First look at the Layer Control tool and its HTML menu:



Fairly simple really.  Just a bunch of sliders that allow one to incrementally change the visibility of the layers of the plugins.

I now need to add in a visibility option/integer for each layer in each plugin which can be adjusted within the global settings of each plugin.

After a little shuffling and moving things about, this is what we have so far for the Project plugin toolbars:



Note that we've moved the estimating module and the documents module from the Wall plugin and the trimming tools from the Truss plugin.

The Project Info icon currently doesn't do anything.  I am going to put some careful thought into how I want that interface to look and function. 

I am now working on the Layer Control tool, this will also involve necessary updates to the all of the plugins for it to work correctly (ie. Wall, Truss, Foundation and Electrical).

The Account Manager icon will look like this:

I've started working on this new plugin again after a three year hiatus.

The goal is to move the estimating module from the Wall plugin as well as the trimming tools from the Truss plugin.

However, before I do that I am working on creating a layer control feature within this new plugin which will allow one to quickly modify the visibility of the various Medeek layers within one's model.  This tool will be called "Layer Control".

Version 3.0.9 - 01.05.2023
- Enabled beam pockets (in-wall columns) for CMU, CMU Core and ICF walls.
- Fixed a bug within the plan view auto-dimensioning module having to do with in-wall columns.
- Fixed a minor typo in the Draw menu for in-wall columns.

Version 3.2.1 - 01.04.2024
- Updated and adjusted the logging function and auto-update functions.

The Wall plugin has now seen about 250 updates or revisions since it was first released in May of 2018.  It is not as old as the Truss plugin (2015) but it has seen almost as many updates and fixes and is beginning to rival the Truss plugin in overall complexity and capabilities.

It always seems like there is more that can be done though, and even though both of these plugins have come quite a ways in the last few years there is still so much more to be done, especially with the Truss plugin.

As most of you know I am behind schedule on my much anticipated Floor plugin due to a major back injury a few months ago (Sept.) but I am hoping to really put some solid work into that new plugin so that it is at least as impressive as the Foundation plugin right from the get go.  We will see how it all shakes out, but I have big plans for it.

With the new addition of the ICF wall type it quickly makes me realize that the estimating module will need to play catch up on these alternative wall construction types (ie. CMU, ICF, CMU Core etc...), so yes, still a lot of work to be done in that regard.

Then there is the engineering side of things which I would really like see come to fruition in the near future.  I'm not sure how familiar many of you are with Weyerhauser's Forte app.  I've actually used it a lot in my own engineering practice, along with my own spreadsheets.  My goal is to essentially integrate basic engineering capabilities (like Forte) into all of the plugins, especially the Wall and Floor plugins (ie. headers, beams, posts, joists).

This new year will probably be another busy year with lots of updates and hopefully a new plugin or two.  I am looking forward to a very productive 2023.

Version 3.0.8b - 01.03.2023
- Added a "Concrete" layer to the Layers tab of the Global Settings.

Version 3.0.8 - 01.03.2023
- Added ICF options in to the Insulation tab of the Global Settings.
- Added an ICF wall framing option for all wall types.
- Added four additional ICF parameters into the wall Draw and Edit menus.
- Fixed a bug with the plan view auto-dimensioning module.
- Enabled trim, ext. wainscoting and quoins for CMU Core and ICF wall types.





ALERT! - CRITICAL BUG FIX
The bug associated with the upgrade that brought you plan view dimensions will cause the plugin to abort during regeneration when installing garage doors into a wall.  It is highly recommended that you install this latest update which addresses this bug and a couple more minor bugs with the plan view dimension feature.

Here is a preview of the global settings (Insulation tab) with the new parameters:

I've had quite a few requests for ICF walls in the past few months.  Apparently this method of construction has some popularity even though it may not be as common as traditional framing.  I may consider adding this as an additional option for the Wall plugin.

From a programming standpoint it really isn't too different from the CMU option, the only real complication may arise when dealing with t-intersections with other ICF walls, but I'm sure I can program my way around that one. 



The corner configurations are a bit more complicated than CMU or NO FRAMING however it is essentially the same from a coding and geometric standpoint.

Doors and windows involve cutting through three solids (insul - conc - insul) instead of one.

My only concern is whether or not to make the concrete and insulation thickness configurable at a global level or at a wall level.  I supposed there could be situations where different ICF sizes could be used on a single project?  Thoughts?

Version 3.0.7 - 12.30.2022
- Added error checking code into various HTML menus to detect non-existent custom materials used within wall, door and window presets.
- Updated the Wall Stretch tool with an improved wireframe preview.
- Changed the default value for the header extension parameter to zero for doors, windows and garage doors.





The third item in this list was per customer request.

Just cleaning up some loose ends before the start of the New Year.

One issue that is sometimes encountered is when a custom material is defined in the Material Library and then after using it in a Wall Preset it is subsequently deleted.

When this happens and that particular Wall Preset is loaded the plugin tries to assign that custom material in the Draw or Edit wall menu.  If you try this you will quickly notice the drop down box for the material is blank and no valid material is selected.  This inevitably leads to an error either being thrown within the plugin code itself or within the javascript of the HTML menu pages (not sure which at this point).

I need to devise some error checking in the HTML/Javascript to detect this problem if it pops up and gracefully resolve it rather than locking up the plugin.  If I can fix this it will not only save the end user from annoying headaches but also eliminate unnecessary support calls and emails for myself.

Version 3.0.6 - 12.28.2022
- Added a "Jamb Interior" parameter into the Draw and Edit menus for doors.
- Enabled this parameter for both rectangular and arched doors.
- Added this parameter to the Doors tab of the Global Settings.





This update was per my previous notes and per customer request.

Digging through my notes and todo list this afternoon.  I noticed that when you do not install a door and you choose an option other than Option C (Gypsum Only) for the casing then their is no internal casing installed as shown below



My reasoning behind this is that in this particular case you would probably choose not to install the door because you have provided your own custom door for the opening, so no interior casing is needed or wanted. 

However, where the wall is an interior wall there is a possible additional case where you simply want to have a framed opening between rooms without a door.  In this situation you do want the interior casing provided.

This casing would only be instantiated if the install door option was turned off.

However it makes sense to have this option available on a door-by-door basis:

Jamb Interior: YES/NO

In order to not overly complicate the matter I will assume the same shim gap as the typical pre-hung installed door and the interior jamb thickness will be the same as the jamb thickness (typically 0.75 inches).

Thoughts?