I have had two requests now for metal bridging or bracing so I took about an hour and modeled up a Simpson TB27 between 2X10 joists @ 16" on center.  It actually looks really nice:





However some things immediately jumped out at me:

1.)  I based my TB27 off of the ICF file on Simpson's website so it is dimensionally accurate, however to do that takes quite a bit of time.  Modeling like this is fun but very time consuming and one thing I never have enough of is time. 

2.)  This is the TB27 configured for 2X10's on 16" centers, now think of all the other permutations (including I-Joists).  To make this look right would require a preconfigured component for each case.  The number of permutations is at least 130 or more.



3.)  If you also consider custom offsets of specific joists then it gets even more crazy. 

My thinking is that if I do want to enable something like this it will need to be less detailed geometrically (just a basic representation) and drawn on the fly using an algorithm that checks joist depth and spacing.  Rather than specify the exact part number (ie. TB20, TB27, TB30 etc...), just specify that it is metal bridging.

Version 0.9.5 - 09.18.2024
- Added a joist direction arrow to the draw floor tool.
- Added a "debug mode" parameter to the General tab of the Global Settings.
- Fixed a bug with deck board placement.
- Fixed a bug with the deck board offset parameter.

Version 3.7.1 - 09.17.2024
- Added a vertical offset parameter for in-wall column king studs.



In the case where you have a beam pocket and king studs over top of a door or window this update is critical.  Previously the king studs would simply project to the bottom plate in the wall passing through the opening.  Now you can utilize this extra parameter to vertically offset these king studs the same way the column itself is offset.  Note that the offset can be both positive or negative or zero (default)

Tutorial 2 - Joist Hangers (19:57 min.)

Edmond (my youngest son) made this silver ring in his jewelry class.  I'm quite impressed.

Version 0.9.4 - 09.16.2024
- Added joist hangers to the Draw and Edit menus.
- Added a built-in library of face mount and and top flange hangers.

Not sure why anyone in their right mind would create a floor like this but it seems like the hanger algorithm is holding up even when I throw the kitchen sink at it. I will have to test a few more things and then I'll probably release the joist hanger update tomorrow.






It would be nice is one could specify every terminal end of joist (ie. hanger or no hanger and even specify a size). However I'm probably not going to go that granular yet.

Version 0.9.3b - 09.12.2024
- Fixed a HTML/Javascript bug in the Draw Floor menu.

I was thinking about hanger hardware for the joists but then I realized that things are quite a bit more complicated with these polygon floors.  For example look at this floor:



The situation gets interesting for the first six joists in the array, they would require four hangers each rather than just the normal two.  I'm going to have to really put on my thinking cap for this one.

And then you have the additional complication of non-orthogonal edges which may require special skewed hangers...  Fortunately those are probably not as common so I can probably ignore that case for now.

P.S.

I may have to bounce some ideas off of @DanRathbun and the other great minds on this forum to devise an efficient algorithm. 

At first glance I think I can examine each joist individually once they've been trimmed/cut and count the number of edges that run parallel to the joist (x-axis or y-axis).  For a regular lumber joist the total number of pieces will be the number of horizontal (long edges) divided by four.  That will tell me how many hangers I actually need.

I can then cycle through this collection of edges finding all of the terminal vertices/locations and assign to each one a direction (left facing or right facing).  From there it is simply a matter of running a for loop and placing the hangers.  I think this will work but it may not be optimized yet.

P.P.S

I also just realized that there is the possibility for some joists to be doubled, which will naturally require a different hanger, so the hanger selection will require two parameters, one for single ply an one for two ply.  However, there may be a situation where you want there to be hangers only on one side of the floor (ie. a deck with a ledger and beam supported on the other end) so four parameters for hanger selection:

1.)  Start Hanger (1X Ply)
2.) Start Hanger (2X Ply)
3.) End Hanger (1X Ply)
4.) End Hanger (2X Ply)

Version 0.9.3 - 09.12.2024
- Fixed a critical bug in the Draw Floor menu.
- Added a status icon (Draw Mode: Polyline or Face) in upper right corner of the Draw Floor menu.
- Added the Draw Mode parameter to Floors tab of the Global Settings.

Version 0.9.2 - 09.11.2024
- Enabled a overhang for deck boards.
- Enabled a global offset for deck boards.
- Fixed a bug with floor presets.

**Tutorial 1** - Extension Overview (19:43 min.)

Version 0.9.1 - 09.10.2024
- Enabled doubling of individual joists.
- Enabled offsetting of individual joists.
- Enabled global offsetting of joists.
- Added a duplicate floor check to the regen module for all floor types.
- Updated the javascript logic within the License tab of the Global Settings.

The current todo list in no specific order:

1.)  Floor Coverings: Tile, Carpet, Hardwood etc...
2.)  Floor Openings:  Stairwell and Crawlspace or ladder access
3.)  In Floor Beams
4.)  Blocking:  Mid-span blocking, custom blocking, edge blocking
5.)  Ledgers:  customize each edge or side of an assembly with a custom ledger or rim joist setting.
6.)  Hardware:  Joist Hangers, Beam Hangers, diagonal bracing, deck holdowns



7.)  Railing: for decks
8.)  Custom Joist Doubling:  ability to double any number of joists in the array
9.)  Custom Joist Offset:  ability to offset any number of joists independently.
10)  Global Joist Offset
11.)  Max. Joist Span Indicator:  Engineering related
12.)  Diagonal deck boards
13.)  MPC Wood Floor Trusses
14.)  Steel Trusses (not high priority)

Feel free to help me add to this list.

I desperately need to work on the hole tool and the floor covering tool. These two additions will make the plugin truly powerful. At this point it is not much better than the previous floor module in the Truss plugin (other than the ability to create polygon floor outlines).

There will be instances that hangers will be utilized however joists that are cut at diagonals will complicate the matter somewhat, I'm not even sure what hardware is available in that regard, I will have to spend some time researching that one and then coming up with a clever algorithm.

Please email me any feedback directly to nathan@medeek.com, any and all feedback is appreciated.

I've already updated the database so anyone who holds a license for the plugin has now had their license renewed for a full year.