, fascia etc...)  I'm also thinking about ceiling joists and how best to configure them.  For low pitch hip roofs the ceiling joists near the hip ends will clash with the hip jack rafters unless they are oriented parallel to the jack rafters.

Version 1.2.2 - 12.23.2015
- Structural outlookers notched around TJI top flange when oriented vertically, as per TJI manufacturer's structural details.



The tails of the TJI joists at the overhangs is left untrimmed however it is very easy to trim the tail of the rafters as shown below to customize to your particular roof requirements.

Version 1.2.2 - 12.21.2015
- Added TJI Rafter Roof with Glulam Beam (all advanced options enabled).
- Added dropped beam option for TJI Rafter Roof with Glulam Beam: Bevelled plate






Note, the birdsmouth cut at the lower bearing point.  What I am not showing is the additional web blocking (stiffeners) required at this bearing point and at the ridge beam, see TJI-4000 for more details.

Version 1.2.1 - 12.16.2015
- Added gable end trusses (ladders) and ribbon boards to the floor truss type (Warren - System 42).
- Sheathing option enabled under advanced floor options for floor trusses.

Things have been a little slow on the plugin development and also on visits to my plugin page the last few days as I have been busy working on some local engineering projects and have not had the time to work on any new features.


Then all of sudden this morning I noticed things were going a little wild on the site with a ton of traffic.  Turns out my plugin has somehow found its way to the top of the stack on Extension Warehouse:





Not sure how it ended up there but my server has registered a serious uptick in traffic.

Various configurations of a cambered truss:

With regards to outlookers and I-joist roofs I also noticed in the TJ-4000 (Detail O) they only show the outlookers in a vertical orientation.  Are we allowed to do a horizontal orientation (outlookers laid flat)?  And if so how do we make that attachment?

Version 1.2.0 - 12.13.2015
- Added ceiling joist option for Gable Rafter Roof.



Note: In the image shown I have raised the ceiling joist 24", the default is zero, or resting on the top plate of the wall.

Added dropped beam options for Gable Rafter Roof with Glulam Beam: Notched rafter and Bevelled plate.

When the plugin is loaded in a metric template it will now utilize a web dialog with metric sizes for glulam beams.  The menu and glulam beam sizes are currently listed at the following link:


http://design.medeek.com/calculator/sketchup/html/web_dialog_glulam_metric.html


I probably don't list every combination possible or manufactured in each respective country or jurisdiction but hopefully I list the most common sizes.  So far I have entered in data for the United Kingdom (Great Britain), South Africa, and Australia (and New Zealand). 


I can enter in more countries if provided the data (width, depth, locale name and ply thickness).  Now that I have the web dialogs and html files setup it is not a big deal to add more entries.


When the plugin is loaded in inches or feet then the US sizes or AWC NDS tables are loaded.  So far I have only found one country that still uses the old units.


http://design.medeek.com/calculator/sketchup/html/web_dialog_glulam.html

With I-joist roofs don't think I would model in any of the web stiffeners, otherwise the model gets too heavy, same goes for small fasteners and hangers. 

I haven't even considered the option yet with the rafters resting on top of the beam (dropped ridge).  The I-joist manufacturers do not allow notching at the top end and therefore a beveled bearing plate or strip is required with web stiffeners on both sides of the I-joist.  Their detail shows a strap across the tops of the I-joists tying them together across the beam, I'm pretty familiar with this detail from some local jobs I've done recently. However, I'm also wondering about the beveled strip on top of the ridge beam, how is it made, thickness at the butt etc...

With common sawn rafters how would you typically handle a dropped beam?  Would you use a beveled strip or would you apply a  birdsmouth cut at the ridge?  I think I've seen both details but what is the preferred method if there is one.

The problem is I'm not out in the field enough so I never get to see this stuff actually go together very often.

I remember a few years back when I was in college and working a side job as a construction laborer we framed up a roof similar to this.  The rafters were large I-Joists (TJI 560 equiv.) and were hangered from the glulam beam.  The beam was probably almost 2 feet deep.  I just remember I was glad I was cutting the blocking on the miter saw and not the one at the peak of the roof setting the rafters into the hangers. 


With that being said I am wondering how often I-Joists are used in this type of application versus common lumber.  I can probably add in an option to use them instead of common lumber.  One question I have though is what to do at the other end, where they bear at the wall.  I would need to study this further.