Development and Updates for the Medeek Wall Plugin

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.3 - 07.29.2022
- Enabled independent control of exterior and interior stud depths for staggered stud walls (rectangular only).



Previously staggered studs were auto-calculated and one could not independently control the stud depth for the exterior and interior studs.  This latest update allows for granular control of the stud depths and makes the staggered stud feature more flexible and useful.

[Medeek]

After some further thought to window and door casings (interior trim) I realized it would be useful to enable a system whereby the user could essentially create their own profiles and add them into the plugin (library folder) themselves.

I will probably include some pre-added profiles like the 365 and a few other common ones, but this way it will be much more flexible for the user and customizable.



I will start with the door casings first and then add this feature to the window module after.

[Medeek]

First look at custom casings:





Notice that when CUSTOM casing is specified for the Casing Style, the edit or draw menu will provide a preview of the profile as shown.

Now I need to work on enabling this for arched doors and also updating the global settings with this new option.

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.4 - 08.05.2022
- Enabled CUSTOM door casings for rectangular doors.
- Added a thumbnail preview into the edit and draw door menus showing the custom casing profiles.
- Added a thumbnail preview into the Door tab of the Global Settings and added the custom profile parameter.





Additional profiles can be added into the "casings" sub-folder of the "library" folder within the plugin folder.  Placement of the profile is important, so best practice is to open one of the two examples within this sub-folder and duplicate its positioning and grouping.

I will still need to enable this feature for arched doors and all window types, so much more work is yet to be done in this regard.  It seems there is never a lack of work when it comes to this plugin.

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.5 - 08.06.2022
- Enabled CUSTOM door casings for arched doors.
- Added CUSTOM D and CUSTOM F door casing options for rectangular doors.

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.6 - 08.07.2022
- Added STYLE G and CUSTOM G casing options for rectangular doors.



I had to add in these two styles since they are used in our own home.  I think I have finally beaten this horse to death but if there are any other styles you feel should be added please feel free to contact me or post them here.

The profile for the upper molding is found in the "system" sub-folder of the "library" folder.  It can be edited and customized by the user.  The file name is: CM_HEADER.skp

[Medeek]

First look at Style G applied to a window:

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.7 - 08.09.2022
- Enabled the following CUSTOM casings for rectangular windows: CUSTOM, CUSTOM D, CUSTOM F, CUSTOM G.
- Added a thumbnail preview into the edit and draw window menus showing the custom casing profiles.
- Added a thumbnail preview into the Window tab of the Global Settings and added the custom profile parameter.
- Added a STYLE G casing option for rectangular windows.
- Fixed a compatibility bug with CUSTOM door casings.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/6522c941-2ad8-421c-948c-e5d39dbf34ca/Custom-Window-Casings

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.8 - 08.13.2022
- Added a "Label Rotation" parameter for all wall types (0 or 180 degrees).
- Added a default "Label Rotation" parameter into the General tab of the Global Settings.

[Medeek]

Tutorial 31 - Custom Window and Door Casings (15:42 min.)



It's crazy to think that about seven years ago I started these plugins (Oct. 2015) and really had no idea where this might go.  With the SketchUp API I've managed to turn SketchUp into a program or environment where you can automatically generate architectural geometry that would normally take a program like Revit or Chief Architect.  The API along with the full Ruby language essentially makes it possible to customize SketchUp in just about any way possible, which is what makes it so powerful and fun to tinker with.

Thank-you SketchUp and all the people along the way who created this amazing 3D drawing environment and for me a programmer's paradise.

[Medeek]

Version 2.9.9 - 08.21.2022
- Enabled an option to specify the location of beam pocket king studs for in-wall columns: LEFT, RIGHT, BOTH.
- Fixed a number of minor bugs related to in-wall columns.

[Medeek]

Version 3.0.0 - 08.22.2022
- Fixed a bug created by the upgrades in Version 2.9.9.
- Updated some of the Global Settings tabs to display the status message at the top of the HTML page.

[Medeek]

Version 3.0.1 - 09.03.2022
- Added a "Label Location" parameter for windows: AUTO, INT, EXT.
- Added a "Label Location" parameter for doors: AUTO, INT, EXT.





You can now manually configure the window and door labels to be on the interior or exterior of the wall on a per opening basis.  The feature added per customer request.

[Medeek]

Version 3.0.2 - 09.05.2022
- Enabled custom materials for wall framing within the global settngs.
- Enabled custom materials within the "Wall Framing Material" parameter for all wall types.





With this update you are no longer constrained to set number of material/texture options for the wall framing.  You can now use your own custom material for wall framing.  The update was also per customer request.

[Medeek]

An actual mud hut:



In all seriousness though there are number of building methods (ie. rammed earth, adobe, cobb, stone etc...) which could utilize the flexibility of custom framing materials: