Development and Updates for the Medeek Wall Plugin

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.4b - 02.08.2020
- Added a T1-11 built-in material into the material library.
- Fixed the move wall tool so that it no longer requires a negative number for offsetting to the exterior side of the wall.
- Enabled the display of the offset dimension next to the blue movement arrow for the move wall tool.



The elimination of the negative offset should make the wall move tool a lot more intuitive to use.  Please feel free to give me further feedback in this regard.

[Medeek]

In some cases you may frame up something like this:



Rather than a tee intersection you have two walls forming a corner and then a third wall tying in at the corner.  Currently I really don't have a good solution for this scenario since one would probably need to offset the sheathing or gypsum back where the tertiary wall ties in.

I will need to give this some further thought.  Any ideas or suggestions are always welcome.

I've identified a possible bug or issue where the top plate cutout algorithm tries to cut out a zero thickness slice from the adjacent top plate in this particular scenario, I will release a fix for that shortly.

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.5 - 02.15.2020
- Enabled custom materials (Material Library) for all doors and windows: Trim, Casing, Door Frame, Door, Window Frame, Shutters.
- Addressed a minor bug with multiple walls coming together at a corner.




*** IMPORTANT WARNING ***

This latest update is a necessary and major rewrite of the window and door modules.  As such, this update will break compatibility with previous versions of the Wall plugin.  It is highly suggested not to upgrade to this latest version for existing projects that were created with previous versions of the plugin.

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.5b - 02.17.2020
- Fixed a critical bug with the recently updated window and door edit menus.

*** IMPORTANT ***
This is a critical bug fix to Version 1.2.5.  When the source code was compiled for this version the updated HTML files (window and door edit menus) were somehow not updated as they should have been.  I strongly suggest that you update from version 1.2.5 to version 1.2.5b, otherwise you may not be able to edit your windows and doors.

[Medeek]

I've had a number of requests recently for an air gap for the interior of the wall (air gap between the framing and gypsum). 

It seems this air gap is typically for furring strips or possibly a foam insulation layer.

I don't think it will be much of an effort to add this additional feature but I just want to gather further feedback and see if there is enough interest in taking the time to include an extra interior air gap parameter.

Please feel free to comment or send me comments directly to nathan@medeek.com.

[Medeek]

Working on the Wall Stretch Tool this morning.

Essentially I've boiled this tool down to a three click process:

1.)  Select the Wall that you want to stretch or shrink.

2.)  Select the start or end of the wall panel:



3.)  Then select the new position of the wall start/end.  (A wire frame is provided along with a dimension).  The user can either select the position or key in the amount to stretch or shrink.

This feature is in many ways related to the move tool since stretching a wall will also move any attached walls at the affect corner.  Additionally when the start of the wall is moved the location of any features within the wall must be relocated so that they maintain their position, just a few things to think about.

I've also setup the tool so that when you select the wall start or end you don't have to actually select within the circles shown.  The tool will calculate how far your mouse click is away from each end and select the end which is closest to the mouse click. 

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.6 - 02.20.2020
- Added a "Style C" trim option for rectangular windows.
- Fixed a critical bug with the door module for metric templates.



This particular trim style probably is best suited for a brick veneer cladding as shown.
I may also create a Style D which looks similar but includes a keystone.

[Medeek]

First look at the Tee intersection with gysum backers and midspan blocking enabled:



There are at least five or six different ways to frame this up, but initially I will provide four different options:
1.) Three Studs
2.) Two Studs with blocking
3.) Two Studs only
4.)  Disabled

Also these options will not be on a per wall basis but can be set in the global settings.

One of the options will be to turn off this feature so that the user can always opt for more energy efficient means of dealing with these type of intersections.

[Medeek]

First look at a 2-stud tee intersection with the center stud replaced with blocking:



The other option would be just a 2-stud tee with the center stud or blocking omitted.

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.7 - 02.21.2020
- Enabled tee intersection blocking/gypsum backers: 3-stud, 2-stud w/ blocking, 2-stud.
- Added a tee intersection parameter to the Walls tab of the Global Settings.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/9c4e656d-c1eb-44db-8dd8-0165a5672fe2/Tee-Intersections

This update/feature has been on the todo list for many months and I am very excited to finally have a few tee intersection framing options available.

[Medeek]

After careful consideration of current operating costs and our budget for the fiscal year of 2020 I will be updating the plugin(s) pricing to the following:

New Licenses:
Medeek Truss - $95.00 USD
Medeek Wall - $95.00 USD
Medeek Foundation - $65.00 USD
Medeek Electrical - $40.00 USD

mdkBIM Bundle (Truss, Wall, Foundation) - $170.00 USD

License Renewals:
Medeek Truss - $60.00 USD
Medeek Wall - $60.00 USD
Medeek Foundation - $40.00 USD
Medeek Electrical - $25.00 USD

These updated prices will take affect Mar. 1, 2020.  All renewals and new purchases prior to this date will be at the current prices.

[Medeek]

While I'm on the subject of tee intersections I'm also looking at ladder blocking:





The only real question I have is what to do if the intersecting wall actually aligns with one of the exterior studs of the primary wall?  If you eliminate this stud and ladder block across the next two studs then you are spanning 32", this does not seem right.  I suppose you could ladder block on both sides of the stud in both bays, but this seems excessive.

Alternatively, in this situation, one could just frame a couple of 2x4 studs on the flat next to the exterior regular stud, see model below:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/d92b826a-05a6-4d5d-90d6-1bf615bcc303/Ladder-Blocking-Tee-Intersections

[Medeek]

Version 1.2.8 - 02.24.2020
- Added tee intersection ladder blocking as an additional option for tee intersection wall framing.
- Added a user entry error check for single and double quotes within Wall Preset names.



View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/c5d3a161-5693-43cf-a424-1f199b954d30/Tee-Intersections-with-Ladder-Blocking

We may need more parameters and additional options for this particular type of tee intersection framing treatment but for now it seems to be a fairly good start.

[Medeek]

As I was sitting at the Dr. Office today while I waited for some imaging for a family member I had the opportunity to actually read through this entire thread from the beginning (about a two hour wait).

The amount of work I was able to accomplish on the Wall plugin during 2018 (Mar. thru Dec.) is mind blowing even to me.  I think my pace recently has slowed a little especially as I have diverted my focus to the other plugins and created new ones (Electrical plugin). 

Recently I've been mostly occupied with a number of small fires and feature requests since the start of the new year.  However, as I close those remaining items out I want to refocus on some larger items specifically with the wall plugin that I feel need to be addressed (in no particular order):

1.)  Gable and Shed Walls
2.)  Move the Estimating module to the new **Medeek Project** extension, and further develop this module as it relates to the wall plugin.
3.)  Complete the Wall Join tool.
4.)  Convert the Window, Door and Garage Door Draw menus to HTML.
5.)  Move the Fixtures module to a the new **Medeek Interior** extension.
6.)  Compete the standalone columns/post tool.
7.)  Start work on the integrated **Medeek Engineering** extension, start with window and door headers for vertical loads.
8.)  A generic Blocking module is still a good idea in my opinion, I will need further feedback on this one.
9.) Transom windows above doors with and without sidelites.
10.)  Shear Wall module which will ultimately integrate with the engineering plugin.
11.)  Complete the Wall Stretch tool (75% complete as of 02/24/2020)
12.)  Additional door and window types as requested (eg. bi-fold, sliding glass, double and triple single hung windows).
13.)  Spend some time on the new tabs in the global settings, currently showing an Under Construction sign.
14.) Presets for Windows and Doors
15.)  Making the Window and Door modules work with generic walls, not just Medeek walls.  (*This one has my full attention at the very moment*).

There are a number of smaller items on the todo lists and a few items that have dropped off of the lists.  One of these is multi-layer gypsum, I am still debating if or how I want to implement this. 

I've also given some thought to the stair module and what more I can do to increase its feature set and flexibility.  I almost could hire another programmer just to work on this module alone given the potential complexity and permutations that exist with this feature.

I spend a lot of time lately dealing with technical support which takes away from valuable programming time.  I really need to spend some time making the plugin as "non-breakable" as possible which would then cut down on my hours spent dealing with often mundane and tedious questions and errors.  An example would be checking for zero values in the HTML/javascript where they should not be allowed.

I've thought about wall justification but I just haven't had the time to give it enough thought.

Originally I was going to work on interior trim (crown molding, baseboard, chair rails, wainscoting) and painting of gypsum within the plugin.  However, it now makes more sense to move this into the Medeek Interior extension.

I'm sure I am missing some very important features or fixes among the items I have listed.  Feel free to expand or expound on this list.

Note that this list does not deal at all with any of the hot items with the other three plugins:  Complex Roofs etc...

[Medeek]

First look at a Twin Single Hung window:



Note that the center mullion is a function of the window frame width and in this case is simply the same dimension.  Please let me know if this should be anything otherwise, there currently is not a parameter to differentiate the mullion width from the frame width, but if necessary I suppose I could add one.