Development and Updates for the Medeek Truss Plugin

[Medeek]

Version 1.6.7 - 07.21.2016
- Added a counter battens option within the battens menu for common, scissor and vaulted trusses.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=3bb5c81a-ffd0-4f2f-8cf0-34bf6279428e

Counter battens can be applied with our without sheathing.  The counter battens are centered on the trusses below therefore their spacing is not independently controlled. 

Based on my research it appears that counter battens are usually only applied when battens are laid on top of a sheathed roof.  However I have left the option open to apply them without the sheathing in case one wanted to apply them directly to the truss top chords over a vapor barrier.

[Medeek]

I can add another input field into the menu which will allow the offset from the peak:

Offset from Peak (mm):

I can also put in another option that will allow for the equal spacing between peak and eave battens with the spacing input serving as the max. batten spacing if this option is enabled:

Spacing Peak-to-Eave: YES/NO

I think this will then give you the flexibility you need to make this feature actually useful in real world applications.

Another thing to note is that the battens will work with the roof returns option but I currently have no logic in place to deal with the extension at the eave.  I may need to give this some more thought:

[Medeek]

Version 1.6.7 - 07.21.2016
- Added a counter battens option within the battens menu for common, scissor and vaulted trusses.
- Battens (at peak) can be offset from peak.
- Peak-to-Eave spacing enabled when "battens at peak" option is selected.

This was a very small update so I just tucked it into the latest revision.

[Medeek]

I haven't had any time this week or even this weekend to dive back into it yet but the icons for the Medeek Tools Menu (trim and extend for now) will look like this:

[Medeek]

Version 1.6.8 - 08.20.2016
- Added the Medeek Tools toolbar with Trim and Extend icons.
- Added the trim function for (solid) groups and components.

Only the trim function currently works with this latest release.  I'm also not completely satisfied with the trim function as it tends to break down when dealing with components that have tranformed instances.  I am still working on this one.  The main reason I've released it is for a few of my SketchUp mentors to have the ability to test the trim function and hopefully help me work the bugs out of it.

[Medeek]

I've created a SketchUp model tonight using the truss and foundation plugins to further examine a structural design I am working on.



View and download model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=cb424537-7ad2-4afb-a53b-1ab547feec26

I think I will probably add a TJI roof that allows one to use two glulam beams with cantilevered rafters as shown in this model, this configuration seems to be fairly popular.

[Medeek]

Again I apologize for the delay in development, first it was my new job and then I re-injured my rotator cuff (old injury from 10 years ago) which has made sitting at my desk for prolonged periods very difficult.

This morning I sat down and thought about hip sets since I've had some recent requests for the their addition to the plugin.  What I show below is a fairly standard step down hip set with, with the midwest variant shown at one corner and the standard variant at the other corner. 



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=aa9db54b-4a66-412e-86fd-94e3e676e0b5

Note, I have not shown all of the internal webs for clarity, those will be generated automatically and not be user definable. 

Please review carefully and let me know if anything looks amiss.  I will also be adding in other variants of the hip set but I figured I would start with these two.

A stepdown hip set provides a girder truss, with a hip jack truss running from the corners up the ridge until they meet the hip girder.

The Midwest hip set also provides a girder truss, with hip trusses that step up to the peak.
However in a Midwest hip set, you run a rafter (dropped) up from the corner of the front wall to the hip girder.
All the bottom chords of the end jacks run to the hip girder, allowing for better attachment of the drywall on the ceiling.

[Medeek]

This is the Northeast Hip Set variant:



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=7a091720-b221-4b49-b59b-f797f95211e6

In a northeast hip set, you will find a short jack truss starting at the corner and running up the hip ridge. This hip jack stops at a sub-girder. All end jack bottom chords run to the hip girder, allowing for better attachment of the drywall on the ceiling. Hip cats must be field cut and installed between the hip trusses. Works well with dual-pitched hip systems.

[Medeek]

This is the California Hip Set:



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=c17f8767-de27-44bd-b589-fbb186ea09fc

The problem I am having with this variant is the conflict between the 2x6 hip rafter and the top chords of the step down hip trusses.

[Medeek]

The revised california hip set with a stacked hip rafter:



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=97644895-c988-435c-bdc4-c7b8956a6d46

[Medeek]

A stepdown or midwest hip set with a drop-in purlin frame:



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=5d01af7e-a966-42c2-8355-88b5964e6d8c

There is some minor conflicts at the top chord of the frame with the hip trusses and at the peak but I don't think it is worth worrying about.

I have found that for manual editing of members the "trim" function is becoming a very valuable tool, it has already saved me a lot of time when adjusting webs and chords as I adjust or drop some of the hip truss top chords.  I strongly suggest that everyone upgrade to the latest version (1.6.8 ) to take advantage of the improved trim function.  I now need to get the extend function working.

[Medeek]

A smaller (16' span) standard terminal hip set attached to the main roof with girder truss and valley set.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=beb29cf5-e571-42ab-8df5-526793a49332

The addition of the hip sets into the plugin will allow the creation of more complex hip roofs with minimal manual intervention. 

[Medeek]

I now just need to hunker down and get some heavy coding done to make all of these hip set variants a reality.  Once I have one the rest will fall out fairly easily since the overall logic for all the variants are quite similar.  I've spent the last 2-3 days reviewing some texts and shop drawings to make sure I've got things more or less correct with my models/templates.  So far no one has complained too loudly about any of the configurations so I think it is now time to proceed and add the hip sets into the plugin.

[Medeek]

Version 1.6.9 - 09.14.2016
- Added some enhancements and wireframe (temporary) graphics to the valley set function.
- Fixed bug in the trim function.
- Fixed bug in the roof battens option.

[Medeek]

I've been slowly working on the stepdown hip truss set.  Its been a bit more complicated than expected.  I've also decided to make it auto select the common truss type by span but also allow the user to manually select the common truss type as well, yet another level of complexity.  In addition I would also like to enable raised heels which again adds to the complexity of the required logic and amount of code required to make this work.

The user will be able to select the hip setback.  This is usually 3x or 4x the truss spacing (ie. 6ft, 8ft with 24" o/c truss spacing).  I could restrict this to some multiple of the truss spacing but I think I will leave it completely open ended for the user.

Once I have the initial module complete I will then add into the advanced options the ability to use a drop-in purlin frame.