Wall Plugin for SketchUp

Started by Medeek, March 05, 2017, 12:03:48 AM

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Medeek

As I was going down through the list this morning and my notes I've also noticed that there has been quite a demand for multiple layer gypsum walls (firewalls).

To do this I would need to create a new attribute library folder which basically means that this would break backward compatibility of the plugin again.

Under the advanced options I would add in a new parameter called:

Advanced Gypsum Options:  Yes or No

Then under a new heading:

Advanced Gypsum Options:

Interior Layers:  0, 1, 2
Int. 1 Thickness:  in or mm
Int. 1 Material:  (utilize materials from Material Manager as well as one default built in material)
Int. 2 Thickness:  in or mm
Int. 2 Material:  (utilize materials from Material Manager as well as one default built in material)

Exterior Layers:  0, 1, 2
Ext. 1 Thickness:  in or mm
Ext. 1 Material:  (utilize materials from Material Manager as well as one default built in material)
Ext. 2 Thickness:  in or mm
Ext. 2 Material:  (utilize materials from Material Manager as well as one default built in material)

A total of eleven new parameters.  Let me know your thoughts on this, is there a better way to present these options or somehow condense this information into a simpler form?
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8d - 10.18.2018
- Created the gable wall matrix selector for the new gable wall module.
- Added the ability to wrap beams with gypsum and updated the beam menus with this new feature.





Note that the material used to wrap the beams can be chosen from the custom materials so technically any material can utilized.

The start offset and end offset allow the designer to pull back the wrap any specified amount to allow for beam pocketing or in the case where the beam extends beyond the wall to the exterior of the building.

The wrap covers the sides and bottom of the beam.  Thickness can also be specified as shown above.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

This screenshot shows an application where the gypsum offset comes into play:



Note the 18" offset from the end of the beam. Also note the use of the miter cut and the notching out of the gypsum, sheathing and cladding (advanced options for the column with beam pocket).

Surprisingly there is quite a lot going on here even though the geometry looks relatively simple.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

#278
Per user requests I've enabled an additional parameter for windows so that you can assign a manufacturer to the installed windows (door also coming soon).  Note that the window geometry itself is not manufacturer specific but is controlled by the users preferences.

In the near future I will also be creating a window and door preset feature so various options can be pre-configured.

If manufacturer's logos are enabled in the Material tab of the Global Settings and a manufacturer is assigned then the plugin will affix a label to the window in order to quickly and easily identify the window manufacturer:





The label is actually its own group/face on the dimension 3 layer and can be toggled by turning this layer on or off.

In the future it might be useful to enable a tool that allows one to switch all of the windows and door from one manufacturer to another with the single click of a button.  If a cost database is setup for the various manufacturers then the estimating module can create comparative cost estimates depending on the manufacture of the fenestration.

I've initially added the following manufacturers/brands:

Pella, Milgard, Marvin, Integrity, Plygem, Jeld-Wen, Alside, Andersen, Atrium, Harvey, MI, PGT, Simonton, YKK-AP



The label is constrained to a square 8"x8" and offsets the window glass by 0.125 so that it does not z-fight with the window glass.

Please send me any window and door manufacturers that you would like to see added to the plugin.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8e - 10.21.2018
- Added a manufacturer's label and fields (mfr. and series) for windows.
- Added the following window manufacturers and labels: Alside, Andersen, Atrium, Harvey, Integrity, Jeld-Wen, Marvin, MI, Milgard, Pella, PGT, PlyGem, Simonton, YKK-AP
- Shutters Option added to the Windows tab of the global settings.
- "Window Trim Inset" parameter added to the Windows tab of the global settings.

The Window Trim Inset parameter allows the trim to be brought right up against the window.  Previously the trim around the window was flush with the framed opening however since the window is typically 1/2" less in overall size than the framed opening this left a 1/4" gap all the way around the window.

The default value for the inset parameter is 1/4" so that the trim butts right up to the window frame.  This parameter can be set to a positive or negative value. If the parameter is set to zero then the trim will be flush with the framed opening.

The shutter option parameter allows one to set the default behavior of this advanced option for the window draw tool.

The manufacturer series parameter has been added however I have not yet added all the series for each manufacturer.  I will be contacting each manufacturer and inquiring which of their window series should be added to the plugin.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

Version 0.9.8f - 10.23.2018
- Critical fixes in the following modules: Auto-Corner Config, Shutters, Sheathing and Cladding.
- Loading wall presets changed to a two step process.  Clicking the update button is no longer required to activate a loaded preset.
- Wall edit menu updated to allow for sequential selection of wall panels for quick editing.

There are even more minor fixes that are too numerous to list.

The wall edit menu update should be a welcome fix.  If you are right clicking on each wall to edit them then each time you right click and "Edit Assembly" the wall settings will appear in the edit menu for that wall.  Previously a separate window would open up for each wall panel but only the last edit window actually worked. This resolves that issue and makes it more intuitive and robust.

If you are using the edit icon to edit walls this is even a quicker method of selecting and editing walls.  After you select a wall the tool remains active and you can continue to select and update walls by clicking on your target wall panels.  To terminate the tool, close the edit menu and hit the space bar.

Both methods of editing are now faster and much more intuitive and robust. 
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8g - 10.24.2018
- Corrected a bug in the Walls tab of the global settings involving the wall presets selection field.
- Added a blocking thickness parameter in the Walls tab of the global settings.



This particular bug in the Walls tab only became an issue when a previously selected default preset was deleted and then the user navigated to the Walls tab after the deletion. 

Now the javascript checks first for the existence of the default preset before trying to assign it in the drop down menu.

Not a really big issue but in a certain state it will lock up the form and not allow the user to save their settings.

The blocking thickness parameter was a quick item to add per a user request.  Note that this is a global default and cannot currently be adjusted per wall panel.  If we need more granularity I can do that but it means an additional parameter in the attribute library of the wall panel which means it will break backward compatibility with previous versions of the plugin.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Medeek Wall Plugin Tutorial 5:  Multi-Story Construction

https://youtu.be/ptdhwNwoLLU
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8h - 10.25.2018
- Fixed a bug with the blocking parameter for metric templates.

If your using metric templates you will want to upgrade to this version otherwise your blocking will appear too large as it will not be converted from millimetres to inches in the final drawing step.

A critical fix for clients using metric.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

As a follow up discussion to the multi-story tutorial I was asked a question by a designer regarding installation of a band board between the two stories as shown below:



To be honest I hadn't tried this before but the band board is provided by the 1st level walls and then its height is actually set such that it is actually above the sheathing, cladding and wall height.  It seems this is possible.

On the same token one could use the 2nd story walls to specify the band board and input a negative number to set the band board below the actual wall itself.

In this particular design case, there is more than one way to solve the problem.

The frieze and skirt boards are a little more static, in that they will always be positioned at the top and bottom of cladding respectively.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

The next release of the plugin will have an arrow as shown to the right of the tabs in the global settings which will take the user to the next set of tabs:



Currently there are nine new tabs planned, most of which will have an under construction sign until I fully flesh them out:



The Updates tab will display the current changlog which is paralleled on the website as well.



Clicking the left arrow will return the user back to the first set of tabs.

If required an additional right arrow can be added to the second set of tabs taking the user to the third set of tabs.

In total there are 12 tabs in the first set and 9 tabs in the second set, for a total of 21 tabs in the global settings.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8i - 10.28.2018
- The following tabs added to the global settings: Garage Doors, Beams, Columns, Stairs, SSW, Shearwalls, Estimating, Engineering and Updates.
- Enabled custom materials for gypsum in the HTML wall draw and edit menus.
- Felt + OSB material added to the pre-installed plugin materials.



Felt + OSB is similar to Tyvek + OSB where the outer face of the OSB has the felt material applied.

The felt material application depicts a typical 36" roll with 2" of overlap.

The change to the way I'm handling the gypsum material is a significant upgrade and allows for usage of custom materials from the material library within the global settings.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

The current Wall Plugin ToDo list as of 10/29/2018:

1.) Gable Walls (Standard and Shed) [in progress]
2.) Stair Module (straight run then landings and complex shapes) [in progress]
3.) Estimating [in progress]
4.) Adv. Gypsum (multi-layer gypsum both sides of int. walls)
5.) Custom width of king and trimmer studs for doors, windows and garage doors.
6.) Transom windows above doors (rectangle and arch)
7.) Additional door types (bifold, sliding glass, pocket doors)
8.) Join/Split Wall Tools
9.) Wall Stretch Tool
10.) Wall Grouping
11.) Wall Dropper
12.) Engineering
13.) Levels/Stories Manager
14.) Interior painting of gypsum
15.) Wall justification in draw wall tool.
16.) Gypsum backer studs at tee intersections
17.) Interior Trim (crown molding, baseboard, chair rails, wainscoting)
18.) Global Settings (8 new tabs) [in progress]
19.) Shear Wall Module

Some of these are extremely high priority and some of these are much lower on the list.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.8j - 10.30.2018
- Advanced layers (headers, kings and trimmers) enabled for door, window and garage door framing.

Somehow along the way I setup advanced layers for the framing however they did not get fully implemented until now.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

With balloon framed gable walls one often sees a lot of trapezoidal picture windows used in these walls:



I need a little more guidance on the most typical way these openings are framed out.  If a header is installed it would have to be inclined and would follow the pitch of the roof.

Any framing details or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.9 - 10.30.2018
- Enabled custom window header and trimmer widths within draw and edit menus.
- Added king and trimmer width parameters to Windows tab of global settings.
- Fixed a bug with insulation positioned above windows where trimmer quantity is greater than one.



This addition was per customer request.  I will probably add the same two additional parameters for doors and garage doors in the very near future.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

On a somewhat related note to the last post I'm looking at various photos of typical residential framing and I've noticed that many framers will include a plate below or above the header or both:



Any thoughts on this?

