Foundation Plugin for SketchUp

Started by Medeek, July 04, 2016, 02:26:33 AM

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Medeek

Version 1.4.5b - 09.11.2019
- Added the option to place a double mat of rebar within a spread footing (top & bottom).



Note that the top mat is identical in size and spacing as the bottom mat.

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/f1f7afde-8548-4e53-9264-93e82b9f76d6/Heavy-Concrete-Column
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

First look at the blockout tool and its results:



Now I just need to have it trim out the rebar and remove anchor bolts that are in the way.

I'm also including an option to have it remove anchor bolts or not remove them in the case that for some reason you don't want to remove anchor bolts that clash with the opening.

I'm going to assume that designer would always want to trim the rebar out and the insulation, but I could also be mistaken on this and might need to provide a couple more options that allow for toggling this behaviour on and off for each blockout.

The edit and delete functions seem to be stable, I just need to get on the move tool and make it work similar to the move tool for openings in the Wall plugin.

The blockout label is on the hidden layer and toggles on and off automatically with the blockout tools.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

First look at rebar trimming and anchor bolt removal:



Now I just need to get the move function working correctly and I think this new set of tools is ready for prime time.

And yes, when you insert blockouts the plugin is correctly calculating the decreased volume of concrete or CMU blocks for the stemwall.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

CMU stemwall with blockouts:



I think this plugin is finally beginning to coalesce into a legitimate extension. 

Still, a few more items remain that need attention but I will need to put those on the back burner for a couple of months while I turn my attention to the truss and wall plugins.  The biggest items are:

1.)  Doors and Windows in foundation walls.
2.)  Internal footings for basic slabs (not slab-on-grade)
3.)  Finish integrating the Medeek Estimator with this plugin
4.)  Engineering (footing calcs primarily), see example here:  http://design.medeek.com/resources/footing/SQUAREFOOTING_CALCULATOR.pdf
5.)  Retaining walls with engineering
6.)  Additional interior bearing types
7.)  Move/Stretch tool for SOG and Stemwall foundations

These are the big items that come to mind right now.  The actual list is probably four times this list in size.  Please let me know what additional features or improvements you would like to see.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 1.4.6 - 09.14.2019
- Enabled the "Draw Blockout" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Enabled the "Edit Blockout" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Enabled the "Move Blockout" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Enabled the "Delete Blockout" tool for polyline stemwalls.



I will put out a short tutorial demonstrating this new tool even though it is mostly self explanatory.

One to thing to note is that this tool only works for the "new" polyline stemwalls.  I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with the old stemwall tool.  Basically everything you can do with old tool you can achieve with the new polyline tool (with the exception of joist pockets).  I will need to give this some more thought.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

Tutorial 7 - Blockouts in Polyline Stemwalls (8:35 min.)

https://youtu.be/ywXrXGqivR0

Unfortunately, I forgot to demonstrate the CMU option with the blockouts, so I will leave that up to the user to try that out for themselves.

If you are using stemwall foundations at all this newest feature is critical in my opinion.  Manually creating blockouts in your stemwalls renders the parametric ability of the plugin mute, hence this latest addition was necessary.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

It just occurred to me that the method/algorithm I use to remove rebar for a blockout can also be used to remove slab rebar or mesh from a slab depression.  Now I have a solution for the slab depression reinforcement problem.

The only potential issue I see with this is the shear number of solids (reinforcement) that may need to be trimmed, especially if the user has specified wire mesh.  I will give this some additional consideration and see if it will work.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

What is the convention for calling out openings (windows and doors) in a basement foundation plan?

Do you list the actual size or is it similar to floor plans where you are using the nominal sizes (ie. 3040, 3068, etc...) but the actual opening is something entirely different?

To be honest, in my neck of the woods I don't see very many basement plans because of our high water table, most everything is stemwall foundations with crawl spaces.

Also would it be useful to have the plugin provide window and door bucks?  If so what should that geometry look like?

As far as the actual window and doors, my plan is to eventually split out the window and door module from the wall plugin so that it can also be utilized to place windows and doors into basement walls.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

As nearly I can tell the convention for doors and windows in basement plans is the same as in regular framing, so here is my proposed solution for openings in foundation walls:



Note that the header height is measured from the top of the door or window opening with the RO taken into account. 

So for example a standard 3068 door would have an actual opening width of 38" and an actual opening height of 82.5" (blockout dimemsions), assuming the rough opening dimensions given.  Assuming that a 4" slab is poured on the top of the footing then the header height would need to be 84".  The height of the top of the door opening measured from the top of the footing would be 80" + 4" + 2.5" = 86.5"

Correct me if any of this goes counter to common practice.

However, another way of dealing with the door may be to actually blockout the  foundation all the way to the footing so that the 4" slab extends through the doorway (I've seen it done both ways).  In this scenario you still want the door height (80") to remain the same so that the callout is still given as 3068, however to maintain the vertical position of the door within the foundation wall the vertical RO would need to change to 6.5" and the header height would need to be 80". 
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

The seventh and hopefully final toolbar (at least for now):



This toolbar will allow the user to create, modify, move and delete openings (two types:  doors, windows) within polyline stemwalls.

Once this toolset is added the plugin I think most of my major functionality issues with the plugin will be  resolved.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

The proposed parameters for Stemwall Openings (with default values):

Opening Type: Door (default), Window
Opening Width: 36"
Opening Height: 80"
Header Height: 84"
Horz. RO Offset: 1.0"
Vert. RO Offset: 2.5"
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 1.4.7 - 09.15.2019
- Enabled the "Draw Opening" tool for polyline stemwalls: Windows and Doors
- Enabled the "Edit Opening" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Enabled the "Move Opening" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Enabled the "Delete Opening" tool for polyline stemwalls.
- Fixed a bug with the Edit Blockout tool menu.





Similar to the blockout tools this new feature only works with polyline stemwalls as noted in changelog.

If you have a lot of rebar in your foundation walls and a lot of openings in those walls then the plugin will have a lot of boolean subtraction to do in order to trim out the rebar as shown, this will cause a performance hit but should not be unreasonable on an adequately equipped PC or Mac.  For older machines one way around this is to only toggle rebar on as a final step after all of your other edits to the foundation wall are complete.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Tutorial 8 - Windows and Doors in Polyline Stemwalls (8:31 min.)

https://youtu.be/xRvGLfRHXW0
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

I'm really enjoying the new parametrics and the blockout functions:



I initially created the (polyline) stemwall foundation then cut out the garage door with the blockout tool.  Then I drew in the slab (polygon) option.  At that point I decided I wanted a man door 4" off the right front corner, so I used the blockout tool again to create this opening.

Then I realized that slab needed to also flow into this opening so I used the "Edit Slab Outline" feature to modify the outline of the slab and, Voila!  Done.

No manual edits and no having to delete and then recreate assemblies, I like this.

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/8fa3d473-1bb6-4e54-8217-afe49564340f/Garage-Foundation
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

Version 1.4.8 - 09.17.2019
- Added the "Move Stemwall Segment" icon to the stemwall toolbar.
- Added the "Move Stemwall Segment" function to the context menu for polyline stemwall assemblies.
- Enabled the "Move Stemwall Segment" tool for polyline stemwalls.



I think the best way to explain this new feature is to provide a demonstration.  I will be releasing another tutorial shortly showing how this new tool is used.  I think you will find it very convenient.

Note that openings and blockouts are going to need some further adjustment to their algorithms in order to play nicely with this new feature.  I'm already working on the solution.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

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

Medeek

Version 1.4.8b - 09.17.2019
- Removed the "Draw Slab on Grade" icon from the main toolbar.
- Added the SOG Foundation toolbar.
- Added the "Move SOG Edge" icon to the SOG foundation toolbar.
- Added the "Move SOG Edge" function to the context menu for polygon SOG assemblies.
- Enabled the "Move SOG Edge" tool for polygon/face SOG assemblies.



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

Medeek

There is one final issue or missing feature with the polyline stemwall tool and that is brick ledges.  I have been working on the complex roof module this evening but I really feel like I need to address the brick ledge issue before I leave the foundation plugin development for a spell.

Originally my thinking was that a brick ledge option for stemwalls needed to be on a per edge basis.  However, even if this were the case the stemwall thickness and footing size would still remain the same for all of the assembly, even for those segments that do not have brick ledges.

Typically I would assume that a stemwall foundation should have a thicker stemwall and footing for those walls that are supporting brick veneer.  If this is the case then it actually makes more sense to have a global option for the assembly rather than a per edge basis.

Please correct me if I am wrong here.

I guess I need a bit of guidance, perhaps some more more examples of stemwall foundation plans with brick ledges (and some walls without) would be extremely helpful.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Here is a simple example of a stemwall foundation where the front of the house would have brick veneer and the rear and sides would be siding or stucco:



Notice how the dimensions for the sections of the walls that support the brick are thickened accordingly and the model splits the foundation into two separate stemwall assemblies to achieve this.

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/8aedbc2a-83f1-435b-a021-24ff99ab3c4c/Stemwall-Foundation-with-Brick-Ledges

In a situation like this one would not need brick ledges on a per edge basis since those stemwalls sections with brick would require a different (thicker/larger) profile to deal with the extra dead load of the veneer.

If there is a valid argument for a brick ledge tool that works on a per edge basis I will entertain it, but I need to see a situation where there would be call for this.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 1.4.9 - 09.19.2019
- Added a brick ledge option for polyline stemwalls.
- Fixed a bug with regards to metric templates for foundation vents within polyline stemwalls.



Note that the top rebar is offset from the bottom rebar so that it stays centered within the decreased width of the upper stemwall.  Anchor bolt placement and FPSF insulation is also adjusted accordingly as shown.

The example shown is a 10" stemwall with a 4" brick ledge.

As previously discussed the brick ledge option is an assembly wide option and not on a per edge basis, hopefully this is flexible enough for most designers.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer


Medeek

I think we are just about ready to fully retire the old stemwall tool.  The only thing I am missing with the new polyline tool is joist pockets, I guess there is always one more thing.

Joist pockets would be a feature that would be on a per edge basis.  Like brick ledges for slab-on-grades there would be no "move" function, only draw, edit and delete tools.  So essentially I need one more toolbar for joist pockets, with three icons... I know everyone is about ready to hit me right now, with all of these toolbars I keep adding, I'm sorry. 

In my defense though I should point out that the user can easily disable/turn off  any of the toolbars that they do not commonly use, so that they do not overly clutter their SketchUp workspace. 

Joist pockets are not a high priority in my opinion.  I have a few western US builders who use them on a regular basis but I don't think they are as popular anymore.  I'm going to put this option on the back burner for a while, however as they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease so I'm always open to suggestion if you feel otherwise.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Now that I have stemwalls and brick ledges on my mind it seems clear that we probably need a brick ledge option for stemwall steps:



However, as I'm looking around at various examples of brick ledges combined with steps it appears that sometimes the brick ledge laps as shown in this image:



Do I need another parameter so that the designer can lap the brick ledge?
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 1.4.9b - 09.19.2019
- Fixed a bug in the Layers tab of the Global Settings.

*** Critical Fix ***

This seemingly minor typo in the HTML prevents the user from saving their updated settings within the Layers tab of the global settings.  I highly recommend upgrading to version 1.4.9b in order to resolve this issue.

Versions 1.4.2 thru 1.4.9 are affected by this bug.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

First look at stemwall steps with brick ledge (and insulation):



Now I just need to enable the "Ledge Lap" parameter which will allow for and overlapping of the brick ledge for Top and Double steps, obviously this does not apply for the Bottom step type.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer

Medeek

Version 1.5.0 - 09.19.2019
- Added a brick ledge option for stemwall steps.
- Added a parameter which allows the lapping of brick ledges for the following stemwall step types: Top, Double.



Note that the "ledge lap" parameter does not apply to Bottom steps, the step shown in the middle of the image.

The lap distance can be set by the "Ledge Lap Distance" parameter independently of the ledge height.

View model here:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/5c0cb202-6b8a-4c92-b46c-84bd1c77ba64/Stemwall-Steps-with-Brickledge

I would really like to see someone use the extension to model up a fairly complex project (for construction) and get a little more feedback on the weaknesses and strengths of the plugin as it currently stands.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, P.E.
Designer, Programmer and Engineer