I'm debating whether to model the collar as shown. It does make the fitting more realistic but it does add some volume to the overall solid, which may affect my volume calcs if needed. I suppose I could figure out a clever way to calculate this out of the volume if it ever becomes an issue.



Thoughts?

Here is the start of the "boot" library:

4", 5", 6", 7", 8"

The naming convention is:

BOOT90_4X10X6_2

The last number indicates the vertical rise of the register box.



I think I have a enough now to start testing the component insertion logic.

I have no idea if there is an industry standard with these measurements.  Typically boots are call out by the inlet duct size (ie. 4", 6", 8" RND) and and angle and then the register size (rectangle - ie. 10x4).

However the other dimensions shown are a bit of a mystery to me.



In particular the 4" throat length and the 2.5" vertical rise of the register box (my best guestimates).  These dimensions will actually control the location of the register and/or the duct.  How do I get more info or data on these measurements?

To specify this boot completely my part number would probably be:

BOOT_10X4_90_RND_6

Additionally one could orientate it any rotation within the round duct so there is a rotational parameter.

Is it better to pre-model various sizes and configurations or provide parameters and generate the geometry on the fly?

The same duct assembly switched to round and oval profiles:





I don't really see any other duct profiles being used than these three (Round, Rectangular, Oval).

In the next week I will be adding the "Edit Segment" and "Edit Node" menus/tools. Once those are complete I will need some beta testers to provide feedback and feature suggestions. If you are interested and can provide high quality feedback then I would be willing to issue you a license. Please be aware that this plugin is in no way ready for a production environment. I still need to clean up the global settings (borrowed from the Floor plugin) and a number of tools are still needing to be added.

Please email me (nathan@medeek.com) if you are interested. I probably will only issue about 10 licenses for BETA testers, I don't want too many voices at this point. My preference is that you are familiar with HVAC and you do some of this modeling within SketchUp.

First look at the main assembly edit menu:



It seems like these menus always start off simple but then get overloaded with parameters. I will do my best to keep it simple but feature requests will ultimately dictate what form it evolves to.

Rectangular duct appears to be working as far as corners that "bend". I've still need to add in round and oval ducting, both of which should not be too much more difficult than square or rectangular ducting.

A few more editing tools to add (ie. segments, nodes, edge editing etc...). My youngest soon suggested that I also include a copy or eye drop tool similar to what is in the Wall plugin. I think this makes sense since it will be quite tedious to edit a bunch of segments or nodes and have to update them all separately.

I think it might also be useful to create a tool(s)which allows one to join or split an assembly into different assemblies.

After that I need to start adding in options for the nodes (ie. registers, boots, transitions etc...)

When creating a new duct assembly from a bunch of edges currently one has to select each edge by clicking on it. I think it need to update the tool so that one can drag a window and select the edges this way if desired. I've actually never programmed a "window selector" in any of my tools thus far so that should be interesting and maybe a little challenging.

Besides the segments we also need to the nodes as part of the primitive assembly:



Now that I have the primitives established I can develop system of configuring the segments and nodes that make up the duct network.

I will also be developing this extension as part of the mdkMEP suite.

The Medeek Plumbing logo shall be:





The mdkMEP bundle will consist of the following three plugins/extensions:

Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing

Juju had no idea what he was starting in 2015 when he asked me if the Truss plugin would become a *bona fide* extension...



Thanks to him I am now starting on my seventh "bona fide" extension.

The Medeek HVAC icons shall be:






Maybe a little boring but sometimes I think simple is better.

Version 1.0.9 - 06.17.2025
- Added the floor truss toolbar with the following two items: Draw Beam Pocket, Delete Beam Pocket.
- Enabled beam pockets for MPC wood trusses.
- Fixed a bug with short span steel trusses.



Tutorial 28 - Beam Pockets with Floor Trusses (8:00 min.)

In many cases when you introduce a stairwell opening into  a floor like this it will be along the perimeter of the floor assembly as shown.  In these cases it is simpler to create your floor perimeter with the opening in mind:







Note, in order to create the additional gable truss (2x6 ply) I first changed my ply width to 5.5" then copied the gable truss at the interior of the stair well, then pasted it in place in the root of the model and then edited the floor assembly back to the typical 3.5" ply width.  Alternatively one could simply frame this small pony wall with the Wall plugin (ie. conventional framing) just as easily.

I'm not exactly sure how the trusses would work where the LVL beam/header is positioned at the start of the stairwell, obviously we would need some kind of header at that location.

Here is a link to the model for those who are interested in examining this floor truss example in more detail:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/embed/62200e55-7a11-4b43-bdac-4d00119d4f01?token=4RdrisG1fJM=&binaryName=s21

Version 1.0.8 - 06.08.2025
- Updated the SUBTRACT and SUBTRACT_JOIST features so that they can better handle MPC wood trusses, steel trusses and open web "Redbuilt" trusses.
- Updated the Floor Opening module so that it can handle MPC wood trusses, steel trusses and open web "Redbuilt" trusses.
- Added a "None" option for the header type in the draw and edit menus for floor openings.

Version 1.0.7 - 06.06.2025
- Enabled MPC Wood Trusses with ribbon boards, multiple chases and gable trusses.
- Updated the Move Floor Edge tool so that it also toggles the metal plate connector layer.
- Update the SUBTRACT_JOIST feature so that it can adequately handle MPC wood trusses.

Tutorial 27 - MPC Wood Trusses (13:25 min.)

Looks like I'm about 95% there with floor trusses:



The only issue appears to be what happens when ribbon boards are enabled and you have an inside corner as shown. I probably need to add in some additional logic to eliminate the slot for the ribbon board in these cases.

Just when I think I'm ready to move to the gable trusses and the ribbon boards I realized I hadn't checked top bearing trusses. Spent most of yesterday and this morning sorting this truss geometry out:



I've spent a good bit of time devising the algorithm that inserts the webs into these trusses and overall I think it is fairly successful (and believable) however I will be the first to admit that it is not quite perfect. Also I am little unclear on how to deal with specific situations. I guess I should spend some more time studying different Mitek and Alpine floor truss examples to cement my knowledge on the exact way all cases are handled (even though there is probably some variability in certain instances).

After a full day of tinkering and refactoring a bunch of the original floor truss code I think I now have the multi-chase algorithm working:



Note how the chases all line up even though there are five or six different truss profiles within this assembly. I still need to create the web generator between the central sections of the truss profile, there is quite a bit going on here. I am still a few days out from completing the programming and then another two or three days of testing and further debugging.