Do I need to add this in as another option?
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

I can use either one parameter with four possible options or two parameters with two options each:

Built-up Header:  NO|TOP|BTM|BOTH

or

Header Top Plate:  YES|NO
Header Btm Plate:  YES|NO

Which would you prefer?
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

I'm trying to simulate a G-rib metal wall panel here (clay and stone color):



The problem of course is that the shadow will be cast a certain direction on the original texture/image but when you render it out the light source may be the opposing direction which will make things look a bit off.

Modeling the actual texture/profile of the panel is not a good idea either since it would make the model very heavy.

Thoughts?

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/6e963b76-13f4-4632-aef0-dec78588f019/G-Rib-Wall-Panels
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.9b - 10.31.2018
- Enabled built-up headers within the window draw and edit menus: None, Top, Bottom or Both.
- Added the built-up header parameter to the Windows tab of the global settings.



The window to the left is a good example for where the top plate is not needed, just the bottom plate. as the header butts up directly against the top plate of the wall.

The window to the right is set lower in the wall and requires both top and bottom plate as shown.

The built-up header parameter allows four options: None, Top, Bottom or both.  The default behavior can also be set in the global settings.

As with the custom widths on the trimmers and kings I am test bedding this with the windows first, once everyone has had a chance to work this through a bit I will roll it out for doors and garage doors.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

This is an example of metal roof and wall cladding (utilizing the Material Manager in both the Truss and Wall plugins):







View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/dbab0b27-58c2-41f8-86a2-441544a2b939/Metal-Siding-Test

The model was created with all three plugins.  The only manual edit was moving the person outside of the structure and re-positioning of two anchor bolts that landed in the middle of the garage door.  The entire model except for the foundation (slab-on-grade) is fully parametric, moving openings or changing the roof pitch is a couple clicks of the mouse.  Model creation time was about 10 minutes.

As far as speed of modeling goes I think this is starting to close in on other design packages like Revit and Chief Architect.  Once I add the estimating and then the engineering it will even exceed their capabilities.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Don_P

An article on framing dropped garage door headers and lateral buckling;
https://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/C-StrucDesign-Schweizer-Jan081.pdf

For trap glass in gables I typically frame with a raked header. Often there is rectangular glazing, window or door, underneath. To stiffen the wall requires multiple king studs, can require a thicker wall, sometimes a steel flitch plate vertically in the king stud stack, or heavier "posts" of framing or heavy timber running from floor to ceiling to stiffen the wall. As the walls get taller and punched full of openings and the fetch to the wind increases that goes to the engineer. That can be an interesting set of deflection calcs, I hate to close the door and feel the whole wall shake or see it pump in the wind.

The flitch plate I'm drilling was for elsewhere but the engineered tall wall is on the deck showing some of the framing/sheathing detail.


Where your typical header shows the 2 ply header stacked to the exterior with a void for insulation on the interior I usually build a spaced hollow box, plate on bottom or top and bottom and fill the interior with rigid foam. Junior crew member makes up headers and T's and stocks the walls as they are laid out on the deck. This give better nailing inside and out but could be a problem for some inspectors. I've also had one inspector balk at having plates between header and jack as that is not the codebook prescriptive detail, that's mostly a thinking problem though.

Medeek

Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

A whole different area I really haven't explored yet is fixtures (and furniture).

Technically this is a very broad topic and could really use an entirely different plugin to do it justice.

However, I will add in a toolbar called "Fixtures" which will allow the user to select from a matrix of options (Bath, Bedroom, Kitchen etc...) and then to select from some standard layouts. 

For bathrooms the layout below (Layout A) is very typical in the US for many mid-range homes:



An 8'x5' bathroom with a sink, toilet and tub. 

The idea being that the user can quickly generate any standard layout from a library of components.  I will probably include a few default (low poly) components however it will be up to the user to drop their own preferred components into the plugin sub-folders if they want to be able to select from them in the drop down menus.

I don't want to include a large number of high poly count components in the plugin because is will make the .rbz file too large and cumbersome.  Besides there are vast libraries of manufacturer components available in the 3D warehouse. 

The cool thing about integrating this within the plugin suite is that it will then be possible to obtain counts for estimating purposes on many of these fixtures and assign prices etc...

The Edit menu will allow the user to swap out any of the components and also custom position them as required.

For this particular bathroom layout (and most layouts in general) there is a left and right hand orientation.  The user will be able to select the orientation in the draw and/or edit menu.  The first mouse click will establish the insertion point the second click will establish the rotation.  Clicking the shift key will toggle orientation (left or right).

Some fixtures such as the bath tub shown come in a left and right version.  It will be up to the user to upload both versions for use however I will include an additional parameter (rotation: 0 or 180) so that orientation can be controlled.



With this new module I will start with bathrooms first and then branch into other rooms as the need arises.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 0.9.9d - 11.07.2018
- Added a material parameter for ext. wainscot ledges.
- Added toolbar icons for "Fixtures" module.





This extra parameter was added per customer request.

This will allow the designer to setup a texture/material for rowlock brick.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer