Development and Updates for the Medeek Wall Plugin

[Medeek]

This is an update on the previous "todo" list and the current status of various high priority items:


1.) Wall and Window edit, move and delete functions/Tools.

Edit and delete is complete, currently working on the move function.

2.) Global Setting tabs for Window and Door settings.

Parameters have multiplied five fold, will need to spend more time adding in all of these new parameters.

3.) Rudimentary Door and Window plugin that integrates with this plugin tightly.

This is complete, three door types, three window types, more variants to be added after initial release.

4.) Wall Move and Split Tool.

Wall move tool is planned prior to release, split tool will probably be after.

5.) Add air gap parameter for the cladding (ie. brick fascia).

Done.

6.) Auto corner configuration

Approximately, 50% complete, more debugging and testing required.

7.) Polyline Wall Tool and Face Wall Tool (right now all you can do is create a single segment at a time).

Polyline tool is now planned prior to release, face tool is on backburner until requests drive it to top of list.

8.) Final clean and addition of any additional parameters to the Global Settings.

This is part of item #2.

9.) Further refinements to the Add Window and Add Door Tools.

Complete for now, some additional error checking could be added to check for impossible geometry situations.

10.) Gable/Shed Wall Tool.

This is planned after initial release, for now.

11.) Add glulam beams to Window and Door header options.

This will be added when the garage door module is added, which will probably be post release.

12.) Update Wall Plugin web page.

Will attack this just prior to release of plugin.

13.) Additional logic for interior walls

This needs attention before release of plugin.

14.) Mitered corners for cladding.

Code is in place however further testing and debugging required.

[Medeek]

Okay that was easy:





Six panel doors are now part of the plugin.

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/557482c5-dac8-4bb1-b694-593563cbf119/Framing-Test-16

[Medeek]

Still mucking around with the Wall and Door Move Function:



It's actually working quite well however I am trying to figure out how to add a grid next to the wall that the cursor can inference from and snap to regular intervals.

Any suggestions would be helpful. 

I will say the move tool is quite handy and a bit faster than using the edit function.

[Medeek]

The opening move tool is giving me some headaches:

[Medeek]

The opening move tool is now complete and I am now working on the wall move tool along with the wall polyline creation tool and the auto-config for wall corners.  This is the last major item(s) on the todo list prior to release.  All other items are fairly minor in comparison and constitute mere housekeeping rather than actual significant development.





View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/27520763-62ee-47d0-a0ab-31bd1c313465/Framing-Test-17

[Medeek]

Every stud, plate and header is there, if you want it.



Given a few more months of development and this thing will blow your socks and hats clean off.

Addressed some major issues and stability today so I'm pretty upbeat.

[Medeek]

I've added a callout option so that when the designer is in the 2D mode the window and door sizes and types are called out:



This particular option can only be set in the global settings.

One thing to note is that the door handedness and the window type are only in the callout if the user has specified a particular door or window type to install.  If the advanced options are not enabled then only the opening size will be displayed (ie. 3068 vs. 3068LH or 3040 vs. 3040SH).

[Medeek]

A preview of the Polyline Wall Creation Tool and Auto-Corner Configuration:

[Medeek]

Another test of the wall plugin combined with the foundation and truss plugin. 



The wall plugin is now in better shape than the truss plugin since no manual edits are required and all the windows and doors are fully parametric.

However note that the interior walls and garage doors are still missing, more work yet to be done.





View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/859fad2e-3b88-4312-a5e6-e5e7dc913151/Framing-Test-19

After spending the last month on this new plugin I can see where the other two plugins have room for some serious improvement, I've really got my work cut out for me.

[Medeek]

Progress has been made but still working out a few kinks.

[Medeek]

One of many wall move permutations that must be considered:



I also still need to fully vett the non-orthogonal wall possibilities, this is exhausting work.

[Medeek]

A preview of the Wall Move Tool:



View Model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/7d00f6ec-e8a5-4ae9-a63a-9d16add4bd94/Framing-Test-21

The primary items left to do before the release are:

- Interior Walls
- Global Settings (update)
- Web Page (update)

I will start on interior walls tomorrow.

I also have some additional testing to do with the no framing option to make sure it is working seamlessly with the other modes (2D and 3D).

[Medeek]

Interior Walls:



A couple of items on today's todo list with regards to interior walls:

- The wall move tool decouples interior wall corners from exterior wall corners, this is intended.
- I still need to add in an algorithm which can sense when an interior wall is Teeing into an ext. or int. wall.  This is important primarily for the move tool and wall creation tool.
- Update interior door casing
- Interior windows (windows that are embedded in an interior wall) are not very common, not sure exactly what to do in this case.  Perhaps just treat as regular window installed in an exterior wall.
- Interior framed openings (without installation of door or window):  These need to be wrapped in gypsum to properly finish them out.
- Added interior trim (baseboard, crown molding, chair rail, wainscoting) to the long term todo list.

That should be it for now.  I may be able to get all this done today if I really hustle and then on to the global settings tomorrow.

[Medeek]

Window and Door callouts with the "2D Layout in 3D" option turned on.

Notice that I have parallel projection turned on  in SketchUp.

I apologize for the strange coloration and quality of the image, I'm trying out some new software for taking screen grabs and turning them into animated GIFs.

[Medeek]

Straps, holdowns, anchor bolts, threaded rod and couple nuts are now part of the plugin.  More details on that later.  At some point the engineering module will be able to do the entire lateral calcs on a structure with the click of a button and input of a few site criteria parameters.  The idea is to fully automate the engineering of a residential structure, engineers shouldn't have to work this hard.





Tomorrow I will wrap up the global settings and we will release the plugin for beta testing.

I still have quite a bit more stability testing to make sure I have missed any glaring errors but I'm sure the beta testers will help sniff out a lot of those issues.